Rear LEDs?

[fish]

I'm lousy at finding things on a search...
Anyone eager to show me their solution to adding LED running and brake lights to their Forza?
So far it's hundreds of $ for an imported box, then more for the mount, then more for the light 'kit'.
Doesn't seem like too many even add the light kit, for whatever reason.
I ride to work in the dark every morning - so am a BIG fan of decent looking additional rear LED running and brake lights (like the Bestem 929)
Fish

[Mel46]

Look at CustomDynamics.com

[powpilot]

Fish, I just completed my top box and additional lighting and it does cost some bucks. But, I think it was worth it. The Givi V46 box and mount together cost about $400. The Admore Light kit was about $130 and while I could have bought something a few bucks cheaper, at that point why? Admore gives me running lights, brake lights and turn signals ... all bright and worthwhile in daytime as well as night.

Gary

[Mel46]

I have the Knight Riderz sequential light attached to my license plate. If you get nothing else, get this light. It goes back and forth all the time while you ride, and then it flashes 5 or 6 times before going steady on when you hit the brakes. It definitely let's others know that you are there.

[fish]

I have the Knight Riderz sequential light attached to my license plate. If you get nothing else, get this light. It goes back and forth all the time while you ride, and then it flashes 5 or 6 times before going steady on when you hit the brakes. It definitely let's others know that you are there.

On my other scoot forum this device was discussed at length. The consensus was that is will simply irritate the following cars and possibly just confuse them as well. "Flashing red lights are not a normal sight on the road." Well, like belly buttons - everyone has their take on this...

The Bestem top box has a single row of LEDs which are lit as running lights with the key on.
When you apply the brakes a second row joins the above, plus a square on the lid lights up.
No flashing....just a group of running lights and more that come on when braking.

I'm not wanting a lighted top box at those goofy prices for a plastic box (if I'd wanted to toss another $700 onto the desk I could have purchased a bigger scooter) - just searching for a clean/modern device that does what the Bestem 929 box does.

I'll keep looking - as I'm getting the idea that most Forza owners have not added lights to the rear of their scoots - or, if they have, they are in one of those designer boxes.
Thanks for your reply,
Fish

[Mel46]

I don't have lights that are that sophisticated, but I have a string of led lights attached to the tailbox rack, 2 sets of 5 leds below them , and the knight Riderz sequential lights, so when I hit the brakes everyone behind me knows it. Oh, and I also have lights on the Givi top box.

[Jarec]

Mel46, any thoughts on how best to wire these? Thanks!

I have the Knight Riderz sequential light attached to my license plate. If you get nothing else, get this light. It goes back and forth all the time while you ride, and then it flashes 5 or 6 times before going steady on when you hit the brakes. It definitely let's others know that you are there.

[Mel46]

The rear wire bundle is on the right side by the passenger handles. Run the knight riderz light wires through the hole where the license plate light wire is, or make your own hole close to it. Try to follow the wires that are already on the bike. For all of the rest of the wiring I installed a little box that acts as a junction block for all of the additional wires I added. I attached this box to the underside of the tailbox rack.EVERY wire from the tail, tailbox, and tailbox rack all go into that box. Only 3 wires come out the other side. These use quick disconnects to connect to 3 wires coming off of the side wire bundle. The 3 wires that I added are for ground, running, and stop light circuits. Use wire taps to connect the extra wires to the wire bundle and include the wires from the knight riderz sequential light when you connect them, or add extra wire to the length of the knight riderz light wire bundle so you can hook them to the junction block. Drill a hole in you plastic tail piece, making it big enough to feed the wires through from inside the bike to an outside area close to the junction block. Put the female end of quick disconnects on the wires that come from inside the bike. That way they are not as apt to short out accidentally as you are connecting them to the 3 wires coming out of the junction block. From that point on it will be easy to troubleshoot the electrical problems , plus make it much easier to disassemble the bike. I hope this makes sense. I was an engineer, so it was easier for me to see it in my head than to explain it.

