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How To Install Aftermarket Motorcycle Mirrors

  • Granddaughter Maya

Motorcycle Association of New York State, Inc. (MANYS)'s Web Site

Motorcycle Riders Foundation's Web Site

American Motorcyclist Association's Web Site

Cliches

Cronies


Calculation Rivco LED Mirrors to a Victory Cantankerous Land Motorbike

This document describes adding mirrors with built-in LEDs to a Victory Cross State Tour. That may seem like a unproblematic project, but information technology turned out to be fraught with unforseen mechanical and electrical hurdles. I think it probable that some of these bug employ to other late-model motorcycles, so if y'all're interested in this type of "farkle," read on.

WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT?:

There are several aftermarket vendors that manufacture replacement motorbike mirrors that take one or two LED lights contained in each mirror or mirror housing. These boosted lights can office every bit extra plow signals or running lights, or even serve every bit the only forepart- or rear-facing turn signals and running lights if y'all're building a custom bike or stripping down a stock motorcycle. Beingness hide and wide, mirror-based lights add an actress level of conspicuity — they're a meaning safety farkle. Drivers hovering alongside and slightly alee of your rear plow signals, for instance, should be able to see mirror-based turn signals.

In my case, I added Rivco LED Lighted Turn Signal Mirrors - Black (part # MIRLEDBK, $249.95) to my 2022 Victory Cross Country Bout motorbike. Rivco likewise makes a chrome version (part # MIRLED) for the same price. Hither'south a picture from Rivco's web site (hey, I'm giving them complimentary publicity, and so I assert that this constitutes "fair use"). As with all the pictures on this page, click on the image to enlarge it, and then press Escape or the "Ten" (which appears if you hover your mouse over it) to shut the enlargement :

Rivco LED Lighted Turn Signal Mirrors

These mirrors have a red LED crescent curving effectually the exterior edge of the glass in the mirror housing, rear-facing only. These are lit upwardly only when the turn signals are activated. The front of each housing has a larger amber LED area. These are on all the time, as front-facing running lights, except that they will instead blink, along with the red ones, when the corresponding plow signal is agile.

Rivco'due south web site states:

Installation is as simple every bit bolting them on and connecting three wires.
It also originally (when I was undertaking this project, back in 2022) stated:
This item will not work on Victory Crossroads or Cantankerous State models every bit the mill wiring will not allow the addition of extra lighting to plough signal circuits.
Update, September 2022:

That product page still states that you can't use these mirrors on a Victory. (Update, April 2022: that restriction has been removed by Rivco, who refers to its relay-based pick.) Nevertheless, contradicting that, the latest version of Rivco's instructions, released since I wrote this folio, at present include a second page, titled "Wiring diagram for MIRLED turn point mirrors on belatedly model BMW, Victory and others using CAN-Coach electrical systems." That new page shows you how to add together 2 relays to make everything work equally intended.

This is actually a similar approach to the i I took — and which I informed Rivco about, back then — but uses separate relays. Every bit you'll see, using a trailer isolator is a way of using a pre-packaged collection of relays. I adopt my method, every bit it provides boosted capabilities, should you demand them for later piece of work. Read on, please, equally I talk over Rivco's approach in more depth later.

Update, January 2022:

I recently noticed that Rivco now sells a product they call the MIR100 Can Bus Module ($59.95). The wiring of this module, in conjunction with the Rivco mirrors, is included on the 2d page of Rivco's mirror instructions.

Given that the MIR100 product page specifically mentions Victorys (among some other brands), I think this is the way to go now. That is, while I have no easily-on experience with the MIR100, if I were doing this modern today I would probably buy it, and run across if it works. Information technology is a less expensive form of the particular isolator I bought, and nosotros seem to accept Rivco'south discussion that it would practise the job.


I read that first quote a long time agone. I don't know whether I got tired of reading then, or whether the 2nd quote was added much more recently to Rivco'south web page. In whatsoever event, I didn't read Rivco'due south caveat about Victory bikes until after I started this project, when information technology was pointed out to me (thanks, Mark).

Then, I personally discovered that:

  • Rivco is correct: if installed in a typical fashion, y'all go strange, unwanted, results (as I draw afterward on).
  • You tin get these mirrors to work just fine on a Victory "Cross" cycle, merely you'll demand to add an extra electronic control.
  • You'll also demand to do some small-scale fabrication work, in club to mount the right-side mirror.
  • I doubtable that y'all'll face like electrical issues with a lot of modernistic bikes, especially those with CANbus wiring systems (such equally about, if not all, late-model BMWs).
I'll item these additional requirements in a moment. Offset, however, some background information is in club.

THE OTHER MIRROR CANDIDATES:

In addition to Rivco, a few other companies make plough signals with LEDs:

  • Muth makes Motorbike Betoken Mirror Kits. Muth is an OEM supplier to some car companies, and their pointer formation of LEDs behind mirrored drinking glass — visible only when lit — is a work of art. I installed a set of these on my 2000 Honda Valkyrie Interstate. These were bright and classy, and had ane characteristic often overlooked past other designers (including, equally nosotros'll see, Rivco): there was a gear up screw on the mirror housing that allowed the tension to be adjusted in the ball-and-socket housing pivot surface area.

    But there are a few drawbacks to the Muth product. First, at $469, plus perhaps another $25 for thread adapters, they're almost twice as expensive every bit the Rivcos. Side by side, the version I installed in 2003 had just the rear-facing LEDs, i.e., they did not take frontward-facing LEDs to role as running lights; at least this deficiency has been corrected now — run into Muth's METRIC CRUISER page. Terminal, the wiring that ran from the mirrors down the stalks was not fully enclosed, which is something that I'd wait for $400+. (This is not an issue if you're using Muth's replacement-glass-only models for bikes that have enclosed mirror housings built into their bodywork, such every bit Gold Wings, some BMWs, and Victory's Vision.)

    Update, October 2022:

    Muth recently came out with a product called Merge Master Signal� Mirrors. A pair of these costs $204.00 (including the thread adapters — I'm not sure if they're required for the Cross Land). That is significantly cheaper than Muth's other stalk-mounted mirrors, and even cheaper than the Rivco mirrors. When I emailed Muth, asking well-nigh the pricing, I was told: "The Merge Masters are less expensive because they aren't machined from barracks. They are die bandage in higher volume. Notwithstanding, they take gone through the same rigorous testing equally our Billet mirrors."

