Skene Design P3 Lights installed

[kcpcx]

Installed the Skene P3TS lights to the PCX today. The wiring diagram below was very helpful, thank you for posting it. I disconnected the turn signal function because I didn't like how it looked, but left the connections in the wiring in case I want to enable them down the road.

The lights flicker ever so slightly when the brakes are off. The digital camera accentuates this. When not being used as brakes, just tail lights, the modulation is just slightly visible to the eye. Not nearly as pronounced as the camera makes it seem. But the slight modulation to the tail light function makes them much more noticeable.

When brakes applied, they flash a few times then go solid. The two smaller pics below the large one are short videos. Click on them to watch.

Wiring:

http://www.hondapcx.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=771






Short vids, click to play:

[wilbur]

Make sure in your area that you can have a strobe on your vehicle. They will call that a strobe. The brake light flasher is legal everywhere, but flashing running lights may not be. They certainly aren't here.

[SECoda]

Do you have the Photon Blasters on the front?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9pLdbG49dQ

Missouri
http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/chapters/chap307.htm

Limitations on lamps other than headlamps--flashing signals prohibited except on specified vehicles--penalty.
307.100. 1. Any lighted lamp or illuminating device upon a motor vehicle other than headlamps, spotlamps, front direction signals or auxiliary lamps which projects a beam of light of an intensity greater than three hundred candlepower shall be so directed that no part of the beam will strike the level of the roadway on which the vehicle stands at a distance of more than seventy-five feet from the vehicle. Alternately flashing warning signals may be used on school buses when used for school purposes and on motor vehicles when used to transport United States mail from post offices to boxes of addressees thereof and on emergency vehicles as defined in section 304.022, on buses owned or operated by churches, mosques, synagogues, temples or other houses of worship, and on commercial passenger transport vehicles or railroad passenger cars that are stopped to load or unload passengers, but are prohibited on other motor vehicles, motorcycles and motor-drawn vehicles except as a means for indicating a right or left turn.

2. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 307.120, violation of this section is an infraction.

[kcpcx]

They (running lights) don't flash nearly as much as the video makes it appear, while riding. Just a tiny hint, a faint flicker from 50% to 100%. Almost like you had a charging system fault. Very minimal. The frame rate of the digital cam makes it 100x more apparent than what it really is. They don't really "flash" per se until you apply the brakes.

I've ridden for 13 years in MO with a brake light that flashes 3 or 4 times then goes solid. Never had a problem from police. I'll take the chance on a ticket versus being rear ended.

No, no photons up front. I have a pair on the shelf I was going to put on my BMW but have been too lazy to get around to it.

If it does become a problem, you can program the flash effect out of the lights if you pull the brake level a certain number of times within a few seconds of turning the ignition on.

http://www.lights.skenedesign.com/P3_Programming.shtml

[SECoda]

We had a guy a few years ago that was told to get rid of his flickering headlights. I have never seen the tail lights in use. I highly doubt they would give a ticket for that the first time.

[kcpcx]

Yeah, the modulating headlights are pretty blatant and annoying. I had a guy riding a bike behind me on the highway for a few miles one day and about went insane from his headlight modulation. So I can totally see where one of those would catch a cop's eye. I believe I read somewhere that they are actually 50 state legal, though.

From the Missouri code:

307.075.

2. A motorcycle may be equipped with a means of varying the brightness of the vehicle's brake light for a duration of not more than five seconds upon application of the vehicle's brakes.


I may reprogram my lights so that the faint flicker to the running lights is gone.


Surprisingly, the headlight modulators are legal in MO:

Motorcycle headlamp modulation permitted, when--labeling requirements.
307.128. 1. A headlamp on a motorcycle may be wired to modulate either the upper beam or the lower beam from its maximum intensity to a lesser intensity provided that:

(1) The rate of modulation shall be two hundred forty plus or minus forty cycles per minute;

(2) The headlamp shall be operated at a maximum power for fifty to seventy percent of each cycle;

(3) The lowest intensity at any test point shall not be less than seventeen percent of the maximum intensity measured at the same point;

(4) The modulator switch shall be wired in the power lead of the beam filament being modulated and not in the ground side of the circuit;

(5) Means shall be provided so that both the lower beam and the upper beam remain operable in the event of a modulation failure;

[Mel46]

I have the Knight Riderz Sequential brake light on my bikes. The light moves back and forth all the time at a low intensity until we hit the brakes. Then it changes to flashing for 5 seconds before going to steady on. I had worried that the sequential light might be too much, but after riding behind my wife's bike for quite a while it wasn't irritating. It just reminds others that we are there.

