After riding my project (first attachment) for a few days, I was not happy with the stock gauge cluster dummy lights. I wanted to keep the turn signal and neutral indicators and I wanted some form of indication on the status of the charging system. I also wanted to convert to LEDs to reduce load while keeping the stock housing. After some work, I came up with a solution that I liked (see the second attachment). The top two LEDs are the charge indicators. The left LED comes on when the voltage is above 12V. I selected this value because the TCI should be ok at this voltage for starting. The second LED comes on when the voltage exceeds 13.5V. This will indicate that the system is at an acceptable voltage to charge the battery. I have included a circuit diagram as the third attachment. The middle red indicator is for the turn signals. The two into one connector I built uses two diodes to prevent backfeeding into the opposite side when activated. The bottom green indicator is for neutral. No special wiring on that leg.
I took the bike out for a ride this afternoon. The mod worked great and was visible in direct sunlight. The brightness does wash out some but is still visible. For me, this provided a quick, easy and cheap solution. Happy riding!
I took the bike out for a ride this afternoon. The mod worked great and was visible in direct sunlight. The brightness does wash out some but is still visible. For me, this provided a quick, easy and cheap solution. Happy riding!
