Cree LED Running Lights

I have installed two 10-watt LED Cree running lights under the headlight on my '02 Swing. I fabricated a mounting bar similar to that designed by DennisB and wired them into the Perfect Connector wiring I used for my Second Tail Light mod. I ran wirng from the underseat storage bin where I picked up the power to the front mounting bar. I used the TomK method of running the wiring low along the left running board. I simplified the procedure a bit by removing the riding peg assembly. It was only two bolts and made the whole process pretty easy. The mounting bar parts cost about $8.00, I got the Cree lights for $26.00 and spent about $20.00 on wiring, connectors and shrink tape. I'm pretty pleased with the result and it makes me more visible from the front. Safety first! Here are some pics...

[img][/img]



[img][/img]

Good job Ken... did your brackets get bolted together or was there any welding involved. I've bought some metal strips that I was planning on bolting together as simply as possible. Either way, yours looks good.

I have something similar on my Silverwing; they don't do much for lighting the road but act like hot knives through butter when I'm filtering!

DickO wrote:

Good job Ken... did your brackets get bolted together or was there any welding involved.  I've bought some metal strips that I was planning on bolting together as simply as possible.  Either way, yours looks good.

DickO...I used two 6x6-inch Stanley corner braces and a piece of 3/4-inch flat stock bolted together for the mounting bar. I cut and bent the corner braces and rounded the corners before bolting them together and painting them. I used the existing holes in the corner braces to mount the Cree lights and run the wiring. The flat stock I drilled to fit. Here are some pics...

MikeO wrote:

I have something similar on my Silverwing; they don't do much for lighting the road but act like hot knives through butter when I'm filtering!

MikeO...I haven't tried them after dark, as yet, but I installed them to make me more visible to on-coming traffic. I have a HID low beam headlight, and the Cree LED running lights have the same color spectrum. I figure they will lend to my riding safety...and I kind of like to tinker with this sort of thing!

I'm no longer a fan of riding at night if I can avoid it but daylight filtering is much easier because the bike is much easier to spot in rear-view mirrors.

I'm sure more drivers than we give credit for are willing to move over if they see a bike coming up from behind and the lights make it easier for them.

Thanks for the pics, Ken... Hadn't thought about "L" shaped brackets; good idea.  Will have a go at it one of these days.  Would you please let us know how they ride as far as vibration goes ??? Also, does your set of lights need any sort of relay to go thru or just direct wire ???  Thanks again.

DickO wrote:

Thanks for the pics, Ken... Hadn't thought about "L" shaped brackets; good idea.  Will have a go at it one of these days.  Would you please let us know how they ride as far as vibration goes ???  Also, does your set of lights need any sort of relay to go thru or just direct wire ???   Thanks again.

DickO...Since I wired the Cree LEDs into the running lights, they need no relay. The two of them only draw 20-watts. They come on with the ignition. I will let you know about vibration. I mounted the cross bar below the headlights about 1/2-inch. I drilled another 3/8-inch hole in the middle of cross bar in case I need to install a vibration isolater. I thought vibration might be an issue and drilling one more hole I might or might not need wasn't a big deal.

Kenjj50, what bolts did you use to bolt the bar to the swing? I used to have my fog lights mounted to the fender using the bolts holding the reflectors. Even with longer bolts the brackets wouldn't stay tight. Finally had to remove the lights permanently when I rode over some road debris and discovered it was one of the lights.

I was fortunate enough to get the light bar before Dennis quit.  I do not have the lights so much as to see with, but to be SEEN WITH! Also as a side note, be sure to follow the vehicle in front of you in a proper way. What I am saying is, follow behind the driver side of the vehicle in front of you. This will allow on-coming traffic to see you as you are not hidden by the vehicle you are following, like you are if you are following on the passenger side. There are just to many accidents caused by people who could not see the rider behind the car approaching. The lights do make a BIG DIFFERENCE! It is my recommendation that you install these lights as one of your five up-grades.

ScottO wrote:

Kenjj50, what bolts did you use to bolt the bar to the swing? I used to have my fog lights mounted to the fender using the bolts holding the reflectors. Even with longer bolts the brackets wouldn't stay tight. Finally had to remove the lights permanently when I rode over some road debris and discovered it was one of the lights.

ScottO...the bolts are under the front cowling above the front shocks on either side of the headlights. They are hex drive bolts. I think they are about 6mm bolts but they have shoulders that make them about 10mm as they go through the tupperware. I estimate the bolt head to be about 20mm. They are installed at roughly a 40-degree angle to the vertical. They are long enough to anchor the Stanley brackets and still do their primary function.

Thanks Kenjj50; after have problems using the fender bolts for my original fog light brackets I didn't want to assume that you used the original bolts.
Scott

DaveR wrote:

I was fortunate enough to get the light bar before Dennis quit.  I do not have the lights so much as to see with, but to be SEEN WITH! Also as a side note, be sure to follow the vehicle in front of you in a proper way.  What I am saying is, follow behind the driver side of the vehicle in front of you.  This will allow on-coming traffic to see you as you are not hidden by the vehicle you are following, like you are if you are following on the passenger side.  There are just to many accidents caused by people who could not see the rider behind the car approaching.  The lights do make a BIG DIFFERENCE! It is my recommendation  that you install these lights as one of your five up-grades.

DaveR...That's a good tip on positioning your bike to make you more visible to on-coming traffic. I try to keep at least a couple of car lengths between me and the car ahead, but your suggestion is valid. It would help cut down on the cagers turning left in front of your bike in an intersection. My primary motivation for this mod was making me more visible to on-coming traffic. The Second Tail Light mod I did was to make me more visible to traffic approaching from the rear. IMHO, both are great mods.

I've been intending to post a note on my experience with the Cree LED running lights I installed on my '02 SWing. The mounting hardware I fabricated is relatively light weight and the lights vibrate on the mounting bar as I ride the roadways. They have done so for over 2,000 miles so I assume the vibration has no negative effect on the LED lights. The benefit to me is the vibration is as close as I can legally come to a strobe effect with the running lights. It makes me very visible to on-coming traffic and I believe it has enhanced my safety.

Hi all . I have installed the same lights on my Swing .I have not wired the lights yet . I have been waiting to receive a wigwag switch which will alternate the lights. From what I have been told they are legal as long they are white. I want to be SEEN.I have two light bars on the rear of the Swing trike. Iam also installing a much louder horn. I want to be HEARD when needed!The WigWag control is the type used on police cars. Look for WigWag lite on the internet.