V7 Turn Signal to Running Lights

[TheHungarian]

I'm looking for a simple way to make me more visible in the daytime from the front while riding, especially with the old-school halogen headlight. I don't like running with high beams on in the daytime.  One too many close calls with cars not seeing me and pulling out.  It seems like a lot of people agree amber running lights in front, combined with the headlight, is very good for being seen.
I considered installing some of those LED amber lights that wrap around each fork leg, but I've also read that that can compete with the amber turn signal for attention, which can create an issue while turning.
Is there a way to just make the stock amber turn signals stay lit while running, and still work as flashing turn signals, WITHOUT resorting to one of those systems that adds hazards, a headlight modulator, a switch, or anything other than just keeping the turn signals lit? I also wouldn't mind adding red lenses to the rear turn signals and keeping them lit too, using the same method, although I tend to think the stock rear amber signals might alert drivers better than red signals. I know that I need to use red lenses in the rear if used as running lights. I did a search on here but couldn't find this exact topic. If anyone has a link to a relevant older thread, or has any first-hand info, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Best,

Mike

[Kiwi_Roy]

I think you could probably light up the turn signals with simple diodes but then they wouldn't be available for use as turn signals.
Here's a typical V7, they have a separate output from the Dash for each light, typically the output would be a transistor that can be bypassed
https://www.thisoldtractor.com/guzzi007/schematics/2015_V7_II_Racer_ABS,_V7_II_Special_ABS,_V7_II_Stone_ABS.gif.

I put a couple of 10 Watt driving lights on mine driven off the park light, they are pretty hard to ignore, mounting on a simple aluminium plate attached to the pre-tapped 6 mm holes under the steering column.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-light-pods/led-light-pod-2-modular-led-off-road-work-light-10w-900-lumens/1699/

Click to zoom in.
BTW, the turn signal lamps are also 10 Watt Incandescent type but the driving lights are much brighter.
You don't have a lot of spare power with a V7 but I have no problem with two of these.

I think if you wanted to drive with all 4 indicator lamps on you should convert to LEDs.

[Wayne Orwig]

Many years ago I designed a gadget that turned on the turn signals after a few seconds. When you would use the signal, the gadget would automatically turn off and let them work like normal. A few seconds after using the signal, it would light the signal back up full time.
I only put it on one bike, and never followed through with a PCB board or anything. It was actually a very simple design and not hard to hand wire. I'm pretty sure somebody (SignalMinder?) makes them too.



This is my opinion on running extra lights. Take it with a grain of salt.

Long ago, I built a headlight modulator. I does get you noticed and generally helps. BUT, when I moved to to the Atlanta Georgia area, I encountered freaky things. I once had a Volvo drive stop dead in the middle of highway traffic when he saw my modulator in his mirror. He must have thought I was an emergency vehicle. Four lanes of traffic moving at 80MPH, and he stops in the middle of it with me stuck behind him. I thought I was going to die. Then I had two cases were on normal two lane roads, someone coming the opposite direction, went into a trance staring at the modulated headlight and came directly at me. On the second one I came so close to a head on with that big white SUV, I was done with modulators. My modulators were the required legal 240 cycles per minute.

So I installed plain driving lights. 35 or 55 watt incandescent, about the same as a 10 watt LED would be. Those helped a lot, and got me noticed. Probably not as well as the modulator did, but they helped a lot.

Then in the fall of 2016, I decided to install the amber covers over the white LED driving lights on my Stelvio. I mean in my mind, amber driving light have ALWAYS been easy to notice. A couple of weeks later a girl pulled in front of me in the worst event of my life, and of my half a million miles on motorcycles. She claims she did not see the Stelvio. (two headlights, two bright amber driving lights)

All I can say is, do what you can to be visible, but continue to assume you are invisible.
 

[jumpmaster]

Then in the fall of 2016, I decided to install the amber covers over the white LED driving lights on my Stelvio. I mean in my mind, amber driving light have ALWAYS been easy to notice. A couple of weeks later a girl pulled in front of me in the worst event of my life, and of my half a million miles on motorcycles. She claims she did not see the Stelvio. (two headlights, two bright amber driving lights)

All I can say is, do what you can to be visible, but continue to assume you are invisible.

Of course she didn't see you - she was too busy reading a text msg while driving.  Lest I be accused of hating women drivers, I'll note here that I've been hit twice by cell-phone texters or talkers - once on a bike & the other time while in my SUV - and the drivers were both 20-something males.  Assuming that I was invisible while riding a motorcycle has saved my bacon on dozens of occasions over the years (decades?).

[Guzzidad]

  A friend of mine just accomplished exactly what you were asking for. He bought a cheap kit, probably off Amazon or Ebay. He used LED bulbs and had to use a resister in line to reduce the brightness and heat generated. Sorry, I don't know what kit he bought. And he did it his self without knowing the difference between volts, amps, and ohms.

[wrbix]

Look into the Kisan Signalminder - have no idea if it’d work on a Guzzi, but on a wide range of BMWs replaces the signal relay to self-cancelling and programmable to making turn indicators running lights. Might be worth an inquiry.

[TheHungarian]

Thanks for all the replies. It’s remarkable to me that bikes come with ABS now but not conspicuous lighting options. It seems like it’s at least as important in terms of safety.

[Tom H]

HD has a box that plugs into the tail harness. It makes the rear turn signals running, turn and brake. In running light, the bulbs only get 6V, when you hit the brake, the bulb gets 12V. I think the turn gets 12V but I never checked. And yes, it flashes while on the brake.

There is an aftermarket company that makes the same box and also one that adds the resistor for LED. Maybe they have one that would work. Downside to the aftermarket, about $100 for the box. But used can sometimes be had.

Badlands is the aftermarket. I think they also make this without plugs, just wires.
https://www.amazon.com/Badlands-Illuminator-Signal-Module-ILL-01/dp/B000GVGQ6U

Good luck!
Tom

[motospotter]

My V7 Sport had very little of the original wiring harness when I bought it. I switched to the Motogadget M unit blue and it is very programmable. I like being seen so I programmed the LED turn signals to run at 20% which I think is still just a bit bright. I realize that you don't need to change your system but it would be great to find a mildly programmable running light system. Read thru this post on another forum, it might help ...

https://advrider.com/f/threads/converting-any-2-wire-turn-signal-into-running-turn-lights.1133832/

[moto]

I have two observations, but I realize they're not exactly what was asked for.

First, I wired my T3 so that the turn signals in front were also amber running lights, by changing the socket to accept a suitable dual filament incandescent bulb. This made absolutely no difference that I could ever see. (I believe this kind of dual purposing of the turn signal and running light is now illegal, at least some places.)

Second, the one thing that I have found does work, and obviously works, is to add small driving lights that you can flash with your headlight flasher. These should angle out slightly to either side. Flashing them produces an instantaneous reaction that you can observe as drivers slam on their brakes when they had obviously not registered your presence before. In doing this, you should think carefully about how you would like the lights to react when you have on the high beams or the low beams, and wire accordingly. I wrote about this wiring once before, so perhaps what I wrote could be found again. This one change has greatly increased my confidence in riding my Buccaneer around town and in the country.

Moto

[Scout63]

I’ve installed these Twisted Throttle driving lights on several bikes.  They are inconspicuous when off and very bright when on.  I eliminate the switch portion of the harness and wire them directly to the switched 12v power so that they are always on.  Kind of expensive but worth it to me. 

https://twistedthrottle.com/shop/lighting/auxiliary-lights/driving-lights/denali-2-0-dm-trioptic-led-light-kit-with-datadim-technology-rev07/

Here they are on the /5. I would go with black if I did it again: