towing a trailer with the bike

[craigwright]

I am interested in towing a cargo trailer behind the R100RT. I have heard that the brake and tail lights will not support a hook up for a trailer. Is this true? If so how do you get arround the problem....I have connected a converter to the lights to convert 5 wire to four wire, but am now afraid to hook it to the trailer......can anyone address this problem for me? :dunno

[kioolt]

If you really mean R100RT than you will not have any problem. I did it for ten years behind my 82 R100RT. I did use a five to four wire converter.

[CustomSarge]

I'll yield to kioolt for airhead Rs. For Ks & oilheads, a relay on left, right & brake keeps the flasher unit & bulb monitor happy. An exception would be all LEDs for trailer lights. <<<)))

[craigwright]

thanks to you both for your replies.

I can install the 1157 LED replacements in the stop and tail lights, will that work?

How about the running/marker lights on the side of the trailer? There are four of those, small but there none the less.

[craigwright]

I tried LED replacement "bulbs" and they really messed up the lights on the RT as well as the trailer.....one side seemed to work, the other not....and the RT light wouldn't either....I put the 1157's back in and everything worked OK. Maybe not for long, but they worked.

What are the potential problems that may occure with the extra current in the tail and brake lights?

[CustomSarge]

Most all flashers have a bimetallic strip that is sized for a certain amount of load. Under that load, it heats up, making it curve until a small spring pops open the contacts, which disconnects the load. The strip cools off, straighten back out, the spring pops the contacts back together and the load is turned back on. The amount of time for this cycle is VERY load dependent: more than rated=faster heating=shorter on time; less than rated=slower(or not enough) heating=longer (or constant) on time. The 1st effect is commonly seen on cars/bikes with trailers & standard lights, because the trailer doubles (or more) the load. The 2nd is seen on bikes that replace a standard 1157 (or equ) load with an LED module that is about 40 times less a load.

What I'm referring to 1> if you prefer 1157 type lighting, use relays which won't add much load to the flasher, 2> put LED modules in the trailer, which won't add much load by themselves, no relays required. All of this only applies to the turn signals.

The brake light should be dealt with the same way to keep the stock switch from burning its' contacts, from a more than rated load.

Running lights aren't subject to any of this.

Sufficiently confused?.....my job is done (teehee). Seriously, I hope this helps without being too preachy. Good Hunting... <<<)))