Status of rear "running lights" on FZ6?

[HappyHighwayman]

Are the rear amber/yellow turn signal lights on the US 2005 FZ6 supposed to be lit up at night? I thought they should be but then googled and someone said they are not supposed to be running at night unless you indicate a turn.

Additionally what about the rear brake light? Should it be faintly lit up or only when I brake?

I have a Givi topcase with lights but the contact isn't very good and it doesn't light up when I brake. I rarely ride at night but feel uncomfortable not having any kind of rear running lights.

 

[5spoke]

Are the rear amber/yellow turn signal lights on the US 2005 FZ6 supposed to be lit up at night? I thought they should be but then googled and someone said they are not supposed to be running at night unless you indicate a turn.

Additionally what about the rear brake light? Should it be faintly lit up or only when I brake?

I have a Givi topcase with lights but the contact isn't very good and it doesn't light up when I brake. I rarely ride at night but feel uncomfortable not having any kind of rear running lights.

Your brake light should be on when the bike is on and get brighter when the brakes are touched. My front turn lights are on all the time and blink when signalling but my rears only light up when signalling a turn.

 

[HappyHighwayman]

Your brake light should be on when the bike is on and get brighter when the brakes are touched. My front turn lights are on all the time and blink when signalling but my rears only light up when signalling a turn.

Cool. I will double check the brake light then. I thought the wiring had gotten screwed up somehow.

You'd think having the signal lights on all the time would be safer...

 

[Motogiro]

The rear indicators only light as a directional, no running light. The tail light is the running light with brake light. The tail light is the 1157 type bulb with 2 filaments but replace it with the OEM bulb because the OEM has different physical characteristics to prevent premature failure because of vibration.

The front indicators have a running light and directional filament.

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

FYI, any rear-facing running lights should be red ONLY. I've seen quite a few cruisers with their amber turn signals modded to act as running lights, but in most states, that's against the law.

You can also get something like HyperLites. I've got a set that are brake-only and those things are brighter than the sun, even on sunny days. I believe they make a running light/brake light version as well.

I've had the HyperLites on the back of my FZ6 for 4 seasons now and they've worked flawlessly until this spring, when one row of 4 LEDs decided to stop working. I've got two pods of 8 LEDs each. It's no biggie, though...I simply need to purchase another set and replace the ones I have. At ~$55, they're worth every penny.

http://www.hyperlites.com/

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

FYI, any rear-facing running lights should be red ONLY. I've seen quite a few cruisers with their amber turn signals modded to act as running lights, but in most states, that's against the law.

You can also get something like HyperLites. I've got a set that are brake-only and those things are brighter than the sun, even on sunny days. I believe they make a running light/brake light version as well.

I've had the HyperLites on the back of my FZ6 for 4 seasons now and they've worked flawlessly until this spring, when one row of 4 LEDs decided to stop working. I've got two pods of 8 LEDs each. It's no biggie, though...I simply need to purchase another set and replace the ones I have. At ~$55, they're worth every penny.

Hyperlites Flashing LED Motorcycle brake lights, Running Lights and Turn Signal

My friend had several bulbs quit on his Hyper lights... They had new ones in the mail before they received the old ones, free too... Great company, call them first, I'm sure they'd fix you up..

I have a single 16 bulb for braking only just above the tag. Same as the FJR...Excellent product.

Also, as Cliff stated, stick with the Yamaha bulb, it is slightly brighter than an 1157 (that's comparing one next to the other on my FJR- 2 bulbs) and has a center post for the filiment for extra support/durability.. A bit more expensive however IMHO, worth it not loosing a rear running light at night...

 

[HappyHighwayman]

FYI, any rear-facing running lights should be red ONLY. I've seen quite a few cruisers with their amber turn signals modded to act as running lights, but in most states, that's against the law.

You can also get something like HyperLites. I've got a set that are brake-only and those things are brighter than the sun, even on sunny days. I believe they make a running light/brake light version as well.

I've had the HyperLites on the back of my FZ6 for 4 seasons now and they've worked flawlessly until this spring, when one row of 4 LEDs decided to stop working. I've got two pods of 8 LEDs each. It's no biggie, though...I simply need to purchase another set and replace the ones I have. At ~$55, they're worth every penny.

Hyperlites Flashing LED Motorcycle brake lights, Running Lights and Turn Signal

So basically they just add some brake lights? But they flash instead of just being solid?

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

If you get the type Townsend and I have, yes...they're auxiliary brake lights. But they also have running lights that don't have the brake light function.

Hyperlites Flashing led motorcycle brake lights, runing lights, and turn signals

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

My friend had several bulbs quit on his Hyper lights... They had new ones in the mail before they received the old ones, free too... Great company, call them first, I'm sure they'd fix you up..

I'll have to do that, Townsend. Silly of me to not think to give that a shot before just ordering two new ones...lol.

Thanks for the advice (and the self-imposed head slap "Gibbs-style"). :rockon:

 

[HappyHighwayman]

What do the HyperLites plug into?

I might get some for better night visibility...of me.

