Thoughts and opinions on LED turn signals

[Michael0124]

To the point...I seriously dislike the turn signals on my FZ8. Pros, they are bright and very visible. Cons, ugly as hell and they bounce around. A lot.

I really like the look of the signals on the Honda CB300R. The Yoshimura kit is similar looking and can be had with a sequential flash. But I'm not sure about their visibility, big brand name yes but most aftermarket ones I've seen are barely visible in daylight. Anyone have experience with the kit? Are they better and more visible than the typical cheap led kits?

Yoshimura Sequential LED Turn Signals (Pair)

Shop Yoshimura Sequential LED Turn Signals Kits at Motostarz Canada. Best Price Guarantee, Fast Shipping. BUY NOW.

motostarz.ca

Then I found this and thought hey, OE must be better. I would think Yamaha wouldn't put their name on it if it reduced visibility. Anyone have experience with this kit?

Rear LED Turn Signals - Yamaha Motor Canada

www.yamaha-motor.ca

Thoughts? Better alternatives to solving the ugly signals problem that I might have missed?

 

[TwistedKestrel]

I generally HATE aftermarket LED turn signals. They frequently are giving up substantial daytime visibility, in terms of both radius and brightness, and are usually lazily wired in. If I am buying a bike and it has aftermarket LED signals on it, my first question will always be if the seller still has the originals.

That said, technically they don't *have* to be terrible. As long as they are bright, not flush mounted, and are visible from the side, then they could be fine. And for ****'s sake, buy a matching OEM signal connector if they don't come with them - they are widely available and cheap

 

[TwistedKestrel]

Oh yeah, one more thing - three wire signals are better for the front if you can find them. I am of the opinion that if you ride at night, you really don't want to give up the running light function

 

[Michael0124]

I'm in agreement with you, I generally don't like aftermarket signals either. I want to change the look but am not willing to sacrifice safety.

That's why I'm wondering about a "high end" branded product like Yoshimura but am especially interested in the Yamaha product because oem.

Funny enough that kit doesn't come with oe connectors AFAIK, but I plan to solder in OE connectors with whatever kit I go with if I do it.

I thought about the running lights but am also going to installing denali running lights on the front so not too concerned with that.

Also ordered a motodynamic taillight. I had one on my ninja and it's a great product, super bright day or night.

 

[Priller]

Maybe the cheapo ones from Crappy Tire aren't bright, but my experience with the more expensive LED's is that they're almost too bright. It could be argued that some are overpriced (Rizoma, for example), but it's definitely an option for replacing the bouncy and big stock signals on many bike.

I can't speak for Yamaha, but my Aprilia came with oversized bulb signals, and I replaced them with OEM LED units that are a bit smaller but still bright (brighter, actually) and wide enough to be seen. Partly this was because Aprilia insists on a proprietary signal connection system that requires an adapter for universal options.

 

[Michael0124]

I ended up ordering a set of oem Yamaha led signals.

Trying to install them and am running into a hyperflash issue. Yamaha's site does state they flash at the faster euro spec but I would like to keep them at the normal NA flash rate. Funny thing is with the rears installed with the provided resistors and stock front bulbs they flash at the normal rate, but once I hook up the fronts with or without resistors at either end it flashes quickly. Not sure if it matters but they are rear signals as per Yamaha but they claim can be used on the front.

Question I have is since I need to get a led flasher relay (that's my assumption, please correct me if I'm wrong) do I still need to install the resistors? They get hot and are bulky (not alot of room behind the headlight to hide them) and am wondering if I install the correct relay are they even needed?

 

[RC-31]

You could always install the resistors in the tail instead of the headlight.

But the answer to your real question is, "no, you won't need them with a different flasher."

You could add more resistors instead of a new relay, also. And they don't really get hot.