Can-bus helper with aftermarket brake light

[MonkeyBoy]

Does anyone use the Can-bus helper from Touratech with an aftermarket brake light?

I have a 2007 GS12, will I need any other hardware other than a new brake light and the can bus helper?

[cjack]

Does anyone use the Can-bus helper from Touratech with an aftermarket brake light?

I have a 2007 GS12, will I need any other hardware other than a new brake light and the can bus helper?

The can bus helper is just a way of connecting to the battery instead of to the electrical system accessory socket. For adding accessories...not brake lights.
As far as installing an aftermarket brake light goes, you need one that doesn't alter the brake light circuit current draw. I would use the one from BMW that mounts below the license plate. Works well. You don't need a can bus helper with it.

[darcym]

I'm thinking of installing this kit on my GIVI box for the RT. It installs in place of the GIVI light kit and includes turn signal relays. It's also supposed to be brighter.

http://admorelighting.com/index.php?page=products/index.php&subpage=8

I'm always leary of breaking into the Canbus lighting stuff, though ... Anyone try this or have a tutorial handy?

[cjack]

I'm thinking of installing this kit on my GIVI box for the RT. It installs in place of the GIVI light kit and includes turn signal relays. It's also supposed to be brighter.

http://admorelighting.com/index.php?page=products/index.php&subpage=8

I'm always leary of breaking into the Canbus lighting stuff, though ... Anyone try this or have a tutorial handy?

It the case of the R12RT, the tail/brake light signal is not the simple on/off of the past. Without a circuit that senses the duty cycle (or average dc) of the RT tail/brake signal, most aftermarket brake and tail light add-on stuff will not work. Assuming this box is nothing special as to having that circuit this box will not work on the R12RT.
For the technologically unchallenged, what is needed is to sense the average dc of the BMW RT tail/brake light signal and provide a separate tail light source voltage directly from the battery. Then when the brake light is actuated which is when the tail/brake signal goes to full 12 volts dc, sense that, and provide another separate brake light source voltage directly from the battery.
The stock tail light voltage is around 5 volts average dc lighting up the single bulb with tail light intensity. Then for brake light the duty cycle of the source goes to 100% or 12 volts average dc (just on all the time) and brightens up the bulb for brake light intensity.
There are lots of ways to do this and I think I remember some company doing just this with an aftermarket product for the R12RT
As to the turn signals, the only issue there is to present the same load as the stock turnsignals...usually by using the stock turnsignal 12 volt signal to turn on a direct from the battery additional turnsignal source for the additional turnsignals.

[n1kcl]

Does anyone use the Can-bus helper from Touratech with an aftermarket brake light?

I have a 2007 GS12, will I need any other hardware other than a new brake light and the can bus helper?


Depends on what your needs are, if it's a simple incandesent light array like mine it shouldn't be a problem to wire it in direct.

I've been using an E460 Givi Top Case with the brake light kit since 2005 on my R1200RT with no ill effects. In fact the added bonus of this configuration is when wired to the tail/brake light it operates as a tail light and when the brake is tapped it is a brake light.

I asked this question when I bought the bike and was told it would screw up the system, but it seems they didn't really know and nobody tried it at the time so I did.

I don't know how much current can be drawn from the tail light before it will show a fault, but do know if it draws no current it will show a fault.

Mine is an RT not a GS so it maybe diiferent. When I tested mine before I installed the extra lights, there was 3vdc on the tail/brake line running and 12vdc braking.

Hope this helps.

[cjack]

Depends on what your needs are, if it's a simple incandesent light array like mine it shouldn't be a problem to wire it in direct.

I've been using an E460 Givi Top Case with the brake light kit since 2005 on my R1200RT with no ill effects. In fact the added bonus of this configuration is when wired to the tail/brake light it operates as a tail light and when the brake is tapped it is a brake light.

I asked this question when I bought the bike and was told it would screw up the system, but it seems they didn't really know and nobody tried it at the time so I did.

I don't know how much current can be drawn from the tail light before it will show a fault, but do know if it draws no current it will show a fault.

Mine is an RT not a GS so it maybe diiferent. When I tested mine before I installed the extra lights, there was 3vdc on the tail/brake line running and 12vdc braking.

Hope this helps.

