L.E.D. Lighting?

jdbusch wrote: so with the whole nine inch thing and the load resistors thing if i were to just get the solid state flasher fuse, turn signal bullets front and back and a set of the led 1157s i should be plenty bright and not have to worry about anything else?

yes

Do some research, LOTS of research. there are dozens of LED drop in 1157s for example that throw less light than a cheap 20 year old bulb. Some are VERY directional, you only see that fancy bright light in the add on their webpage if you're no closer than 20 feet and directly in line with the bulb. Step 10 feet to the side and its a dull glow.

www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-technical-articles/halogen/

www.superbrightleds.com/

I can't suggest strongly enough that you spend more time than asking a question in one forum.
There is a hard core group of gentlemen here that are quite literally an ethereal encyclopedia on our bikes- but LED's are subject to constant marketing change, a very gray "DOT" allowance and out right lies and obfuscation when it comes to websites talking about their products.

For me, cleaning each and every electrical contact from stem to stern increased how bright the factory setup was. Then, I added LED's to the system, they are such a low draw everything works perfectly. So far, just my brake setup- and brother, its BRIGHT- At night I've seen the person on my license plate squint when I kept flashing the brake lever. I posted pics on some other thread.

I may go LED but haven't made up my mind yet. I want to add additional guide lights and front markers. Its easy to stack LED's on your system once its setup.
My main concern with LED's was radial illumination.

Good point: probably 99.99% of the LED replacement units out there are too dim, especially the junk they sell on ebay. Be wary of the "multiple LED' style. The Luxeons are the only ones I found which are actually brighter than standard bulbs and have a pretty wide light dispersion (130 degrees wide).

www.webbikeworld.com/lights/led-brake-lights-for-motorcycles/

Good website, spend 30 minutes and you'll probably keep the incandescents unless you drop big bucks to replace reflectors and lens.
just my .02 your mileage may vary

I will say I added a 3rd taillight/brake light and that was LED and HUGE in lighting up cagers behind me. It was SO simple. I simply took some readings with my volt meter at the rear bulbs- added the additional 50 LED's and checked the voltage again...another 1.something draw? for all that light? No brainer.
I will also add more LED's to the front for guide lights- the goal being to give cagers a better 3D view.
single headlight means they cant determine distance. three lights spread as far apart as possible allow human brain to determine distance, closing or parting speed.

I replaced my 1157's with 2397's
I love it when I find a "review" that supports stuff I already figured out
www.webbikeworld.com/lights/led-brake-lights-for-motorcycles/

stay safe, stay seen!

BTW, in that study NHS did since 1976 of motorcycle fatalities, three groups were "underrepresented". White helmets, fluorescent jackets and dirt bike riders-

I have a LED tail from an 07 ZX6R on my KZ. They are also available in the integrated style. I'm using one on the ZX600 ($26 shipped on ebay) but going with the standard config on the KZ. I'm not concerned about the spacing, nobody gets hassled for it here, just use hand signals if in doubt. The ZX6R is a wide narrow light too, a little over 7", so the spacing is pretty decent.

I didn't have to do anything to the existing wiring to get the tail working. However my aftermarket turn signals wouldn't flash, even though they used incandescent lamps. I swapped in an electronic flasher and it's been good ever since.

Flasher units from www.cwswiring.com will accommodate a combination of leds and regular bulbs!

Good topic.

Patton, are you saying the red panel brake light indicator (idiot light) shd light up when your brakes are normally applied, and then shut off after the brakes are released? Its been +15 years since I had my bike on the road (I can't remember). Is this for the Z1 & KZ up to 1980?

Also, I just bought LED turn signals and a tail light but they are the 2nd gen. LED's. They are claiming they are much brighter.... anyone have any info on this.

Thanks, Doug

Patton wrote:

bountyhunter wrote:

Jonny wrote: I know most of out bikes don't have a 'light out' warning anywhere, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Jon

My 79 KZ750 has one: it's the flasher that tells you when the brake light is blown.

As known, the brake-light-warning idiot light is supposed to remain dark while cruising along without any application of either brake.

During brake application, the idiot light is supposed to burn a steady bright red.
(This lets the world know that the idiot light bulb and its related circuitry are functional).

Here's the "warning" part:
When the rider notices the idiot light is "blinking" when supposed to be dark while cruising along without either brake applied, the "blinking" idiot light is warning the rider that "the next time brake is applied, the rear brake light ain't gonna light up."
Such warning typically results from a blown brake light filament in the rear bulb, but may also result from other deficiencies such as a bad wire, loose connector, etc.

Good Fortune!

Zedone wrote: ...are you saying the red panel brake light indicator (idiot light) shd light up when your brakes are normally applied, and then shut off after the brakes are released? Its been +15 years since I had my bike on the road (I can't remember). Is this for the Z1 & KZ up to 1980?....

Here's an excerpt from the FSM covering Z1~KZ900.



Am thinking -- but not positive -- that the same feature is shared on most Kawasaki motorcycle models through the 1979 models, at least on the large fours.

Where applicable, the wiring diagram for a particular year and model will show "Brake Light Failure Indicator Light" as one of the information bulbs visible to the rider.

Good Fortune!

Not just the large fours, my 500 has it.