yet another light question..tail/brake light...

[rxraptor02]

guys,

I have been searching and I think I have found my answer but I would like some input on this.

I want to turn the tail light into a brake and tail light.

this is the process of what I plan to do....

From what I read I need to get a resistor and install it on the (ground wire) leading to the tail light? that will dim the tail light.

then from the hydrolic pressure switch install that before the resistor and after it. so when the switch is pressed it will bypass the resistor allowing full watts to the light.

Does this sound correct?

if this is correct what kind of resistor will I need to buy? watts/ohm I am not sure...

I also plan on doing this to the headlight but I didnt find any info on that, but my guess it would be the same. but would the size of the resistor need to be bigger since the headlight has more watts?


thanks
-Jim

 

[mikdxer]

Brake Light

I used a 5 ohm resistor I bought at radio shack, I think they came in a pack of five for about a buck and a half. It worked fine. Dims the tail light just right. I bought a headlight switch and used the other element on the bulb for a high beam. Just to satisfy the legalities of getting it licensed in MI. You're not using any more wattage than standard so it doesn't put a strain on the stock lighting coil.

 

[rxraptor02]

I used a 5 ohm resistor I bought at radio shack, I think they came in a pack of five for about a buck and a half. It worked fine. Dims the tail light just right. I bought a headlight switch and used the other element on the bulb for a high beam. Just to satisfy the legalities of getting it licensed in MI. You're not using any more wattage than standard so it doesn't put a strain on the stock lighting coil.

Mikdxer, where are you located?

thanks for the info. the resistor goes on the positive or negative wire for the tail light? (must be the positive side)

as for the headlight.... I thought the KDX has a single element bulb. can you tell me how you hooked that up.

thanks
-Jim

 

[canyncarvr]

IF the resistor is put on the + side..then you hook up a pressure switch to ground that point...what you're going to get (you hope) is nothing. You may get melted wires along the way, too.

The resistor goes in the GROUND (return) side as you said in the first post.

The oem KDX headlight is a double filament bulb. If you wire the 'extra' filament into a 'bright' circuit you will indeed exceed the oem coil output.

Not to mention the heat involved in running it for any length of time. Don't know that is or isn't a problem, but two filaments lit where one was designed to work (a 100% increase) probably isn't good.

But...the light wouldn't be too bright in that case anyway. The oem lamp is a 35W unit. The oem coil is 45W. Try to get 70W (both filaments on) out of a 45W coil...and you won't be getting 12V any more.

 

[mikdxer]

tail/brake light

rxraptor02 I'm located up in clare county, where are you? CC you must have misunderstood my previous post. Only one headlight filament is on at any one time. Anyway by switching my high/low switch it just changes filaments and actually shines like a bright beam, not higher output, just a different location on the road. Raptor I hooked my resistor on the hot wire,through the resistor for the tail light and by-passed the resistor for the brake light. I have over 2000 miles and have only replaced the resistor once. By the way I used a mechanical brake light switch off an older bike I found in a bone yard. Fits in the bracket under the right side cover on the frame. I used a piece of thin wire inside a of vinyl tubing which attaches to the return spring post on rear brake. You can hook it up on the ground side, I cant see any problem there. Out of habit in the line of work I do I've been taught to never break your grounds buy a switch or anything for safetys sake, of course this doesn't apply here. Good luck

 

[canyncarvr]

I understood you to be running the filaments separately. No way otherwise you could power both. My comment was meant to make sure that Rx got that.

Resistor to the positive? That being before the filament current wise the only way that a pressure switch would make the light brighter is if its resistance to ground was less than the socket ground's resistance.

Now that part I do not understand (your wiring the resistor on the hot wire). Well, you do say 'bypass'. That would be using two wires to get 'around' the resistor. I have been assuming your are using your brake switch to ground.....with one wire.

Yeah....that's it.............;)

 

[mikdxer]

Brake/tail light

That is correct CC, two wires come out of my brake switch, bypassing the resistor. Sometimes I could explain things a little better but I seem to get a little winded one fingering my keyboard. I'll try to cover all the bases next time.

 

[canyncarvr]

Nothing wrong with your explanation that a little preconceived notion (on my part) couldn't screw up! ;)

Most of the methods I've read about (never done it myself) use one wire and that wire attaches from the 'upstream' side of the resistor wired into the ground lead thru whatever brake switch to ground. As long as the resistance thru the switch is less than the installed resistor, you get a brighter light when the switch is activated.

That still leaves you with an 'interrupted' ground as you say..and yeah, the fewer connections/interruptions the better if you want something to work well. But it does take only one additional wire.

Not that a dirt bike ever deals with vibration, heat, cold, moisture and mechanical shock or anything....

 

[rxraptor02]

thanks for the help guys. I contaced Jeff Fredette about a kit. if the price is right on that then I will buy that, if not then I will make my own.

I have thought about going to the secretary of state and trying to get a street title with just the bill of sale.

mikdxer
My Family has property in Osceola county..

shoot me an e-mail I would like to find out some trail info.

rxraptor2002 @ yahoo.com

later
-Jim

 

[bereal]

Brake lights

The easiest way to do the brake light is to change to a 2 filament style bulb and socket. I did it on my 2000 kdx220. Buy a 1157 bulb housing at your local auto parts store and put it in your rear tail light assembly. At walmart you can get an LED 1157 bulb for about 7 bucks which will keep you from using up too many watts off your stator. Wire the main light to your regular tail light hook up and the brake light to your pressure activated switch. The only thing you may have to do is re wire your voltage regulator. On my Kdx the regulator is in line after the headlight on/off switch. so I kept blowing out the brake light when the headlight wasn't on. To fix the problem I made sure I re-wired the V regulator in line before any switchs or lighting cinnections to make sure it was working across the whole system.

Eric