Rear LED light intensity

[pago cruiser]

Got my saddlebags and rack done a couple weeks ago, and took off on a little trip from Tucson to Albuquerque; this pic is near Reserve, NM.  Turned out a little colder and snowier than expected...

But as I'm looking at the pics it confirmed what I thought when I installed the Radiantz LEDS's on the saddlebags: the stock tail light is pretty ...wimpy:
It is on - you can see a reddish glow - but it only brightens up (considerably) with the brake pedal.



I've switched my Legacy Valks stock brake/tail light to LED boards, and they are as bright as the strip LEDs; but that is not really an option with the Honda LED.

Are everybody's stock light this dim?  Using the stock plug and light, and have not done any changes to that particular wiring.  But heck - the license plate LEDs appear brighter than the stock tail light.  I'm thinking maybe a ground wire or ??? is partially amiss???

[Bill Havins]

Mitch,

Check to see if your brake light is working.  If it isn't working it could be the ground(s).  If the brake light is working then it might not be the ground(s).

The schematic shows the grounds for the tail light, brake light, etc. going to a 14 pin connector (connector 3).  That has a wire that goes to a frame ground.  You can take it from there.

Check the brake light first - if it isn't working I'd find that frame ground (and the 14 pin connector).  I'd bet on something between the 14 pin connector and the frame ground (likely the frame ground itself).

Good luck!

Bill


Edit:  I parked my Valkyrie in the sun just now.  The taillight is really dim in the daylight.  Brake light is bright but is very directional (i.e., into the eyes of the driver behind you).  Hope that helps.

[PAVALKER]

    In the pic above it doesn't look like the tail or license plate lights are on at all...and that is a dim or low light condition from what it looks like.  

I had to go to the garage and check mine and its much brighter than yours, plus I have an LED plate frame as well.    I took a photo but not sure I can post it.


You might want to check and see if those side lights on the bag are taking a load of juice away from the tail light.

[Robert]

Great shot glad I wasn't there  as for the rear light it looks like something is wrong. I will take a pic of mine so you can see and post it Saturday. The light is bright enough that when the brake is on it illuminates anything behind me. The running light is also pretty bright.

[pago cruiser]

Thanks for the feedback and the pic.
Just got home, and went back out and took some more pics in the dark.

Tail light:


Brake Light:

The OEM light is definitely more directional than the Radiantz strip LED's, per Bill's comment.

The strip LED's and the Saddlebag Marker lights are tied to the OEM License Plate lite; and the strip LED turn elements are tied to the OEM turn lights.  So I am not tying onto the OEM tail/brake directly; but there may still be something weird with the LED splitter affecting the OEM tail/brake.

I remember that on my Legacy Valk, when I installed the LED tail light, it buggered up the cruise control the PO had installed... seems the cruise control got it's "cancel" signal based upon power to the original incandescent light - and the LED drawing less power caused it to do weird things... 

[Bill Havins]

From your photos I think you’re good.  LEDs can be extremely directional (you know that).  The ones in our tail lights are made even more directional by the reflectors around each one.

Typing on my phone...yuck.

[Jess from VA]

They all petty much look good and bright at night.

But how do they look at 50-70 feet in direct sunlight?

My friend's CVO Hog's OE rear leds look like they are off in sunlight (unless he hits the brakes, or rides into the shade).

[Robert]

Had been a bit busy so sorry I didn't post these sooner. One of course is brake lights on and one off. I was a bit closer to the bike but I wanted you to notice that the rear OEM tail/brake light is bright enough to illuminate the ground. The plate light is also very bright and the light off the reflective surface of the plate adds quite a bit to rear visibility.

I was looking at your first pics and you the shot is off to the side so you are not going to get the full brightness of the lights. LEDs as you know are very directional and your rear shots look pretty much like mine.

[pago cruiser]

Great comparison pics.  Thanks for taking the time.
That said, the directional limitation appears valid only for OEM light.  The Radiantz strip LEDs seem to have much better visibility from an angle.

