Has anyone tried adding lighting or a lighting kit to the Givi V46 top box? I was going to add LED's behind the reflector panels, but can't figure out how to get the top piece of the trunk lid off, and I'd hate to snap it.
Givi V46 top box lighting options
- Thread starter desert_rider
- Start date
I didn't think that the factory light kit would provide enough light so I opted to install my own. I purchased a strip of peel-n-stick LED lights that are super bright. Because of the compound curvature of the lenses, I had to cut the LED's into 3 light segments, stick them to the silver cardboard, then solder little jumper wires to reconnect the segments. It was a tedious process, to say the least, and I accomplished the installation over two evenings. The lights are connected to a taillight modulator which really makes them stand out!
Givi V46 Lights
The reflector panels are held in place by small black screws accessible from the inside...
Givi V46 Lights
The reflector panels are held in place by small black screws accessible from the inside...
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OP
OP
That's EXACTLY what I want to do. Do you have any other pictures of how you did it, and can you share which LED's you bought?
I'm super paranoid about being rear-ended by a 16 year old girl as she's updating her facebook page while driving behind me.
I'm super paranoid about being rear-ended by a 16 year old girl as she's updating her facebook page while driving behind me.
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I obtained the LED strip from LED Wholesalers. The trunk application didn't require 5 meters worth of lights. I installed the remainder in the bottom of my basement railing to illuminate the steps, which also turned out really cool! The LED's were on sale for $75 when I bought them, so the current $120 would have had me looking for another source. These LED's are rated at 3400 lumens, which are extremely bright. You'll notice in my video that the LED's function as running lights as well as brake lights. I did this by incorporating a switching type voltage regulator and four diodes to isolate the brake and running light circuits. I experimented with the voltage regulator until I found the brightness level that looked right. It was around 7 volts if I remember correctly.
Installing the LED's was extremely tedious. The LED strip can be cut into segments containing three LED's without affecting their functionality. I cut a small piece of cardboard the same size as one segment, lightly taped it to the silver reflective cardboard, and held the cardboard inside the red lens to see if it lined up properly with the pattern of plastic in the lens. I kept moving the cardboard until it was properly alligned, then traced around the cardboard with a thin Sharpie marker so that I could stick the LED segment in the exact same place. Did I mention this was a tedious process? ;-)
After the segments were stuck in place, I soldered thin jumper wires to reconnect the segments. I connected the larger wires that run to the motorcycle to the LED's at the sides to minimize the amount of wire that needed to be run. The wires from the two sides are zip-tied along the ledge and meet up at the front of the trunk. I soldered a connector to the wires under the seat to make it easy to remove the trunk. It's extremely rare when I remove my trunk, so I bypassed installing a connector into the trunk which would make for a cleaner installation.
Here's the LED's:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trek2120/6250211643/
Here's how I routed the wires inside the trunk:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trek2120/6250738748
Here's the schematic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trek2120/6250211385
Installing the LED's was extremely tedious. The LED strip can be cut into segments containing three LED's without affecting their functionality. I cut a small piece of cardboard the same size as one segment, lightly taped it to the silver reflective cardboard, and held the cardboard inside the red lens to see if it lined up properly with the pattern of plastic in the lens. I kept moving the cardboard until it was properly alligned, then traced around the cardboard with a thin Sharpie marker so that I could stick the LED segment in the exact same place. Did I mention this was a tedious process? ;-)
After the segments were stuck in place, I soldered thin jumper wires to reconnect the segments. I connected the larger wires that run to the motorcycle to the LED's at the sides to minimize the amount of wire that needed to be run. The wires from the two sides are zip-tied along the ledge and meet up at the front of the trunk. I soldered a connector to the wires under the seat to make it easy to remove the trunk. It's extremely rare when I remove my trunk, so I bypassed installing a connector into the trunk which would make for a cleaner installation.
Here's the LED's:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trek2120/6250211643/
Here's how I routed the wires inside the trunk:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trek2120/6250738748
Here's the schematic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trek2120/6250211385
OP
OP
Would this be the same thing? They're on sale for $29.95 right now, or did you get the waterproof ones?
http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=474
http://www.ledwholesalers.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=474
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Unfortunately, not the same. Compare the "Lumens" spec between the two and you'll see there's a huge difference in the brightness. I drenched my trunk with a hose prior to the installation to verify that no water would get in behind the lenses. They stayed completely dry so I did not get the waterproof version.
I know this is an older thread, but I am trying to do the same thing. Question though, what diodes did you use?
And curious if the LED's were the 5050? Or the 3528 type?
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I went to AutoZone and found some RED led lights by Alpena - they are labeled MAX LEDs.. they also have some labeled Flex LEDs but they are about half as bright.
I went ahead and used the kit from admore to make the round lights running/brake... but then put one strip of the MAX LEDs on each side and used them as brake lights. I'm thinking about doubling those up so one of the 2 strips is a signal light.
I went ahead and used the kit from admore to make the round lights running/brake... but then put one strip of the MAX LEDs on each side and used them as brake lights. I'm thinking about doubling those up so one of the 2 strips is a signal light.
I used 1 amp diodes from Radio Shack.
I believe that they were the 5050's. I'd have to research it again. I went with the brightest LED's they had.