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R1200RT LED Supplemental Brake Light

But you have to be careful when you tap into one of the circuits, if there's a sufficient drop in voltage from the new lights, the system thinks one of the bulbs is out and runs the other at half brightness. Depends on the drain of the new lights.

Since most LED lights only consume fractions of an amp.. vs the filament bulb they're hooked in parallel with, that shouldn't really be a concern. More of a concern is the more elaborate ones having a controller for flashing them that isn't happy with 1/2 voltage if a filament burns out and the ZFE reduces the voltage by half to dim the remaining light (to function as a running light.) BTDT and the smoke came out. Took a while to figure out why..
 
Having owned several 60's English cars, plus one bike, I can tell you that it is hard to get the smoke back in once it gets out. :whistle
 
Replacement smoke is available for the English units; the hard part is getting it down the funnel...
 

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Replacement smoke is available for the English units; the hard part is getting it down the funnel...

Ahh yes. Lucas, AKA The Prince of Darkness. Had an MGA fixed head and a TR3 in my youth and had lots of experience with the POD. Of course the 12VDC positive ground system on the MGA didn't help much. ;)

But back to the supplemental brake light... I'm pretty new to BMWs having bought my first, a 2012 R1200RT just last August. I found one of the lights and its harness at my local dealer and had to have it. Got it home and realized that there were Zero instructions in the box. Now, I'm not helpless but wasn't interested in tearing into my new bike blindly so after a few minutes here on the forum all was made clear and I installed it without mishap. There are a couple of good description threads, just read thru the entire thread before you tackle the install. Specifically, you don't need to drill any holes in the bodywork to get it hooked up. The support brake light is BRIGHT both as a running light and REALLY bright in brake mode. You won't be sorry buying the the BMW light.
 
+1 for the Hyper Lites

Easy, quick install - no CANBUS issues.

$114.95 to my door with their mounting bracket with all necessary parts for an "11 RT.

Increased running lights, extra set of turn signals and flashing brake lights as long as the switch is actuated.

GREATLY increases visibility!

just $0.02 from an old fat guy!
 
Greetings
We also have been looking conspicuous rear lighting. These look like they might be a little over the top but work. I was thinking of using velcro that way I could move them between the mud flap and the side cases of the RT. The 8" ones should fit. These Dual Color Plasma Mega Rods should get us noticed.
View attachment 38256
Low Intensity Red Running, High Intensity Red Brake, High Intensity Yellow Turn Signal - All in one Sleek Plasma Rod
Dual Converters Included, No Modules Required
Wiring is a Simple as Connecting Orange Wire to Running Light, Red Wire to Brake Light, Yellow Wire to Turn, Black to Ground


Nothing said about affecting the can bus. The site is set up for the H-D riders.
Tony

I had a set of those on my Road Glide and they worked very well. I don't know that they are as bright as some of the other L.E.D. options however.
 
... after a few minutes here on the forum all was made clear and I installed it without mishap. There are a couple of good description threads, just read thru the entire thread before you tackle the install. Specifically, you don't need to drill any holes in the bodywork to get it hooked up. The support brake light is BRIGHT both as a running light and REALLY bright in brake mode. You won't be sorry buying the the BMW light.

For example, http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?52845-Supplemental-LED-Brake-Light-2011-R1200RT
 
Supplemental Brake Light for R1200RT Top Cases

I have a question and quest related to this thread, and hope that someone on this forum can assist.

I have a 2012 R1200RT that I bought very slightly used (less than 100 miles) but it already had a large, color matching top case mounted that was really a top case for the K1600. This surprised me at the time, but it matches up with the bike so well I was very happy it was already installed.

http://www.sierrabmwonline.com/prod...ed-brake-light-bmw-k1600gt-77518520044-p-2694

I want to install the supplemental brake light above on the top case where it goes if the case was on a K1600 (BMW Part #77518520044), but have been told that this K1600 lighting accessory is not compatible with the CANBUS R1200RT electrical system.

However, I notice that the item description on the Sierra BMW web site says it IS compatible with the "R1200RT WC (14-)". Is the 2014 R1200RT not CANBUS?

Does anyone on this forum know if there is a compatible top case break light I can use, or any way I can adapt the BMW OEM light?
 
All newer BMW motorcycles except some single cylinder ones use the CANBUS system of electrical management. So the answer is yes, the 1600 indeed uses the CANBUS system.
The actual German acronym for this system is ZFE. If you buy an accessory or a charger, you may see " CANBUS compatible" or "ZFE" mentioned.
 
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