home modifications maintenance rides links misc

Hyper-Lites

Today I installed the Hyper-Lites I got from Sampson Sport-Touring. I got the "Universal Stop and Running" lights. They are a high-output LED array that adds to the tail light visibility and also adds a modulating brake light that lasts for 5 seconds after you use your brakes. It then goes to a constant brake light until the brakes are release and applied again. The installation was not too difficult, but because they are a universal kit, it's not as plug-and-play as some accessories are. The kit comes with quick splicers that straddle the existing wire; cutting through the insulation as a "tap". Some people use these without any problems. I hate them because (for me) they tend to corrode and otherwise compromise the reliability of the wire being tapped. Instead, I soldered each connection, taped them for insulation and weather resistance, and then used a wire loom for durability and to resist vibration-induced abrasion.


Photo 1

The "carpet" you see in photo 1 is a cloth laid down for when I was soldering and for contrast in the photo.


Photo 2

Photo 2 shows how I tapped into the bike's light circuits without cutting any wires. I extracted the pins in the connector on the bike side, attached the Hyper-Lite wires, and then reseated the pins. The wires aren't as stressed as they appear. I had the wires and connectors extended for the photo. This lets the tail light module remain easy to remove by just pulling the OEM plug and leaves the HLs on the bike.


Photo 3

In photo 3 I placed the LED arrays so they can be seen by vehicles behind me. The photo is of just the tail lights. The Hyper-Lites get brighter when you use the brakes; just like the OEM tail light module does. For ease of installation I removed the luggage rack, rear fairing plastic, and tail light module.

 

 

 

All material on this site, (c) 1995 - Present, Mark Johnson. All rights reserved.