Bulb Monitoring

[P_Jensen]

Has anyone used one of these to trigger Driving Lights?
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/electric ... otorcycles
Dealer indicates that it will cause the bulb warning light to come on. I am wondering if anyone has used one or something similar on the R1200 with bulb monitoring. Thanks for any input.

[deilenberger]

Your dealer is wrong if you're using it for the trigger voltage for a relay, but I did find it rather a kludge that liked to come disconnected. I went with a positap to the supply for the same bulb (the parking light.). Works fine no error light..

[dbrick]

Dealer indicates that it will cause the bulb warning light to come on.

Your dealer is wrong if you're using it for the trigger voltage for a relay, but I did find it rather a kludge that liked to come disconnected.

Don and the dealer are both right: it likes to disconnect itself, it did so for the dealer, and the Can-Bus error light appeared.

[P_Jensen]

Just to update eveyone who replied, Thanks. Ended up using the License plate bulb wire as the trigger for the PIAA 1100X driving lights. it was closer to the relay and saved the trouble of running a wire to the front. Took the bike out for couple hours last weekend and had no issues with the bulb monitoring. Of course the owners manual does not indicate how to replace the bulb for the license plate, for future reference it is the same as the parking light (W5W) and it just pushes in from the back. The bulb holder is a rubber stopper with a press fit, and the wire is dark blue with yellow stripe.

[deilenberger]

Just to update eveyone who replied, Thanks. Ended up using the License plate bulb wire as the trigger for the PIAA 1100X driving lights. it was closer to the relay and saved the trouble of running a wire to the front. Took the bike out for couple hours last weekend and had no issues with the bulb monitoring. Of course the owners manual does not indicate how to replace the bulb for the license plate, for future reference it is the same as the parking light (W5W) and it just pushes in from the back. The bulb holder is a rubber stopper with a press fit, and the wire is dark blue with yellow stripe.

Do you have a separate bulb for the license plate? On every R12R I've seen there is a clear area on the bottom of the baboon's butt tail-light that lets light from the normal rear running light fall on the license plate.

A problem MAY arise if your brake light burns out. In that case - BMW lowers the voltage going to the running light for normal riding, and then applies full voltage when you step on the brake, emulating a brake light function. Some devices aren't happy at all with the lower voltage (particularly aftermarket brake/running lights.)

Just a heads up. There is a reason most of us selected the front running light in the headlight for relay trigger voltage.

[mogu83]

Don - You made me go out the the garage and look.
My 2007 USA bike has a separate light for the license plate, it burned out once and I had the same problem replacing it. Just didn't seem right that you just grab it and pull, to get it apart.
I think if I had it to do over again I would also have used it to trigger my after market fuses.

[deilenberger]

Harry - you're right. I went to wash 2,600 miles of dirt off the bike just a while ago, and - woops.. there is a separate light, and it would be a fine spot to pick off switched voltage for powering a relay. Lots easier to get to than running a wire from the headlight.

Brain-Fart.. that's what it was. I must have been thinking of some K bike that used the baboon-butt taillight..