|
|
Post by Bluefront on Jul 31, 2010 8:34:51 GMT -5
I'm working on this setup right now.....the photos show the final design. The mount plate will be polished aluminum when complete. The reflector covers up the mount bolts/screws/rivets (haven't decided yet). The aluminum plate will keep any heat from damaging the paint (these things get hot).  This next photo shows the center mount bolt that holds the light bracket to the mount plate......it allows an up/down adjustment when mounted like this. The two bolts on the fog light bracket allow a side to side adjustment.  These little fog lights came from O'Rileys.....$15. They come with 55W H3 bulbs, but you can order 35W Hella bulbs, or you can rig up 20W halogen bulbs. How bright you can put on there depends on your battery charging system. These lights are intended for only occasional use.....If used constantly my battery will go dead in a few hours, even with the engine running. No big deal....as long as you turn off the lights when not being used. Obviously....you'll need a separate switch somewhere to turn the fogs off/on. The kit comes with most of the wiring and misc stuff. I'm going to use a relay in the system, and a separate fuse. Fairly easy stuff to install. My front fender does not go up/down with the suspension. If you mount fog lights to the suspension (forks or fender), the wiring will be more difficult. As I get further along I'll update this thread.  Happy modding.  |
|
|
|
Post by turtle8 on Jul 31, 2010 16:08:49 GMT -5
I've got those same foglights on my scooter, but mounted in the horizontal position above the fender. My concern about using them the way you have them mounted is the lens design - it will scatter light up and down rather than side to side. These lights also don't throw much light down the road. They do make the scooter more visible to oncoming traffic. I left the 55w bulbs in mine.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bluefront on Jul 31, 2010 16:53:13 GMT -5
You're correct about the beam....the light was never intended to be mounted vertical. But mounted horizontal at that location, the setup looses visual appeal (looks stupid). I'm keeping my eyes open for another style light that has a round lens. Once the back-plates are mounted any sort of fog light will mount in the same place. As usual....mods like this are always open for tweaking. |
|
|
|
Post by turtle8 on Jul 31, 2010 17:23:35 GMT -5
I'd be interested to see your final setup.
The headlight reflector in my Znen 150 7C is of such awful design. It doesn't do much other than make a spot about seven feet in front of the scooter - and that's aimed as high as it will go. If I were an expert at molding plastic, I design in a projector headlight.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bluefront on Jul 31, 2010 18:01:02 GMT -5
Yep.....the headlights on some of these scoots are almost useless. My own headlight throws a good beam, but the OEM bulb is weak. I substituted a halogen bulb of the same wattage, but the bulb socket melted. Still working on that little problem.....  |
|
|
|
Post by Bluefront on Aug 28, 2010 6:20:01 GMT -5
I'm finished with this project for now. Here's the deal about these fog light bulbs......they use an H3 socket, like almost all after-market, non-LED, fog/driving lights. They came with 55W bulbs, but I got a set of 35W H3 bulbs (O'Reilly's), and some 20W Halogen bulbs which I had to rig-up to fit). The 35W and 20W bulbs throw a good amount of light, but with two fog lights running, my battery is dis-charging (weak stator output). So I acquired a set of hi-power H3 LED bulbs (standard bulb on the right).  These bulbs are not nearly as bright as the 20W Halogens, but do a fair job as fog lights.....light up the sides of the road ok. And I can leave them on all the time as running lights without discharging the battery. I can turn them off with a handlebar switch. Wiring a set of lights mounted here can be tricky. This fender does not go up/down with the suspension, but it of course moves side-to-side. You have to be very careful when you construct the custom wiring harness, allowing for the movement of the wires. Anyway it's worked out well.      This last photo was done without the headlight on.....just the parking/clearance lights are visible. They do stand out well at nighttime.....and pretty good when the sun is out.   |
|
|
|
Post by turtle8 on Aug 29, 2010 11:25:57 GMT -5
I kept the 55w bulbs in my driving lights (same ones as yours) and I still don't feel particularly safe driving at night. I am sure other drivers can see me, but they don't light up the road in a forward direction. I am thinking about getting some others.