[Jarec]

Mel46, thanks very much for your thoughtful response. This sounds over my head! My thought is just to tap into the wires running to the brake light. Do you think that would work? Again, thanks for your help. John

The rear wire bundle is on the right side by the passenger handles. Run the knight riderz light wires through the hole where the license plate light wire is, or make your own hole close to it. Try to follow the wires that are already on the bike. For all of the rest of the wiring I installed a little box that acts as a junction block for all of the additional wires I added. I attached this box to the underside of the tailbox rack.EVERY wire from the tail, tailbox, and tailbox rack all go into that box. Only 3 wires come out the other side. These use quick disconnects to connect to 3 wires coming off of the side wire bundle. The 3 wires that I added are for ground, running, and stop light circuits. Use wire taps to connect the extra wires to the wire bundle and include the wires from the knight riderz sequential light when you connect them, or add extra wire to the length of the knight riderz light wire bundle so you can hook them to the junction block. Drill a hole in you plastic tail piece, making it big enough to feed the wires through from inside the bike to an outside area close to the junction block. Put the female end of quick disconnects on the wires that come from inside the bike. That way they are not as apt to short out accidentally as you are connecting them to the 3 wires coming out of the junction block. From that point on it will be easy to troubleshoot the electrical problems , plus make it much easier to disassemble the bike. I hope this makes sense. I was an engineer, so it was easier for me to see it in my head than to explain it.

[Mel46]

The brake light wires start on the right side rear of the bike and go to the rear where the tail lights themselves are. You can tap into the wires behind the bike seat latch. Just be aware that it is tight there, and once you tap into it there, any additional lights won't be able to be connected there because of the lack of room. You can pull the tail light to connect the knight riderz light to it, but it will then be difficult to change that bulb in the future. Your choice though.

[Jarec]

Thanks again, Mel46, good advice. I'm not experienced mechanically so I'll probably go for the low-hanging fruit, not planning further electrical mods. John

The brake light wires start on the right side rear of the bike and go to the rear where the tail lights themselves are. You can tap into the wires behind the bike seat latch. Just be aware that it is tight there, and once you tap into it there, any additional lights won't be able to be connected there because of the lack of room. You can pull the tail light to connect the knight riderz light to it, but it will then be difficult to change that bulb in the future. Your choice though.

[Sh3p]

Id try superbrightleds.com

You could also get a set of motorcycle turn signals, any LED type of your choice, and use splice clips to click right into your existing brake wires. I plan on doing this myself when i get some kind of cargo box (givi) for our PCX, plan on mounting them to the corners of the case.

[wilbur]

Not a Forza or PCX I know, but should I get the Forza, something similar to this is likely the first thing I'll do. The lights under the top case are from Hyperlights are two stage runnning/brake lights and will flash 5 times then stay on bright when you hit the brakes. The top case lights are from Scooter West (i believe), and designed for the Vespa top case, but they may have something like this for others as well. Along with the main LED brake/running light from Superbright LED's, I'm told I can be seen from almost a mile away.

[Mister_Fube]

I have just installed a Givi Monokey rack and a Givi B47 Blade on my Forza300. I also bought the optional brake light kit (LED) for Givi Blade and have installed that into the box and the reciprocating connector shoe onto the Monokey rack. That's where I ran out of knowledge and confidence to finish the job. I have the loose wire ends from the connecting shoe in the rack and I have a pair of cable splices that came with the Brake Light kit which I am supposed to splice with the brake light wires.

... So here's my question: How the heck do I get a good clear view at the those brake light wires? What panel/piece of fairing do I have to remove in order to be able to see them?

[fish]

Hope this helps:
Look at BRed's photos into that area.
2 pop pins and slide out that flat tail section behind the seat. Then stoop down & look in there....
Rude question: how much for your rack/case/lights?

[Mister_Fube]

Not a rude question at all - that's why we're here, isn't it? To share information and experience.

I did a fair bit of shopping around on the internet. Amazon and ebay are usually my first port of call, but the cheapest place I found by far was http://www.fc-moto.de in Germany. Most places were quoting £180 for the basic B47 Blade (just in matt black all over without the colour coded panel) and an extra £40+ for the colour coded panel, and £99+ for the Forza specific rack to mount it.

The Givi B47 Topbox was 175.50 Euros (about £138) which included the white panel to match my bike, and the specific rack for the Forza was 73.90 Euros (about £58). These prices were a head and shoulders cheaper than the next cheapest I could find. Also, the white panel is a perfect match for the Forza white.. it has a kind of pearlescent quality to it in daylight. There is an alternative version of the Givi B47, the "tech" which also comes in white, but the whole lid is made of a matt white plastic which doesn't match the bodywork of the bike so well. Shipping for each was about £6 - £7 which I felt was very reasonable for UPS.

