Author Topic: Brake Light conversion (Read 6827 times)

86Rrider · « **on:** June 04, 2014, 12:56:30 PM »

OK guys, I just spent about 3 hours on this site, the EX riders site and general googling but could not find what I am sure I remember reading somewhere years back on how someone had done a working brake light set-up on a 205R. Help! Please direct me to this if you know where it is at. I'm looking for this for I do quite a bit of trail riding with dirt bikes and they always complain that I do not have a brake light on my machine. Well, my tailight assembly caught a large tree branch, kicked-up off the trail, so I figure now is a good time to try this conversion. Help me out here. Thanks

rk88r · « **Reply #1 on:** June 04, 2014, 01:23:04 PM »

450r's have a brake light. I picked up a 450r front master cylinder (switch is built in) so I could do the same. Turns out the master needs a rebuild so it's on the back burner for now.

86Rrider · « **Reply #2 on:** June 04, 2014, 11:32:20 PM »

Yeah, I don't use my fronts much, mostly the rear brake and therefore I make the dirt bike guys angry since our quads stop a lot better in sand than their 2-wheelers! So I am looking for the info on how to add a switch at the rear brake master or lever and what's needed for a dual filament bulb.

thesmith87250r · « **Reply #3 on:** June 05, 2014, 12:42:43 AM »

not super complicated. constant hot to tail light so its always lit . than further up near air box cut the constant hot add a butt connector where you can add a second hot branched off. this will go near rear brake lever to contact switch of your choice contact switch should be a always open circut till its pressed in that will complete circuit. run another wire off of contact switch to tail light to to extra wire on light pig tail which will be your brake light , pig tail should have three wires red ,black ,green guessing colors here. black ground, red constant or with bike running if ya dont have a battery, and green or what ever extra wire ya have that will be your stop light. so parts needed brake light housing that has a dual filament set up some wire and a contact switch with a mount . hope this makes sense

Hawaiiysr · « **Reply #4 on:** June 05, 2014, 01:40:59 AM »

:

Quote from: 86Rrider;35809

Yeah, I don't use my fronts much, mostly the rear brake and therefore I make the dirt bike guys angry since our quads stop a lot better in sand than their 2-wheelers!

Its not your fault they ride behind you

wilkin250r · « **Reply #5 on:** June 05, 2014, 01:47:34 AM »

If you don't care about the front brake lever activating the brake light, it makes things a bit easier, but it's also not difficult to add the front brakes to the circuit. It just requires replacing the front master cylinder with either a 400EX or 450R front cylinder, because they have a spot to mount a switch.

Here's the thread your looking for from exriders: http://www.atvriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?299313-Home-made-brake-light-set-up&s=&highlight=brake%20light

I think the thread is for a 400EX, but the same should apply to the 250r. The rear master cylinder looks a little different, but the concept is the same. The banjo bolt switch replaces your existing banjo bolt (I think you're looking for a 10x1.25, but you'll need to verify that for yourself). Pressure in the line causes the banjo bolt to make the electrical connection.

You should be able to figure it out from here, just run power to your new banjo switch, and then run that to the "bright" side of your dual-filament bulb. I've never done it, so I don't have any pictures or a walk-through, but I know electricity very well, so if you're still struggling to figure it out, let me know and I'll help you. But I imagine the banjo bolt brake switch is the key piece of information you're looking for. With that, the rest should be easy.

86Rrider · « **Reply #6 on:** June 05, 2014, 01:36:47 PM »

Thanks "thesmith8725r" that is actually a pretty clear explination. wilkin250r- that is the write-up I remember reading. I was searching only in the 250R section, did not think to go through the 400EX threads.First- my machine's electrical system is completely stock. No CR ingnition up-grade, no DC conversion, no battery, just plain ole stock '86 electical system!Now, qestions: can the banjo bolt switch and 450R LED light work with the AC electric system? If not, do you or anyone else know of parts like these that will work for the AC?

wilkin250r · « **Reply #7 on:** June 05, 2014, 03:42:37 PM »

The 450r tail light won't work, LED lights need DC power.

The banjo bolt, however, WILL work. It's just a connection, it doesn't care if the power running through it is DC or AC. It doesn't care if it's 5v, 12v, or 48v. It's just switch, it turns the circuit on or off, it doesn't care what type of circuit it is.

So, now we're just looking for a proper tail light, right? Something that can work with the stock system. Have you considered just an on-off tail light (single filament bulb)? You could use a stock light for that easily.

wilkin250r · « **Reply #8 on:** June 05, 2014, 04:41:47 PM »

This one claims to work on AC and DC, with running lights and brake lights. It's not the prettiest, but it's a whopping $25 and also claims to fit a 250r.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-LED-Tail-Light-TRX250R-TRX250X-TRX300EX-TRX400EX-TRX450R-300EX-400EX-/200922965679?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2ec7f126af&vxp=mtr#ht_718wt_654

RED RIDER · « **Reply #9 on:** June 10, 2014, 11:18:59 AM »

I used a 2006 400ex tail light and its led it works fine

86Rrider · « **Reply #10 on:** June 11, 2014, 01:02:57 PM »

Interesting- I just got a re-pop tail light off Ebay, that I thought was just the lense, since it was $12, but it turns out it's the entire tailight assembly, minus the rubber gasket between the lense and the housing. But it is a 3 wire socket with a 2 filament bulb in it! Guess I just need to find that banjo bolt switch and order it. Red Rider- is your electrical system all stock on your machine? If so, you were able to just plug the 400EX LED light into your 250R harness and it works?

RED RIDER · « **Reply #11 on:** June 11, 2014, 03:39:36 PM »

Mine is all stock wiring, what I did was had 400ex light that lenses was broke so took the led circuit board out and fit it in my stock 250r tail light then soldered and shrink tubed the wires direct to the pins on the circuit board. Then plugged in to my stock tail light wires for tail light now have not hooked brake light up yet but thinking of using 400ex rear brake light switch with spring and just attaching to brake pedal and wiring it

RED RIDER · « **Reply #12 on:** June 11, 2014, 03:57:37 PM »

I just looked at the banjo bolt switch i think that would be the way to go. The only issue with running a brake light on tail light is the head light will be on anytime you want brake lights to work unless you unplug headlight during the day thats if you are running one i guess

86Rrider · « **Reply #13 on:** June 12, 2014, 12:24:40 PM »

Red Rider- I think the guys that posted above hit the answer to that- go up-stream in your wire harness and find a hot all the time wire. Splice into that and go to the banjo bolt switch. Then from the switch to the "bright" filament wire on the tail light, the use the ground through the tail light harness. Then the brake light should be it's own circuit and the tail light it's own circuit.

RED RIDER · « **Reply #14 on:** June 12, 2014, 05:15:37 PM »

I would agree that should work just fine