    Similar the Rivcos, the Merge Masters have forward-facing LEDs, in addition to embedded rear-facing turn signals. And like the Rivcos, they are available in chrome or black. Had the Merge Masters been available when I was shopping for LED mirrors, they certainly would have been serious contenders.

  • Kuryakyn makes two products, Blind Spot Ii Plow Bespeak Mirrors (part # 1499, $193.99, plus adapters, part # 1411 or part # 1413, $10.99) and Plow Signal Mirrors (part # 1432, $203.99, plus adapters, part # 1411 or function # 1413, $x.99).

    Each of the Blind Spot Ii Turn Point Mirrors has "an 50.E.D. Amber turn signal directed to the side," i.e., a single, edge-mounted, LED area. Thus, no running-low-cal function. I volition say that if y'all're actually interested in running lights — and I call up that you should be, especially if your wheel doesn't take them in the front end — there are several companies that make electronic gizmos that add this capability to stock turn signals (although they, likewise, are not likely to piece of work on Victory "Cross" bikes).

    Kuryakyn's Turn Signal Mirrors look a lot like the Rivcos, actually, but the forward-facing LED area on them is all y'all get; they office as both a running lite and turn indicate, but the plough signal is a forward-facing 1. So, if you're interested in these mirrors, in terms of adding turn signals y'all have to enquire yourself whether you want to garner more attending from motorists in front of you — these Kuryakyn mirrors — or both in forepart of and backside y'all — the Rivco mirrors.

  • Every bit pointed out to me (thanks, Kevin) in this VOG.net thread, Chrome Glow sells Oval LED Turn Signal Motorcycle Mirrors for $190.95 (plus the price of stalk-thread adapters). These await to be the equivalent of the Rivco mirrors — front end and rear LEDs for signals, and forrard-facing running-low-cal LEDs — and well-nigh $lx less costly. This is another alternative, although Chrome Glow notes (in the FEATURES tab) that the "Red mirror side LEDs notifies when indicate is left on by error (not intended visible by drivers backside you lot)" and besides that they are "Not recommended for bikes with heavy vibration ( ex. Aftermarket exhaust, Engine upgrades, hard tails)."
There may, of course, exist other LED-mirror vendors, merely if so they've escaped my observe.

I decided on the Rivcos because I wanted forrard-facing running lights — the Victory has nice bright LED plough signals, front and rear, just no front running lights — and I felt it important to add together high-mounted turn signals that are visible to traffic budgeted from the rear (which may exist in your lane, or alongside) or from the forepart (in which case, hopefully, traffic isn't in your lane). And I didn't want to exist bothered with additional electronic add-ons that convert plow signals to running lights (which may or may not piece of work); as we'll see, this project became complex enough.

PHYSICAL INSTALLATION OF THE RIVCOS — Pin POSITIONING:

You physically install the LED mirrors before doing any electric hookups. This process is direct-forward, but there are a couple of "gotchas" that yous have to exist aware of.

Rivco's instructions tell you:

Lay the mirrors out: observe that one of the heads is upside down from [i.e., as a result of] the mode information technology is packaged. Rotate this mirror ahead to be correct side upwardly so that the lettering is at the bottom of both mirrors.
This is the first gotcha. Similar virtually all mirrors, the mirror housing rotates on the mirror stalk past way of a ball-and-socket organisation. In the case of the Rivcos, you might think that the housing is welded to the brawl. Sifting through the Internet to brand sure that this recalcitrance was not some sort of a fluke, I came across this more colorful (if PG13-rated) clarification on a Triumph forum: "The mirrors adjustment was stiffer than a 19 year old'southward pecker."

Enlisting the aid of a friend, with one of us holding the stalk and the other grasping the outside of the housing, didn't assistance; we gave upward, fearful of breaking that mirror. Our Plan B: we sprayed some PB Blaster around the ball, and permit information technology soak in for a while; we were then able to united nations-freeze that mirror, but information technology still required the employ of the buddy system. Next, we sprayed some silicone lubricant in that area, and let that soak in for an even longer period.

The ball-and-socket at present works slightly ameliorate than before. While I tin can capeesh Rivco's concern that your gear up positioning stays put even on, say, a Harley at idle, I still wish for the tension-setting spiral constitute on the Muth mirrors that I installed a decade ago. Incidentally, I sent email to Rivco, asking for their suggestions on this outcome; I'll let you know if they ever get back to me.

Physical INSTALLATION OF THE RIVCOS — STALK THREADING:

Remove each stock Victory mirror by simply loosening the nut at the bottom of the stem (with a 17mm wrench), and and then unscrew the stem. Both of these are standard threads, i.e., "lefty-loosey."

Rivco nicely provides three adapters for "metric" bikes, and a couple of bolts and washers for H-Ds. Ane of the adapters has a groove running circumferentially effectually the exterior of its large nut; this is a reverse-threaded adapter, plainly for the right-side mirror on some Yamaha models. Nosotros'll ignore all of that, and apply the other two adapters.

Put some red thread-locker on the smaller end of each adapter —and only that end — and screw them solidly into the lesser of the stalks (using a 10mm wrench, despite the instructions' notation of an 8mm ane). Let the thread-locker set up.

What normally comes next is this:

  • Past paw, turn the large nut on each adapter such that information technology is resting against the stalk proper, i.e., expose the maximum corporeality of threads on the big, bottom, portion of the adapter.
  • By paw, screw the bottom of each adapter into the bike, belongings the wiring up along the stalk, then that it doesn't get twisted.
  • When yous attain the finish, the stem probably won't be aligned such that it is sticking straight out (sideways) from the bike, then back off a revolution or less, such that the alignment is the way you like it.
  • Tighten downwards the big nut on the adapter (with a 14mm wrench), such that the stalk is positioned to your liking. Since you'll still have to adjust the mirrors via the ball-and-socket mechanism, my suggested torque value for this stalk nut is "very tight."
  • Route the wiring along the handlebars with existing bundles, and feed the ends into the fairing area. You'll want to add 2 or iii wire ties on each side; leave some slack at the bottom of the stalks (and so that they can be slightly repositioned as time goes on, if need be), but make sure (adding a wire tie in the surface area) that the wires don't interfere with or can get pinched by the movements of the clutch and brake levers.
However, in the case of some Victory models — I don't know how many, just my Cross Country Bout is among them — and possibly some other brands, there'south some other "gotcha."

