Mini LED turn signals
Comments(25)
If I could have my way I wouldn’t have even put any blinkers on my bike at all. Not only did it mean more wiring to try to stuff inside the frame, but, to me putting big stupid looking blinkers on my otherwise clean looking bike, just plain looked the shits. Unfortunately the guy who was doing the DMV inspection said he couldn’t rubber stamp it unless it had functioning blinkers.
So with that said, I set out on a quest to find the smallest set of turn signals in the free world. I did find some fairly small bullet LED blinkers on Ebay but at 1 1/2″ inches long they were still too big for my liking. A guy on Club Chopper’s forum recommended mini LED blinkers made by Big Bear Choppers. The weren’t bad but they wanted 140.00 a pair little bastards ….screw that! Then one day I happened to run across a little Web store called AutoIllumination.com. They have these really nifty little blinkers that measure in at a mere 7/16″ in diameter (They also offer 5/8″ dia). I did have my reservations about them but I at 4.99 a piece I thought…”What the hell ” and bought a set of 4. Two amber colored ones for the front, and a couple of red ones for the rear. The glass lamps are actually clear regardless of the color they are when they light up. The only way to tell the colors apart without power on them is by the label on the bag, so I took care not to mix them up.
Another cool thing about them is that they have resisters build right into the base of the bulb so no need to have to wire them in.
To mount them I went down to the local hardware sore and bought 4 small L brackets that came pre-drilled with a hole on each end. The only thing I had to do was drill the hole that light was going into a little bigger, then give them a shot of black with a rattle can to match the black frame and trees. I mounted the front ones under the lower triple tree, and the back ones I put on the frame under the axle block. It was amazing! They were almost invisible. I challenged everyone who came into my shop to try and find them. Not – a -one person could find them. I had to show everyone where they were. I hooked them up to a solid-state blinker that had a self canceling function built it…Found that on ebay for I think it was 24 bucks..When it came time to test them, my expectations were really low. I didn’t think a set of LED bulbs that small would be very bright, but holy shit was I wrong. I was totally blown away by how bright they were. I was pretty amazing. In fact the inspector looked at me and said (and I quote) “Where the fuck are the blinkers…I can’t pass this prick without any blinkers.” When I walked over and hit the switch on the hand control, the whole site of the shop lit up. The look on his face was pretty funny.
So for those of you that want to make the big clunky turn signals on your chopper disappear I highly recommend these little mini blinkers. You can check them out at http://autolumination.com/indicator.htm
Thanks, I’ve been wanting to do this to my bike and these look perfect. Just ordered up a few.
Have any pictures of one mounted?
Hey Murphy
Glad you found it helpful. I’m pretty sure I took some photos of the mounted blinkers. I’ll see if I can dig them up and add them to this post. Also, if you can, send in a photo of your bike so I can post it in the gallery.
Cheers!
Dan
Just curious about the bulb number. I was having trouble finding the 4.99 ones. any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Josh
Hi Josh,
Go to
http://autolumination.com/indicator.htm
The mini LED blinkers are about halfway down the page. Here’s the photo to look for….
http://autolumination.com/images/auto_bulbs/screw1.jpg
Thanks
hey i needed that info. i do not have a chopper (yet) but i have an 07 R1. i put the integrated tail light in and now at night it is sort of hard to distinguish left turn signal and right because they are soo close together. i figured now i have to go out and get some leds and mount them somewhere around my plate so its alot easier to see the direction im selecting. that you very much for the info
No Idea how long I have been looking for exactly these, thanks,
Sparky
just ordered some of these n my old turn signals have three wires it looks like these only have two a little confused about how to hook them up
Your existing hookup may have an extra ground wire. Just twist the two together and hook them into the ground side of the mini bulb.
It’s alway a good idea to order a couple extra of each color bulbs just in case.
I’ve been looking to put blinkers into my rear fairings on my 1991 cbr f2. I think these are going to work. If I put these blinkers in I can avoid buying a fender eliminator kit!
Im so happy I found your page!
I’m not that familiar with sport bikes, but i assume you’re wanting to get rid of the license plate bracket and attached turn signals. That being the case the answer is yes. You can use these mini blinkers to replace the stock ones. Disclaimer though… These blinkers, like many after market blinkers, are not DOT approved.
Yah…hilarious isn’t it?
Hey no problem. Glad to help.
This is great. What do I connect these LED lights to, to actually get blinkers now if I have a bike without any module? Im buying a custom bike and I need some advice. thanks man!
Hi I’m very interested in these lights how do i hook them up to a sportster? just cut the wires on the old ones and wire these up? any help will be appreciated Thanks
Yes you can hook them right up. They have resisters built into the base.
I tried hooking up these mini blinkers but they didn’t blink just lit up HELP!!!
Dumb question, but you are using a blinker with them right?
Hey man! i know this is an old post but do they work as break lights and turn signals? I am looking to replace the lights on my 08 sportster and they have dual filament bulbs to function as brake and turning lights.
Have a question my bike only has a head light and a break light. Would like to use these lights but do you have any sugestions that may assist in making this happen. As far as controls that I can use to make it legal to ride. Without changing out my bars…..Thanks……. Also can you send some pics as to how you mounted them on your bike, my frame is not black its custom paint so I need to see how I can hide the wires without making a mess of it…….Thanks…….
I waqs curious if you knew if these worked with a stock flasher relay? I ordered some for my bobber but did not order a relay and planned to use the stock one.
I used a solid state flasher unit with a built in cancel, but I don’t see why a stock flasher wouldn’t work.
http://www.torkypig.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?p=42&approved=1#comments-form
Thanks! My lights showed up yesterday and hope to install this weekend. I have to run wirse and put on a blinker relay as I have nothing at this point. I guess I will find out for sure if it will work. I will post back and let you know for future questions.
FYI,
Just wanted to follow up on my previous posts about the flasher. These lights would not operate with the stock mechanical flasher on my older Honda chopper. I had to purchase an electronic flasher from the local auto parts store.
I first bought the BUSS 759 Heavy Duty Electronic Flasher but it would not work either. According to 2 different auto parts stores and online e-tailers it cross referenced with a Tridon EP-36 flasher. They are NOT the same though. I bought the EP-36 and plugged it in and all problems solved. Works great and happy with the lights.
Like mentioned above though. The lights are not very noticeable during the daylight hours but great for night time riding.
I’m really interested in using these on my bike does anyone have a you tube that shows how bright.