[dragula07]

Hello All,
Thought I would show off a couple of add-ons that I did on the new M50 in case anyone else is interested in doing something similar.
I wanted to make my bike more visible from the front during the daytime but I didn't really want to add an aftermarket lightbar because I wasn't sure how it would look on the M50.
So, I found some small aftermarket foglights that worked out perfect to fit directly under the headlight. There's even vacant threaded holes under there to use. I just had to cut down and redrill the mounting brackets for the lights. The lights also have a blue lens which makes them look good on my blue bike even when they're off (The lights shine white though).
Also, while I was looking for fog lights, I found some small blue led lights that I mounted under the gas tank to shine down on the engine. Looks pretty cool at night.
I wanted the lights on a separate switch so I could turn the foglights off at night. I just wanted more visibility during the day.
Attached are some pics of the lights and where I mounted the switches in the right side cover. The blue led lights show up a little better than the picture shows.

Let me know what you think!

 

[jasonA]

Cool switch placement.....nice lights too!

 

[fjm3rd]

They don't look to bad. The size seems to fit just right in there and the switches look good where there at.

 

[stp1971]

Doesn't look bad,, good idea,, probably saved you a ton also!!!!

 

[Trapper]

I like it. Good job.

 

[dragula07]

Thanks for the comments. As all of us know, the name of the game is "visibility" so I'm just trying to make myself as visible as possible......mainly during daylight hours.

 

[Fishpart]

Man, that looks great, I'll need to hook up my red M50 now!

 

[dragula07]

I bought the fog lights at Autozone and I think they had them w/clear lenses. I just bought the blue to match my bike. I think they were only $20.

I bought the Blue LED lights at Advance Auto for $15. They offer them in several colors inc. red. They look better at night than the picture shows.

 

[ddarais]

That looks pretty cool...especially the under tank lights...

 

[Hunter]

NICE Job!

 

[viper94bite]

Man I wanna do something like that to the rauder but I'm terrified to mess with the electrical.

 

[dragula07]

Well, I finally got around to checking the voltage/amp draw from these lights. With the bike turned off, and the lights turned on the lights pull a whopping 1.8 milli-amps and not even a full volt. Today, I mistakenly left the fog lights on for about 30 minutes with the bike off. The bike started just fine and now I see why. 1.8ma is nothing.

Just out of curiosity, I checked the draw with the headlight and other factory lights on and it pulled 1.7 volts on low beam and 1.93 on high beam. I didn't check the amperage draw.

So, get some aftermarket lights and enjoy!

 

[timSZ]

Hey, that really looks great! I'll be adding something to mine as well after seeing yours. What a nice job on the switch mounting too!

I'm a little confused about the voltage and amperage draw you're discussing. Voltage is pressure and amperage is flow so the voltage should always remain at 12 volts or thereabouts and the only thing that is of much meaning is the amperage draw. 1.5ma seems really low. Maybe 1.5amps? I just checked my mini-mag flashlight to give you kind of a reference - it's 1.5 volts and draws 155ma.

It's possible that the bulbs are low voltage bulbs and there is some type of converter between the battery and bulb to do the conversion.

 

[nickmimi]

Love the lights. LIke where you put the switches.

 

[dragula07]

Hey, that really looks great! I'll be adding something to mine as well after seeing yours. What a nice job on the switch mounting too!

I'm a little confused about the voltage and amperage draw you're discussing. Voltage is pressure and amperage is flow so the voltage should always remain at 12 volts or thereabouts and the only thing that is of much meaning is the amperage draw. 1.5ma seems really low. Maybe 1.5amps? I just checked my mini-mag flashlight to give you kind of a reference - it's 1.5 volts and draws 155ma.

It's possible that the bulbs are low voltage bulbs and there is some type of converter between the battery and bulb to do the conversion.

Thanks for the compliments!

I was using a Fluke digital multimeter and when I had it set on whole amps, it would not fluctuate at all when I turned on the lights w/o the engine running. When I set it on ma, it only went to 1.8 max. It doesn't seem like much, but the lights really only have very small bulbs in them, just a good reflective surface. I could be reading my meter wrong, but I don't think so. :?:

As far as the voltage goes, with the engine off and the lights off, the voltage read about 12.75, when I turned the lights on, it dropped to about 12.68 or so....it fluctuated a little so it was hard to read but it definitely changed the voltage some.

 

[Gixxerdale]

Well done! :bluethum:

 

[timSZ]

I wonder if you are using the meter correctly? The leads from the meter should be connected between the battery and the light. For example the red lead from the meter should be touching the positive coming from the battery and the other lead should be connected to one of the wires going to the light. The other wire for the light would then be connected to be negative side of the battery, so the current actually flows through the meter to get to the bulb. In other words the meter is connected in the same sort of way as your switch. If you weren't doing it that way before, and decide to try it again in this way make sure you have your meter set on amps otherwise it may blow one of the smaller fuses in the meter if it's the type that has two fuses.