The problem is that the area that accepts the correct-side mirror threads is recessed into a portion of the front brake reservoir housing (merely to the right of the primary cylinder cover). The stock locking nut flares into a conical section on pinnacle. What concerns us hither, however, is that the lesser portion of this nut consists of a sort of sleeve; the nut on the Rivco-supplied adapter does not take this extra sleeve area (disregard the groove on the Rivco jam nut and the reverse threads on its adapter, discussed to a higher place):

Jam nuts Jam nuts sleeve

This sleeve area has an outside diameter of about 0.58" (15mm) and is about 0.16" (4mm) deep. If you were to just tighten down the nut on the Rivco adapter — as I was doing, before I noticed this trouble — y'all'd wind up buggering the superlative surface of this area of the reservoir housing, and y'all would not be able to solidly lock in the stalk.

Here'southward what I did. I bought some washers at my local hardware store. It turns out that information technology'south not hard to observe them with an OD of 0.58"; depending on their thickness, 1 may suffice. I then drilled out the washer(s), using a series of bits, such that the threaded end of the stem could pass through; the threads have an OD of well-nigh 0.39" (10mm). Doing this drilling was a PITA, considering you will air current upwardly not having much fabric left in the washer; if y'all clamp it on border in a vise with much forcefulness, you'll wind up bending it. Last, I also bought a pretty hard neoprene (or something like that) black washer, with an OD of virtually 0.63" (16mm); this covered upwardly the metallic washer, and the buggered expanse on the embrace, and still immune me to rigidly tighten the adapter nut.

Another possible solution, had I known of this problem beforehand, would exist to social club a stock black mirror jam nut. For the 2022 model yr, Victory came out with some blacked-out versions of the Cantankerous State, which come with blackness mirror stalks and housings. I take not verified this, just I believe what you need is role number 7547397-266, "NUT, JAM, MIRROR, Black"; this goes for almost $5, if y'all shop around.

Nonetheless, if instead of drilling out washers, etc., you use the very large stock nut on the right side (either in chrome or black, for either the chrome or black Rivco version), you lot'll wind up with — um, how shall I say this? — a mismatched set up of nuts. And I think that will look pretty bad, much worse, for case, than the mismatched stem heights already nowadays on the Cross Land.

Annotation that y'all don't need to go through whatever of these machinations on the left side. The left mirror mounts in a special-purpose raised area of the clutch-lever holder, which is, thankfully, flat metal on meridian, i.e., non recessed. In fact, although I haven't tested this, information technology looks equally if you can't use the stock nut on the left side. Because the left side does non mount in a recessed thread surface area, and because the conical top of the stock nut does not fit around the bottom of the Rivco stalk (the way it does on the stock stalk), I don't believe you'll have plenty threads left on the supplied adapter, i.e., it'due south not long enough. Thus, I believe you have to use the Rivco nut on the Rivco adapter on the left side.

Another possible solution regarding the recessed thread expanse, when adding either the blackness or chrome version of the Rivco mirrors, presents itself if y'all happen to have installed Victory's optional hydraulic clutch kit. In that case I think you lot can use a pair of the chrome or blacked-out Victory jam nuts (although I've never really seen this optional clutch housing).

While I suppose Rivco can't embrace all eventualities, what they should practice is include a nut that'southward fashioned such that it incorporates a bottom sleeved surface area, if they want to make information technology easy for Victory owners. Or maybe just provide seperate, appropriately sized, sleeves (in chrome or blackness, to match the jam nuts they supply).

Accept OFF THE FAIRING:

Yous need to remove the fairing to become at the wiring, just this is non a major undertaking. Hither's a PDF copy of the two pages from the Victory shop manual that embrace that process (again, I'm relying on the "off-white use" doctrine of copyright police): pages 3.xiv–3.15.

Hither'south the drill:

  • If y'all have the alpine windshield that's stock on the XCT, remove information technology (six bolts, merely the brackets can stay in place).
  • Remove the headlight trim ring.
  • Remove the four headlight 5mm bolts. (Ignore the 2 Phillips screws; they conform the aim.)
  • Swing the headlight downward a bit, and elevator out. Holding the headlight, disconnect the two headlight wires. If your model doesn't have an HID bulb, these connectors will be similar; annotation which goes where. Even if y'all practise have an HID seedling, the other connector will exist lurking effectually within the fairing, disconnected; don't mistakenly employ that connector when reconnecting the halogen high axle.
  • Disconnect the plow-signals wires. If you raise the border of the cycle-side connector (with a tiny spiral driver, for instance) in order to disconnect it, do and then very slightly, in order not to break that piece of plastic.
  • Remove the speaker grills, prying up the outside edge (as the within edge has L-shaped tabs).
  • Remove the four 4mm screws on each side: one past the outside of the speaker expanse, and three down the outside edge (2 of which will be longer, if you lot accept the fairing winglets on your model).
  • Swing the fairing out and up from the bottom a bit, and so lift the top upward and back.
Once you've done this a few times, the unabridged process takes right around ten minutes. Actually.

Reassembly is the opposite. The simply circumspection needed is non to pinch the headlight and plough-signals wires when y'all put the fairing back on. The fairing itself has two large 50-hook latches congenital into the superlative, iv large and four small alignment protuberances along the edges, and a single nipple beneath the headlight for lesser alignment. Just line things up, and push; make sure that the congenital-in latching areas snap in place, both forth the top and forth the lower sides.

If you haven't done this before and if you have a Harbor Freight store near yous, I recommend their 4 Piece Nylon Pry Bar Installer Kit (or equivalent, from most automobile-parts stores):

Nylon Pry Bars

Having something like this makes removing the speaker grills and headlight trim ring a snap; the set is cheap (you can utilize any ane of the four), and the pry edges are hard and thin plenty to become the job done, yet soft plenty not to scratch or mar annihilation.

