3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

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eggsalad
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3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

I've been kicking around the idea of "deadlights" on my Buddy since the day I got it. Mostly because I hate having non-functional lights. But I also wasn't in a tremendous hurry and I wanted to do it in a totally reversible way. Well, I finally got all the bits and pieces together for my favorite price (i. e. free) and tested out my mod with the stock bulbs, just to make sure everything was working.

From reading several posts here, I knew that the stock 20 watt draw was too much for the bike's charging system (or bordering on too much) so I ordered some random LED "bulbs" that would fit the sockets. Once I got everything in place, I ran the circuit through a DC ammeter and came up with a 0.25 amp draw. Give or take, that should be about 3 watts. That's a lot less than the 20w the stock bulbs would draw, so I should be safe, right?
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by scootERIK »

I have been running 7 watt led bulbs for deadlights in my Buddy for over a year with no issues(probably closer to 2 year and over 20k miles.)
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BayStateScooterist
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by BayStateScooterist »

No problems running 4 Watt LED deadlights in both my wife's and my scooters. Installed them about a year ago.
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

Thanks, folks! Will proceed with finalization.
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

finished product.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2kwBJfg]Image
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BayStateScooterist
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by BayStateScooterist »

eggsalad wrote: Thu Jan 28, 2021 11:31 pm finished product.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2kwBJfg]Image
Nice!
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eggsalad
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

BayStateScooterist wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:48 am
eggsalad wrote: Thu Jan 28, 2021 11:31 pm finished product.

Nice!
Thanks, BSS!
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by scootdad »

BayStateScooterist wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:26 am No problems running 4 Watt LED deadlights in both my wife's and my scooters. Installed them about a year ago.
Where did you source the LED lamps, if I may ask?
Upper Left Corner
Buddy 170i - British Racing Green
(2) Yamaha Vino 125s
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

scootdad wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 6:42 pm
BayStateScooterist wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:26 am No problems running 4 Watt LED deadlights in both my wife's and my scooters. Installed them about a year ago.
Where did you source the LED lamps, if I may ask?
TBH, I wasn't sure if I would like this mod, so I literally scoured eBay for the absolutely cheapest LED "bulbs" that I could find that would fit the socket. I will probably upgrade them. I paid $2.55 shipped from China.

If you want to find bulbs like that on eBay, use this search string: 2Pcs Super White BA15S R5W 1156 5050 LED Auto Car Brake Lights Bulbs
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by BayStateScooterist »

scootdad wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 6:42 pm
BayStateScooterist wrote: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:26 am No problems running 4 Watt LED deadlights in both my wife's and my scooters. Installed them about a year ago.
Where did you source the LED lamps, if I may ask?
I bought them at Amazon. Here is the link.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BR ... UTF8&psc=1
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by cdunn »

How did you wire them? Did you use a separate switch?
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eggsalad
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

I did not. I built a T-harness, similar in concept but not execution, to the unit sold by Voodoo Scooters(?). They come on with the key. I like my mods completely reversible.
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enzomatik
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by enzomatik »

would you mind sharing your source for the parts for the t-harness? I'd really like to set this up but voodoo's set up is no longer available. I'd like to know what harness bits will fit.
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

I sourced the bits from the junkyard. The connectors you need, commonly called "Hitachi .110"", were used in lots of motorcycles and pre-90's Japanese cars. If I had to do it again, I'd spend the dough and get new ones. They're still available from several online sources, including this one:

https://easternbeaver.com/Main/Elec__Pr ... ctors.html

You need 1 each male and female of the 4-pin version, and 2 each of the 2-pin female version.

You're basically building what folks call a T-harness, which inserts between the male and female connectors coming off the ignition switch.

Two of the wires coming off the ignition switch just pass through from the male to the female 4-pin. they are Blue w/ Black trace and Red w/ White trace.

The other two wires, Orange and Black, will tee off, one side passing through from the male to the female 4-pin. The other side of the tee will tee off again, going to the two female Hitachi .110" connectors, into which the deadlights plug.

