I've been fascinated with the empty turn signal pods on my B&W250 since the first day I purchased it. After doing some research and doing quite a bit of electrical work on a 1976 Honda Goldwing, I figured I'd like to take a stab at installing some running lights. I'm always concerned about my visibility (as should all motorcycle riders) so this was more for increasing my visual footprint more than for night riding.
I wanted LED lights because they don't draw as much power and generate as much heat as filament bulbs. I knew that they wouldn't be as bright, but as I mentioned before... this was more about oncoming visibility rather than illuminating the road in front of me.
I searched online and found a plethora of good websites offering reasonable LED lights and automotive sockets. I purchased two bases, two "super bright," single-circuite 15-LED lights, and two super-bright LEDs (for the small running lights - green outline) for about $50 total. I looked closely at the "chrome" reflective pods (orange outline) on the B&W and knew with a little cutting and shaping, I could get the new sockets to fit. So that's what I did! I wish I had photos of this process, but it was fairly easy. The plastic is VERY soft and easily cut/trimmed. I cut notches into the pods to match the light bases so they would slip in and turn to hold them in. No need for glue and I can easily remove them for future use.
To do all of this, you must remove the entire front of the scooter, which is not a difficult job (removing 12 or so screws). But just be warned at the plastic screw mounts on the body panels are VERY delicate! I broke two of them in my bumbling of taking it off/putting it back together multiple times!
Figuring I could tie them into the "running lights" (green outline in photo) that already exist on the B&W, I got to work. The running lights on the B&W are the small, triangular shaped lights on either side of the main headlight (yellow outline). The lights themselves were very easy to wire. Soldering and heat-shrinking is a good thing to do, as the wires are exposed to some road grime, etc. While you can get by with electrical tape, it most likely will start to loosen over time.
Here is where I made mistake #1, and thankfully my only mistake. Please do not do what I did, or you will be buying a new headlight bulb (or two, like me) and they are not cheap!
So the new bases have two wires, one black and one white. White is power, black is ground. I had to extend each wire about 8" or so to reach the running light wires and did so with 12-gauge wire. I soldered two ring terminals to the extended ground wires and bolted them behind the lower horn bolt, which had a good contact with the frame. Each existing running light has two wires... brown for power, green for ground. I ran the extended power wires up from the pod and spliced them into each running light power wire (brown).
Done, right? Well, no. I turned everything on and was ecstatic to see my new LED lights power on! It was after dark, so I took her for a spin around the block. Five-minutes into my ride... POW!...my headlight burned out. No low OR high beam. So I limped back home on the running lights, figuring the headlight bulb was old and it was just coincidence. Electrical problems are rarely coincidental but I was in denial.
So the next day I purchased a NEW headlight bulb online ($20) and waited a week for it to arrive. Installed it, went for a test ride and sure enough... POW... it burned out. After a few very creative and choice words, I was ready to call it quits. The next day I stopped by the local scooter shop and ordered another headlight ($45!)
I realized that I was overpowering the headlight circuit, even with the low-draw LEDs. But I knew that highway cruiser riders add all sorts of lights to their bikes, so they had to do it somehow, right? Researching online I found exactly what I needed: From Value Accessories, a "generic" dedicated wiring harness specifically for adding running lights to motorcycles for $35. I could have done it cheaper myself but I liked how this harness had protection from the elements and had a built-in on/off switch. The wiring harness has it's own relay and fuse, and is tied to the battery directly so it doesn't draw off any existing circuit (much.)
So once again, I removed the front cover and this time, the seat as well. I think the most difficult job was running the harness through the bodywork. You must make sure the harness does not interfere with any moving parts and that it will not catch on the fork when you turn! I used zip ties to keep it next to the frame. I also removed the white tank in the left of the picture to help run the harness through to the front. You can see the new black harness just below the grey body panel (it's the wire that isn't dirty.
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The harness DOES need to be tied into the circuit that turns on/off with your key, so the old running light wires that I had previously used were perfect, as they were already stripped of a section of insulation. The difference here is that the new harness only uses the existing powered wires to engage the circuit... it does NOT pull enough power to hurt anything. In this photo, you can see the harness and on/off switch (lying over the headlight), the new running light grounds tied to the horn bolt (yellow) and the two splices into the existing running lights (red and green blocks that look like Legos).
I then replaced the seat assembly, running the new harness up through the same hole the battery wires use. Using sticky velcro strips, I secured the relay (black box with white wires). The two wires coming from the relay are white (power with inline fuse) and black (ground). I soldered two more ring terminals onto these wires and installed the battery. The white wire goes to the positive terminal of the battery, and black negative. You can trim the excess if you wish, but I left them long and secured the wires out of the way.
I then mounted the on/off switch inside the front grille panel so I can reach in and turn it on/off whenever I wish. If you leave it "on" the new auxiliary lights will turn on and off along with your low beam headlight and stock running lights. The switch is hardly noticeable unless you look closely. Make sure the wires won't interfere with the fan! You can see the switch in the far left vertical air-vent:
Before (with new running lights OFF) view from the cockpit:
After (with new running lights ON) view from the cockpit. You can barely see a blue "glow" outside the white/yellow headlight. As I mentioned, this is not really for any additional night riding help, but more for oncoming visibility.
Before (with new running lights OFF) view from the front:
After (with new running lights ON) view from the front:
Overall impression: I'm really happy with them! I think it gives the B&W a little extra visual "oomph" and makes it unique. Not counting the $65 spent on blown-out headlights, my overall cost was roughly $100. I already had the wiring terminals, wire, heat-shrink and soldering material so if you dno't have those, it'll cost more. But it was worth the experience and fun-factor.
I also think that now that the lights have their own dedicated circuit you could add very bright "normal" filament type (or brighter LEDs) if you did want better night visibility.
Sorry for the long post, but I thought some of you might like this safety mod.