You lot'll also need some hex keys. For the 4 (5mm) bolts that hold the headlight in place, you'll probably demand a ratchet, simply for all the other (4mm) bolts, a brusque extension and a thumbwheel should practice the trick, i.east.:

Hex key on thumbwheel

Incidentally, if you've added Madstad brackets and windshield (every bit I take), there's no need to remove it; tilting the windshield back all the way will provide enough clearance.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AND TOOLS:

Since y'all'll be looking at pictures of connectors, y'all should know what you're looking at, and why. If y'all're already an expert at connecting wires, feel costless to skip this section.

When yous "tap" into an existing wire, you lot tin actually tap into it, using, for instance, 3M Scotchlok Connectors or imitations of them. They look like this:

Scotchlok Connector

These simply don't make a reliable, trouble-gratuitous, connection. You'll see, below, that some of these were provided with the Electric Connectedness wire harness, but I didn't use them.

You could besides use a Posi-Tap™:

Posi-Tap Connector

These are much better than the Scotchlok type of connectors. However, I've added some electric farkles using Posi-Taps, and in my experience these do non make reliable connections, either. Yes, I used the correct sizes for the wire gauges I was using. Besides, if yous're just experimenting, yous need to be aware that if you remove a Posi-Tap, you're left with a tiny puncture in the insulation. A lot of folks swear past Posi-Taps, but I'm non i of them.

What exercise I utilize? Two products: Wago Cage Clench® Compact Connectors and Posi-Lock™ Connectors:

Wago Connector Posi-Lock Connector

For "tapping" into an existing wire, I cut that wire, and then insert those two cut ends, along with the wire to be added, into a three-connector Wago. If you're adding several wires to an existing one, just use the five-connector version.

Each wire end needs to be stripped, and the length of insulation to be removed is shown by a physical indentation on the back of the Wago. And that's it: flip open a lever at a wire position, insert the wire, and close the lever. These connections are snug and stay put, and accommodate all the wire sizes you'll be using (short of a 10-approximate connection to a battery). And if you lot want to re-do or un-do some work, just flip open the lever and slide out a wire, which is completely undamaged.

While these aren't waterproof connectors, I've been using these for years under bodywork without incident. This includes extensive use of three- and v-wire connectors on my 2007 Burgman 650 Exec, which was parked outside at the Indianapolis MotoGP in 2008. The effect was subjected to the remnants of Hurricane Ike, with winds and rain strong plenty to cancel one of the races, shorten another, and take down most of the Yamaha tent:

Indianapolis, 2008-09-13 Indianapolis, 2008-09-14

Among other places, you can buy Wagos in small quantities at Custom Dynamics, a store familiar to many motorcyclists. You can also get them in bulk (recommended) at Amazon, for case. Highly recommended.

The Posi-Locks are made past the same company that makes Posi-Taps; while I don't utilize the latter, I'k ane of the folks who swear past the old. To use these, you unscrew the stop connectors, laissez passer a wire — with some insulation stripped off the end — through that end cap and upward against the within of the central torso of the connector, and screw downwardly the cease cap. For connecting two wire ends together, this forms a connexion that may exist stronger than a plain wire itself.

Like the Wagos, one time connected the Posi-Locks stay put, and the wires are also left undamaged if you lot want to contrary this process to un-do a connexion. Also similar the Wagos, Posi-Locks are not technically waterproof (although the company does brand versions that are); yet, unless you submerge your bicycle — in which example you'll have more problems than this — you won't have to worry near water.

Yous can purchase Posi-Locks at many places, including some NAPA stores. On-line providers include webBikeWorld, which has an extensive variety for auction (and for which I've written a dozen articles), and also at Custom Dynamics.

We'll too exist using band terminals — essential for bombardment hook-ups — and possibly a butt connector:

Ring Terminals Butt Connectors

To make reliable connections using these types of connectors, yous should use a ratcheting curling. These take multiple jaws for different wire and connector sizes, and close securely on the connectors; they won't open until you lot've closed them sufficiently. I bought this Paladin model 8 years ago (when it was much cheaper than information technology is now), just there are many other companies that brand similar products, both more than and less expensive:

Ratcheting Crimper

Speaking of tools, if you're still using some bones wire stripper that looks similar a pair of scissors, you should upgrade to something such as the Irwin® Self-Adjusting Wire Stripper:

Wire Stripper

I use something very like that's thirty+ years old, and these tools save a lot of work, do a corking chore, and don't needlessly tug on wires.

In that location are all sorts of other, much fancier, connectors. If you lot're very conscientious (or anal) and yous want to emulate or even surpass a factory wiring harness and its connectors, you could utilise Deutsch connectors and the Deutsch crimping tool that retails for near $250 (and provides eight simultaneous "mil-spec" crimps, squishing a cylindrical connector onto a wire, as opposed to the typical 2-sided crimps of the Paladin, et al.):

Deutsch Connector Deutsch Crimper

If you intend to add electrical goodies to many bikes to come, and y'all can afford the Deutsch connectors and crimpers, I call up this is really a reasonable purchase; at that place are similar connectors available from other vendors, but I recall these are the best. Annotation that these sorts of connectors and tools are certainly not necessary for this project.

WIRING THE RIVCO LED MIRRORS — WHAT WON'T Work:

Ten years agone, when I hooked up those Muth LED mirrors to my Valkyrie, I got ability and ground from each of the stock front turn signal wires, and that was that. It merely manifestly worked, and didn't even modify the wink rate (which I timed, before and after).

Merely times accept changed. The Valk used incandescent bulbs, and had i of those old automotive-manner flasher units. The Victory, on the other mitt, uses LEDs all around for turn signals (and for the brake and running lights out back, as well), and the flashing is but one of the many functions at least moderated by the electronic control module (ECM).

My first attempt at hooking up the Rivco LED mirrors duplicated that procedure: use the corresponding stock front end plow signals for power and ground to the mirrors, as well. (Recollect, the Rivcos have a running light role, too, but that's a dissever connexion, and is irrelevant to this part of our give-and-take. Consider information technology non hooked up, which for well-nigh of the time really was the example.)

