brake light voltage?

[flivver]

I've got a Givi top case from my previous bike that I want to mount on my new-to-me FZ6. I've got the mounting rack and plate in hand (not installed yet), but recall that the light kit on the case wasn't working when I took it off the old bike. In order to test the bulbs, I'm wondering how much voltage to apply to them... And for that answer, I figured I'd just supply whatever voltage the brake lights normally take. I did some googling to figure out what the voltage might be, but surprisingly, didn't turn up any hits.

So, I imagine this question has a standard answer, but so that I don't damage anything, I thought it best to go ahead and ask: what voltage feeds the brake lights?

Thanks!

 

[zixaq]

Our brake/tail lights use a dual-filament #1157 bulb, which is supposed to draw 0.59 A at 14.0 V on the "low" filament and 2.10 A at 12.8 V on the "high".

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

A standard 12 volt car or motorcycle battery will work fine (incandescent bulb).

. (un-less its LED with some sort of voltage reducer)

 

[zixaq]

A standard 12 volt car or motorcycle battery will work fine (incandescent bulb).

. (un-less its LED with some sort of voltage reducer)

^^ What he said.

As an intermediate step, you can check the adapter on the GIVI rack. One contact point should give you voltage all the time, the other only when the brakes are activated. Just compare to ground.

Next thing would be to make sure the case connector is making good contact with the connector on the rack. You can check voltage as with the rack, or you can just check resistance across the connector if you have good access points for the multimeter probes.

The "bulbs" in the case are almost certainly LEDs, which don't really burn out the way incandescent bulbs do. That's unlikely to be your issue. There's probably a loose connection somewhere.

 

[MattR302]

^^ What he said.

As an intermediate step, you can check the adapter on the GIVI rack. One contact point should give you voltage all the time, the other only when the brakes are activated. Just compare to ground.

Next thing would be to make sure the case connector is making good contact with the connector on the rack. You can check voltage as with the rack, or you can just check resistance across the connector if you have good access points for the multimeter probes.

The "bulbs" in the case are almost certainly LEDs, which don't really burn out the way incandescent bulbs do. That's unlikely to be your issue. There's probably a loose connection somewhere.

older givi cases used incandescent bulbs. If they are incandescent bulbs, they could be dead, you can test them connecting to a 12v battery. Incandescents will light up either one being positive and negative. If it's a newer case with LED's, then try it both directions, LED's won't work if the positive and negative are backwards, but it won't damage them.

Also, inside the case, pop off the little dome cap on the connector. Since the pins are spring-loaded and the connectors move,it's possible that there's a broken connection inside there, happened on mine.

 

[flivver]

Thanks, guys!

Indeed, I discovered that the bulbs are still working fine.

I haven't installed the rack on my FZ6 yet (I'm a little afraid to, to be honest ), so I imagine I'll check continuity at the various points on the Givi gear, as you suggest. If that all checks out, then the problem was likely a loose connection in the way the wiring was tied into the old bike.

Thanks again!

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Get a big hammer, a cold beer and git er done!

 

[flivver]

Get a big hammer, a cold beer and git er done!

The instructions that came with the Givi rack are crap. I found some instructions online (from somebody who's been through it):

How to Install a GIVI Top Case Bracket on a 2005 Yamaha FZ6 : Gibberish Is My Native Language

and it looks painful.

Might need more than a single beer!

 

[zixaq]

The instructions that came with the Givi rack are crap. I found some instructions online (from somebody who's been through it):

How to Install a GIVI Top Case Bracket on a 2005 Yamaha FZ6 : Gibberish Is My Native Language

and it looks painful.

Might need more than a single beer!

Taking all the plastic stuff off the back is a bit of a pain the first time you do it. Just be patient.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

And just get a six pack of the good stuff!

 

[MattR302]

Quickly read through that how-to. For any Phillips head screws on the bike, use the Phillips screwdriver that came in the underseat tool kit, as it is a JIS screwdriver. Get all the bolts started with a couple turns, get everything lined up first, then tighten them down.

 

[flivver]

Got 'er done yesterday. The exhaust cover bolts didn't want to budge, so I took an impact wrench to them. Broke loose instantly -- no problems. The rest wasn't too bad, not even the part that other folks seemed to have trouble with (according to the write-up I found). I wound up putting the mount plate onto the rack before I bolted the rack to the bike. It was the only way I could get things to line up.