taillamp wiring question

[tripdog7]

I searched the forums but could not find an answer to this one.
I have a street legal kit on my 2002 KDX200. The brake switch is part of the rear brake master cyliner. The red (hot) wire for the rear running light is spliced to provide juice for the brake lamp circuit. This causes two problems. 1) The brake light will not work unless the running lights are on and 2) The taillamp goes dim when I hit the brakes. I'm guessing that when the brakes are applied, there isn't enough current to light up both filaments of the bulb.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I just run on the road between trails, but don't want to get a ticket for bad lights, not to mention rear ended because the light goes out if I am applying brakes. This was a kit, but since I bought the bike used I'm not sure who made it.

 

[G. Gearloose]

1) run the hot wire to both filaments. Use the brake switch to ground the stop-lite filament. This way you don't have hot wires run around to the switches to short out. It sounds already configured this way, but best check and be sure.

1.5) Check for a good ground at the taillamp.

2) Go to an autoparts store and get a replacement taillight bulb made with red LEDs. Cost about $10-15, but it is more robust to vibration, brighter, needs less voltage to be bright, and uses almost no current, leaving more left available for the headlamp, and battery charging.

3) The stator must be rewound for adequate power to run a typical DS kit. Perhaps yours wasn't.

4) check if the battery is NiCad or Ni-metal-hydride. If its a sealed lead-acid cell, dump it for the other types, they recharge faster and last longer.

5) check that the headlamp bulb is not over-rated.

 

[tripdog7]

Actually, running the hot wire to the bulb won't help... I'll stlill have x amount of resistance which will reduce the current. There is no battery, and all bulbs are the reccomended rating.

Does anyone here have a dual sport kit on their KDX? Did you have to have the stator re-wound? Is there a way to connect a small battery to provide the extra oomph to light up your brake light? How about this LED bulb?

 

[MX175]

I am not positive, but I think that brake light set-up may be from the previous owner. For more info you may try Jeff Fredette, contacting him directly at www.frpoffroad.com.

I have heard of a setup where the tailight power runs through a resistor which causes a dimmer running light. When the brake is applied, the resistor is by-passed, and the full current goes to the light. With this set-up, only one filament is used. I think you may want to try this before you go to the extra expense of rewinding the coil. I wish I could give you a recommendation for the resistor, but I haven't gottne that far with my bikes yet. Good luck

 

[G. Gearloose]

Any 'Kit' without a battery isn't worth much legally, any commercial kit lights the taillamp for 20 minutes without the engine running. This sounds like home-grown job to me. First determine if your voltage is rectified dc regulated 12-14 volts, or shunt-regulated ac before adding a battery. Running current though a resistor is just wasted energy, and won't make rewinding unneccessary. Utilize a dual-filament lamp. Is he taillamp stamped 'DOT' or are your trying to do this with tha stock taillamp?