Brighter lights all around

Started by Tector, October 31, 2020, 18:54:37 PM

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Bucko

I think LED's are your only option.  When I put 55w incandescent bulbs in my two spotlights (the Fire & Steel bulbs are 25w) the battery would eventually go dead so there doesn't seem to be much 'overhead' for available electrical power.

When I swapped in LED signal lamps in other bikes, the only thing I did was swap in a sold state flasher (for the OEM electro-mechanical unit).  The drifter has self canceling signals so a sold state flasher may interfere with that - but I doubt it.

Note that any power 'saved' by going to LED's is simply going to be shunted to ground in the R/R which would make it run hotter and possibly shorten it's life (in practice - not sure if this is an issue or not).


Tector

In the interest of safety, I'd like to increase the light output on my 1999 1500-- I don't want to change any of the light fixtures, I'd just like to get more light output from each.  Does anyone have any recommendations for this?  By the way, in addition to the stock turn signals (front and back), tail/brake light, and headlight, I have the Kawasaki light bar (two spot lights).

I know that a common option is replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs.  Which might work for the headlight, tail/brake light, and spot lights, but I have heard that they aren't a plug-and-play option for turn signals, since the current they draw is so much lower than stock that they make the signal flash much faster, making it tough for other motorists to "read" the signal.  But believe me, I am no electrician.  Which is why I'm looking for recommendations for plug-and-play options, if there are such.

"I've lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened."  Mark Twain

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