 

[Zipper]

The HyperLites splice into the wiring harness.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

What do the HyperLites plug into?

I might get some for better night visibility...of me.

Depending on what style you get (all have brake lights) and you get the option of running lights (red) too. The brake lights you can set to either flash constantly or flash then go solid red...

The Hyper lights themselves tie into a small module. That module uses "posi taps" (see below) and ties into a ground line, a brake line (and if you get the optional running light module, the running /tag light).

On my FZ6, as I re-call, I tied all my lines into the wires under the left side pod.. The Hyper Lights I put on my FZ6 were left over from my last bike. Being the FZ has one rear, running light, I would spring for the optional rurnning light for greated visability at night..

The Posi taps works very well and cause minimal intrusion to the wiring, very simple install and very, very effective. The Posi Taps come with the Hyper lights. I've since purchased their fuse holders and more posi taps (various sizes)..
Order Online- Discounts

 

[HappyHighwayman]

Stupid question but is the 16 LED set much "better" than the 8 LED one or do I just save $20 and get the 8 LED one?

 

[SirIsaac]

...That module uses "posi taps" (see below) and ties into a ground line, a brake line (and if you get the optional running light module, the running /tag light).

...The Posi taps works very well and cause minimal intrusion to the wiring, very simple install and very, very effective...

I'm sure that the posi taps work fine and there is no rational reason not to use them. But, if you cringe at the thought of cutting, tapping or otherwise disturbing the factory wiring, you might consider connecting as depicted in the diagram below. With this method, you just unplug the factory tail/brake connector and plug in new connectors with wiring between them. The connectors, shown in the picture below the diagram, come from Eastern Beaver.com. (The new connectors from Eastern Beaver are labelled "EB CONNECTORS" in the diagram.) I assume all FZ6's use these connectors, but you should verify that they look the same before ordering.

(I don't work for Eastern Beaver, I just like their stuff, and hate cutting factory wires!)

 

[Popeye70]

I'm sure that the posi taps work fine and there is no rational reason not to use them. But, if you cringe at the thought of cutting, tapping or otherwise disturbing the factory wiring, you might consider connecting as depicted in the diagram below. With this method, you just unplug the factory tail/brake connector and plug in new connectors with wiring between them. The connectors, shown in the picture below the diagram, come from Eastern Beaver.com. (The new connectors from Eastern Beaver are labelled "EB CONNECTORS" in the diagram.) I assume all FZ6's use these connectors, but you should verify that they look the same before ordering.

One problem with Eastern Beaver is their shipping cost for orders to Europe. I tried to order the connections destined for Norway, and for one pair of connectors (approx. 2.5 US$) they wanted 135 US$ in shipping. When I tried to double the order, the shipping cost also doubled, to 270 US$. There is no way I will pay that much for shipping! :spank:

Now if only I could find a Norwegian web shop that stocks those connectors...

 

[mxgolf]

When I added on LED turn signals I made the rear ones on all the time like the front. I like having them on full time. I also added the clear alternatives smoked rear LED tail light assembly. Works great. :thumbup:

 

[Marthy]

My tail light end up malfunctioning the other day, thank God my wife was following me. Now I got new signal/running light for the back. I feel more secure this way.

 

[fb40dash5]

One problem with Eastern Beaver is their shipping cost for orders to Europe. I tried to order the connections destined for Norway, and for one pair of connectors (approx. 2.5 US$) they wanted 135 US$ in shipping. When I tried to double the order, the shipping cost also doubled, to 270 US$. There is no way I will pay that much for shipping! :spank:

Now if only I could find a Norwegian web shop that stocks those connectors...

He has a minimum order, I think $20 or so. I had the same reaction, I had about $5 in the cart, and the shipping quote was about $2000. Then I read where he said his storefront doesn't support minimum orders, so he set it to have ridiculous shipping costs below the minimum.

I do remember it was difficult to find enough stuff I could use to meet the minimum order. I ended up not ordering because of that and the shipping time from Japan. Sure would be nice to find a small-quantity distributor for that stuff here, too.

 

[Jim Karam]

I've been waiting, but no one has mentioned Priority Plus, a module that combines running lights, turn signals, and flashing brake lights using your existing rear turn signals. Sound Off Recreational, Inc. - Safety Lighting Products is a link. And, yes, in many states, it may be illegal to run non-red rear running lights, but I've run them for several years without any LEO problems. I've also gotten many compliments from fellow FZ6 riders regarding how it improves rear visibility.

 

[SirIsaac]

He has a minimum order, I think $20 or so. I had the same reaction, I had about $5 in the cart, and the shipping quote was about $2000. Then I read where he said his storefront doesn't support minimum orders, so he set it to have ridiculous shipping costs below the minimum.

I do remember it was difficult to find enough stuff I could use to meet the minimum order. I ended up not ordering because of that and the shipping time from Japan. Sure would be nice to find a small-quantity distributor for that stuff here, too.

I never ran into the minimum order/high shipping issue. My last order was $27 for merchandise, $5.57 for shipping. I don't recall exactly how long it took to arrive, but was very quick considering it came from Japan, I believe a week or less.