I really like your top light also.  What is it?

I came really close to putting a Legacy Valk tail light with an LED board on the massive 2014 rear fender... still might... I'll do anything I can to help aid in getting the attention of stupid cagers having fverbal fights with someone on their phone, doing their texting, their makeup, eating a bowl of cereal, reading a book, writing on a note pad, etc... I commute about 100 miles round trip daily, and sadly, I ain't making this stuff up...

[Crabballs]

Great comparison pics.  Thanks for taking the time.
That said, the directional limitation appears valid only for OEM light.  The Radiantz strip LEDs seem to have much better visibility from an angle.

I really like your top light also.  What is it?

I came really close to putting a Legacy Valk tail light with an LED board on the massive 2014 rear fender... still might... I'll do anything I can to help aid in getting the attention of stupid cagers having fverbal fights with someone on their phone, doing their texting, their makeup, eating a bowl of cereal, reading a book, writing on a note pad, etc... I commute about 100 miles round trip daily, and sadly, I ain't making this stuff up...

Agree!  You forgot to add picking their ass and masturbating on my time. 

I definitely want more light.

[Robert]

I really like your top light also.  What is it?

I'll do anything I can to help aid in getting the attention of stupid cagers having fverbal fights with someone on their phone, doing their texting, their makeup, eating a bowl of cereal, reading a book, writing on a note pad, etc... I commute about 100 miles round trip daily, and sadly, I ain't making this stuff up... :'(

Ampd Z-Flex LED strip lights 10x brighter
http://www.radiantz.com/Ampd-Flex-strips-p/288.htm

The top light is under the chrome rear carrier fastened with a couple of small brackets off the rear seat hold down and is only about 4.5 inches long but its very bright and the reflection off the carrier makes the the whole rear of the bike turn red on braking. I wanted something close to eye level as I could get it and bright.




OMG, I know that you are not making up all the things the cagers are doing, I have experienced it for myself. Its going from bad to worse and no one is doing anything about it, its unbelievable. While I do use my bike for my main transportation to and from work everyday, I have no where near as long a commute as you. That was one consideration in planning the location of my home and business. In the past, I've been there done that to the point of having a gun pulled on me while stuck in traffic. The texting and phone are the worst and when a light turns green and the person doesn't move first suspect is texting. I would say roughly 75 percent of the people I see are distracted in some way with the phone and text being the top 2.

[pago cruiser]

Robert - interesting; that's the exact same LED strips I have on the Saddlebags!

I've seen a guy on ebay with a OEM replacement LED strip; comes with a cool looking plate relocation bracket as well, which lifts it up a little higher than what I did.



A bit over priced, and I'm not sure I like the "doubles as turns signals" part.  But having something equivalent to the Radiantz Amp'd LED Strips would be a good thing.

[Robert]

Robert - interesting; that's the exact same LED strips I have on the Saddlebags!

I've seen a guy on ebay with a OEM replacement LED strip; comes with a cool looking plate relocation bracket as well, which lifts it up a little higher than what I did.

A bit over priced, and I'm not sure I like the "doubles as turns signals" part.  But having something equivalent to the Radiantz Amp'd LED Strips would be a good thing.

I thought you may have used the same led's but wasnt sure they are the brightest by far of all the ones I have seen.

As for the plate relocation it looks good but was thinking of getting two more leds strips and mounting them behind the current turn signals. They would be partially blocked by the signal but they should make the whole indent in the bag light up and I think it may look kind of cool and add lighting to the whole area. I am happy with the turn signal lights because of their brightness and good visibility and really don't want to sacrifice them unless its for something brighter. I have put the 4 ways on and you do get noticed and when on the highway and there is traffic stopped in front of you and you have to worry about the guy behind you stopping I need all the help I can get. I always watch my rear view in those situations and consider going in between traffic if I get any idea the guys not going to stop.