Illumination
Here are a couple of pictures that shows the 3M reflective tape at night. If you look at the My R1100RT Page, you can see that it is almost invisible in the daylight. I think it serves the same purpose as the precut decals at 1/5 of the cost.
I purchased this tape from Galls Safety Products.
They can be reached by phone at
1-800-477-7766, or on the web at www.galls.com
I searched several times before I found the tape. It is listed as Striping.
3M Reflective Tape, Left Angle
Rear Illumination
I installed Lite Buddies to convert the rear turn signals to running lights, added a set of Hyper Lites to the brake lights, and I built my own set of Auxillary Lights that mount on both sides of the tag. I cut the bracket from 1/8" aluminum plate and bought the lights at Wal-Mart. They are clearance marker lights and cost $1.50 each. I also added ford side marker lights to the empty area around the brake light. I wired these to the brake light to make it bigger and brighter.
This photo also shows the reflective tape, the lite buddy conversion to the turn signals, and the Auxillary tail lights. The next photo is the rear lights only.
3M Reflective Tape and Tail Lights
Lite Buddies and Auxillary Tail Lights
Front Turn Signal Conversion
I converted my front turn signals to running lights/turn signals in less than an hour. The cost was $11.63 and the only tools required were a pocket knife a soldering gun (you could use crimp connectors), and a Dremel tool.
Some concern has been raised about the mirrors being knocked off and the replacement sockets would not hold the mirror. I used the socket for the rear of GM vehicles from 1982-1994. They are a twist lock socket. They have three tabs instead of two (that's where the Dremel comes in). I used one of the existing slots and cut two more to fit the tabs on the socket. I believe this socket holds tighter when twisted into place than the original.
The part # at Auto Zone for the sockets is 85822 and they use standard 1157 bulbs. The sockets were $4.49 ea. and two 1157 bulbs were $1.79. You should be able to do this conversion for under $13 no matter what your tax rate.
I soldered to the original wires for the ground and turn signal, and spliced into the hot wire to the parking light below the headlight for the running light side of the socket. After a little plastic trimming, the sockets fit like they came from the factory and they work great.
Low Beam Lights at Night
High Beam Lights at Night
Front Auxillary Lights The front driving lights are not Piaa's. They are Diamond Blue by Blazer (about $70). I fabricated a bracket that would allow the lights to be mounted below the rear view mirrors.(Anyone wanting details on the brackets can e-mail me) They work really well. They are so bright that I can't see the light from the headlight when they are on, and the headlight is a 100/55. I have wired the lights so the driving lights only work with the high beam headlight. The fog lights only work with the low beam headlight. I can turn them both on and switch back and forth with the headlight selector switch. I think this will keep me legal where ever I may go. The fog lights are Xtreme XT859 ($29.88 at Wal-Mart). They were cheap, they fit nice with the mounts supplied, look good on the bike, and make me more visible day and night. They help with driving visibility at night a little, but that was not my main concern (being seen was). They may not last as long as the more expensive ones, but at that price I can replace them.
Front Auxillary Lights In Daytime
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