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Accessing the rear brake light wire


Miguel!

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I installed a Signal Minder. It provides  addition lighting features when you connect into the rear brake wiring. I can't figure out hot to access the rear brake wiring  from under the seat. I know I could drill a small hole in the cavity just in front of the rear light assembly but was hoping for a way to do it without drilling holes. Thoughts?

 

Thx 

Miguel 

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If you open your seat and remove the two thumb nuts holding the rear light assembly on and remove the light assembly you will see countless ways of running wires without drilling holes.  There is absolutely no reason at all to drill holes in the light assembly since there are no wires inside of the light assembly.  They are all external to the light assembly.

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I simply ran a wire from the + lead on the brake light along the right frame rail to the Signal Minder brake light input module. No cutting into the wiring harness is needed.  Just a tie wrap or three and crimp on the spade connector and you're good to go.

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Paul De. Thanks for the reply. I'm a little ignorant when it comes to the R1100RT. What and where is the "brake light input module"

 

I did find a path thru the "wall" between the cavity behind the rear saddle and the brake light assembly. 

 

Thx. Miguel!

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Don't forget to retighten rear light assembly.

They used to sometime vibrate loose and it was a Tech Day item BITD.

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1 hour ago, tallman said:

Don't forget to retighten rear light assembly.

They used to sometime vibrate loose and it was a Tech Day item BITD.

Nope, I won't. Is there a recommended thread locker? Loctite desolves plastic I understand and the threaded bolt on the (Horig, I think) light assembly is plastic. 

 

Miguel 

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You need to be able to take it off anywhere to replace a bulb. You won't lose the finger nuts if the come off as they are trapped below. Usually only one will fall off and you will notice the light assembly is loose. Just put them on as tight as you can with your fingers and then use needle nose pliers to add just a touch more tightness. They have metal thread inserts.

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It doesn't need thread locker, but it does need to be tight. It is a thumb screw so don't go crazy do it up with your index finger and thumb (tight) and that should be tight enough. I tended to go back and check mine after a ride and maybe once more after another ride...then forget about it until a bulb needed changing.

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Thanks Andy. Good advice and I'll take it. 

 

BTW, the Horig light assembly is LED arrays and does not use incandescent bulbs. The LED are non replaceable and maybe impossible to access without damage to the assembly. The tail brake light section uses red LED's and the turn signals in a separate compartment use amber/yellow. Its a clean look on the back of the bike tho mine isn't so white as the photo shows.

 

Best

Miguel

rear-light-r1150rt.jpg

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Yeah, tight but don't go crazy and personally I would not use a wrench or pliers to tighten just a little more.  The taillight assembly is plastic. The threaded insert is embedded in plastic.  You know how plastic gets brittle as it ages?  If you overly tighten the thumbscrews you will find the taillight hanging off the bike and it will be because the threaded parts broke off, not because the thumbscrew loosened. Mine are reassembled with JBWeld now.

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Well, some of us with arthritis really can't snug them up tight enough with fingertips, so a judicious use of a gripping mechanism (ie pliers) is often the only way to get them tight enough.

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Ok. I got the signal minder connected to the brake light. When the brake is applied, the turn signals (front and rear) flash rapidly 4 times then go solid. The goal to get the attention of drivers behind you. Works great. 

 

Thanks for all the help and advice!

 

I'd be glad to take pictures of the install if anyone is considering doing this. Its a pretty easy job but is time consuming to do it thoughtfully. 

 

Best

Miguel

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23 hours ago, Miguel! said:

Paul De. Thanks for the reply. I'm a little ignorant when it comes to the R1100RT. What and where is the "brake light input module"

 

I did find a path thru the "wall" between the cavity behind the rear saddle and the brake light assembly. 

 

Thx. Miguel!

Sorry  I missed your post.

 

Looking at Kissan website to refresh my memory it shows that the SM-5 is used on the R1100s and that the center port on the opposite end from the connector is where you connect the brake light time out lead.  I ran a about a 1 meter long  20 or 22 gauge wire from the + connector on the brake light nacelle up the frame rail to the SignalMinder brake light time out port.  Because the bike's harness brake light wires connect to the nacelle by a spring loaded connector (almost like you would find on a audio speaker) you simply add the new lead to that post.  No cutting into the wiring harness is needed. Tie wrap the new lead to the frame rail for neatness and you are done.

image.png.5260f3f50a8019d70a43e63bcd455221.png

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Thanks Paul De. I got it all connected up today and it works as advertised. 

 

What is a nacelle? Is this a BMW specific term?

 

Also, a few posts up I showed a picture of the Horig LED taillight assembly on my bike. Its a completely enclosed unit with 7 wires going to it. Bulbs are not replaceable without some surgery. At the moment, mine is perfect. 

 

Thanks!!

Miguel

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Haha great question!

 

Technically I am wrong to use this term for the tail light assembly as it refers a streamlined housing like an external tank on a aircraft wing.  It was an old school reference used by Triumph in to describe the housing used to tidy up the head lamp and speedo on their post WWII bikes.  I picked the term up from the old timers I knew back in the 60's and 70's when many bikes still used a combined housing for the speedo, tachometer and headlamp.  My '71/5 had such a head light nacelle.   I guess I still use it out of habit for the virtually sealed housings that now  make up the tail light or head lamp assemblies on current cars and motorcycles.

 

Sincerely,

Old Fart

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