Victory nicely affixes labels to the left and correct turn betoken wires, the ones you lot asunder as role of the fairing removal process. To determine which of each pair is the hot wire and which is the footing, all you have to practise is switch on the ignition, flip the turn betoken switch to the left or right, and insert a circuit tester into the end of the bike-side wires. A circuit tester, available at any auto-parts shop, is just a light with a wire coming out one stop (with an alligator prune) and a point at the other end. You adhere the clip to the nearest large clamper of metal on the cycle, and probe for voltage with the indicate:

Circuit Tester

Merely put the probe into i or the other open ends of the connector on each side, for a few seconds. If you lot've inserted the point into the footing wire, nix will happen. If you've inserted information technology into the hot wire, the tester's light will flash, equally if information technology were a plow signal; note the color of the wire that'south going into the back side of that opening of the connector in question.

And don't condone this live-wire conclusion step. I can't vouch for this, merely according to reports on the usually reliable Internet, some Victorys came from the factory with the polarity reversed on the correct-side front turn signal. If you lot claw up something astern, y'all run the risk of frying the ECM — which lists for something like $300 — which has also been a reported occurrence.

So what happened with the Rivcos on the Victory? Random acts of lightness.

With the left turn point switch on:

  • Both the left mirror and the stock left-side turn signals functioned normally.
  • Every once in a while, however, but the mirror'south turn signal worked. When that was the case, it would flash more speedily than normal.
With the right turn signal switch on:
  • Just the correct mirror's plough signal worked (and would wink more rapidly than normal).
  • Every once in a while, however, the right-side mirror and the stock forepart and rear signals would flash once; and so, the stock signals would no longer flash, and the mirror would flash more chop-chop than normal.

With the four-way hazard flasher switch on:

  • But the mirror turn signals would flash (and more apace than normal); the iv stock LEDs would not flash.
If I asunder the Rivcos — a trifling matter, remember, because all I had to do was lift some levers on the Wago connectors and slide out ii hot wires — the stock signals would return to normal, i.e., work fine.

OF EQUALIZERS ... :

Motorbike-oriented "load equalizers" are resisters that you add together in-line (i.due east., in serial) in a circuit. They are primarily designed to maintain the flash charge per unit when you replace incandescent bulbs with LEDs. Custom Dynamics has a proficient choice of these, if y'all ever find yourself in need of some.

While I was non performing this archetype case of substituting a high-resistance device with a low-resistance device, it's true that adding a device in parallel — which is what occurs when yous tap into the existing plough-signal wires — lowers the resistance (every bit yous'll recall from loftier schoolhouse physics or other basic electricity class).

Nevertheless, I didn't opt to effort whatever of these. Load equalizers may exist appropriate in some circumstances, but they become hot, waste product alternator capacity, and at that place'southward no guarantee that the load will exist the value you need and that the ECM still won't discover something to mutter about.

... AND ISOLATORS:

What I did opt for was a trailer isolator. These are (commonly) a grouping of solid-country relays, and are, yep, ordinarily used for trailer wiring. This is the same concept you'd employ when replacing the wimpy stock horn with a high-wattage air horn, for example: you lot employ the existing horn wiring to trigger a relay, which and then connects a new, divide, fused, excursion to the added horn ... which new circuit gets power from the battery, non from the existing horn circuit. This prevents bravado a pocket-sized stock fuse, prevents overloading thin stock wires with too much electric current, and prevents sending more juice through the stock horn button than its internal contacts were intended to handle.

In the words of Electrical Connectedness (which apparently has some disdain for apostrophes), in a certificate that no longer appears to be on-line:

Trailer isolators easily and properly connect your trailers lighting while removing the electrical load from the motorcycles manufactory wiring, fuses, relays, computers and electronics.

You'll find similar explanations of how a trailer isolator functions on these Kriss and Rivco pages.

Most importantly (for our purposes), by using a trailer isolator, the minimal current fatigued from stock hot wires — because that current functions but as relay triggers for our added LEDs — and the momentary nature of information technology — simply the cursory fourth dimension to plough on or off a solid-state relay — does not throw the ECM into random hissy-fits with regard to the stock lighting. That is, we can run the mirror LEDs on power from the isolator, and the stock lights as earlier, and anybody at present plays nicely together.

I purchased the Isolator, part # 07660, $69.95 (simply now, April 2022, $79.95) and Universal Sub-Harness, part # 07663, $9.95, from Electrical Connection:

Electrical Connection Isolator Wiring Harness

That corresponding harness from Electrical Connection is not technically necessary. Yous'll note that the isolator has pairs of matching-colored wires coming out of information technology. One of each (except the two blacks and the red) goes to a connector; the harness plugs into that, and those harness wires connect to stock-wiring sources that function every bit relay triggers. The other paired wires in the isolator — the ones that don't go into the connector — serve every bit power outputs; these wires are much thicker (xiv-gauge, I think). You could dispense with the harness, but and so you'd have to be careful about which wire of each color is for what purpose, subsequently cutting off the connector plug on the 4 isolator wires. It seems simpler to me but to spend the $10. As well, you can work with just the harness or the isolator, one at a time, when you're hooking things up; when y'all're all done, simply plug the two halves together.

Past the way, if you lot stumbled upon this page and yous don't take a Victory motorcycle, note that Electric Connectedness also sells what appear to be plug-and-play isolators for some H-Ds, Hondas, and some other brands. See this page on that site.

OTHER TRAILER ISOLATOR CANDIDATES:

I've been purchasing odds and ends from Electrical Connection for about 15 years at present, and I trust the quality of its products. If, nonetheless, yous don't want to go with the Isolator from Electrical Connection, here are links to other trailer isolators I looked at:

  • Add On Trailer Wire Harness 45-8945 ($35.95)
  • Add together On Trailer Wire Harness 45-1819 ($39.95)
  • Add On Trailer Wire Harness 45-1896 ($54.95)
  • Large Bike Parts / Bear witness Chrome Electronically Isolated Trailer Wire Harness (role # 52-694, $49.95)
  • Kriss Trailer Electrical System Isolator (role # TI6002, $159.95) (Update, Baronial 2022: discontinued)
  • Kuryakyn Universal Trailer Wiring & Relay Harness (role # 7671, $81.99)
  • Rivco Universal Trailer Wiring Isolator (function # GL18007-IU, $79.95)
(I was surprised that Eastern Beaver, another i of my favorite outfits for extremely high-quality electrical products, doesn't sell an isolator ... or if it does, I couldn't find it.)