I don't have a volt meter on my scooter so I can't see the current draw. It would be nice to have LEDs that were bright enough to use as driving lights.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bluefront on Sept 5, 2010 6:30:16 GMT -5
After considering the way I use this scooter (almost entirely day-time driving), I came to the conclusion that driving lights that can be left on permanently, would be more beneficial than high-power lights that I could only use on an occasional basis (without the battery going dead).
You know you'll forget the lights are on in the day-time.....and eventually you'll have a discharged battery. If you're lucky enough to have an electrical system that can handle an extra 110W draw from std fog-lights....that would be the way to go. Very few scooters could do it though.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bluefront on Jun 24, 2011 15:12:00 GMT -5
Update.....got some new LED fog lights from Advance Auto (about $23). I like the looks better, plus the beam is more suited to this mounting orientation.  Before you drill any holes, make sure the light won't hit the body on a hard turn......this setup is close.  The mount bracket on this light has three screws to hold it tight. If you actually use the three screws on this mount plate, you would not be able to adjust the beam up/down. So I simply drilled a single larger hole in the plastic bracket, and mounted it with a nut/bolt. This setup like the first version, has up/down and right/left adjustability. The beam has 23 bright LEDS.....it's much brighter than the first version.  Here I am in front of the garage door with just the forward-facing LEDs on......the reflection makes it look brighter than it really is, but it's plenty bright.  |
|
|
|
Post by bigphillip79 on Jun 26, 2011 1:19:30 GMT -5
I was just about to mention Advanced Auto Parts for the LED fog lights. When I got to the bottom of the page there they were. I know they won't light much on teh road but how do they look from the on-coming traffic view.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bluefront on Jun 26, 2011 5:37:10 GMT -5
No doubt these fogs are great from a front visibility view. But as a lighting source for the rider, LEDs are not as good as a halogen bulb.....not yet anyway. There may some brighter LED setups out there, but probably not for $23. |
|
|
|
Post by skuttadawg on Jul 29, 2011 2:01:26 GMT -5
I too was interested in adding some after I saw a Harley with this setup . The lights lit up alot sideways as well as out in front , it put out some many lumens I could have driven in front of him easily with no headlight on my scooter . I have bad eyes and cant see well at night ( even with new glasses )and I was interested in LEDs since low power required , less heat and some are bright. Im do not want to blind oncoming traffic , but I ride in the country alot of theres no streetlights like in the city . I have seen LED turn signals and also though of adding pulsating LED for brake light to help others see me better .Bulbs can burn out filament and often require replacement as LEDs last much longer . Maybe a dimmer switch should be used to adjust brightness according to conditions
|
|
|
|
Post by skuttadawg on Jul 29, 2011 2:04:18 GMT -5
I forgot to ask did you tap onto existing light circuit or did you have it on a seperate circuit with its own fuse ? If on a used circuit do they draw away from headlight and do you use same fuse or a higher amp fuse ?
|
|
|
|
Post by 89newbie on Sept 20, 2011 8:05:24 GMT -5
I had first bought the tractor light from Walley World and tied it to the battery thru its own fuse and installed a switch. That helped but on the dark mountain roads it still was not enough, Deer Problems. Next was a pair of blaizers. Bulbs rotate, eliminating Vert/Hors problem. One tied to light power circuit just at feed of switch. One fed from battery with oun switch and fuse. This split the load on stator. I also have a headlight kill switch since they are worthless in the mountains. Tractor light and one driving light much better, second driving light makes it excellent. Judicious usage results in very low battery drain, but I use a tender. Only time I ran out of juice was dark stormy night with fog. It got me home and I lost electricity going into my driveway. Conclusion: way too much drain on system, but it works.
|
|
|
|
Post by skuttadawg on Oct 16, 2011 22:19:32 GMT -5
Could you post a pic at night from the drivers view ? I can see far ahead with my stock scooter but would enjoy a wider spectrum on those pitch black country roads here . My headlight is powered by battery not stator , I think I have an 11 pole and can upgrade to a 12 pole to handle the extra draw of lights . I saw a scooter with LEd turn signals and thats a future upgrade I am considering since less draw and LEDs last forever unlike incandescent bulbs .
My neighbors have a Goldwing and Goldwing trike so many LEDs they look like a Christmas tree almost . They look great ( getting camera soon ) but I envy that they have a radio with mp3 player port . Tunes on two wheels is awesome , first one I saw was a Honda Nighthawk with Windjammer kit on it .
|
|
