GUEST? Registration opens up many more resources which are not available to guests. Registration is free, we never sell or give others access to your information.
Posted by pcarrell
- January 05, 2015, 08:28:33 AMI noticed that this test was done with the bike not running. As you only have battery power on it, it makes sense that it might pulse as you only have a finite amount of power to work with. Does it still do it with the bike running and the stator supplying power?
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 04, 2015, 22:10:49 PM 
Yes it was more noticeable because the LED light was brighter, and therefore it was more noticeable.....but that being said it is still a very faint pulse, but enough to see if you look for it.
Posted by greenbarn
- January 04, 2015, 21:10:34 PMQuote from: CDNRatMan on January 04, 2015, 17:53:50 PMYou mean b/c the LED is brighter, right??... it was just that the LED bulb let me see it, never noticed it before.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 04, 2015, 17:53:50 PMThere is no issue really it was just that the LED bulb let me see it, never noticed it before. Now this might be a good thing in making the cage drivers behind me aware that I am doing something.
Posted by kw-retrorider
- January 04, 2015, 15:57:54 PMRatman: So what's the issue....the LED bulbs accentuate the pulses?
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 04, 2015, 12:25:01 PMok I am going to post a few pictures to show my reason for spotting this........
wit the 1157 bulb it was not noticeable till you looked really close, but when I switched the 1157 bulb to a LED plug and play.......now please don't be like GB this is not a vid it is still pictures do not look for the pulsing........lol......Before anyone asks I checked with the company and they said that the LED is not the cause, and it only comes in amber or red......those pictures are also with the covers off.
and sorry for being such a pain.......
Posted by kw-retrorider
- January 04, 2015, 12:00:00 PMRatman: Understand about the marker light....making the rears like the front directionals, which are on, even when they are not blinking.
Now, let me retract my earlier statement. Based on Greenbarn's comment, I looked closer and shielded the turn signal while I looked at the license plate light, because the clear lense is easier to see changes in. At idle, the pulsing is so slight I didn't notice it the first time I looked. So I will say there is a pulsing, but again, so slight you have to look for it, and even then....
Then, I ran it at a fast idle (over 40 degrees here today in MD)....I believe the pulsing is still there....but I am father away from the light because I have to work the throttle.
So nice exercise....but can't say it really matters unless you have the tail lamp assembly obviously blinking like a turn signal. So you may have gotten your mod right. I for one would not be doing any trouble shooting based on the minimal and let me say again....minimal pulsing I think I have seen on my machine. So there's another data point, as they say.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 04, 2015, 10:51:00 AM kw, never did anything to the lights prior to this. The only change I wanted to do was make the rear lights also marker lights. So took a set of Drifter front signal lights (3 wire) and remove the guts from the front to the rear pods, the reason is the metal mounting posts on the rear are longer then the front. At first I thought I had wired the marker lights incorrectly.
I removed all the guts this weekend from the pods checked all the wiring and the grounds, I tried running a separate ground like 49/GB told me to do. The pulsing is still there.
mikeakaFred also has the pulsing. So now to try it with my optimizer hooked up and see if that makes a difference.
But then how many of us have watched the back end of our 800's as we are riding down the road. I know the first time I followed my Brother-in-law riding my bike (he was rising such a whine he wanted to ride a real bike and not his big bad a$$ H-D) but the amount the rear fender moves is amazing....but I never watched the signal lights or brake lights....lol.....
Posted by greenbarn
- January 04, 2015, 08:56:36 AMI tried mine- I do have some "pulsing" of the tail light when the turn signals are on. Specifically, every time the turn bulb comes "on" then the tail light dims ever so slightly. I had never noticed this phenomenon before.
After seeing it in person, I suspect it's just from the very slight voltage drop caused by the additional 2 bulbs (2 A ea) since the bike isn't running and there's limited power there. Try it with the bike running over 2,000 RPM - wait, your bike is in the living room.... Try it with extra battery capacity added - either a jumper box, battery charger -- Or maybe pull the Jimmy up to the closest window and run the jumper cables through the window....
If I'm right the dimming will become less noticeable, or go away completely.
Posted by kw-retrorider
- January 04, 2015, 05:06:37 AMI have a stock lighting set-up....No pulsing of license plate or running light when either directional is on....sorry.
Didn't you rewire your back lights to be like the latest Harleys? If so, sounds like you have a running light circuit making contact with the flasher relay circuit.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- January 03, 2015, 21:31:55 PM 
calling all 800 owners, need a favour, I would like you to go to your bikes and turn the key to the on position and then turn on a signal light, either one, then take a close look at your plate light and brake light, are they pulsing? Thanks.....
Any amount of pulsing........