Aux light installation

[Scott9999]

Just kicking around some ideas:

 

I took a peak at Clearwater's offerings tonight, and figure out that I'd probably be buying my next bike before I'll be able to afford $1500 for a set of LED driving lights.  So, I'm gonna have to improvise (i.e. go cheap!).

So, if I don't want to mess with Hexezcan power manager, I should be able to just mount a light conventionally, i.e. pigtail off the battery (probably to a small fuse block), power to a switch, power from switch to light, and walla! 

Them deer ain't gonna know what hit 'em.  😁

 

A little more seriously here, I'm thinking of hooking up something like these (80W, 11K Lumen, 9V to 32V operating range)

Amazon: Exzeit 5 Inch Led Driving Lights Round, 80W 11200 Lumens Waterproof Fog Lights Driving Lights

... mounted underwing (i.e. under the mirrors) using this:

Cyclops Auxiliary Light Mounts

 

I'm leaning towards the simplicity of the HexEzcan anyhow, since I want to mount other lights (Skene Proton Blaster strobes, or equivalent).  But again, in principle, if the lights are mounted outside the CANBUS system, presumably, it doesn't care about the power draw.  Correct, or no?

 

Any ideas on a BMW switch that'll integrate to the existing Wethead handle bar controls?

 

Thanks.

[DakarTimm]

THanks for the link .. I'm going to order those myself . As an RS owner there are no mounting options I can find specifically for the RS . 

[Paul De]

The CANbus not throwing an error code from accessories connected directly to the battery is a good question.  I guess the only issue might be if the accessory draws enough power to drop the voltage to the point that the CANbus detects a low volt condition, or weak battery.

 

I have actually followed a similar approach you are considering to install driving lights that are not so darn expensive as OEM or the Clearwater system.  I didn't go quite so low cost as direct wiring to the battery though.  I put a gen 1 HEX ezCAN on my Waterhead which is really a nice plug and play device that offers easy control for driving lights through the whizzywheel. I particularly liked the feature that flashes the driving lights when the horn is activated.  IMO the ezCAN was worth the money and isn't limited to any brand of accessory as long as the device does not exceed the max current draw for the circuit it is placed on and no new holes to drill on you bike for a switch.  I went with the BMW accessory driving light mounts which added more cost than other mount options and saved a ton buying knock-off BMW style driving lights, so it looks like  the OEM driving lights. The lights are well made and plenty bright for lighting well beyond the shoulder of the road because I live in deer country and need the shoulder lit up much more than blazing light way down the road.  I think all told  the project came in for about $400 including wire, crimp connectors, shrink tubing and a couple of SS bolts and nyloc nuts.  Works perfectly too.  As a side note I think HEX makes the CANbus controller for Clearwater.

 

If you do go direct wire be sure to include a fuse that is sized for the wire and and power draw of the kit you assemble.

[Bernie]

Regardless of what system you use for your aux lights, the alternator and battery on the WetHeads are a little weak. If I use my high beams and my aux lights on full power, plus turn on my heated grips, seat and jacket, I can watch the voltage readout on the dashboard drop, until I receive a alert that there is problem with the power supply. After switching from halogen H1 high beams to Cyclops LED’s, I am not over powering the alternator any longer.

As for switching, any old cheap switch, wrapped in a ziplock baggie should be good enough for your aux lights. You may even be able to just clamp the lights on with some duct tape.

[Cap]

I bought these clones of the BMW OEM driving lights on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-LED-Auxiliary-Fog-Light-Assemblie-Driving-Lamp-40WHeadlight-Universal-/334157643842?hash=item4dcd590042

 

I have another bike with the actual BMW lights, and these are identical fit and finish, but they are a bit brighter and have a glass lens with a more useful beam pattern.  I connected them using a Hex EZCan 2, but you could use the BMW switchgear that is located on the left side clutch reservoir clamp.  
 

cap

[Scott9999]

2 hours ago, Paul De said:

I have actually followed a similar approach you are considering to install driving lights that are not so darn expensive as OEM or the Clearwater system.  I didn't go quite so low cost as direct wiring to to the battery though.  I put a gen 1 HEX ezCAN on my Waterhead which is really a nice plug and play device that offers easy control for driving lights through the whizzywheel. I particularly liked the feature that flashes the driving lights when the horn is activated.  IMO the ezCAN was worth the money and isn't limited to any brand of accessory as long as the device does not exceed the max current draw for the circuit it is placed on and no new holes to drill on you bike for a switch.