RIVCO'S DUAL-RELAY Arroyo:

As I noted in the "Update, September 2022" near the start of this document, later on I first wrote these instructions and pointed them out to the company, Rivco added a page to its installation instructions. Rivco no longer has that version of its instructions, but I did retain the relevant certificate for myself. The added page nicely describes the utilize of two garden-variety, everyday, bachelor-at-any-car-parts-store, relays:

Rivco dual-relay diagram

What this represents is a subset of what you get when you lot utilize a trailer isolator. That is, an isolator will typically take separate relays for: the left turn signal; the correct plow signal; the restriction light(s); and a abiding (well, when the wheel's ignition is on) source of power for running lights, a license-plate light, and that sort of matter. Rivco's dual-relay method just dispenses with all but those start two relays, because that's all that'southward needed when adding their mirrors to bikes that accept computerized wiring systems that intendance nigh added lights (or even to old-school bikes, if you want to be on the condom side, in terms of isolating added electrical piece of work).

There's aught wrong with Rivco'due south system, and it'southward quite elegant. Information technology'due south certainly less expensive than ownership a trailer isolator, and I might have gone that road myself, had I thought a piffling more than well-nigh the minimum components needed for what I was trying to reach.

Even so, in that location are yet advantages of using a trailer isolator, every bit opposed to private relays. The internal relays in the isolator are usually solid-state, as opposed to mechanical, and so are less decumbent to failure. On a similar notation, some of the trailer isolators are nicely encapsulated, i.e., weather condition-proof, which, once again, makes them more than appropriate for motorcycle apply.

Also, those actress relay outputs — particularly the ignition-on output — on an isolator tin can come up in handy for other projects. That output may save you the trouble of adding a fuse console (see below), if you lot practice a lot of other electrical piece of work.

Last, if at some point you lot decide to tow an bodily trailer with your bike, you'll need the capabilities and isolation provided by the actress relays in a trailer isolator.

The bottom line here is that Rivco's dual-relay wiring method is a reasonable and less expensive solution, and you may desire to consider using it instead of buying a trailer isolator. Now where was I ...

THE ISOLATOR CIRCUITS:

(Update, Apr 2022: Electrical Connection no longer seems to accept the instructions for its isolator posted on line.) I scanned in the relevant folio of the paper instructions that were included with Electrical Connection's isolator, and put it up as a this single-folio PDF document. This is what it looks like, if you don't desire to open it in that location:

Electrical Connection Isolator Page 3

As I mentioned, the "IN" side goes to the harness; the harness wires, in plow, get to the stock wires that will serve equally relay triggers. The "OUT" side are the wires that will be used to power the LEDs in the new mirrors.

THE MIRROR CIRCUITS:

Here's the relevant paragraph from Rivco's instructions that includes the wiring connections:

4. Road the mirror wires with the other wires and cables thru any retaining clips or ties to the turn point wire connectors (usually within the headlight crush) leaving enough slack for the handlebars to turn full left and right without pulling on the wires. On motorcycles that have bullet type wire connectors for the turn signals the connection can be made as follows: Strip dorsum the mirror wires nigh ½' [they mean ½"], unplug the bullet connector, place the striped wire within the female person bullet then plug the male into the female. On other motorcycles you may desire to use 3-manner crimp on splice connectors. Connect the Black wires to footing. Connect the Xanthous wires to the left & right turn signals. Connect the Red wire to the running lights. If your bike does not take running lights you may connect the Red wires to any wire that has ability when the ignition is turned on. This will permit the forward facing amber lights to remain on continuously yet still flash every bit a turn indicate when activated.

WIRING THE MIRRORS AND THE ISOLATOR:

On the wheel, we'll start with the right turn signal wires.

But first, a note most left and right. These refer to the sides of the bike as you're sitting on it. Information technology doesn't matter if yous're looking from the forepart of the bike toward the back, the side of the bike, the back of the bike, or continuing on your head: the throttle grip, for instance, is on the right side of the bike (and the clutch is on the left, unless y'all're riding a scooter, in which case the rear brake is there). So, fifty-fifty though you lot'll see these wires on the left side of a full-frontal photo of all the wiring, we're notwithstanding talking about the correct side of the bike and the correct plough betoken.

All correct, the right plough bespeak hookup:

Right turn signal detail

Notes about this correct turn bespeak photo:

  • I've labeled the Motolight wires just so yous know what those Posi-Locks are. They used to stop in a stock connector for optional fog or driving lights; ignore those.
  • The ruby-red Posi-Lock on the black-and-white basis wire is unnecessary. Remember, I had tapped into this wire, when I idea I could merely use existing circuits for the mirror turn signals (and so had split that ground, for a three-way Wago connector).
  • The Wago connector has the cut bluish-and-red hot wire for the stock plough bespeak every bit 2 of its inputs, although y'all can't run into one of them. The third connectedness is for the yellowish trigger input wire of the isolator.
  • The other red Posi-Lock, in the bottom middle, connects a yellow-and-cherry-red stock wire to the green running lights isolator input. This wire used to terminate (along with a black ground wire, which you can meet wire-tied to information technology, higher up, at the bend) in a connector for, I believe, the unused (on my bike) stock halogen light; since this is merely a trigger input, you can use any old wire that'south hot only when the ignition is on.
If you lot want to study this motion picture in full size, sans labels, click hither. In near browsers, later the picture finishes loading, just click anywhere on it to expand it to full size; then, use the browser's horizontal and vertical gyre bars to movement around.

Now, the left turn signal and isolator wires:

Left turn signal detail

Notes about this left turn bespeak photo:

  • The red Posi-Lock on the black-and-white ground wire is on the unnecessarily cutting wire.
  • A single Wago connector has the black ground wires from each mirror, along with the isolator output black ground wire.
  • Similarly, some other Wago connector has the red running lite wires from each mirror, forth with the isolator output green "tail lights" (i.e., running lights) wire.
  • The blue ("brake lights") isolator and harness wires are non used; put some estrus-shrink tubing over their ends, compress information technology, and package them upwards with the other wires.
If you want to study this picture in total size, sans labels, click hither.

