LED Signal Lights?

I have a 1993 R100GS and would like to switch out my signal lights to LEDs, I've told you have to get a 1156 type LED with a resistor in it so the lights won't flash fast.

I struck out at our local electronics store up here in Ontario Canada & the parts person had no ideas of where to look.

Please, can anyone help?

Darryl

Snowbum mentions the 1156 and resistors on this page. He says that the Euro number that is pretty close is 7506.

https://bmwmotorcycletech.info/lamps.htm

LED technology moves at the speed of light and this problem is far more than a BMW / bike issue
I got these awhile ago, so best to check my work as I wont be able to test for a little while yet,

but if I recall, picked them for an internal resistance correct (low enough?) to cycle an old school flasher.
Ebay item. They werent too much $C

There might actually be flasher units that are de-tuned for typical low LED draws, if thats a path forward.

I also chose these for the LED array; a rearward- only facing LED bulb will not 'fill" the lens, need some light going to the side,
same as glass/incandescent buld would act.

Light cast on the reflector is necessary for a full bright light, otherwise you get a little bright glow in the center of a dark lens.

The ID code number on a bulb is mainlyand indicator (nyuk nyuk nyuk)
of the base ( prongs and contacts), hence the function (ie, signal vrs stop/tail)

I'm trying all LED from headlight 4K white to the DONT-HIT-ME reds in back , hoping to get more miles out of the stock alternator with a LiPO battery
(adjustable Volt Regulator to hit the sweet spot for the battery).

nice darby BTW

It's probably more expensive than the bulb replacement, but another option are the legacy lights from Weiser Technik

https://www.weisertechnik.com/products/legacy-3/

88bmwjeff said:

Weiser Technik

Click to expand...

woah I really like those brake / signal combo bulbs in the turn signal .....

Seems like a lot of that same effect could be achieved with some clever jumper wires & swapping stop / turn sockets & bulbs in the signal shells.
I dont even care if the signals stay orange when stopping, the extra light is great.

Then again, I've trailed new cars with such a mesmerizing light show upon turn/stopping , I'm distracted and it delays my reaction for one or two scoffs .

88bmwjeff said:

It's probably more expensive than the bulb replacement, but another option are the legacy lights from Weiser Technik

https://www.weisertechnik.com/products/legacy-3/

Click to expand...

They look nice but $85 US for 2 is way too much for me but thanks!

Darryl

gtgt_bangbang said:

LED technology moves at the speed of light and this problem is far more than a BMW / bike issue
I got these awhile ago, so best to check my work as I wont be able to test for a little while yet,

but if I recall, picked them for an internal resistance correct (low enough?) to cycle an old school flasher.
Ebay item. They werent too much $C

There might actually be flasher units that are de-tuned for typical low LED draws, if thats a path forward.

I also chose these for the LED array; a rearward- only facing LED bulb will not 'fill" the lens, need some light going to the side,
same as glass/incandescent buld would act.

Light cast on the reflector is necessary for a full bright light, otherwise you get a little bright glow in the center of a dark lens.

The ID code number on a bulb is mainlyand indicator (nyuk nyuk nyuk)
of the base ( prongs and contacts), hence the function (ie, signal vrs stop/tail)

I'm trying all LED from headlight 4K white to the DONT-HIT-ME reds in back , hoping to get more miles out of the stock alternator with a LiPO battery
(adjustable Volt Regulator to hit the sweet spot for the battery).

nice darby BTW

View attachment 89403

View attachment 89404

Click to expand...

Thanks, who sells these? & how much for 4?

Cost

I added a Admore light to the back of my bikes, it is well worth the cost and the installment was easy.

I found out about the Wiesner system just the other day. $85 might seem like a lot of money but, if the system is designed well, and can be installed with little or no fuss or butchering of the factory wiring, (something I don't know but assume from the ad.) the price sounds reasonable.

Yes, people have installed home made kits, and there were kits available at one time but if I recall (not so clearly) they required a bit of work and wiring skill to get to work.

No, I am not about to buy the Wiesner kit, the set up I have now is great. But, if it had existed at the beginning of the year, I may have gone that route. St.

Darryl Cainey said:

Thanks, who sells these? & how much for 4?

Click to expand...

to repeat ; I have absolutely not tested / proven for self that that the "CANBUS friendly " lights perform correctly
with the rather-common but old-school flasher unit on my 70s bike,
but thats why I chose these to try after a very little time reading up the issue few months ago.

As anyone can see from my parking lot, " CANBUS " means " If I cant figure out whats wrong with my 27 year old car, I CANBUS to the next destination"


When I can power up my build soon , I'll post +/- opinion. Appreciate the same, if you go this way

I also have not seen how they " fill " the lens ( which is a matter of how the band of LED chips ,around sides , relates to metallized reflector shell )
OR if they get so hot that they will melt the yellow lens ( wouldn't be the first time that happened)

But I can say is they are blindingly bright and 6500 color is very white ).
I' m typing this through bleached blinded spots in my eyes, after touching to a battery maybe 10 minutes ago,
lol so thanks for the urge to stress test my xray vision

There are probably other color / other temperature LEDs is available in the same base configuration, which can make for some interesting looks inside the yellow lens

what I can say is vendor shipped , here is one of maybe many vendors;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/394157789187

if their auction expires, "4x AUXITO 1156 LED Reverse Light Canbus Error Free BA15S Backup Bulb 6500K 2F EA" is a starting point for own search.
4 X was under 20 US.

