wiring spotlights..
 

can you wire a pair of spotlights direct to the high beam switch on the ten,,
thanks in advance..

I would be supprised if it would be reliable. What usually happens is the excess load causes the dip switch to weld together.:011:

I woud use the mail beam to drive a rely with enough rating to carry the current of the spotlights and run a direct fused line from the battery.

I am no Sparky but I did what you are wanting to do to my 1275GT Mini many moons ago and ended up with a burnt out dip switch and no lights. I was then given a diagram wiring up Dip Main beam and the spotlights using relays so I had normal dip or mainbeam, dip and spots.

:occasion14:

Just take a feed from the main beam to run your spots, or from thing like the horn, tail light etc etc anything that run has power fead to it when the ignitions turned on.

If you run it from the high beam you will only be able to use the lights when you have high beam on and for most riders they never really use this, or if they do by the time they switch it on its off again

Colros has it bang on.

You need to use the main beam as a feed to drive a relay - here's a picture, although it is for an auxilary circuit, the wiring is the same.

where it says 'power for accessories', that would be your spot lights,
Where it says '12v feed', that would be a feed from your main beam

http://www.smokingtailpipes.com/Gallery/AuxCircuit.jpg

would you be able to have an option of having spot/driving lights on with DIP or lights on with HIGH beam using a on/off/on toggle switch does anyone know?

To do this you wouldn't be able to use the main beam as a trigger feed for the relay, you'd have to use another suitable switched feed. This could be brakelight, sidelight (live with ignition) or the main feed to the headlight switch from the existing headlamp relay (which is live when the motors running regardless of dip/main switch position).

Yes, its very simple.

you need a on/on switch, this will have three terminals - usually in a line, normally you put power to the middle one and then the switch position determines which of the outer terminals the power goes to.

You're gonna use it in reverse - put the wire from the dip beam to one of the outer terminals, the wire from the main beam to the other outer terminal, and the centre terminal then feeds the relay. The switch position now determines which of the two inputs switches the relay.

You can also do this with a on/off/on switch if you want the additional 'off' position, wiring is the same.

hope that helps.
Pete.

I use a switch, and the main beam - but not in the manner you are asking. The main beam triggers the lights, but these can be switched off by a switch. So I can have main beam, with or without lamps.

You could wire a set of lights up to work from either a switch or main beam in a more automated way that Pete has suggested, it would require multiple relays and some thought. But I can't see a situation why you would want to have them operated by switch....

thanks for the help guys on this and now to get sorted at last.

Just for curiosity's sake, whwt way y' thinking of? I'm just strange- I enjoy thinking about circuit diagrams:) it's the multiple relays I'm puzzled by.

Oh god Pete,,,,,, I drew it out (yes, I'm just as sad as you!), but that was a week or so back, and the cleaning fairy has been through my office since.

It was long the lines of 2 x 5 pin relays, - just like a 2 pole switch setup in domesic lighting (like on your stairs with one at the switchtop, and one at the bottom).

I can draw it out if you really want...... or I can go for a ride, Hmmm let me think :smilies0944:


But as I say, can't think why you would want to have driving lamps and dipped beam, why not have one driving lamp and one running/fog lamp..

You don't need multiple relays for this, just a three-way switch to take a feed from both the dip and main, and also have an off position inbetween. You only need one relay, because it's only one thing (spot lights) that you're powering. If you really wanted to, you could have an extra switch feeding the coil of the relay directly, but that would be overkill.
I can draw all this if anyone's really interested I can draw this up, I used to be an Auto Electrician in a previous life! :thumbsup:

Go on.

Doubting Thomas?
 

Here you go... God knows why you'd want them on without high or low beam though. I'd leave the centre position as "off".

Actually, thinking about it you can't have them on separately, as you can't turn the headlight off in the first place... D'oh! You would have to leave the centre position as "off".:bricks:

wow so much info. great forum.
reason for turning off.....is only so i can save a possible battery charge drain going on. people on here previously have intimated that the charging system on the bike not that powerful thats all.

Phill, what you do then (as I maybe mis-understood what you were asking for) is to put a toggle switch between the feed from the main beam and the relay - just as I have.

Doug, I see what you mean now. I was thinking a little more 'automated' but still can't think why.......

Just finished fitting my spots yesterday and I elected to wire them so that they can be used with or without the headlight (by triggering the relay from the sidelight circuit) for two reasons. The first because I�ve had headlamp circuit fuses fail a couple of times in the distant past while on the move (caused when a bulb�s blown in such a way to cause a temporary short circuit/surge in current), as the spots are on a totally independent circuit they will still operate. I put the switch right next to the dip switch so I can reach it quickly and operate it with a flick of my left thumb.

The other reason is so as I can use them with the ignition off and key in park position as a work light, handy when pitching tent in the dark or recovering someone who�s come a cropper! You can only really do this with LED spots as the current draw is so low, with LED sidelights and number plate light fitted too it�s only 0.5A more than just the parking lights alone.

I also have the option of using the spots with dip beam when filtering in busy traffic, technically illegal I know, but a useful way of being noticed. I�d never ride with them on all the time with dip though, especially at night, because that would be plain annoying!

There are many ways to skin a cat and equally to wire your spots�

I just got a pair of VisionX LED spots, and want to install them using a relay triggered by the mainbeam current. Where do I pick up the main beam feed from?

I've had a look behind the panel below the instrument cluster, and saw a connector there with 2 thin wires and 2 thicker ones, I presume these four are the thin ones for the 2 park lights, and the 2 thick ones for dip and main beam, do I pick it up here?

Yellow is main, light green is dip. Become a "supporter" and get access to the service manual download which contains a full wiring diagram.

Thanks Pleiades, I actually have the manual already, forgot about it though, thanks, stupid me!