Left, right, and centre:

When you've finished with the in-fairing wiring — the mirrors, the isolator, the harness, the stock hot-wire triggers — this is what y'all wind upwards with:

Full front

(And here's that image in total size on a split page.)

Oops, you should probably employ a few dozen wire ties to parcel up and tuck in all that wire:

Full front neat

(And here's that prototype in full size on a dissever page.)

WIRING TO THE Bombardment:

We have i terminal task to perform: connecting the isolator to the battery, then that it can power (using its output wires) the new LEDs.

Note in the photo in a higher place that the isolator has been tucked far back into the fairing, on the left side, opposite the radio (and backside a horn I've added — run into the serial of pictures beginning here, if you're interested in that modification). The isolator has thick red and blackness wires, and they're only long enough to make it down to the bombardment surface area behind the "chin" encompass on the Cross bikes. Of course, if you desire to add some more wire to lengthen these, but make certain you use overnice thick wire like the existing ones (using some large-size Posi-Locks, for instance).

I besides enclosed nigh of the run of this crimson-and-black pair in 3/8" heat-shrink tubing, and heated and shrank the tubing; when you do this, make sure you aim your heat gun abroad from the isolator trunk. This protects the run, only is mostly for cosmetic purposes. I so ran it out the back of the fairing and downwards the left side of the cycle:

Battery run Battery run continued

If you go down the left side of the wheel, the wire run is less visible when the bike'due south on the side stand up. Also, in that location's already a wire bundle at that place that you tin can wire-tie onto.

CAUTION!

When adding wire runs like this, make sure that:

  • You lot leave enough slack in your wiring, after calculation wire-ties, that the wire is non stretched when turning the handlebars lock-to-lock.
  • Make sure the wires are not pinched, especially at full lock, by the fork tubes or any part of the triple tree.
  • When working with the bombardment itself, make certain yous disconnect the ground side (negative terminal, black wire) offset, and so the hot (positive, red wire) side. When reconnecting, reconnect the red side outset, then the black side. (I skid a big piece of unheated shrink wrap over the big ground wire end after disconnection, to prevent its touching the battery terminal.) The main purpose of this process is to prevent a massive, tool-welding, sparks-flying, brusk circuit if your screwdriver, wrench, or ratchet were to touch the frame when yous're working with the positive terminal, if the footing terminal were still continued.


The battery is at the bottom front of the wheel, beneath the oil cooler, behind the mentum fairing. That slice is held in place by 4 4mm bolts, two at the peak and two underneath the bike. Remove the bolts, slide the chin toward the left side of the wheel (such that a lip on its edge clears the frame), and pull information technology out.

Connecting to the terminals:

You'll showtime need to add the supplied ring terminals to the blood-red and black isolator leads. If you lot don't have ratcheting crimpers, at present is the time to get them.

If this is your merely addition to the battery, go ahead and add the wires to the bombardment bolts, keeping in mind that the crimson wire goes to the positive terminal and the black wire goes to the negative 1. In this instance — yous're not using some other connexion device, such as the Termin-8 or a fuse panel (read on) — you lot'll demand to cut the supplied in-line fuse-holder wire, adhere the ring last to one end of that instead; so, attach the other cease of this fuse wire to the isolator's blood-red wire. (This is what that butt connector is for, the one shown supplied with the isolator; if yous're non an experienced curling, just use a large Posi-Lock, instead.)

Now is also a good fourth dimension to add together some toothed washers to these bolts, as recommended on contrasted Internet forums; loose connections hither lead to all way of issues. (Likewise, the torque spec listed in the Victory store manual is way also low; the proper value is "very tight.") Hither are some I picked upwards at Lowes:

Washers 1 Washers 2

In my case, however, I already had three extra ring terminal pairs on those bombardment bolts: one to power my Stebel Nautilus air horn, and ii for added Powerlet sockets. You can add only and then many ring terminals to the battery bolts before y'all run out of threads or run a risk questionable contacts, and I was already pushing it.

To bargain with that situation, I added Powerlet's Termin-eight:

Termin-8

The Termin-viii has beefy 12-gauge wires that connect to the bombardment bolts via pre-installed band terminals (not "U" terminals, every bit currently shown on Powerlet's site). The scarlet wire has an in-line fuse within a weather-resistant case, and both wires terminate with iv available screws on metal blocks; the screws on the blocks are located one to a side, at staggered heights, so there's ample room to add each connector. You lot connect your devices to these blocks, without glomming up the battery terminal bolts (and so slip the included flexible insulator covers over them, and wire-necktie in place).

There are, of course, products similar to the Termin-8, i.due east., devices that attach directly to the battery terminals, and and so allow you to attach your added devices to them, instead of to the terminals. 2 such examples are the Eastern Beaver 3 Circuit Solution and Kuryakyn Accessory Fused Terminal. Like the Termin-8, these are essentially fused terminal extensions; on the other manus, fuse panels (see beneath) are designed to be triggered by a relay, and are more often than not larger, more sophistacated, and more than difficult to install. If y'all take but 3 or four electrical devices to add together — and peculiarly if they all need to be powered whether or non the bike's ignition is on — then a simple, fused, terminal-extension device is probably the all-time way to go; amidst those, the Termin-8 is the easiest to work with.

Fuse Panels?:

Another arroyo, of course, to over-booked terminals would be to add a fuse panel. This is a device with multiple pairs of connection points — typically half-dozen or eight — for you to hook upwards added accessories; each hot side has its own fuse. The device is connected directly to the battery, and mostly includes a unmarried relay; the relay is triggered past some existing on-bike wire that is hot only when the ignition'southward on. This manner, those connection points are also merely hot when the bike's on, although near all of these accept provision for 1 or more e'er-on circuits. This way, you lot can add together, say, extra lights that become off when the key is turned off, and mayhap an warning system that is e'er hot.