Again, check my recollections, but IME bulb ID numbers indicate what BASE the bulb has ( stubs & connection points) ,
so visually comparing a candidate bulb BASE to the current socket / bulb has always worked for me.

as alternative , I thought I saw specialized flasher units that work with more runt-of-the-litter LEDs
( original problem being, that LEDs dont draw enough current to heat the guts of a thermal flasher)

Maybe I'll rig up a some test wires to check flasher operation later this week/end but its not high on TODO list

seeing notes in auctions such as " ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Note: When using LED bulbs for turn signal, you will need to use load resistor or decoder set to prevent hyper flash or bulb malfunction." so, these are probably not the droids you seek, like others are describing

Darryl, if you change to LED bulbs with an added resistor in parallel (so the flasher doesn't speed up), then you have gained NOTHING in the way of "reduced current draw" - while a LED indeed has a much lower current requirement, the resistor jacks the current right back up to the "old" current draw range. And that resistor will need a little airflow to cool it.

But you will gain an "instant" on-off flashing, as compared to an incandescent bulb.

Like GTBB says, most LED replacements do NOT "Fill" the lens; I've tried many from several auto parts stores (O'Reily's, AutoZone, Pep Boys - does Ontario have any of those or similar?) and have been pretty dissatisfied.

KatDash

I could be mistaken but I think there is a write up on Katdash's website or someplace that talks of changing the flasher unit to be compatible to LED turn signals. I am sorry I am lazy and not going to look it up. There I also believe was a source and number for the flasher.

Oh, I could be mistaken about Katdash, it could be also on Motorrad Electrik's site. A search will turn it up. St.

GTGT likes, like duckduck, naturally naturally

+1 to what Paul says above;
adding a parasitic current draw ( extra resistors parallel the bulb ) just to keep the incandescent-type flasher heated, defeats one main purpose of low current LEDs

LED are still bright & colorful, and usually long life, but I spent $$$ for LED front to back to keep the humble stock alternator in service awhile longer




I just did this

https://www.superbrightleds.com/fl3-red-led-bulb-electronic-flasher-3-pin-red-american-flasher

those axito bulbs are smokin bright

photos can be misleading, but not this one;

The axios LED bulb show above are fiercelyand uniformly bright across the yellow lens , due to a well-located ring of side-facing LED below the straight-out facing cluster.
If anything they are brighter than the picture . I like.... screaming bright even in day light

This is the 6500K white , if these come in yellow or red LED color, the results behind the yellow lens would be near psychedelic

UPDATE - yes these same format are available in color,
Axito even makes a slightly different layout bulb that flashes itself amber-off- ect & amber -red strobe LOL ,
which may well eliminate the need for a flasher unit in the first place !


No idea how hot they get in action( The aluminum fins around on the body are for cooling , lol) but they barring meltdown, these are perfect for the app

gtgt_bangbang said:

GTGT likes, like duckduck, naturally naturally

+1 to what Paul says above;
adding a parasitic current draw ( extra resistors parallel the bulb ) just to keep the incandescent-type flasher heated, defeats one main purpose of low current LEDs

LED are still bright & colorful, and usually long life, but I spent $$$ for LED front to back to keep the humble stock alternator in service awhile longer




I just did this

https://www.superbrightleds.com/fl3-red-led-bulb-electronic-flasher-3-pin-red-american-flasher

Click to expand...

Unfortunately that relay won't work on my R100GS, mine is a 17 pin one.

Weisner tech

I have been looking over the new Weisner set up. Adds running lights front and rear all LED fits into stock housings, relatively simple wiring, an extra wire has to be run to signal housings. Front RT/RS signals easy, rear, kind of a pain.

It is one interesting way to covert from incandescent to LED as well as add extra visibility. St,

STEVENRANKIN said:

I have been looking over the new Weisner set up. Adds running lights front and rear all LED fits into stock housings, relatively simple wiring, an extra wire has to be run to signal housings. Front RT/RS signals easy, rear, kind of a pain.

It is one interesting way to covert from incandescent to LED as well as add extra visibility. St,

Click to expand...

They look nice but $85 US for 2 is way too much for me but thanks!

Darryl

Just goes

Just goes to show that even a company who deals in the "newer" or modern bikes feels there is a market still for our airheads. St.

STEVENRANKIN said:

Just goes to show that even a company who deals in the "newer" or modern bikes feels there is a market still for our airheads. St.

Click to expand...

Yes Steve, but no one makes a LED compatible relay one for the 1993 R100GS.

Maybe I'm flogging a dead horse here!

Darryl

Not perfect

Yeah there are a lot of parts now NLA so things are not perfect but better than other bikes. St.