6v or 12v system on 2000 kdx's?

[xxrrider]

Do we have a 6 or a 12 v system on our bikes? (I have a 2000 kdx 220).

I recently put a brake light switch on my bike to make it street legal (enough) in MI. I was waiting for my 3 wire socket from 4strokes only (took them 2 weeks to even ship it, but that's another story). So unless I hit my brake, all of my stator power is going to my headlight and wow!, it's bright. So I think I'm just going to mount 2 little LED's in my rear light cover to use as the rear running light. They shouldn't take much current and allow me to keep my bright headlight. I just need to know if I need 12 or 6v. I suppose I'm overdriving that little 25w headlight (I think a kdx makes 40watts max) so maybe I'll look into a 35 w bulb - are they available?

Anyone else done this - any advice? I'm also going to get some hot wraps grip heaters which take a max of 36w. So I could either run lights or grip heaters. Any advice on this? Anyone figure out a good way to mount those wraps under grips - looks like a tight fit to me...

Thanks for any input!!

 

[Jason02R]

I may be wrong but I think that it's a 12v system, someone else please chime in if I am wrong. I had similar problems with FSO. What I did was put a brake light switch in and then a 1156 LED bulb for a tail light. My bike is limmited road use only sometimes through town to get to some trails so I didn't care if I don't have a running light when the head light is on. Now with the LED 1156 (single filiment style bulb) the headlight is super bright and when I hit the brakes the headlight don't even flicker at all. If I were you I'd run a LED tail light and if you want a running light just put a 1157 socket in and buy a 1157 red LED. Now I don't know for sure if a 1157 LED bulb would dim the headlight when you hit the brakes or not but I would guess not because my 1156 don't at all. LED take a fraction of the energy from the lighting coil as a regular bulb would. I guess you could always run small seperate LED's just as running lights if you wanted but I don't know how bright the'd be.

 

[xxrrider]

Thanks Jason - 12V sounds right. The 1157 LED sounds like a good plan - any idea where to get a 1157 bulb? What's a 1157 socket look like - is it the same as the stock socket? My bike is also limited road use, but I got caught out in the dark (couldn't stop riding!) the other night and not having a rear running light kinda made me uncomfortable.

I also do ocassionally ride after dark and wouldn't mind some extra light - Do they have a LED for the headlight - any thoughts on adding a couple of big LED's in the front light reflector in addition to the stock bulb? Our tech at work has a cool catalog with all different sizes of LED's - some are pretty big single LEDs.

Thanks,
Anthony

 

[moridin]

Anthony:

I have the identical setup on my KDX. It is 12v - but it actually varies from about 9 to 16ish. You will not be happy with a LED 1157 as your only setup as it just doesnt illuminate the red lens enough. What you may be happy with is using the 1157 LED and mounting 2 extra of the standalone 2 light LED's in red (at Walmart for $7-8) on the side of the lens. These things are bright and ultra tough.

Sean

 

[Jason02R]

I bought a special 1156 LED that has more LED's than a regular LED and is much brighter. The first one I bought was just a regular one and was not bright enough. I bought it from superlumination dot com its called the matrix super bright 24 LED bulb. A 1156 is just a single filiment bulb and a 1157 is a dual filiment bulb so the dual filiment socket from FSO will hold a 1157, the factory socket holds a 1156

Hope that helps

 

[xxrrider]

Guys,

Thanks a ton for the info. It looks like I could go a few different routes with the LED's. I may try 2 of those wallmart leds for running lights and leave my existing one for the brake light. Any thoughts on a few big LED's in the headlight reflector? Would it make a difference, or just clutter things up and make a funky beam pattern??

Thanks,
Anthony

 

[JasonWho]

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[Jason02R]

Guys,

Any thoughts on a few big LED's in the headlight reflector? Would it make a difference, or just clutter things up and make a funky beam pattern??

Thanks,
Anthony

I wouldn't know for sure, but my guess would be that the two LED headlights wouldn't do much for you

 

[canyncarvr]

Why doesn't your rear light work now? And your headlight is superbright?

I'm wondering if you have miswired/disconnected something.

It is unregulated voltage that goes thru the light switch. It's after the switch that the power is routed to the regulator. It is indeed a 12V regulator. If you're getting 16V out of your regulated system, you don't have a regulated system. Or maybe your bike is wired incorrectly, too?

Where this may be a problem is if you for some reason run the switched power directly to the headlamp and leave out the taillight. The easiest way to do that is to leave out the VR, too! Oh yeah. Your headlamp will be VERY bright....until you rev up the motor. Then the unregulated voltage will eat your headlight.

Running an 1157 or any other dual light for a brake indicator isn't necessary. You can run power to the 1156, put a large resistor in series with the ground wire and wire your pressure/mechanical brake switch before the resistor. That makes the taillight a bit less bright (depending on the resistor used) under normal running circumstances but brighten (bypass the resistor) when you hit the brakes.

BTW...the KDX electrical system (US) is AC..not DC.

Click on THIS and on the first post there is a switch diagram to wire your grip heaters. I use 'em. It's not a problem getting the heaters on under the grips but it IS a problem keeping the wires connected. I've had to resolder mine a couple of times. I do have a tension loop on the throttle side but it's still a good bit of tweaking on the wires.

Note you can't run the grip heat and the headlight at the same time. The DPDT switch wired as shown will keep the VR in the circuit all the time and will effectively switch between grip heat and headlight. The taillight is on all the time along with the VR. It wouldn't have to be wired in that way, but that is the simplest way to do it. Otherwise you have to run some more wire to the back of the bike.

 

[Jason02R]

Running an 1157 or any other dual light for a brake indicator isn't necessary. You can run power to the 1156, put a large resistor in series with the ground wire and wire your pressure/mechanical brake switch before the resistor. That makes the taillight a bit less bright (depending on the resistor used) under normal running circumstances but brighten (bypass the resistor) when you hit the brakes.


Will a large resistor work with a LED bulb?

 

[canyncarvr]

Doubt it. Actually more likely just plain, 'No.' the diode is either going to emit cuz it's satisfied to do so.....or it will not.

The reference was to xxrr's original post concerning three wire sockets and associated filament bulbouses.

 

[Jason02R]

Got ya, thanks

 

[bereal]

Brake light

The stock kdx's have the voltage regulator in-line after the headlight on-off switch, so you have to re-wire it in-line before the switch. If you don't and add the brake light switch to the hot lead the voltage regulator will only work when the light system is turned on. I blew my brake light out several times before I figured this one out. That maybe why you are reading more than 12 volts across your brake light. The 1157 led works fine in my system after the fix!

Eric

 

[JasonWho]

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[canyncarvr]

Yeah...like I said last week...pretty much.

Except, '...you have to re-wire it in-line before the switch.' gets you to the yellow wire which is unregulated power. That is the 'hot lead'. That will get you a blowed up light everytime you hit the brakes and the engine is running at anything higher than idle.

If you wire to the RED lead, you will indeed have no brake light unless the oem light switch is on.

The other option of running the VR all the time so the brake light works without the other system lights on is OK...if you want your VR on all the time, loaded or not. I don't.

There are other options that will get you regulated voltage to the brake light with the other lights off.

The easiest way to do it is.....just run with your lights on, the brake 'mod' wired into the red wire that comes off the oem light switch. You should have your headlight on when you're on the street anyway. It's the law in most places....which is why a lot of bikes thesedays don't even HAVE headlight switches. The light is on when the key is on.