Visionary
Posts: 1229 Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Got the rears installed over the weekend. It's like having a new bike all over. I don't know how many times I've walked out to the garage just to turn the lights on and look at them.
In the box -
Very well packaged. Looks like something you would buy in a glass case at the dealer.
It even came with a key fob, drink koozy and kickstand rest.
The connections look just like a 3157 bulb, except there are only two per side.
The only thing I have done that is different, was to add retro-reflective tape in between the LEDs.
I contacted MBW prior and they said that was fine as long as they weren't metal, which could possibly short it out.
I checked with an ohm meter to make sure they were non-conductive, and as an added measure, did not get close to any contact points.
You can see the difference, and that is just my phones LED flash.
DOT requires all vehicles have a red reflective surface to the rear. Most vehicles it is built into the tail-lights. Euro-style have the reflectors on the bumpers.
Our lenses were originally somewhat reflective, but they also had a reflector mounted to the license plate frame.
I took off the license plate frame reflector, and now don't have the lens mirrors reflecting back headlights either, so I felt this was a good solution.
I'm not going to add any pic or video of the lens splitting. The ones on here a great already.
I did take about an hour splitting them, by heating them up in the oven @ <200 and using wd40, repeating the process whenever they cooled down.
A torx wrench worked the best for getting the old silicone out of the channels, along with more heat.
The install took a little longer than normal than average. I was already running LEDs along with a "Back-Off" brakelight controller. This and all the load equalizers had to come off. The new blinker controller replaces the OEM one under the radio panel.
Just unplug the old, and plug in the new. A least there was no problem with the 2010 version.
Once installed, the bike looks like it was designed to be that way. I really like the way the running lights outline the lenses. Not too bright or overbearing, but very noticeable.
Programming the lights is straight-forward, but tedious. Each light gets programmed separate and matching the programs takes time. The programming mode rotates thru each style showing the pattern once. Some of the patterns look similar when only seen once, so it's best to find a unique pattern, then count off the patterns till the one you want. I recommend setting the speed first with an easy pattern, then change to the pattern you want.
Mode 1 - blinker pattern (5 patterns - 3 look similar)
Mode 2 - blinker speed ( 6 speeds - all very close)
Mode 3 - Brake pattern (3)
Easiest way to check that your speeds are the same is to use the hazards after your out of the program mode. If they stay together, you're good. I did notice that they will glitch after a while causing one to reset and mess up the sequencing.
The brake patterns are very stunning, the video does not do it justice, especially the strobe mode. You can easily be mistaken for a LEO. The only thing I wish they would have done, would have been to let you set the number of strobes before it went solid. Three times seems to be way to many. Once for the strobe, or twice for the off/on would have been perfect.
The turn signal module controls the speed just fine with all my old load managers gone. Even if you don't buy MBW LEDs, get the turn signal module if your using other LEDs in place of the incandescent bulbs.
I will try and get some video up when it stops raining. I have not checked the cruise control yet or if the new blinker module has the same canceling features. I will let you know if any of this is abnormal.
Darrell
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