PIAA 1100x & Autoswitch - do you need to see the LEDs?

[NoHeat]

I'm finishing installing the PIAA kit for the PIAA 1100x, along with an autoswitch. The bike is an '03 RT.

 

The electric stuff all works, so I'm figuring out where to route harnesses before I put the tupperware back on.

 

Questions:

 

(1) The PIAA harness includes a long cable with a waterproof switch with red/green LED indicators. Do I really need this to be in an accessible place (e.g., zip-tied to a cable on the handlebars) or can I just stuff it somewhere under the seat?

 

(2) The Autoswitch has an LED indicator that changes color when you use the autoswitch. Do I really need to be able to see it, or can I just stuff it all in the empty compartment of the fuse box where I put the Autoswitch relay?

[Firefight911]

Don't know about the PIAA stuff but the Autoswitch may be tucked away to never be seen again.

 

[recyclearoad]

The PIAA light will tell you if the lights are on or off during the day or night...I put it where I could see it.

[Paul_G]

TheAutoswitch led can be tucked away or even cut off with no ill effects. You can quickly get used to the timing necessary to turn on or off the Pias. It can be used for a diagnostic tool however. Under certain circumstances it will turn orange. At the moment, I do not remember what the circumstance was, but it did during my installation of the autoswitch.

My suggestion is pitch the Pia Switch and led. Mount the Autoswitch led in a blanking plug.

[harpoon47]

I recommend drilling a hole in the dash for the LED. I mounted it below the Fog Light switch on my '04 RT and like that I can see when I turn the PIAAs on or off using the autoswitch. It takes 5 mins to drill the hole and stick in behind the dash with some RTV. Easy to do and you'll have a clear on-off indicator.

[ashleybiker]

I think the installation insructions for the autoswitch call for you to cut off the PIAA switch - you don't need it.

 

I tucked light from the autoswitch into the fuse box. It was not worth it for me to route and mount it on the dash.

[Firefight911]

I recommend drilling a hole in the dash for the LED. I mounted it below the Fog Light switch on my '04 RT and like that I can see when I turn the PIAAs on or off using the autoswitch. It takes 5 mins to drill the hole and stick in behind the dash with some RTV. Easy to do and you'll have a clear on-off indicator.

 

My Autoswitch LED is on the dash of my ST. Run down to Radio Shack and you can pick up some LED "housings." Slip your LED into one of these and fit it to your dash and no one would ever know it wasn't factory installed.

[outpost22]

You should mount the led light where it can be seen. If you use the lights during the day, It is your only clue as to if its "on" or "off", unless you are following a reflective paint job

[NoHeat]

You should mount the led light where it can be seen. If you use the lights during the day, It is your only clue as to if its "on" or "off", unless you are following a reflective paint job

 

Thanks to everybody who pointed this out.

 

For the PIAA/Autoswitch combination, I found that it's enough to view the LED for one of them. Both would be redundant.

 

I chose to view the Autoswitch LED, which out of laziness I simply zip-tied to a cable just to the left of the key and then inserted it into a cable clip right there so that it was more or less pointed at my helmet. I tucked the PIAA cable with its LED/switch atop the airfilter housing (after clicking the PIAA switch into the ON position).

 

I might end up remounting the Autoswitch LED in a bezel on the dash later, because it has a directional lens so that it's hard to see except at just the right angle - that was a mistake IMHO in the design of the Autoswitch, which is otherwise a very nicely engineered gadget.

 

Although it is nicely engineered, it isn't trivial to install. I spliced four wires with solder and heat shrink, and three of them were under the turn signal control in the fuse box where there wasn't a lot of slack. Probably controlling the driving lights with the high beam instead of an Autoswitch would be an easier installation.

[JonathanE]

I'm red/green colorblind. I can't tell whether they're on or not by looking at the switch. Install it wherever you like. You'll figure out if they are on the same way I do.