© 2018 Drake Smith - Please do not use or reproduce this elsewhere.  Feel free to link to it though.

Awesome $6 Tail Light Upgrade

(with "Eagle Eye" LEDs)

Intro:

The stock tail and brake lights on K bikes are rather anemic. Over the years I've done numerous LED upgrades and this is my latest and greatest.  Since it's just add-on lighting nothing special has to be done to accommodate the LEDs.

This DIY projects takes some wiring and drilling but the end results are well worth it if you're up to the task.

Parts Required:

"Eagle Eye" LEDs: These only cost $0.99 each on eBay. The video above doesn't do them justice but trust me they are incredibly bright and noticeable, even in bright sunlight. (They come in several colors so be sure to buy red ones for this project.)

GS-100A Strobe Controller: Can be found on eBay for about $2.  The controller flashes the LEDs a few times when the brake light first goes on and then remains solid as long as the brake light stays on.

You'll also need a way to tap into the existing brake and tail light wiring.  I use female blade terminals and piggyback connectors.

Wiring Schematic:

Notes on implementation:

One minor drawback of using these LEDs is that the threaded part is 10mm in diameter so you need to do drill out the holes where you install them.

I put the running light LEDs through the holes where the rear fender extender attaches. There's already holes there and it keeps them spaced out away from the brake LEDs so those stand out a bit more when the brakes are applied.

I put the brake light LEDs in the upper license plate holes to make them as high and visible as possible.

(Although for some reason the Eagle Eye LEDs are sold as 9 watts each, in reality they only pull about 1/2 watt each so the power load of them is negligible.)

 

© 2018 Drake Smith - Please do not use or reproduce this elsewhere.  Feel free to link to it though.