If that makes sense to you, you're probably competent enough at automotive electrics to make this happen easily enough. I consider it to be one of my strong suits, so it was fairly straightforward, but if you don't, take your time and consider each step.
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enzomatik
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by enzomatik »

Thanks so much for the reply, I'm pretty competent with wiring and electronics, not so experienced with automotive wiring however. I'll look over things and diagram it out until it makes sense. Will be fun to learn.
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

I think you'll be okay. The wiring diagram part is pretty simple. The mechanical part will take some learning. You'll need a special crimper for the terminals, called an "open barrel" crimper. You can get some on the site I linked, or perhaps cheaper from other sources. It's possible to crimp them with other methods, but you'll have a learning curve, so order a bunch of extra terminals when you buy the connectors - they're on the same page, and cheap.
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by BayStateScooterist »

You can buy this Dead Light Harness kit from Vanagon Headlight Relays here: https://sites.google.com/site/vanagonhe ... ht-harness

I bought this harness kit for my wife's Buddy 125 a year ago. This is a plug & Play. Unfortunately it's temporarily unavailable when I checked.
SmallLED19b.jpg
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

BayStateScooterist wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 2:34 am You can buy this Dead Light Harness kit from Vanagon Headlight Relays here: https://sites.google.com/site/vanagonhe ... ht-harness

I bought this harness kit for my wife's Buddy 125 a year ago. This is a plug & Play. Unfortunately it's temporarily unavailable when I checked.
SmallLED19b.jpg
That's more or less what I built, except I teed off both the hot and the ground from the 4-pin ignition connector, and this version uses a separate ground.

As that harness is not available, there is no price listed. Mind telling us what they charge?

Edit: Never mind, I found out that it's $27. I don't think that's unreasonable. But it makes me glad I know how to DIY. :)
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by BayStateScooterist »

eggsalad wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 11:03 am
BayStateScooterist wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 2:34 am You can buy this Dead Light Harness kit from Vanagon Headlight Relays here: https://sites.google.com/site/vanagonhe ... ht-harness

I bought this harness kit for my wife's Buddy 125 a year ago. This is a plug & Play. Unfortunately it's temporarily unavailable when I checked.
SmallLED19b.jpg
That's more or less what I built, except I teed off both the hot and the ground from the 4-pin ignition connector, and this version uses a separate ground.

As that harness is not available, there is no price listed. Mind telling us what they charge?

Edit: Never mind, I found out that it's $27. I don't think that's unreasonable. But it makes me glad I know how to DIY. :)
With the COVID times still upon us, DIY takes on more importance. I serviced the valve lash on both of my scooters recently. If I were to have that done by a professional service department, would have to wait 3-6 months, at least in my area. :wink:
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

BayStateScooterist wrote: Sun Mar 28, 2021 8:13 pm
With the COVID times still upon us, DIY takes on more importance. I serviced the valve lash on both of my scooters recently. If I were to have that done by a professional service department, would have to wait 3-6 months, at least in my area. :wink:
My friendly local Genuine dealer (Hi Pete! I know you read this!) added ebikes to his lineup shortly before the SHTF and he tells me he's so busy moving those that scooters are becoming his 2nd thing.

Seeing as that Vanagon site is sold out, and Voodoo doesn't seem to make them anymore, I might have to order a bunch of parts and wire and make up some harnesses to sell! At $27 a pop, I could make a few bucks!
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by Ipso_no_facto »

I feel like a complete fool for asking this, but....So, I just signed up to this board, because I just bought a 2021 Buddy Kick 125cc scooter. The very first post I looked at was this one. I figured, I'd just look and see what kind of posts are to be found here and what the hell are deadlights? I also figured, what the hell could this post have to do with me and my new bike. But of course what's the scooter look like that has to have it's headlights re-engineered? A Turquoise Blue Buddy Kick 125. Looking exactly like the one in currently sitting in my driveway. Ordinarily I'd never ask, but what the hell are Deadlights and will I too need an electrical engineering degree to fix my new scooter? Please tell me it's an issue with only certain years, nervous lol.
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by Clydeo »

On a Buddy Scooter, the dead lights are the non-functional blinkers on the front of the bike. They are non-functional because the US DOT requires the ugly blinkers on stalks that most US bikes have.
It is possible to convert these lights into additional blinkers or running lights.
There is no real reason to do this, but some choose to because the non-functioning lights bug them. And more lights never hurt.
Suzuki TUx 250, Kawasaki Vulcan 900 LT, Genuine Buddy 50 “Brit”
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by Clydeo »