This helps me. How many bulbs does the Givi have which are additional to the stock bulb in the bike? And what kind of bulbs are they? Does it come with dual filament bulbs and you wire the RT tail/brake wire to the brake bulb side of them?

[n1kcl]

This helps me. How many bulbs does the Givi have which are additional to the stock bulb in the bike? And what kind of bulbs are they? Does it come with dual filament bulbs and you wire the RT tail/brake wire to the brake bulb side of them?

These are 4 small incadesent single flimament bulbs that are part of the Givi light kit for the Top Box. I forgot what the resistence was when I tested them prior to the install, but am sure it was very low.

The connection is hot to hot, cold to cold in the bike tail light section, and you'll have running lights and brake lights with the simple 2 wire connection.

I just added a photo on my simple little website in the BMW section so you can get a glance of it. Sorry don't have any photos of the install or any that show how they work, but trust me they work as if they where from the factory.

If you're doing led's i'm sure a load circuit will be needed.

Here's the link. http://my.att.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=294202&ck=

[danalbertson]

I added Hyper Lites to my R1200R with no Canbus helper or issues.

http://www.hyperlites.com/

You can barely notice them on the bike on each side of the license plate untill they come on. From the car behind you point of view they are very effective.

http://gallery.mac.com/dan.albertson/100382/IMG_0827/web.jpg

[paulk]

I ride an 06 GS and found the "hyper lites" work great :heart with no ill effect on the break system. Most folks who ride behind me tell me it's very visible. Paul

[deilenberger]

Other ones that work:

LiteBlazer from Run-N-Lites works fine, is easy to mount and very effective. It provides additional running lights, and a decaying flash for the brake light.

http://www.run-n-lites.com/products.asp

http://www.run-n-lites.com/prod-LiteBlazer.asp

http://www.run-n-lites.com/images/RNL-Blazer-01.jpg
Website photo

http://www.eilenberger.net/R1200R_Roadster/Images/BrakeLights.jpg
My Bike..
I also have the Run-N-Lite LED turnsignal RunNLite conversion, that also includes another strip of RED LED's down the center that are tied into the brakes.



And.. I have the Kisan Lite Blazer replacement taillight bulb:

http://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=3

http://www.kisantech.com/Images/tailBlazerdemo9.gif

http://www.kisantech.com/Images/20W-DZ.jpg

I used the 20W-DZ which is CANBUS compatible. Works fine, and between ALL the brake lights going off on the rear of my bike, cars stop WAY back behind me now. :bolt

[MonkeyBoy]

I added Hyper Lites to my R1200R with no Canbus helper or issues.

http://www.hyperlites.com/

You can barely notice them on the bike on each side of the license plate untill they come on. From the car behind you point of view they are very effective.

http://gallery.mac.com/dan.albertson/100382/IMG_0827/web.jpg

What year is your R? I heard 2007 models w/ the Can bus would have problems with aftermarket brake lights

[cjack]

What year is your R? I heard 2007 models w/ the Can bus would have problems with aftermarket brake lights

Some companies have designed brake lights which will work with the new can bus bikes. If you go to the site in the post about the R12R, you can see what they have and what it works with. Hyperlites for one, explains on the web site why it works with the can bus bike.

http://www.hyperlites.com/

[danalbertson]

What year is your R? I heard 2007 models w/ the Can bus would have problems with aftermarket brake lights

It is a 2007. I have no problems at all.

[MonkeyBoy]

Thanks for the replies. I ordered a set of hyper-lites

[MonkeyBoy]

I just received my set of hyperlites and for beemers with canbus they suggest "to install a fuse block with ignition switched relay" Does anyone know what that means?

[jskene]

I have designed my P3 Lights specifically to work with the new BMW tail light system. It detects the lower duty cycle pulses sent to the brake light and lights up accordingly.

On the R1200GS, there is no need to wire it into any other source than the tail and brake lights. It's also programmable via the brake lever.

You can see more information here:


P3 Lights (http://P3Lights.com)

[deilenberger]

I just received my set of hyperlites and for beemers with canbus they suggest "to install a fuse block with ignition switched relay" Does anyone know what that means?I have no idea what that means - several vendors have lights that are CanBus compatible..

