LED lights facing forward?

[saltydog]

Anyone know the oil on mounting a small LED light facing forward? I have a mate with one drilled discretely into his faring and it is REALLY visible, more eye-catching than his headlights at times. Reckon it would be illegal??

[Paws]

As long as it is white I don't think its illegal, A lot of new cars have led daytime driving lights.

[saltydog]

As long as it is white I don't think its illegal, A lot of new cars have led daytime driving lights.
ok. my mates one is green and it sticks out like dogs balls

[vindy500]

I think its ok as long as its not red

[fliplid]

ok. my mates one is green and it sticks out like dogs balls :crazy:

That aside, there's loads of them car types with blue led lights attached to various parts of their car.

[saltydog]

:crazy:

That aside, there's loads of them car types with blue led lights attached to various parts of their car.
I think you are right, any colour but red seems to be the logical answer.....

[scumdog]

normajeane and I have extra bright 'melt-yer-retina' type lights on our bikes and never had a problem.

And they are as visible-as.:yes:

[steve_t]

Pretty sure forward facing lights must be white or amber. Rear facing lights must be red or amber (except reverse lights which should be white). Other lights are OK as long as the lamps themselves can't be seen directly eg. neons under cars or coloured LEDs under fairings. ColouredLEDs even for park lights are illegal AFAIK even though you do see quite a few young fullas with blue and green LED park lights on Friday and Saturday nights. Even those coloured LED tyre valve caps (fireflies?) are illegal AFAIK. Scumdog might be able to confirm...

[saltydog]

normajeane and I have extra bright 'melt-yer-retina' type lights on our bikes and never had a problem.

And they are as visible-as.:yes:
where did you buy them from, one source reckons REPCO has a good selection?

[Laava]

Perfectly legal unless they are dazzling people. How do you find that out? Experiment I guess. I am considering putting exactly the same on my current project bike and have wondered exactly the same.
I have superbright individual LED's as indicators front and rear and have been told by riding companions that they are exceptionally visible over long distance although I havent seen for myself! No probs getting WOFs and 2 times I have been pulled by the popo they have been positive comments.

[scumdog]

where did you buy them from, one source reckons REPCO has a good selection?

Try your local auto-sparkies, $120 for the kit with relay etc - or maybe less if you shop around, iit seems the fitting is the expensive item, the 'bulbs' are abot $8 a pair or less at the Warehouse.

[davereid]

Anyone know the oil on mounting a small LED light facing forward? I have a mate with one drilled discretely into his faring and it is REALLY visible, more eye-catching than his headlights at times. Reckon it would be illegal??


Hella http://www.hella.co.nz/?t=138 have daytime day running lamps.

They are very very easy to spot.

I'm considering a set for my bike, which already runs lights and forward indicators.

My thoughts are to disable the headlight auto on and have the daylight running lamp instead...

- Headlight comes on with the key, so its on during cranking. Which means the bastard can be (is often) hard to start.

- Tail light is always on. I think this reduces the visibility of my brake light - instead of going from OFF to BRIGHT it goes from BRIGHT to BRIGHTER which I don't think is as effective.

- I can't flash headlight at errant drivers ( I used to drive with headlight OFF and pull the PASS button if I saw a car that could potentially violate my right of way.) I used to find this very effective.

On the other hand I could just save the money and pay for rego.

[imdying]

Has to white or amber, other than that it's all good... 08- CBR1000s have them in the mirrors from the factory, definitely improves their visibility in low/poor lighting.

[jack_hamma]

Two strips of those led's light bars running down your front forks would stand out!

[ckai]

I spent ages digging around for an answer for the colour debate a few months back. The only crap info I could find was, I think, on the NZTA site and the gov't legislation site. I found something on the NZTA site that mentioned what law was to do with lights and then dug up the law.

It only said you can't have red at the front and white (other than reverse) at the rear. Any light can't distract other drivers as well.

I have single blue LEDs in my side marker lights on both the bike and car. They're not a strip but the car has a reflector type lens that disperses the light a little more than a single point. They stand out but they don't distract.

I have had dozens of cops pass me and none have flinched on both bike and car. Been through cop check points about 4 times and none have mentioned anything at all. Also had a warrant on the car and nothing was said.

I can't remember any of the laws etc so sorry, pretty useless there.

There's a truck driving around the waikato with 6 blue LED strips and a courier van with 3 and they aren't in your face at all.

Oh another thing. Unless you have a reason, only amber lights can flash at the front if I remember rightly.

[saltydog]

Just found a range of flush mount LED's at Super Cheap. 4 colors, and about $14. I'll probably wire it into my lights so I can turn it on and off as req'd. let you know how I get on this week with installation.....

[HQfiend]

The law is

White or amber facing forward and red or amber facing rearwards. White at rear only for reversing lamps. All other colours are illegal.
Neons and other under-car illumination is under similar rules i.e. white/amber forwards and red/amber rearwards. At the side you can have other colours although the light source must not be directly visible and you can not have flashing/distracting lighting.

