electrical confusion

[Boneman]

This might help a bit:

Here is a discussion on aonther forum about the same thing that has some great info: LED signal Lights....what size Resistors? - bcsportbikes.com

As mentioned by Mississippi, you can purchase specific flasher relays that are ment for LED applications. Usually it has to be a flasher relay made for LEDs and not just an ordinalry 12VDC automotive flasher relay. I think this is where some confusion may lie. My bad.

Here is another specific LED flasher realy: Custom LED Electronic LED Flasher Blinker Relay - Plug And Play

From the bcsportbikes post:

The load resistors you need to add to simulate the bulbs will get bloody hot. If you let the lights blink long enough they will get hot enough to melt plastic. They need to be mounted to the frame which can then act as a heatsink. It also means you can't just tape them into place.

Swapping to the LED flasher that doesn't care what the load is will fix the issue without the need for the loading resistors.

My resistors for my Watsen LED front signals get friggin hot! I have them suspended off the inner faring so they don't touch the plastic. These LED flasher relays seem to be the easiest way to go than putting in resistors, especially if you are not comfortable with electronics/wiring.

You can see the two large white resistors in this pic:

About LEDs and Resistors if you are interested: Super Bright LEDs - LED Info

Hope this helps.

 

[SovietRobot]

^^ The "resistors" that came with my watsens are just thin wires connected from hot to ground. They work well and while they get hot, the wire casing will melt before anything else.

I didn't need them until I added in the podlights, then the system required resistance on the front for some reason.
I had front and rear leds before with an aftermarket relay and while the flash rate was slow, it didn't need any resistance.

 

[Mississippi]

Boneman,

Those resistors are tiny compared to the one's that I tried at first. I got them at radio shack, and they are about 3" long and 1" square. Huge. If I was to try to put one of these things on each light, I would have a real hard time finding places to mount them, that is why I went after the flasher relay option. And yes, the heat was an issue as well.

Great info!

 

[jerdman89]

so will an aftermarket resistor work if the front flashers are stock and the rear are LEDs

 

[Mississippi]

so will an aftermarket resistor work if the front flashers are stock and the rear are LEDs

This is the setup I had on my ninja, and I used a flasher relay. My blinkers would not even work, they would just burn constantly. I added the relay, and everything went back to normal.

Resistors will work fine, you just have to put 1 resistor on each blinker. So you would need 2 resistors for your back blinkers.

 

[Fz6Sa]

If you measure the resistance in the stock indicator (unmounted), then measure the resistance in the new led indicator, subtract the two results and you will know what size resistor you need to add.

The resistor you buy should be able to handle at least 12 volts. Just mount the resistor on any of the wires leading too the new indicator, and you are set.

 

[jerdman89]

so will an aftermarket resistor work if the front flashers are stock and the rear are LEDs

I ment to say relay, must have been reading to many of these posts and had a brain fart

 

[Mississippi]

I ment to say relay, must have been reading to many of these posts and had a brain fart

I say yes. That is the exact setup I had on my ninja.

 

[jerdman89]

bought a relay, slowed down blink but the LEDs are real dim guess I'll just have to wait till i get front leds