LED customization | GTAMotorcycle.com

LED customization

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shadowelement

Well-known member
Hello Guys, since I can't really drive my bike until I figure out something with insurance, I decided I want to try modding it. One of the things I was going to try, is adding LED lighting under the fender and such(don't worry, nothing crazy to show off, just for safety and as my 1st project). Sadly I know close to nothing about motorcycles and electric wiring in general.

So my vision is, to have roughly 4 strips installed under different parts of the bike. From what I understand I need to get the kit that has 4 strips pre separated and some sort of switch(I dont want it glowing all the time).

So questions are - is there a way to buy just a long strip and cut it myself, if yes - how would I do that? How would I do all the wiring (diagram perhaps?) and what time of switch should I use?

Thank you
 
Should be easy enough. Buy individual strips, each will have a + and - wire. Probably red and black respectively. Best practice would be to run them straight to the battery so you don't add extra strain to an existing circuit. Add your switch inline and make sure you include a fuse. You should figure out what kind of draw the lights are going to pull, so you'll know what gauge wire to use and what size of fuse. My guess is it won't be much.
 
I would propose you get a little more advanced and place a relay in series with your switch that is only on/closed when the ignition is at the on or in the park position. This will make it less likely to be forgotten on and drain your battery.
 
superseven said:
This will make it less likely to be forgotten on and drain your battery.
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+1. That would add complexity to the circuit, but would save you accidentally killing the battery. You'd still want a switch as well to control the on/off manually.
 
Can you elaborate about how to include a fuse?

Also, how would I place a relay?

Sorry if my questions sound dumb, but I am super new to this.
 
shadowelement said:
Can you elaborate about how to include a fuse?

Also, how would I place a relay?

Sorry if my questions sound dumb, but I am super new to this.
Click to expand...

Fuse just has to get wired into the circuit somewhere. Usually it's the first thing on the + side. Wiring a relay is easy too. A relay is just an automatic switch. It detects when a wire has power, and connects two other wires.

http://www.canyonchasers.net/shop/generic/relay.php

I would start by reading this. It's almost exactly what you want to do. The distribution block might be a bit much, but you're going to want to connect all your LED strips in parallel like that, so it's almost exactly what you're looking for, minus the switch.
 
If you add an ignition switched fuse box to your bike you'll have the capacity to add all sorts of goodies easily later on. I managed to do it and I'm a klutz when it comes to electrical work on my bike. One big tip....use positaps to add the wire to the ignition switched line. Super easy.
 
Like some of the guys mentioned, adding the fuse block now, while you're there, will be helpful in the future. There are some detailed threads about building/ installing them.
 
Joe Bass said:
Like some of the guys mentioned, adding the fuse block now, while you're there, will be helpful in the future. There are some detailed threads about building/ installing them.
Click to expand...

Does my schematic look right?
 

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If you're just doing leds, I won't say it's mandatory to add a relay. Sure it's the best thing to do, but not absolutely necessary.

Your leds wouldn't consume more than 5 watts max. That would hardly put a strain on the electrical system
 
shadowelement said:
Does my schematic look right?
Click to expand...

It does, but it's a bit simplistic so it doesn't show all the connections. You'll want something like this:

led_diagram.jpg


You can use most metal pieces of the bike as the ground. It'll save you having to run 2 wires all over the place.
 
Also, make sure the LED strips you're buying are meant to work with 12v. LED's can normally only take 2 or 3v max before they burn out. You'll want something with resistance built in, or else you'll have to add it yourself. Light strips made for automotive applications should all be 12v ready.
 
Get flexible SMD LED strips by the foot from A1 Electronic Parts. The strips are manufactured in a way that you can cut them at pre-determined spots (every 3 SMDs). A1 will also have the other components you're after -- wire, relays, switches, fuses, fuse blocks.
 
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