Personally I have 2 blue forward facing marker LEDs and have had a comment from a female police officer at a booze checkpoint that they are illegal (which I knew) to which I replied "thank you officer, I am aware of that, but I would rather be seen" she then went on to say that riding a black bike at night with black riding gear and helmet was probably not a good idea!

[Honda93]

It's not quite so easy - at least to do it legally. I checked out the law on this a while ago, and what you a talking about are classed as daytime running lamps. I suggest you check the LTSA website, which lists the following standards which are required for daytime running lamps:

Daytime running lamps
Must meet one of these component standards (or a more recent version):

UN/ECE Regulation No. 87, Uniform provisions concerning the approval of daytime running lamps for power-driven vehicles (E/ECE324-E/ECE/TRANS/505/Rev.1/Add.86)
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, Lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment
Australian Design Rule 45, Lighting and light-signalling devices not covered by ECE Regulations.
Australian Design Rule 76, Daytime running lamps

So you can't use any old LED's. The Hella daytime running lamp kits are probably the best legal option, but seem expensive.

[imdying]

Personally I have 2 blue forward facing marker LEDs and have had a comment from a female police officer at a booze checkpoint that they are illegal (which I knew) to which I replied "thank you officer, I am aware of that, but I would rather be seen" she then went on to say that riding a black bike at night with black riding gear and helmet was probably not a good idea!Some Aucklanders on 10-7 were nabbed in their van, $500 fine iirc.

[Banditbandit]

My mate has white leds facing forward - he removed the amber reflectors from his forks and used the mounts for the lights - then stuck the reflectors on the outside of the lights

[steve_t]

Personally I have 2 blue forward facing marker LEDs and have had a comment from a female police officer at a booze checkpoint that they are illegal (which I knew) to which I replied "thank you officer, I am aware of that, but I would rather be seen" she then went on to say that riding a black bike at night with black riding gear and helmet was probably not a good idea!

I'm surprised she didn't say "well, I'm sure you can be seen just as well with white LEDs which are legal" and hand you a ticket especially given that you'd just admitted that you knew they were illegal but had them anyway.
But bollocks to the comment about the black bike with black gear - that's not illegal.

[scumdog]

But bollocks to the comment about the black bike with black gear - that's not illegal.

She was only passing a comment - the 'legal-ness' was not mentioned...

[AllanB]

These strike me as a good kit.

Great NZ site to deal with too - super quick on the delivery.

http://www.fastbikegear.co.nz/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=82_289&products_id=185

[HQfiend]

She was only passing a comment - the 'legal-ness' was not mentioned...

The comment went on to mention changing my riding gear to fluro jacket and white helmet to be seen by the driving public. As we know from the forums you can be lit up like a xmas tree and wearing all the fluro kit that is known to man and you'll still get SMIDSY'd!!!! (Sorry Mate I Didn't See You)

They do see the blue LEDs and respond to them by getting out of the way.

[Monsterbishi]

- Headlight comes on with the key, so its on during cranking. Which means the bastard can be (is often) hard to start.

A cheap 12v relay and some wire solves this problem, connect the relay to the wire that engages the starter motor, and use the relays normally closed side to disengage the lights when cranking.

[Gremlin]

Anyone know the oil on mounting a small LED light facing forward? I have a mate with one drilled discretely into his faring and it is REALLY visible, more eye-catching than his headlights at times. Reckon it would be illegal??
Heh, started a thread in law section about led strips... very similar to what you are after... thread has links to sections of law etc

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/128861-How-are-LED-strips-classified-under-the-law

[saltydog]

220123220124

Here is the finished product. As i travel in the the vicinity of the right hand wheel track the LED shines directly into the back of the vehicle. It's probably illegal as I wired them into my park and full headlight positions on my light switch (I can actually turn my lights on and off independantly of the motor)
what ya reckon?

[Gremlin]

What colour is it? Looks like it could be blue or white? Needs to be white rather than blue to be legal...

[saltydog]

The led is blue. Laser imorts (ledbulbs.co.nz) reckons that blue led park lights are 100% legal, but this led who knows! I'll wait until the next warrent or a copper stops me to really find out.
As long as its more visible, thats where I'm coming from...........

[Gremlin]

Yeup, with you on the visibility, but I believe they are not legal. Its more... its a minor issue, but they can do you for it if they really feel like it.

In general, lights must be white or amber forward, amber to sides, amber or red to rear (excluding reverse lights) and excluding cosmetic lighting.

[saltydog]

cher bro, thanks 4 the heads up. Theres a nice 10mm hole in my fairng now so whats done is done. I'm onto this other guy Ross from CHCH ledbulbs.co.nz he has some interesting stuff as well.
I'm kinda hoping the fuzz will stop me now...muah ha ha!
(15 drmeerrrits to go....)

[Hinny]

I fitted Narva daytime running lights.
These lamps come pre-wired and satisfy the legislation by dimming when lights switched on.
They give better indication of your presence, day and night.
Keep headlight off during the day hence no taillight running. Stop light becomes much more visible and following traffic is much more aware of your braking action.
Highly recommended.

[Hinny]

220382Good look and very visible.

