Spot Light Wiring Harness

[Irn-bru]

Hi,

Can someone explain to me why some wiring harnesses with handlebar switch in eBay use a relay and other don't. Is one better than the other? I'm just looking to wire some day light running lights.

Thanks

[seangee]

The relay is to protect the switch. Rule of thumb is if you use LEDs you don't need a relay, if you use halogens you do because of the extra current draw. I bought one with a relay but the relay was faulty. Couldn't be *rsed to return it so use it without - never had an issue.
FWIW those cheapie handlebar switches only last a couple of winters as they do let water / condensation in. But they are cheap - and if you don't ride in all weather it doesn't matter.
Note that since you are in the UK you do need a switch for MOT purposes.

[Irn-bru]

Thank you!

[OX-34]

Unless you never ride at night, could I suggest that the daylight running lights you choose should be powerful enough to make up for the truly feeble lights that are bolted to the front of the Tiger 1050?

Personally I always use a relay for adding lights, but I fit my lights so that I can see at night, not to make me more visible in the day and I choose higher power lights accordingly.

If seangee is correct and in the UK you need a switch for MOT is it allowable to mount said switch out of the weather? A switch under the seat that is triggered by anything that only comes on with the ignition (eg tail light) may suffice and never get drowned in the UK winters. Nobody needs to access DRLs in an emergency. Rather they would be on whenever the bike is in action and off when the bike is asleep.

[Dusty ST]

I'm wondering if you've seen these BikeVis bullet running lights, if you're only after a bit more visibility?

https://www.bikevis.com/product-category/motorcycle-running-lights/

I've not tried them, so no recommendation, but I'd be interested to hear from someone who has, particularly the 'twinkle' modulator option.