I have nothing against these. In fact, I had fuse blocks on both my Valkyrie and Burgman. However, on the Victory I already had a relay and wiring harness for my horn circuit, and I wanted the two Powerlet circuits to be always hot (because if these were disabled when the bike is off, y'all couldn't use them to hook up a smart charger, to keep the battery in tip-top shape). And so I hadn't felt the need (at least upward until now) to add a separate power device.

In whatever event, if you want to utilise a fuse block, that's certainly fine. Here are some for your consideration:

  • Blue Body of water Fuse Blocks
  • Centech Fuse Panels
  • Denali PowerHub2
  • Eastern Beaver Power Heart viii
  • Electrical Connection Universal Ability Plate Fuse Cake
  • Fuzeblocks FZ-1
  • Neutrino Element and Aurora
  • Rowe Electronics PDM60 Power Distribution Module

If you do use a fuse console, if you tin can fit it under the correct side panel (where the OEM fuses reside, besides), you'll take piece of cake access for fuse replacements. On the other mitt: A) replacing fuses should be an extremely rare or non-existent event, and; B) this would mean that everything you added inside the fairing would require wire runs that accept to allow slack for handlebar movement and would have to travel all the fashion back at that place, neither of which is really desirable. Ideally, yous'd want to put a fuse panel in the vicinity of most of your electric add-ons. If I always feel I need i on the Victory, I'd probably put it in the fairing; while you lot accept to remove a dozen bolts to get inside, I don't think I e'er had to replace a fuse I had in a fuse panel.

If y'all put a fuse cake in the vicinity of the bombardment (which, recall, you can become at via a mere four bolts and a 4mm Allen cardinal), or if you just utilize the Termin-8, or no extra device at all, try not to block air menses to the oil cooler. The Victory gets hot enough, as it is.

OK, Enough ALREADY, HOW'D THIS ALL WORK OUT?:

It came out great. Everything works as intended, and I think the mirrors await sharp:

Final 2 Final 3

The Rivco mirrors are about the same width (5¼") as the stock mirrors, simply elliptical instead of whatever you want to call the shape of the stockers. This gives them slightly less area than the OEMs (and while I could summate the expanse of an ellipse, the stock blueprint is just too much for me):

Mirror Shapes

On the other mitt, the Rivco mirrors stick out farther to the sides (unless y'all bending them way back, in which case they'll show your elbows). The handlebar mountain to the center of the housing ball-and-socket area on the stockers is nigh exactly 5", while that altitude on the Rivcos is nigh vii 1/8". Allow's see, assuming nigh a 45° stem bending, and using the Pythagorean Theorem, means that the sideways difference is nearly ane½":

Stalk Distance Stock Stalk Distance Rivco

This makes a difference — non to discourage caput-checks, mind y'all, but you can really meet better with these. On the other paw, I suppose this makes them more vulnerable in a tip-over, too, if you desire to worry nearly such things.

Likewise, the stock mirrors would vibrate slightly in response to sure engine RPMs, each side having its own (i.eastward., dissimilar) resonant frequencies. The Rivco mirrors seem immune to this stock steady-cruising quirk; getting on the gas with a big V-twin, still, volition still blur any mirror.

Hither are a couple of shots of the adapter surface area on the right side — remember that business with the washers in the mountain recess? — and one on the left:

Right Adapter 1 Right Adapter 2 Left Adapter

Black vs. chrome?:

A highly personal decision. In my example, I went through my chrome menses in vii years with my Valkyrie. If you haven't already, become ahead, click that, and bank check it out. I'll wait.

Bated from having blinged out the Valk and even not owning a blacked-out version of the Cantankerous Country (and Victory doesn't make a blacked-out Tour version), I discover that'due south at that place'due south plenty of blackness to lucifer upward with: the lowers (flaps and doors), the dash, the switch housings, the grips, the seat, and the passenger backrest. That'southward why I went with a black body rack, instead of a chrome version. Here's a shot that shows a agglomeration of black:

Final 4

And what virtually the LEDs?:

As I said, with the trailer isolator all is well. That's the whole betoken of this project. It's difficult to show calorie-free intensity in photos, but I'll endeavor.

This in the garage, with all lights defenseless in the deed of four-style flashing. Yes, the stock turn signals are on back at that place, but to their detriment they're closer to the exterior light:

Rear-facing LEDs

Here are some outdoor shots, with the mirror LEDs off and then on:

Mirror Off Final 1 Off Final 1 On Outside On

A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR RIVCO:

If Rivco decides to revise the hardware, here are some changes I'd similar to see:

  • The mirror LEDs are brilliant plenty — and maybe this only involves their outside casing — but a wider field of view for their maximum brightness would be nice. The front-facing amber LEDs, in item, are very bright when viewed head on, but that brightness tapers off a bit more than I'd like equally you move to the side.
  • As I mentioned much earlier, the ball-and-socket pin area could utilise a gear up screw to set and maintain socket tension, rather than the it-takes-a-gorilla-to-movement-them organization now in place.
  • Speaking of that pivot, I call up the circular cut-out in the flat area effectually information technology should accept a slightly larger bore, and perhaps the stem of the ball could be longer. That is, I'd like to take the capability of slightly more aligning range in that brawl-and-socket mechanism.
  • And I'd like to encounter that ball and stem anodized black, for the black mirrors.
All of that said, these may be equally good as yous can get today among LED mirrors, and I'm pleased with them.

OH, Aye, At that place'S THE Price, ALL Right:

If yous haven't been paying attention, the (list) price of all of this (excluding any taxes and shipping):

  • Rivco LED mirrors: $249.95
  • Electric Connection isolator: $69.95
  • Electrical Connexion harness: $nine.95
  • Total: $329.85
The satisfaction of getting all of this to work: priceless.


That's information technology. If you tackle this yourself, good luck. Regardless, thanks for reading this, and I welcome your comments.



Neb Pollack
June 2022
Niskayuna, NY


This page: Bill and Dot'southward Excellent Pages (Adding Rivco LED Mirrors to a Victory Cross Country Motorcycle)

Streamers

Source: http://www.billanddot.com/adding-rivco-led-mirrors.html

Posted by: iglesiascocam1971.blogspot.com

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