[jhnharvy773]

Do anyone know what law would prevent me from running BLUE LED Lights on my Harley? I have checked the codes and I can't find anything that says I can't have LED lights on my bike. The only references I find relate to Blue, Red, or Amber EMERGENCY LIGHTS which Police use on dashes, grills and on top of their cars.

________________________
If everything comes your way, you are in the wrong lane
still finding good site that has cheap led accent lights (http://www.jcwhitney.com/led-accent-lights/c11726j1s17.jcwx) with good quality...

[Gremlin]

Do anyone know what law would prevent me from running BLUE LED Lights on my Harley? I have checked the codes and I can't find anything that says I can't have LED lights on my bike. The only references I find relate to Blue, Red, or Amber EMERGENCY LIGHTS which Police use on dashes, grills and on top of their cars.
First up, because you want blue, you are ruled out of every section of the lighting laws except for cosmetic lamps. Under this rule, the light must be consistent (no flashing, pulsing, moving) and mounted in a fixed position.

You have sight angles to comply with (front and rear are a no-no) etc and can't position them within 250mm of a mandatory lamp.

Paraphrased from here: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/virm-in-service-certification/docs/mc-4-lighting-v4a2.pdf

[scumdog]

First up, because you want blue, you are ruled out of every section of the lighting laws except for cosmetic lamps. Under this rule, the light must be consistent (no flashing, pulsing, moving) and mounted in a fixed position.

You have sight angles to comply with (front and rear are a no-no) etc and can't position them within 250mm of a mandatory lamp.

Paraphrased from here: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/virm-in-service-certification/docs/mc-4-lighting-v4a2.pdf

He's in Hawaii.....

[Gremlin]

He's in Hawaii.....
:facepalm: He asks about legal stuff in NZ... for Hawaii?

That's way out of my depth...

[DangerMice]

Are you allowed modulating lights in NZ? Think not?

http://www.webbikeworld.com/lights/bikevis-led-lights/bikevis-podmods.htm

Nice little twinkle tho, looks a bit like vibrations from the road surface

[over5tayer]

So would something like this be illegal? someone mentioned that anything flashing must be amber but this is in sync with his indicator and seems to aid rather than distract...

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Wb4RAkSwr9g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Katman]

They are definately within 250mm of a mandatory light, so yes - illegal.

[shafty]

They are definately within 250mm of a mandatory light, so yes - illegal.

Super effective tho huh?

More and more use of LED's as standard has GOT to be the way things will go, a la Audi etc.

I just hope Plod look at the big picture with regards to us trying to protect ourselves rather than "Ünder section such and such, blah blah, thats 248mm blah..... "

[scumdog]

I just hope Plod look at the big picture with regards to us trying to protect ourselves rather than "Ünder section such and such, blah blah, thats 248mm blah..... "


Why worry about Mr Plod, HE didn't make the rules.

Get onto the Gov't.:yes:

[FastBikeGear]

Are you allowed modulating lights in NZ? Think not?

http://www.webbikeworld.com/lights/bikevis-led-lights/bikevis-podmods.htm

Nice little twinkle tho, looks a bit like vibrations from the road surface

No modulating lights are not legal in New Zealand. We import the BikeVis Bullets but not the BikeVis Pod Mods for this reason.

[FastBikeGear]

OK for all of those asking. It is illegal to have both Daytime Running Lights and head lights on at the same time....and of course it is a legal requirement to have your head light on at all time on a motorcycle so it is therefore illegal to have Daytime Running Lights fitted to a motorcycle. yes it is a dumb rule!

There is a simple way around this. We import, distribute and market the BikeVis Bullet positioning lamps. The rules do not prevent you having 'positioning lamps' and head lights on at the same time.

For people who want to know more about the legality of 'Positioning Lamps' visit the relevant section on the LTSA web site here. (http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/get-your-lights-right/get-your-lights-right.html)

Of course forward facing lights must be white or amber and lights other than your indicators are not allowed to flash. Blue lights are illegal - of course what is blue and what is white is a little debatable as many modern car lights have a fairly blue tinge to them.

The new 2nd Gen BikeVis bullet Positioning Lamps are twice as bright as the 1st Gen BikeVis Bullets and the light is an intense white with a very faint blue tinge.

How these laws are interpreted by different law officers and testing stations is no doubt a little variable, but so far none of our customers has encountered any legal hassles with the very popular BikeVis Bullets.

[Hinny]

BikeVis Bullet positioning lamps. .

Hey man, You should have put a link.

[FastBikeGear]

Hey man, You should have put a link.


Lights here (http://www.fastbikegear.co.nz/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=745)

Customer reviews on BikeVis lights here. (http://www.fastbikegear.co.nz/index.php?main_page=product_reviews&products_id=185&reviews_id=736) Most of these reviews are for the 1st generation BikeVis units. The 2nd Generation ones that we started selling in January are about twice as bright so we expect the reviews to be even better!

[bsasuper]

There is a problem if you want to pay with paypal, you cant add the courier cost to total:brick:

[FastBikeGear]

There is a problem if you want to pay with paypal, you cant add the courier cost to total:brick:


If you continue through the purchasing process it will quote you freight before you confirm your order. :yes: