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Basic Wiring for generic passing lights?

30K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  DonDar 
#1 ·
Hey all,
A friend of mine gave me a pair of generic 3 1/2" passing lights. (I think 35W bulbs). I still need to get 2 clamps to mount.

My question is, can I do a simple splice into the headlight wire or do I need to add a relay - switch etc..? I cant seem to find a definitive DIY on this.

I found this article, but not sure if it will work.
http://www.vstar1100.com/diy_passing_lamps.htm
Any info appreciated. THX :)
 
#2 ·
What I did is run the wiring from the lights into the headlight bucket. I put a relay inside the bucket and tapped into the high beam wire for power, that way the lights are always on with the high beams. You can tap into the low beam if you want them on with only that, or the running lights if you want them on all the time. If you want to be able to switch them on and off when you want, you'll need to install a separate switch. Here's a basic diagram of wiring with a relay:



It's actually pretty simple to do, took me less than an hour and only 2 beers.:)
 
#4 ·
My passing lamps run off of the low beam wire in the headlight bucket. Understand something. The bike was set up to run the OEM passing lights. The wiring for the headlight has a 15 amp fuse yet the headlamp at most uses 5 amps (high beam). Remember, the passing lamps are supposed to be run off of the low beam. There is a 10 amp fues in the OEM passing lights which technically brings us to 15 amps but that isn't happening. My lamps are 55 watts H4 so that's 5 amps x 2. Total draw should be 15 amps for both the headlamp and the passing lights but you're not going to see that because they are actually 4.5 amps at 55 W which makes for 13.5 amps. There should be no problem with direct wiring. IF you experience blow fuses then move to a relay. I have not seen a need for it yet.

Some time in the future I am going to rewire with diodes so the passing lamps run on both the high and low beams. This is not according to DOT regulations but I want the visibility. At that point I may wire in a relay.


:)
 
#6 ·
My passing lamps run off of the low beam wire in the headlight bucket. Understand something. The bike was set up to run the OEM passing lights. The wiring for the headlight has a 15 amp fuse yet the headlamp at most uses 5 amps (high beam). Remember, the passing lamps are supposed to be run off of the low beam. There is a 10 amp fues in the OEM passing lights which technically brings us to 15 amps but that isn't happening. My lamps are 55 watts H4 so that's 5 amps x 2. Total draw should be 15 amps for both the headlamp and the passing lights but you're not going to see that because they are actually 4.5 amps at 55 W which makes for 13.5 amps. There should be no problem with direct wiring. IF you experience blow fuses then move to a relay. I have not seen a need for it yet.


:)
Thanks for all the info gang. What is the color of wire for the low beam in the headlight bucket? THX . Hope to tackle this weekend
 
#5 ·
I just changed mine from running on both low and hi to a weather resistant switch which I located on the left neck of the bike(tight fit). I'm still tied into the elec in the main headlight. Now I can switch them on or off as I please. I have a few extra electrical goodies(aux pwr charger, heated vests x2) that I didn't want to tax the already low reservoir.
Food for thought.
 
#8 ·
Mine aren't traditional "passing" lights, and I have them wired to the high beam because I want maximum visibility during the day and maximum vision at night. I always ride with the high beam on unless it's dark and there's oncoming traffic or traffic in front of me. They really increase my vision at night and made a big difference in spotting all the deer we saw last night.:eek:

I originally didn't have a relay and had no problems, but over the winter I installed a run-turn-brake kit. With the addition of the rear signals illuminated all the time as running and brake lights, it was a little too much draw on the fuse. I installed the relay and haven't had a problem since.:)
 
#10 ·
By using a relay, the lights are being powered directly from the battery rather than from the headlight circuit, which would draw more amperage on that circuit. The relay acts as a switch, and with it tapped into the headlight circuit, the power for the relay itself comes when that particular circuit (high beam, low beam, whichever you use) is activated, switching the lights on. The relay requires very little power to switch it on, so this way you're not overloading the headlight circuit. I hope that makes sense.:eek:

I put the relay inside the bucket because 1. it's convenient, since that's where the headlight wiring is, 2. there's plenty of room in there, and 3. it's protected from the weather.
 
#11 ·
I ran a hot wire directly to the battery with a 10 amp slow blow fuse, in-line. This leaves the option of having them on independent of the headlight and you aren't reliant on high or low beams activating your added lights. I found a void behind the plastic panel below the ignition switch and mounted a Radio Shack lighted switch there. The disadvantage is that if you forget to turn the lights off when you get off of the bike, you'd better be parked on a hill! They work great.



 
#13 ·
I ran a hot wire directly to the battery with a 10 amp slow blow fuse, in-line. This leaves the option of having them on independent of the headlight and you aren't reliant on high or low beams activating your added lights. I found a void behind the plastic panel below the ignition switch and mounted a Radio Shack lighted switch there. The disadvantage is that if you forget to turn the lights off when you get off of the bike, you'd better be parked on a hill! They work great.
The switches look good, nice job. What do you use the second one for?
 
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