Installing fog/passing lights... Wiring?

[JonnyQuest]

My weekend's project is installing a set of passing lights/fog lights on my 96 Royal Star.

 

I've got the "Yamaha" bracket, but the fog lights were bought from Tucker Rocky, so I doubt I'll have instructions.

 

Can someone shed some light on how to wire these lights up, I've never done something like this before.

 

Thanks!

[CMIKE]

The Passing light install is not really that hard to do. You can probably handle it if you take your time and if you get stuck along the way...shout out for some help.

Most of us here recommend installing a relay to carry the extra load of the new lamps. Do this by running a wire from the battery to a relay (you can find a 30 amp automotive relay at just about any auto parts store) through the normally open contacts on the relay to supply power to the new lights. The coil of the relay is energized from either the running lights (blue wire on the 2nd gen Venture) or the high beam of the head light. Some folks run them on high beams or low beams or both. I have a switch so I can run them on either if I wish.

Some of the bikes here has had some issues with the ignition or key switch failure, and it is suspected the extra load running through the ignition switch from passing lights may be causing this failure.

Some of the dealers install these lights by simply connecting these lights to the head light circuit and later the key switch fails. I think the instructions may tell you to do this...

 

There is a write up about how to bypass this load around the key switch to prevent this from happening to you. Not real sure there has been failure cases documented on the 96, but I suspect they are the same.

Search the technical section and you will see a lots of information on wiring these light up and the key switch failures.

 

 

Welcome to the site...:TEAL:

[Hummingbird]

here's the link showing the relay wiring

 

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=525

 

A while back I emailed complete factory (Yamaha) passing lamp wiring instructions to somebody and they had them posted here somewhere - darned if I can find them

Edited March 26, 2010 by Hummingbird
added text

[wes0778]

here's the link showing the relay wiring

 

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=525

 

 

 

My:2cents:

The wire I tapped to go to the #86 terminal of the relay is the common power wire to the dimmer switch.

[Hummingbird]

Whichever wire you decide to use needs to be switched when you turn the key on & off, thereby integrating the relay into the on/off system.

[JonnyQuest]

I tried installing the passing lights, but the ones I ordered didn't fit the yamaha setup (blinker inserts)...

I'm still pretty concerned about the wiring, actually confused. Which colored wires do I connect them to, and where do I place the relay?

[wes0778]

I tried installing the passing lights, but the ones I ordered didn't fit the yamaha setup (blinker inserts)...

I'm still pretty concerned about the wiring, actually confused. Which colored wires do I connect them to, and where do I place the relay?

 

See if this helps.

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?p=426827&highlight=relay#post426827

[JonnyQuest]

Finally got the "Yamaha" fog lights, and installed them.

 

HOWEVER... I didn't do the relay, and just ran the red wire and connected it to the green wire.

 

Well, when I turned the ignition on, no lights. Turned out the fuse was blown. I'm not sure it was due to the wiring, or just a coincedent. But I don't want to hook it back up to find out.

 

Which wire, not using a relay, should I hook it up to without fear of blowing another fuse?

[wes0778]

Finally got the "Yamaha" fog lights, and installed them.

 

HOWEVER... I didn't do the relay, and just ran the red wire and connected it to the green wire.

 

Well, when I turned the ignition on, no lights. Turned out the fuse was blown. I'm not sure it was due to the wiring, or just a coincedent. But I don't want to hook it back up to find out.

 

Which wire, not using a relay, should I hook it up to without fear of blowing another fuse?

 

When you say "the fuse" was blown, which one specifically? Have you checked to be sure you have not pinched any wires when you assembled the passing lights? You may have a direct short to ground, which would certainly blow any fuses.

 

Without a wiring diagram, off hand, I don't know what the green wire is. Using a volt meter or test light, is there power to the green wire when the ignition is on an no power when the ignition is off?

If I were going to not use a relay, I think I would still look for the wire that supplies power to the dimmer switch, as a power source for the passing lights.

[JonnyQuest]

I'm sorry, I should've elaborated more...

 

The fuse that blew was the headlight fuse. After replacing it (the only one I have), I disconnected the red (fog lights) wire from the green wire (which I thought was the low-beam headlight wire), and the headlight works. I'm afraid to hook up the red wire to anything else risking another blown fuse.

