turn signals as brake lights

[xsleo]

I put a converter for a car with seperate rear turn signals and brake lights to tow a trailor with combined turn brake lights.
Now when I use the brakes the rear turn signals light up as brake lights. They still work as turn signals even when using the brakes.
The converter was $13.95 at wally world. Real easy to do. You just need to have your stock brake light wired in before the converter. If not your stock brake light won't work.
This makes you more noticable to people behind you.

[Bob Dammit]

Thats not a bad idea, Leo. Most guys use those converters to eliminate their rear turn signals, and utilize the 2 bulbs in the tail light for their turn signals.

[corusco]

I'm using a converter made by Signal Dynamics:

www.cfrlights.com/servlet/the-203/Turn%2C-Signal%2CBrake%2C-Light%2C-Conversion%2C/Detail

It's more expensive than the trailer light converters, but I needed something really small to fit in my electronics box, which this is and the ones at the trailer shop were not.

[grepper]

I got mine from UHaul store.uhaul.com/product_detail.aspx?id=4074

My bobber has two dual filiment lights in the rear
i36.photobucket.com/albums/e8/grepper/Bike/79chop/Image036a.jpg

[xsleo]

The only thing I need to do now is convert to LED's for the lights, the stock bulbs draw alot of current.

[squid]

I have a stock 81 special and I was wondering if someone could walk me through how to do this... Is it possible to run the main taillight, and the rear turn signals as brake lights? I would like a little added safety when I'm stopping at those stop lights so I don't have some idiot lock up their brakes behind me like what happened today...

Thanks.

[xsleo]

With the trailer converter where the tail light, brake and turn signals plug in to the harness under the seat. I unplugged everything and hooked the carend of the coverter to the harness. I used bullet connectors to hook the wires into the harness. On the trailer end of the converter I just hooked it to the turn signals, brake and tail light. This made the turn signals work as brake lights and turn signals. The stock brake light didn't light up with the brakes, so I put in a jumper from the harness past the converter to the stock brakelight. This got everything to work.
The current draw was greater than the headlight when you hit the brakes. The stock brake light bulb was 23 watts, the two turn signal bulbs were27 watts total of 77 watts.
Hooking this up on the two bulb taillights would add another 23 watts for 100 wats total.
After doing this setup I decided to convert to LED's. This cut down the current draw to almost nothing. The converter didn't like the LED's. When you used the brakes it would light the right front turnsignal.
I tried adding diodes to stop this. No combo I tried fixed it so I removed the converter.
I think the LED's help people see me better. They are very bright.
I try to pump the brakes at stops to make the brake light flash. This helps attract the attion of people coming up behind.

[grinder]

This will flash the brake light for you.
www.customdynamics.com/motorcycle_brake_light_flasher.htm

[squid]

Does anyone think that pulling 100 Watts in just brake lights is a bad thing??? For instance, would it cause the headlight to dim or worse, kill the battery?

[xsleo]

Grinder, With a bit of work that should do the job. I'll have to look that site over more.
Squid, drawing that much extra current will do both. Grated you don't normally hold your brakes very long at a time. I have several trafftc lights I try very hard to avoid, bikes don't trip the traffic light sensors, so you can set there along time waiting for the light to change.

[tomterrific]

Stop light sensor trick. Put the alternator over the sensor cut and turn on the lights. Blip the throttle to get the rotor magnatized. Might work :^), might not :^(.

Tom Graham

[xsleo]

If I have to go through one of these lights, I turn right and go around. It's legal to turn right on red here.

[ShakerNorm]

I've seen something on evilbay that claims to set off the sensors for traffic lights - considered buying one, but never did, so I can't comment on how well they work. Apparently it's just a magnet that you attach to the bottom of your bike to trip the sensor. Maybe a couple of those really strong magnets will do it for cheap.

[dillrepair]

ok so you've given me some good ideas here and i'd like everyone's advice because i'm really new to 650's.... my ultimate goal with my 81 sh is to do something like grepper, i'd like the signals to be the brake lights .... I'm also very conscious of the charging system weakness... is it possible to loose the brake light, convert the signals into brake lights and still have the stock signal flasher work? Am i worse off voltage wise? Furthermore from what i'm reading there's no way to make things work the way I want and have LED bulbs in all the sockets without even more aftermarket parts is that right? If anyone has some advice please be as detailed as possible... i'm mechanically inclined but new to this bike.

[xsleo]

The trailer light converter may work with leds on the later models. The tail / brake light uses two bulbs. On my 75 it only has one bulb, so the jumper may be the problem. I have an 82 tail/brake light that I will do some expermenting with.
If I come up with anything I'll post results.