 

I kind of agree, at this point.  I'm spending so much energy and research time just to avoid what the Hex ezCAN avoids by design, plus as you say, it provides other additional benefits.  (There are other similar devices out there; I'm just using Hex's device as an example since my weak mind can't remember all those others. 🤣🤣).  Compared to a set of $1400 lights, the ezCAN is a solid investment in my lighting plan.  I want to install other lights (i.e. as I said Skene) and an additional horn at some point, so I'm going to take another look at ezCAN (including difference between Gen1 and Gen2 features).

 

So, you control your lights via the whizzywheel, versus an externally mounted switch?  Are your driving lights connected to your OEM H1 or H7's to light at the same time?  I'm vaguely familiar that these systems can set extra LED lights to run at say, 20% as running lights, or 100% as turn signals, etc., so I suppose they might control the driving lights to run at perhaps 50% with the mains, or 100% with the brights, and etc.  

 

It's all those design details that start to get confusing.   (I WANT those lighting effects, just like I want all the new OEM electronic toys on the handlebars, but I just don't want to have to think about 'em.   🤣😖)

 

2 hours ago, Paul De said:

I went with the BMW accessory driving light mounts which added more cost than other mount options and saved a ton buying knock-off BMW style driving lights, so it looks like  the OEM driving lights. The lights are well made and plenty bright for lighting well beyond the shoulder of the road because I live in deer country and need the shoulder lit up much more than blazing light way down the road.  I think all told  the project came in for about $400 including wire, crimp connectors, shrink tubing and a couple of SS bolts and nyloc nuts.  Works perfectly too.  As a side note I think HEX makes the CANbus controller for Clearwater.

 

If you do go direct wire be sure to include a fuse that is sized for the wire and and power draw of the kit you assemble.

Ditto on the deer threat (as I think I mentioned in my initial post).

 

If I do go direct wire, I'll get a fuse block so each connection is properly fused.  (And, there we go again, with the additional complexity, versus the kinda-plug-and-play ezCAN.)

[Scott9999]

1 hour ago, Cap said:

I bought these clones of the BMW OEM driving lights on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-LED-Auxiliary-Fog-Light-Assemblie-Driving-Lamp-40WHeadlight-Universal-/334157643842?hash=item4dcd590042

 

I have another bike with the actual BMW lights, and these are identical fit and finish, but they are a bit brighter and have a glass lens with a more useful beam pattern.  I connected them using a Hex EZCan 2, but you could use the BMW switchgear that is located on the left side clutch reservoir clamp.  
 

cap

Appreciate the link.  I'll store that away.  Putting those on the forks looks like another good addition, though I want those larger driving lights under the front mirrors, too.

The best lights on the market are those which come with personal-experience-recommendations, like yours!  👍

 

By the way, do you use those plastic guards on the front?  Do they seem to block or diminish light output to any amount?

 

[Scott9999]

I still have question about the switch options, if anyone has some practical experience feedback to offer.  BMW has an OEM aux light switch which appears to built into the handlebar assembly (clutch handle?).   I don't have this switch on mine.  Though I couldn't find this exact part, to replace the entire combination control set adjacent to it is $600+, special purpose (police bike) switches, and the (similar) right side kill switch assembly runs $300+, so I expect getting this little aux switch would be way too pricey (and again, complicated), compared to just adding on an after market switch somewhere to trigger the driving lights (should I opt for that; my default preference is just to hook 'em in with the H1/bright LED's, again, less complicated).

 

[dirtrider]

15 minutes ago, Scott9999 said:

I still have question about the switch options, if anyone has some practical experience feedback to offer.  BMW has an OEM aux light switch which appears to built into the handlebar assembly (clutch handle?).   I don't have this switch on mine.  Though I couldn't find this exact part, to replace the entire combination control set adjacent to it is $600+, special purpose (police bike) switches, and the (similar) right side kill switch assembly runs $300+, so I expect getting this little aux switch would be way too pricey (and again, complicated), compared to just adding on an after market switch somewhere to trigger the driving lights (should I opt for that; my default preference is just to hook 'em in with the H1/bright LED's, again, less complicated).

 

 

Afternoon Scott 

 

That switch isn't what you think it is, that switch is a very low-amp-load momentary contact switch that talks to your motorcycle's electronics through the LinBus  (basically a direct-talk less-complex BUS similar to the CanBus but cheaper). 

 

To use that switch you would have to build an electronic LIN control module then find a way to allow that to control your add-on lights. 

 

It is possible that switch can be added (IF) your on-board electronics will see & use it's signal (might have to programed in to work) then use that input signal to control the appropriate lighting module. Then you would need to connect your add-on lights to that module's output.  

 

There might be enough room in your switch pod in that area  to mount your own off-on micro switch, then use that to control you own fused  (added power relay) to control your add-on lights.  

[Cap]

4 hours ago, Scott9999 said:

By the way, do you use those plastic guards on the front?  Do they seem to block or diminish light output to any amount?

