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LED Indicators (anyone fitted them?)

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Drew400:
Hello all,

(Hope I'm posting this in the right section!)

I'm considering fitting LED indicators to one my old Hondas. Has anyone on this forum done this before? If so, I'm wondering:

1. Do I need a special winker relay or will the standard Honda 12v one do?
2. Is there anything I need to be aware of before getting this work underway (hint & tips)?
3. Can you a recommended source for these parts? There are any number of suppliers on Amazon etc., but first hand experience from people on this excellent forum site is always worth seeking!

Thank you,

D.

hairygit:
You will need a replacement flasher unit designed for led's or a set of resistors in circuit to use the standard one, then just replace the bulbs with led ones. The electronic flasher units are cheap, much cheaper than O.E.M. ones, but they tend to be larger physically. What bike is it for?

gtmdriver:
As above!

LED's draw far less current than filament bulbs so the standard flasher unit (which uses the lamp current to heat a bimetal strip causing it to bend and break the circuit) won't operate.

An electronic flasher unit works independently of the current drawn by the lamps so it is ideal for LED's.

If you choose to keep the standard flasher unit then you will need to wire a resistor in parallel with each bulb so that the current needed to operate the flasher flows via the resistor rather than the bulb.

They can be quite bulky.



You can get electronic flasher units suitable for motorcycles too.

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/product.php/630/2-pin-flasher-unit-for-led-indicators

Gixxer-18:
I fitted the LED flasher rather than the resistors, but found the lamps not as bright as incandescent bulbs. Shop around to find the brightest LED bulbs.
 Also if you use Led's in the gauges, it will only flash with the switch in one direction, as the lamps are diodes; and only allow current to flow in one direction. Using a flasher unit for LED's allows you to use an Led bulb in the gauges.
HTH
Nigel.

Drew400:
Hi all,

Thank you for the invaluable advice. I have only a rudimentary understanding of auto-electrics so your advice has confirmed my own doubts and provided a possible solution that I will test before fixing to the bike (Phil Read Rep... hence wanting discreet, stick-on indicators, rather than drilling through fairings, etc.).

I'm guessing that I can test by attaching to a car battery or using my 400/4 as a test mule.

Thankfully, LED stuff is a hell of a lot cheaper than Honda parts and so I can afford to learn by failing... as long as I don't damage any bike electrics in the process!

Cheers, D.

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