BTW, welcome to the board, and to scooters in general! You have just entered a bold new world! The folks here can answer most questions, so don’t hesitate to ask!
Suzuki TUx 250, Kawasaki Vulcan 900 LT, Genuine Buddy 50 “Brit”
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by BayStateScooterist »

Ipso_no_facto wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 12:31 am I feel like a complete fool for asking this, but....So, I just signed up to this board, because I just bought a 2021 Buddy Kick 125cc scooter. The very first post I looked at was this one. I figured, I'd just look and see what kind of posts are to be found here and what the hell are deadlights? I also figured, what the hell could this post have to do with me and my new bike. But of course what's the scooter look like that has to have it's headlights re-engineered? A Turquoise Blue Buddy Kick 125. Looking exactly like the one in currently sitting in my driveway. Ordinarily I'd never ask, but what the hell are Deadlights and will I too need an electrical engineering degree to fix my new scooter? Please tell me it's an issue with only certain years, nervous lol.
Nothing to be nervous about. Okay, I will try to explain. The Genuine Buddy scooters (50,125,150,170) and the Buddy Kick 125 are manufactured in Taiwan with functional front turn signal binnacles that were positioned relatively low. Fine for the Taiwan market and other markets. Not so for the US market. The US-DOT determined that the factory front turn signal binnacles were positioned too low for safety reasons, forcing Genuine to add new front turn signal pods mounted below the handle bars for the US market. This corrective action left the original front turn signal binnacles inoperative, or better known as dead-lights.

There are aftermarket harness kits that will allow the dead-lights to be operational again as driving lights (enhances day time visibility), providing that the original incandescent bulbs are replaced with equivalent LEDs to reduce the power draw. :wink:
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by enzomatik »

eggsalad wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:53 pm
Two of the wires coming off the ignition switch just pass through from the male to the female 4-pin. they are Blue w/ Black trace and Red w/ White trace.

The other two wires, Orange and Black, will tee off, one side passing through from the male to the female 4-pin. The other side of the tee will tee off again, going to the two female Hitachi .110" connectors, into which the deadlights plug.
I finally got the bits but the wires coming out of the ignition switch are different colors.
White
Orange
Green w/ white
red w/ white

I can guess and tee off the white and orange but I'd rather not guess ideally. Would a multimeter tell me which wire is which?
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

enzomatik wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 12:24 am
eggsalad wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:53 pm
Two of the wires coming off the ignition switch just pass through from the male to the female 4-pin. they are Blue w/ Black trace and Red w/ White trace.

The other two wires, Orange and Black, will tee off, one side passing through from the male to the female 4-pin. The other side of the tee will tee off again, going to the two female Hitachi .110" connectors, into which the deadlights plug.
I finally got the bits but the wires coming out of the ignition switch are different colors.
White
Orange
Green w/ white
red w/ white

I can guess and tee off the white and orange but I'd rather not guess ideally. Would a multimeter tell me which wire is which?
Your profile doesn't say what model and year you have. It would be better to find a wiring diagram.
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enzomatik
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by enzomatik »

It's the 170i, I'll go dig up a wiring diagram.
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by enzomatik »

ahh I found it. You wouldn't happen to know which to tee off from based on this?

Image



the full wiring diagram is on pg 15 if this helps and you're not busy. http://www.scooterloungeonline.com/file ... Manual.pdf

Image
I'm guessing C is for cream?
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

Okay, that IS different! Your positive wire is going to tap into the orange, but there's no negative (ground, B-) in the ignition switch harness. You can literally tap your negative side off any black wire you see. Every B-/ground/negative wire on a Buddy is black.

(and the letter you think is a "C" is actually a "G" which stands for green. The other wire is "Gr" which stands for gray.)
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by enzomatik »

Awesome, thanks. I can also ground to the frame if I really needed to as well, correct?
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Re: 3 watts is fine for "deadlights", right?

Post by eggsalad »

enzomatik wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 4:52 am Awesome, thanks. I can also ground to the frame if I really needed to as well, correct?
Absolutely, and in fact, it's probably a better idea than tapping into a ground wire. I don't know about the 170i, but on my 150, the horn relay is bolted to the frame with an M6 bolt, and that would be the perfect spot for a 1/4" ring terminal. But make sure to sand/grind the paint off the tapped hole so you get a good ground.
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