The optional brake light kit itself consistently cost £40 everywhere I could find it, so I just ordered it from Ghostbikes in the UK, because the postage was free. There were a couple of places that were a £2 or £3 difference, but the photos on the website looked like a generic LED kit, rather than the specific one for the Givi Blade. (The proper B47 light kit completely replaces the chromed plastic inserts underneath the clear red outer plastic panel, including the "reflector" bits and the LEDs come already installed into these replacement inserts).

So all in, about £249. I absolutely needed the box for storage, and I travel some dark, unlit forest roads with crumbling tarmac, which are prone to fog in the winter, so when I get the additional brake lights wired in, I'll be a happy bunny. Also considering replacing the stock headlight bulbs for some HID ones. As you can see from the photos, the UK is a grim and murky place in the winter, these photos were taken at about 11am and I had to tweak up the brightness a bit!

I saved a fair bit of money installing it myself, but it took about 4 hours because I was approaching it cautiously, and as mentioned.. I have yet to connect the brake lights of the box to the bike's brake lights, but the wiring is all in place. I noticed that Roman on his website http://www.myhondaforza.com/ got the dealer to install his Givi rack and topbox and they charged him for 3hrs labour. Sounds about right.

[homie]

I like it!... one of the better Mothman bug buckets I've seen in here

[fish]

[quote="Mister_Fube"]Not a rude question at all - that's why we're here, isn't it? To share information and experience.

quote]
Thanks so much for the great pictures of your install and the info!
Hesitating to put a box on my Forza for 2 reasons: I like the look of it without the box; and not sure I could get off the scoot with that box back there without knocking it over!

My other scooter is a step through Kymco, so I added this Bestem for the lights mainly - as the scoot came with a smaller OEM box.
Here it is with the key on....as a running light.


And with the brakes applied. Very bright at night.


I really like the looks of your set-up! Really nice looking scooter and top case combo.
(and the damp setting of your pix sent me off for a cup of hot coffee and a biscuit. - I don't know that dry and freezing temps are any better than cold and rainy conditions for scooter riding! What is the matter with us....? Look at all those folks in comfy cars at the light next to us with heat on their feet, and wipers going...listening to the radio and sipping coffee. Dry & warm.)
Yes, well - who can explain scooter riders.
Thanks again for your kind reply. I know your post will be a help to many owners.
Ride safe ...and post pix of your scootering over there - it is a real treat to see for a fellow living in the corn fields of the Mid West.
Fish

[Mister_Fube]

Thanks Fish. I'd never heard of Bestem before I joined this forum, and I thought I knew a lot about biking brands. It seems to be a US-only manufacturer, I think. My other ride is a Vespa PX200E which just has a stainless rack to which I secure things with a few bungee chords, but it gets wet. So you swing your leg over the back, like a bike do you? That's interesting, because I consider the Forza to be a step-through frame, except the central ridge is quite high. I actually struggle to get on the Forza with dignity, moreso than any actual non-step-through bike I've ever had. The wonderfully sumptuous seat is so wide I also can't quite get my feet flat on the ground at traffic lights unless I shift my weight all the way forward. Still, it's so comfortable on the move, I can forgive it the awkward mounting/dismounting. It's not that I'm not supple enough, it's just that with all the layers I have to wear to stay warm while riding, I can barely bring my knee up to waist height.

I'll post some more photos when I eventually get the LEDs connected. I have splashed out on the HID upgrade kit, after checking with the manufacturer that they don't run too hot and that the high beams don't need to warm up the same way that HID bulbs do when they're first switched on from cold. I'm going to wait until the 600mile first service and then get the dealer to fit it for me.

[SECoda]

I tapped into the wires behind the latch for the same sequential light. I have an extended needle nose (HF special) and that made it a piece of cake with a few clips. I won't begin to guess how every driver thinks but my wife and a buddy both said it raises the awareness of someone spacing out behind you that there is something small but real right in front of your vehicle. They both followed me through a few stoplights and turns off of a road into a parking lot. They thought it most effective when I was stopped turning and they were approaching from the rear.

The brake light wires start on the right side rear of the bike and go to the rear where the tail lights themselves are. You can tap into the wires behind the bike seat latch. Just be aware that it is tight there, and once you tap into it there, any additional lights won't be able to be connected there because of the lack of room. You can pull the tail light to connect the knight riderz light to it, but it will then be difficult to change that bulb in the future. Your choice though.