 
The guards are steel, and I threw them away.  The mounts are plastic, and I threw them away too.  I used a generic mount from Denali that I adapted to the mounting point on the lights, and suspended from my Ilium Works engine guards.

 

By the way, the Denali Canbus controller is made by Hex, and originally had some extra functionality for a somewhat higher price.  But with the release of the EZCan 2, the only difference is that the Denali version comes preconfigured with connectors that match the Denali lights.  On the EZCan 2, you will need to build your own cables with the provided connector stubs.  

It has been awhile since I researched this, but I think Clearwater uses  a different brand of Canbus controller.  As I recall, when Hex first released their competing line of Canbus controllers, there were some reports that they were somehow inducing failures to the LEDs that the Clearwater controllers avoided.  But I think those initial complaints were debunked.  However, there is a known failure mode for the early EZCan 2 controllers — one that I experienced.  When the early models got very hot or very cold, they would get flaky.  In my case, on a hot day in New Mexico, my EZCan 2 turned one light off, and made the other one start strobing.  The following morning, after a cool night, it worked OK.  I reported this to Hex customer support, and Ted Porter shipped me the updated part with revised circuit board potting material that eliminated the temperature sensitivity.  Probably TMI.

 

 I don’t ride much, if ever, at night.  I use my lights for conspicuity.  And so, the cheapest, bright, decent looking lights are good enough for me.  These BMW clones are fine, and surprisingly very bright.

 

cap

[Paul De]

16 hours ago, Scott9999 said:

I'm going to take another look at ezCAN (including difference between Gen1 and Gen2 features).

The gen 1 ezCAN is obsolete and replaced by gen 2.  The big difference is all four power channels are capable of 10 amp loads vs 2 low 4 amp max  channels on the gen 1 unit.  There are other added capabilities not found on the gen 1 unit.  While the gen 2 unit is about $60 more I wouldn’t be dissuaded as the ezCAN product is great quality and well supported.

 

17 hours ago, Cap said:

I bought these clones of the BMW OEM driving lights on

Looks like Cap and I were mind melded as this is essentially the same set of lights I used with the ezCAN.  These light are dimmable through BMWs whizzywheel, by holding the wheel in the back position for a few seconds to activate control through the ezCAN.  I leave my driving lights full bright all the time with the flash on horn blow option.

[Cap]

I originally installed aux lights that cost only $23 each.  They were pretty awesome. 

 

Unfortunately, they were not impervious to rocks.  Actually, this happened while the bike was on a Kendon trailer in Texas.  Maybe Texas rocks are more dangerous?

 

 

So, I stepped up to a more expensive light, the $40 BMW clone.  These seem more robust.

 

 

[realshelby]

After going the "cheap route" on auxiliary lighting for years...

 

I finally bought the Clearwater Darla setup. Like $700 or so. Could not be happier with that purchase. Unlike the cheap lights these still look brand new, don't wiggle or move around, and I like the yellow lens covers ( which also protect the expensive lens). 

 

If you don't like wiring but still want it done right....the Clearwater kit cannot be any better. Hardest connection is the two leads to the battery. Everything else is pretty much plug it in and go. 

 

Darla's are small but don't equate that with light output. Most of the cheap LED lights struggle to put out near what they advertise, these will impress you. I simply LOVE the fact they are adjustable for light output and automatically go full on with high beams. They simply deliver everything promised. I no longer think they are expensive. 

[mos]

So what mount did you get with your Darlas ?

[realshelby]

I bought mounts that allow you to install them on the accessory ( Wunderlich) engine bars. Quality in design and machining is far above what you see in other brands!

[old_farmer]

I'm a dummy about electronics, so I went for the easiest solution. Darlas on my Ilium crash bars. And the Billie tail light.

[wbw6cos]

My OEM auxiliary lights (white) are on the ilium works crash bars, spread out as far as the harness will allow.  My Darlas with amber lenses are mounted on the forks.

 

(don't mind the headlamp - yeah, it was out at that time)  LOL

 

 

 

[Scott9999]

1 hour ago, wbw6cos said:

My OEM auxiliary lights (white) are on the ilium works crash bars, spread out as far as the harness will allow.  My Darlas with amber lenses are mounted on the forks.

 

(don't mind the headlamp - yeah, it was out at that time)  LOL

 

 

 

It's that beard that makes everything work.  You gotta ride all the time with the helmet bar up, or switch to a 3/4 style helmet.  🤣🤣

 

Nice lookin' rig, regardless of how ugly the rider looks.  😁 👍

 

 

(You'll notice no pictures of me on my bike, and there never will be.  There's a reason for that. 😒)