Do not waste your money on the Clear Alternatives tail light

[OlyVR]

If you're thinking about a CA taillight (the K1200R is the same), don't bother. They don't last for crap.

I bought a used on off ebay and had two rows of LED go bad within 1 week. Well, I'm not too smart and figured the previous owner didn't take care of it, so I bought another one (this time new). Guess what, same thing happened after about a month.

I got a free replacement this time and put that one on. I must have bad karma, because last night on my way home I'm told the running light is out - no flicker, no nothing, just dead. Brake light still works, but no running light. Not so good at 10pm.

It's ironic that I was without a function running light, because that's why I got it in the first place. I've never been too keen on BMW and HD using only a single bulb out back and as I've heard that LEDs do not burn out, I figured this was it for me.

I was partly correct, the LEDs still work, but some part of the cheap components around it didn't make it.

Anyway, guys (and gals) don't waste $90 on a CA taillight.

[hass]

Have you read your user manual?

In mine it says (p.103 section on lights - general) as it's in Swedish I have translated:
If there is a failure of the rear running light then the rear brake light will be used automatically by reducing the brightness to the same level as the running light.

Therefore you are very unlikely to be without a running light as both the running light and the brake light would be required to fail at the same time.

[OlyVR]

Have you read your user manual?

In mine it says (p.103 section on lights - general) as it's in Swedish I have translated:
If there is a failure of the rear running light then the rear brake light will be used automatically by reducing the brightness to the same level as the running light.

Therefore you are very unlikely to be without a running light as both the running light and the brake light would be required to fail at the same time.

Read the manual? Are you kidding? I don't touch those until things start smoking .

I actually read/heard that after I bought it. Now, that I'm back to the old one, it's good to know that I don't have to worry about it.

[NeilS]

That's true. I found this out recently when my running light failed. But the reduced voltage BMW uses to light the brake light at lower intensity might not be high enough to light an LED array.

It's not that the LEDs themselves are unreliable, it's the solder joints. Depending on the design of the LED bulb, there might be lots of solder joints in series, and, like the old Christmas tree lights, you only need one bad one to cause the whole string to go out.

It's even worse these days because they're trying to get the lead out of electronic solder (ever see a child chewing on a circuit board?), so the manufacturers are having to re-learn their soldering processes.

[deilenberger]

I've never been too keen on BMW and HD using only a single bulb out back....

Ummmm.... my Roadster uses 2 bulbs "out back" - a brake light and a running light (and actually a license plate light also..) If the running light burns out - the FZE will run the brake light at reduced intensity to provide an alternate - and your "LAMP WARNING" should appear in the instrument cluster.

Or is there something I've missed?

[OlyVR]

I've never been too keen on BMW and HD using only a single bulb out back....

Ummmm.... my Roadster uses 2 bulbs "out back" - a brake light and a running light (and actually a license plate light also..) If the running light burns out - the FZE will run the brake light at reduced intensity to provide an alternate - and your "LAMP WARNING" should appear in the instrument cluster.

Or is there something I've missed?

Don,
Correct you have two bulbs out back (tail and license), but the license plate bulb is not really all that bright. The taillight only has one bulb - it's an 1157 dual filament bulb.

Before I learned about the limp home mode I was assuming that if the runnig light filament burns out, then no taillight.

[mogu83]

It's ironic that I was without a function running light, because that's why I got it in the first place. I've never been too keen on BMW and HD using only a single bulb out back .

I didn't take mine apart but it looks like an old 1157 (21/5W) bulb.
The parts list shows a cost of $3.30 so it's most likely a standard automotive bulb.

I've had the same misgivings about BMW over the years. Most all the Guzzi models for the last twenty plus years have been equipped with two 1157 (brake/tail light) bulbs side by side in the rear light unit insuring that the rider will most likely never be without a rear light.
Now BMW comes up with all this computer magic when the problem could have been solved by installing another $3 bulb.