Fitting a light switch

[riceburner]

Has anyone done this?

My Rockster does not have the 'old' 3 position light switch on the rightside control cluster on the bars - (off, parking lights, dipped beams).
My dipped beam is therefore permantly on.

Yesterday, riding East at close to dusk (ie with the bright evening sun directly behind me), I nearly had 2 or 3 accidents because drivers couldn't see me coming towards them (or didn't look). I ride in this situation (the sun behind me), well - not "often", but enough.

I believe that if I could turn my dipped beam off, then it would "help" to make me more visible - because my bike would be able to be a "silhouette" against the sun - instead of camouflaging itself by projecting light from in front of a brightly lit background.

So...
I have a right side cluster from an R1100S (purchased a few years ago 2nd hand). I have looked at the connections around the headstock (with the tank off) and there is a blue 2-wire connector on the frame, not connected to anything. I believe this is the connector for the circuitry I wish to add a switch to. I thought I could replace the entire cluster - but unfortunately the connectors are different between the two bikes - with the exception of a matching blue 2-wire connector - which is on the R1100S cluster's loom!

I am wondering if I can fineagle the light switch from the R1100S cluster into my R1150R cluster and have then use this 2-wire connector.

Has anyone done anything similar?

[Ves]

Yo, Riceburner. I think you're going about this all wrong. People turn their headlights ON when the sun is at their back to increase visibility. You're not going to increase your visibility by turning your lights off. When the sun is in my eye's like that I can definitely see cars with lights on better than cars without lights off. A bike is not big enough to create a noticeable silhouette if the driver has the full force of the setting sun in their eyes through a semi dirty windshield (and most people's windshields on their cars are dirty from the inside). There's also a lot of positions that sun can be in, blinding the drivers, and you're not in the right place to create a silhouette. Then you'll really be SOL cause you have nothing to make you visible.

Get yourself a headlight modulator and/or keep your high beam ON.

[Buckster]

Maybe try putting your high beams on in that situation. I wouldn't think that circumstance would come up that often to warrent changing a switch to include "off". I think you would be safer switching to your high beam.

[riceburner]

How can adding light to a bright background possibly help??

can you see a torch against the background of the sun??


I used to ride bikes with the dipped beam off all the time and I had far fewer incidents of this nature.

In my riding experience I've lost whole cars against the background of dipped beams behind them.


In addition - there's an office in this country (UK) of "causing undue glare" - headlights on full beam would very definitely count towards that.

[bikermeow]

My sense of humour keep telling me to look at the thread-starter's "location" description ....

My 2 cents .... Bright Lights Save Lives.

[riceburner]

My sense of humour keep telling me to look at the thread-starter's "location" description ....

My 2 cents .... Bright Lights Save Lives.

yes I know.

I'm all in favour of bright lights in the right situations.

[Gordium7]

I swear by my headlight modulator -- would not use a motorcycle without one anymore.

Even though I try to drive like I am invisible, the extra visibility does seem to decrease the number of dumba$$ maneuvers in my vicinity.

Of course, UK may not allow them....

[riceburner]

I swear by my headlight modulator -- would not use a motorcycle without one anymore.

Even though I try to drive like I am invisible, the extra visibility does seem to decrease the number of dumba$$ maneuvers in my vicinity.

Of course, UK may not allow them....

What exactly does a modulator do?? flash the lights constantly??

I'd definitely disagree with that - for a start you'd get lots of car drivers thinking you've flashed them out of their side roads!!

[sweatmark]

I can't argue for/against use of dipped headlight when sun's low and behind rider. But I can attest to the conspicuity of oncoming riders who use Motolights or equivalent to create the "light triangle" similar to railroad locomotives. We have Motolights on our R1150Rs to gain better attention of oncoming drivers (and some additional nighttime illumination).

I have viewed Mrs. Sweatmark's Roadster through my mirrors when following me with sun to our backs, and the Motolights make a big difference, especially when mounted low on brake calipers.

[Gordium7]

This link summarizes better than I can. Typical modulator

The beam actually appears more like a steady, smooth flicker than a "flash" or "blink". It is modulating at about 4 Hz (cycles/sec). There is an animated GIF on the linked page that gives you some idea what it looks like. Its more akin to watching a motorbike or car headlight bouncing over a washboard road at speed.

It always draws attention of mammalian brains since it appears to be moving (e.g., a threat) even when the apparent motion of the light is very small (e.g., moving directly towards the viewer). I think more attention is actually paid to an "unusual" light since people need to PAY ATTENTION and figure out what it is. They are used to seeing blinking stuff associated with hazards or emergency vehicles, etc.

And it is slightly amusing to sometimes see people slow way down or start to pull over as you come up on them from behind. Even here in the States many people don't know what they are.... but they DO see them.

[Hawkman]

I think that the head light is an after thought when the sun is behind you. This issue is probably that drivers cannot see anything ( they're dazzled) when looking into the sun. I don't think that it has anything to do with your headlight. While extra lights might make you more visible, they can't blot out the sun.

I just assume that no one can see me...ever. But a modulator probably would help; It certainly wouldn't hurt.

[CRazyCam]

Hi riceburner.

Yes, I have done almost exactly what you are asking about.

In my case, I had an R850R vintage 1998, sold in Oz, thus with no light switch.

I bought the equivalent Euro spec model's light switch block, removed the switch block and fitted the Euro spec one.

Done deal.

Only bit that was rather fiddly was that the connector on the end of the wiring from the switch block joins into the rest of the wiring under the petrol tank.

I don't know when the europeans went to hard wired on headlights, but I think it is only fairly recently.

regards,CrazyCam

[NoRRmad]

There was an experiment done during WW2 where they outfitted torpedo bombers with lights mounted under the wings. This was to make the silhouette of the aricraft just as bright as the sky-glare around it. They found that the planes could approach much closer without being detected. Under the exact conditions where the brightness of the light is very close to that of the background, it will make you harder to see. In my opinion, these conditions are rare. Booming over a rise, silhouetted against a bright sky, an oncoming car might miss seeiing you for a few seconds until you drop back into the valley. But then your headlight -- brighter than the vally-shade -- makes you more visible.

[snowprick]

I can't argue for/against use of dipped headlight when sun's low and behind rider. But I can attest to the conspicuity of oncoming riders who use Motolights or equivalent to create the "light triangle" similar to railroad locomotives. We have Motolights on our R1150Rs to gain better attention of oncoming drivers (and some additional nighttime illumination).

I have viewed Mrs. Sweatmark's Roadster through my mirrors when following me with sun to our backs, and the Motolights make a big difference, especially when mounted low on brake calipers.

+1

Dont remove light. Add some.

[riceburner]

There was an experiment done during WW2 where they outfitted torpedo bombers with lights mounted under the wings. This was to make the silhouette of the aricraft just as bright as the sky-glare around it. They found that the planes could approach much closer without being detected. Under the exact conditions where the brightness of the light is very close to that of the background, it will make you harder to see. In my opinion, these conditions are rare. Booming over a rise, silhouetted against a bright sky, an oncoming car might miss seeiing you for a few seconds until you drop back into the valley. But then your headlight -- brighter than the vally-shade -- makes you more visible.

and what if you're riding down a straight road, with the bright sun behind you, and sunlight reflecting back off the road surface for more than a few seconds? That's the exact situation I found myself in - there was no "valley" to drop into - the sun was constantly behind me, constantly in the drivers eyes. I could look in my mirror and see vehicles that didn't have lights on because they prevented the sunlight reflecting off the road - I (in effect) saw them due to their shadows. The vehicles that had their lights on, I couldn't see.

CRazyCam - did the entire switch cluster just plug straight into the loom on the bike then?

[CRazyCam]

and what if you're riding down a straight road, with the bright sun behind you, and sunlight reflecting back off the road surface for more than a few seconds? That's the exact situation I found myself in - there was no "valley" to drop into - the sun was constantly behind me, constantly in the drivers eyes. I could look in my mirror and see vehicles that didn't have lights on because they prevented the sunlight reflecting off the road - I (in effect) saw them due to their shadows. The vehicles that had their lights on, I couldn't see.

CRazyCam - did the entire switch cluster just plug straight into the loom on the bike then?

Yes.

The hardest bit of the job was moving the fuel tank. After that, it was simple, a couple of screws to release the old switch block, snip of cable ties, un-plug old switch block, plug in new.... re cable tie and the deed was done.

