[Dingo.]

I bought these LED lights from wally mart. My idea is to put two under the rear fender and two under the gas tank. Their held on by 3M tape. There is two wires (pos and neg) per strip. How or where should I wire them? Switch or not? I have the fender off to fix my LED turns and have access to the rear wires.

Dingo.

 

[Dingo.]

Sorry, here are the lights...


Dingo.

 

[Wombatair]

it all depends where you want the switch, you will want one.
Two under tank - have wires facing back to BAT
Two under fender - have wires facing forward to BAT
Tie the POS together + wire going switch.
Tie NEG together - wire going GND

 

[Dingo.]

I was kind of leaning towards no swith but having it come on with the lights. I could possibly wire pos to rear running light and neg to ground or ground (-)for running light. I may buy two more and put them under the front fender. I need to have a way of disconnecting them to remove the body parts too.

Dingo.

 

[John Hopkins]

You do need the switch so that if the police complain you can switch them off without affecting any other lights..In our country it is illegal to show flashing lights unless you are an emergency vehicle, it is also illegal to show certain colors..however.. as long as the lights are not directly visible (ie: reflected from a surface is ok) you can fit any color you like..They can't arrest you for lights that are hidden but reflect off fenders or engines because they would have to arrest everyone who drove past a street light..

I have some of those powerful 5050 leds in strips of 300 (5mtrs) but they have two or three problems..first my bike is all black, including the engine, so it doesn't reflect as well as it could..and second rain and mud splash on them and it is very hard to remove the dirt..another thing to consider is the adhesive that comes with them is not really strong enough to hold the strips firmly in place.

Edit: cheap speaker wire is good for running the wires to the handlebar switch...

John.

 

[gregtheginn]

Definitely need a switch. Plus switches are cool. I put mine on the batter cover.

 

[John Hopkins]

Removing body parts doesn't happen very often so it is possible that either the lights may have worn out or you will have got fed up with the comments about 'fairy lights' before you have to remove anything, however a plastic connecting strip will make the joins easy just stick a small blob of silicon over the screws to keep them from rusting and a screwdriver will penetrate enough to undo them any time you need to., Tie wraps hold the strips in place if you mount them on the frame and tiger seal holds them in place even under the fenders and when you use a pressure washer to clean them..

John.

 

[Dingo.]

I kind of want them on all the time, I already have LED turns and stop so I have dropped a few volts and don't think power supply will be a problem. Do I really need an independent switch? My bike is also all blacked out and the lights will be underneath fenders and tank and the lights are white and won't be flashing.

Dingo.

 

[Gnarly]

In my opinion: no real NEED for a switch.

The only way you'll ever WANT a switch is:

If you fail to wire one in now.

"Better to have one & not need one...",( from the Gnarly school of thought. ) (and what gretheginn was telling you.)

Or did I purloin that from Murphy's Law?

Redundancy.
Hate it when somebody says it like it's a bad thing.

 

[Wombatair]

If your worried about part removal use quick disconnects and positive wire back light relay is best. Switch is your call.

 

[John Hopkins]

In Britain the law states that you have to have an independant switch for these lights and that you cannot show a white light to the rear unless reversing..However you are not in Britain so I would suggest checking with your local DMV might save you from getting a ticket..if you place the lights as you say you can argue that they are not visible from the rear, only the reflection of them is visible..reflected light is not illegal under normal circumstances..(it could be argued that if the light is reflected by a mirror then as you can clearly see the light source it is not reflected but redirected.)

John.

 

[Beezer]

There are some very small bat-style switches available. Radio Shack for one, sells them. They could be mounted anywhere out of the way. 1/4" hole drilled into an existing surface or a simple metal bracket fitted under an existing fastener. Located somewhere near the area between the rear cylinder and the front of the side covers, it would be near the +12v and ground you will need to use. This one costs $3.50. Not really waterproof but it's as waterproof as your handlebar switches. radioshack.com

 

[gregtheginn]

I used this for my LED s. It's cool.

 

[dothedrew040]

I wired my LED's to my ignition switch. The LED's are mounted under my tank (which comes off quite a bit) so I wired them with quick disconnects.

 

[Dingo.]

What would quick disconnects be? Don't think I know...

Dingo.

 

[Dingo.]

What would quick disconnects be? Don't think I know...

Dingo.

Anyone have pics of their quick diconnects? Also, best spot to splice in to have lights come on at same time as running lights.

Dingo.

 

[Gnarly]

After disgusting results, over years of using **those frustrating, designed-to-fail, Mickey Mouse crimp-on slip together-spade connector POS quick disconnects**, I discovered these:

Posi Lock Posi Tap Connectors Custom Dynamics

Not cheap.
But neither are motorcycles.

Daym well worth it, in my opinion.


** buying the useless POS ones is also known as: sponsoring Murphy's Law, while: Hoping It Doesn't Happen To ME.

 

[XApacheDoc]

You can buy factory plugs in multiple pin count and configurations from an auto parts store. Then solder your wires to the pins and push into the connector. Makes the connection look factory.

 

[big poppa pump]

Get OEM style bullet and spade connectors from here - OEM-Type Bullet & Spade Electrical Connectors for 1960's through 1970's Japanese Vehicles... Bridgestone, Datsun, Hodaka, Honda, Kawasaki, Landcruiser, Suzuki, Tohatsu, VW, & Yamaha

 

[Dingo.]

After disgusting results, over years of using **those frustrating, designed-to-fail, Mickey Mouse crimp-on slip together-spade connector POS quick disconnects**, I discovered these:

Posi Lock Posi Tap Connectors Custom Dynamics

Not cheap.
But neither are motorcycles.

Daym well worth it, in my opinion.


** buying the useless POS ones is also known as: sponsoring Murphy's Law, while: Hoping It Doesn't Happen To ME.

I bought some of those, and briefly considered them. I may still use them but for quick disconnect they are not the best due to the fact that the points pierce the sheathing of the wire. They are also quite large when trying to attach in the gutter under the fender. I may run the wires and clip into rear running light nearer the harness connect. As John H points out, the lights may loosen over time unless I tiger glue (?) them.

Dingo.