I have a Kisan TailBlazer in place of my standard brake bulb - it provides a modulated brake light function.. and takes care of the parking light - with no warning by the CanBus system.

http://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=3

I also have a Run-N-Lites Lite-Blazer - which also adds running lights and modulated brake lights - no issues with the CanBus..

http://www.run-n-lites.com/prod-LiteBlazer.asp

And I have an LED replacement turn-signal setup, which includes a strip of red LED's down the center - linked to the brake light - no CanBus problems.

I'd contact Hyperlights. Looking at their website it appears the extra connection is for use as running lights. That may be necessary on Hexheads that have a single filament bulb in the taillight, but it's not necessary on Hexheads that have a dual-filament bulb, such as the R1200R.

BTW - I've never found a need to program my brake light, not that it's probably not a nice feature, but mine pretty much do their thing without any attention from me.. :dance

[jskene]

There seems to be some confusion over the way the 2007 R1200GS tail light works, so I thought I'd clarify this.

On this bike, and many other late model BMW bikes, the ZFE control module, which controls the motorcycle's lights, sends pulsed, 12-volt power to the brake light filament, even when the brake is off. What this means is that the voltage on this filament rapidly switches between 0 volts and 12 volts. It spends more time at 0 volts than at 12 volts, so the filament burns dimmer than a normal brake light. You can see this if you remove the red tail light shell and observe the tail light bulb. You will see that both filaments are lit up, even with the brake off.

BMW uses this system for two reasons. The tail light on most BMWs is notoriously dim, and so by lighting up an additional filament, they get a brighter tail light without having to add a second bulb. On some of their models, the tail light section is quite small, so there is no space for a second bulb anyway.

The second reason is to add redundancy to this critical component of your motorcycle. If your tail light filament goes out at night, you become essentially invisible to traffic behind you, especially if you are wearing dark, non-reflective clothing.

When the brakes are applied, the ZFE increases the duty cycle to 100% so the voltage stays at 12 volts continuously. This lights the brake filament up to full brightness.

This is a very clever use of technology, and certainly provides a better tail light.

The problem arises when you want to add an additional, modulated, brake light to your bike. When connected to the brake light wire, the new brake light circuit sees this rapidly switched 12-volt signal. Many aftermarket brake lights are not designed to differentiate between the "pseudo-tail-light mode" and the full brake mode, and so do not operate properly.

On the BMW R1200RT and K1200GT, BMW goes one step farther, and eliminates the tail light bulb entirely, relying only on two brake light bulbs. These operate the same way as the brake light filament on the GS, running at reduced intensity until the brakes are applied. Adding an additional tail/brake light system to these bikes can be quite tricky, as there is no tail light wire, but only a brake light wire.

Many of you may not know this, but on some pre-2007 models, if the ZFE senses that the tail light filament has failed, it sends pulsed power to the brake light filament, lighting it up as a redundant tail light. Very neat feature! However, the first time you're likely to find out about this (unless you're reading this article) is when your tail light fails and your aftermarket brake lights go crazy.

[airoilheadbeemerguy]

[On the BMW1220 RT and K1200GT, BMW goes one step farther, and eliminates the tail light bulb entirely, relying only on two brake light bulbs. These operate the same way as the brake light filament on the GS, running at reduced intensity until the brakes are applied. Adding an additional tail/brake light system to these bikes can be quite tricky, as there is no tail light wire, but only a brake light wire.


Hi, with the P3 lights I just installed on my '07RT, the power is taken from one of the parking lights. The kit includes the wire & quick connects to run from front to back. It is a pricey system but it works very well; a riding buddy says the brakes are much more conspicuous than before.

[parkec]

I went with caliper mounted Moto Lights.

and

P3's for the rear.. Very Impressed :thumb Between the constant flicker which make them gleam, to having 2x the LEDs than Hyper Lights, to the install.

I never new our bikes (2007 R1200R) used so many zip ties:scratch

AND

I ordered them on friday about 2pm est and they arrived the following monday:banghead can't beat that!

[JimVonBaden1]

I went with caliper mounted Moto Lights.

and

P3's for the rear.. Very Impressed :thumb Between the constant flicker which make them gleam, to having 2x the LEDs than Hyper Lights, to the install.

I never new our bikes (2007 R1200R) used so many zip ties:scratch

AND

I ordered them on friday about 2pm est and they arrived the following monday:banghead can't beat that!


Can't beat the P3 lights www.p3lights.com

Jim :brow