Where abouts are you riceburner?

In Oz we do get a lot of those conditions where having a headlight on doesn't actually help.

I got my replacement Euro switch from [email protected], they have a web site.

regards,CrazyCam

[riceburner]

and what if you're riding down a straight road, with the bright sun behind you, and sunlight reflecting back off the road surface for more than a few seconds? That's the exact situation I found myself in - there was no "valley" to drop into - the sun was constantly behind me, constantly in the drivers eyes. I could look in my mirror and see vehicles that didn't have lights on because they prevented the sunlight reflecting off the road - I (in effect) saw them due to their shadows. The vehicles that had their lights on, I couldn't see.

CRazyCam - did the entire switch cluster just plug straight into the loom on the bike then?

Yes.

The hardest bit of the job was moving the fuel tank. After that, it was simple, a couple of screws to release the old switch block, snip of cable ties, un-plug old switch block, plug in new.... re cable tie and the deed was done.

Where abouts are you riceburner?

In Oz we do get a lot of those conditions where having a headlight on doesn't actually help.

I got my replacement Euro switch from [email protected], they have a web site.

regards,CrazyCam

I'm in the UK.

So all the connectors were the same - hmm. Don't think it'll be as easy for me - I have checked the fitment on this switch cluster I've got before, and apart from the blue 2-wire connector, nothing else matches what's on the bike!

TBH my main concerns aren't when riding in front of the sun, it when riding in front of a white sky (ie clouded over) - happens quite a lot over here...

[CRazyCam]

I'm in the UK.

So all the connectors were the same - hmm. Don't think it'll be as easy for me - I have checked the fitment on this switch cluster I've got before, and apart from the blue 2-wire connector, nothing else matches what's on the bike!

TBH my main concerns aren't when riding in front of the sun, it when riding in front of a white sky (ie clouded over) - happens quite a lot over here...

Oh, if your bike was sold in UK, and didn't have a light switch, you may have a problem.

As I understand it, and I may well be wrong here, it is still not actually a legal requirement in Britain for a motorcycle headlight to be on all the time, but, in much of Europe it has become mandatory, so manufacturers have given up on fitting the switches.

I was, obviously, lucky that my BM R850R was old enough for the switch to be a pukka BMW part, and simply plug in.

As far as I can tell from the colour wiring diagram for an R1100S, the only blue wiring in that area should be the right turn signal wiring, but <shrug> what would I know.

I am actually struggling to figure out a way of fitting a switch onto my Triumph Street Triple, to allow me to turn off the lights, and there doesn't appear to be a simple way to do this since none of these bikes come with light switches. :-(

Good luck with it, anyway.

regards,CrazyCam

[riceburner]

I'm in the UK.

So all the connectors were the same - hmm. Don't think it'll be as easy for me - I have checked the fitment on this switch cluster I've got before, and apart from the blue 2-wire connector, nothing else matches what's on the bike!

TBH my main concerns aren't when riding in front of the sun, it when riding in front of a white sky (ie clouded over) - happens quite a lot over here...

Oh, if your bike was sold in UK, and didn't have a light switch, you may have a problem.

As I understand it, and I may well be wrong here, it is still not actually a legal requirement in Britain for a motorcycle headlight to be on all the time, but, in much of Europe it has become mandatory, so manufacturers have given up on fitting the switches.

I was, obviously, lucky that my BM R850R was old enough for the switch to be a pukka BMW part, and simply plug in.

As far as I can tell from the colour wiring diagram for an R1100S, the only blue wiring in that area should be the right turn signal wiring, but <shrug> what would I know.

I am actually struggling to figure out a way of fitting a switch onto my Triumph Street Triple, to allow me to turn off the lights, and there doesn't appear to be a simple way to do this since none of these bikes come with light switches. :-(

Good luck with it, anyway.

regards,CrazyCam

As I recall the Euro law....

it's RECOMMENDED (but not a legal necessity) to have the driving lights - manufacturers realised that not fitting the switches saved money and so did it.

The only legal requirement is that DUAL headlights (ie two dipped beams on at the same time) MUST be under 1 piece of glass (hence the CBR600FS having that 1/4 strip of clear plastic between the two lenses). This is intended to prevent a bike looking like a car further away.