 

Btw... the Yamaha dealership here in Jacksonville, FL. said they would charge me 2 hours labor to wire the lights... Still having trouble accepting that!

[naturbar]

I'm sorry, I should've elaborated more...

 

The fuse that blew was the headlight fuse. After replacing it (the only one I have), I disconnected the red (fog lights) wire from the green wire (which I thought was the low-beam headlight wire), and the headlight works. I'm afraid to hook up the red wire to anything else risking another blown fuse.

 

Btw... the Yamaha dealership here in Jacksonville, FL. said they would charge me 2 hours labor to wire the lights... Still having trouble accepting that!

take an ohm meter and check your 'red' fog light wire to see if it is shorted to ground. if it is you must track down where it is pinched and fix that before proceeding. good luck. btw i recently installed the yamaha passing lamps and used the relay and it's not as hard as you might think. here is a link that i used , i pretty much used Dave 77459 pics to help with the relay wiring.

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=38307&highlight=passing+lamps+part

[JonnyQuest]

I hate to sound "conductively" illiterate, but I have no idea what an ohm meter is or how to use one. I'm not someone who can't put one foot in front of the other, but just have no clue when it comes to electrical/wiring.

 

I'ohm just going off of basic blueprints from other threads from this site. Trying to keep everything basic.

 

But I do need to make sure I don't have connections making contact with bare metal in the headlight/fog light housing.

[wes0778]

wire from the green wire (which I thought was the low-beam headlight wire), and the headlight works. I'm afraid to hook up the red wire to anything else risking another blown fuse. If the green wire is for the low beams, then the passing lights will not be on when you switch the headlight to high beam.

 

Btw... the Yamaha dealership here in Jacksonville, FL. said they would charge me 2 hours labor to wire the lights... Still having trouble accepting that!

If you cannot find a local member to help, paying the dealer might not be a bad deal, IF they will let you watch/learn how they do it.

 

Personal preference is that the passing light are on anytime the headlight is on (high beam or low beam).

[JonnyQuest]

Personal preference is that the passing light are on anytime the headlight is on (high beam or low beam).

 

At $95/hour for labor, I'd just assume to leave the fog lights alone and let them be ornaments. That's more than what I paid for the lights & bracket combined!

 

The state of Florida requires the passing lights be on with the low-beam on, and high beam on only by itself. However, no officer that I know if (and I was one of them) could care less, and probably wouldn't know that info anyway, unless they were FHP looking to fill quotes.

 

I really don't care whether it be high/low beams or constant, for the fog lights to be on, just don't want to blow fuses, and want them to work at least for a while without blowing the ignition, which I've heard them do from time to time:fingers-crossed-emo

[camos]

I really don't care whether it be high/low beams or constant, for the fog lights to be on, just don't want to blow fuses, and want them to work at least for a while without blowing the ignition, which I've heard them do from time to time:fingers-crossed-emo

I have never understood what passing lights are.To me there are four kinds of auxiliary lights for a vehicle, driving lights which are a pencil beam that reach way down the highway, fog lights that have a wide short beam which light the sides of the road and the area between the headlight and the focus point of the low beam, daylight running lights which essentially have no beam and just say here I am, and finally off road lights which are a flood and can be as powerful as you like to turn night into day.

 

Yamaha and probably most other MC's have the skinniest wire they can get away with that will handle the stock lighting requirements with no regard for the health of the battery not even considering the limitations of a generally pathetic charging system.

If you want to add aux lights of any kind with a significant amount of power they should have a relay with a #14 or #10 power wire fused and fed directly from the battery. The relay coil can be powered as necessary to get the aux lights working in the manner desired by tapping into the stock wiring.

 

If the lights should be on all the time (DRL's) with the ignition pick something convenient like the front turn/running light to power the relay or add a switch to turn them off independent of the ignition while still having the backup of not forgetting to turn them off with the ignition.

 

If the lights should be on only with the Hi beam, tap into the Hi beam circuit to power the coil or similar for Lo beam only operation.

 

It is true that adding a relay adds one more complication that can go wrong but not doing so can do harm to the stock wiring and switches with the higher amperage being drawn through components that were never designed for that amount. The lights will also work to full capacity with a decent sized power supply wire.

 

If DRL's are all you are after with the passing lamps then LED's (PAR 36 are the ones I think) are the way to go and wire them directly into the ignition system with no relay.