[kcpcx]

I thought about ordering the Knight Riderz light until I remembered I had the Skene stuff still on the shelf from a BMW rally I attended two years ago. About time I put it to use. I like the Kit effect of your lights, probably gets some attention, which is good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhbgHG5MfXE

[SECoda]

I might take a look at that sequential light. (for $30) I guess no one is trying to emulate David Hasselhoff at this point.

I am worried about anything that attracts too much attention.

Which one did you order? I don't see a PCX listed.

[SECoda]

Can you show a picture of the mount?

[kcpcx]

They come with little metal tabs. The license plate bolt goes right through and they just mount right up beside your plate.

http://www.lights.skenedesign.com/P3_Installation.shtml

http://www.lights.skenedesign.com/Brackets.shtml

http://www.lights.skenedesign.com/P3_Gallery.shtml


The PCX is not listed since it doesn't require a proprietary mount. The universal tabs work great.

The nice thing about the Skene lights is that you can program them different ways. If you don't want them to flicker, you can easily program it out in 5 seconds. Same with the brake light flash. You can customize the tail light effect and brake light effect separately.

If you want turn signal function, you'd want the P3TS model. Or just the P3 without signals.

Here are the programming modes:

http://www.lights.skenedesign.com/P3_Programming.shtml

I just went down to the garage a few minutes ago and turned off the running light modulation and changed the brake light flash. It's legal to flash for 5 seconds in Missouri. All the flashing modes revert to steady state in less than 5 seconds. But you could run a straight up standard brake light if you wanted no flash at all.

I've had Hyperlites before as well, and would recommend them as well. I just got a deal on the Skenes with promo pricing at the BMW rally, so I bought those.

I drilled a tiny hole under the license plate, ran the wires through the fender there, and then up through the small holes where the turn signal wires go. Then wrapped the controller in bubble wrap so it wouldn't rattle around, stuffed it all in the tail section dead space. The Skene kit comes with super easy to use wire taps. Easy. The main problem is getting your hands in the tiny space back there to get to the correct wires. Pop the tail section of the plastic off carefully from the front first.

[kcpcx]

tabs mount to license bolts. you can have the lights stick out or mount flush to the plate.





I ran wiring through a small hole drilled in fender under the plate, then up through stock turn signal wiring holes to tail compartment



I'll tidy the wiring up a bit later today.

[SECoda]

Thanks. Since it is programmable you can always turn some stuff off if forced.

[kramnala58]

I have the Knight Riderz Sequential brake light on my bikes. The light moves back and forth all the time at a low intensity until we hit the brakes. Then it changes to flashing for 5 seconds before going to steady on. I had worried that the sequential light might be too much, but after riding behind my wife's bike for quite a while it wasn't irritating. It just reminds others that we are there.

It may not be irritating Mel, but I would guess that they are not legal. As such, should anyone hit you from behind (lets hope that doesn't happen) and argued the case about your lights, they may get off. Light laws a fairly strick even though they seldom get ticketed for.

[SECoda]

They sell the KR Sequential lights all over Missouri so I am betting they are legal here. I don't think they are in Illinois though and I am just across the border.

Check these guys out. Everything you ever wanted in fancy lighting.
http://www.customdynamics.com/

[Mel46]

That site is where I got mine. I don't know about other states, but Georgia has almost zero laws concerning car safety. As an example, just two days ago a car passed me that had its front end smashed in. The hood was duct taped closed. The right headlight was smashed completely, and the left one was held on by duct tape. The driver's side mirror was broken, and the right one was gone. The windshield had a big spider right in front of the driver, with two long cracks going from side to side. Most of the tail lights did not work at all. With all of that, the car was still legally allowed on the road. The only required inspection is for emissions. Even that has some loopholes. Hey, this is the South. They grumble about being required to wear seat belts, even after they have been in an accident in which they were thrown through the windshield. They smoke like chimneys and refuse to believe that cigarettes cause cancer. At least they are required to wear helmets in this state.

[pcxpower]

Georgia has almost zero laws concerning car safety. As an example, just two days ago a car passed me that had its front end smashed in. The hood was duct taped closed. The right headlight was smashed completely, and the left one was held on by duct tape. The driver's side mirror was broken, and the right one was gone. The windshield had a big spider right in front of the driver, with two long cracks going from side to side. Most of the tail lights did not work at all. With all of that, the car was still legally allowed on the road. The only required inspection is for emissions. Even that has some loopholes. Hey, this is the South. They grumble about being required to wear seat belts, even after they have been in an accident in which they were thrown through the windshield. They smoke like chimneys and refuse to believe that cigarettes cause cancer. At least they are required to wear helmets in this state.

Very interesting reading!!!