SLUK Sena Comp #25 – ‘Switchback’ indicator ‘how to’ | VIDEO

It’s heading for that time again. Winter is about as welcome for scooterists as bubblegum on a new carpet, so it pays to be seen on the dark nights.

For some, like Johnny Reitan from Norway, they get more dark nights than we do, and longer ones too.

Solutions to being visible to other road users? Well you could wear hi-viz, but it’s hardly stylish and a yellow vest adds nothing to weather or crash protection. You could simply order a SLUKer Jacket from our shop.

Johnny has gone a step further and converted his GTS to ‘switchback’ indicators.

WTF are Switchbacks?

Quite simply these are special bulbs for your indicator lamps that act as ultra-bright Daytime Running Lights (DRL) except when you indicate, then the white light goes out and they flash in yellow as normal.

Now there are various ways of doing this conversion, and Scooterwest in USA offer a kit containing everything you need, but Johnny just got the bits off eBay and did it himself.

“To make this work you need the old (up to 2013) style front indicators with one lamp. I had to buy them from Scooter Centre, since I had the new style with two smaller lamps.

“You also need new bulb holders with twin terminals, as the switchback lamps have two connection points.

“I then had to remove the original metal connection point that are inside the indicators. Use some pliers and pull them out. Then there it is just a matter of using the Dremel with a carving bit to open up the original holders, so they could accept the new BA15D holders. I drilled a 6mm hole in the bottom of the holders, and feed the new wires through. Then solder the earth wire to the outside of the new holders. The new three pole plugs I got from eBay were just the right size for this job.

“I wired the DRL wire (red) to the alarm plug, at the ignition “on” contact.

“The indicator just wires up the original indicator wires. (Green and black wires)

“As I used lamps without a big bulky resistor, I had to change the indicator relay to a LED version as well.

“(There is a way of doing this DRL mod. with the new style two lamps indicators as well. I find that very amateurish. You then need to drill a hole between the two lamps, and insert this “rubberized” lamp kit. You still need to do the same rewiring as I did.)”

All parts used in this project were bought from eBay:

1. Lamp holders BA15D 
2. Three pole connectors, as seen in the pictures 1-2 and 4. 
3. LED Indicator relay. 
4. DRL Switchback bulbs. 

SLUK Sena Video Competition

We still have one Sena Prism camera to give away in our competition, so if you have something scooter-relevant and funny you want to share with Sluk readers then the competition details are here.

 

 

It’s heading for that time again. Winter is about as welcome for scooterists as bubblegum on a new carpet, so it pays to be seen on the dark nights.

 

For some, like Johnny Reitan from Norway, they get more dark nights than we do, and longer ones too.

 

Solutions to being visible to other road users? Well you could wear hi-viz, but it’s hardly stylish and a yellow vest adds nothing to weather or crash protection. You could simply order a SLUKer Jacket from our shop.

 

Johnny has gone a step further and converted his GTS to ‘switchback’ indicators.

 

 

 

WTF are Switchbacks?

 

Quite simply these are special bulbs for your indicator lamps that act as ultra-bright Daytime Running Lights (DRL) except when you indicate, then the white light goes out and they flash in yellow as normal.

 

Now there are various ways of doing this conversion, and Scooterwest in USA offer a kit containing everything you need, but Johnny just got the bits off eBay and did it himself.

 

 

“To make this work you need the old (up to 2013) style front indicators with one lamp. I had to buy them from Scooter Centre, since I had the new style with two smaller lamps.

 

“You also need new bulb holders with twin terminals, as the switchback lamps have two connection points.

 

“I then had to remove the original metal connection point that are inside the indicators. Use some pliers and pull them out. Then there it is just a matter of using the Dremel with a carving bit to open up the original holders, so they could accept the new BA15D holders. I drilled a 6mm hole in the bottom of the holders, and feed the new wires through. Then solder the earth wire to the outside of the new holders. The new three pole plugs I got from eBay were just the right size for this job.

 

“I wired the DRL wire (red) to the alarm plug, at the ignition “on” contact.

 

“The indicator just wires up the original indicator wires. (Green and black wires)

 

“As I used lamps without a big bulky resistor, I had to change the indicator relay to a LED version as well.

 

“(There is a way of doing this DRL mod. with the new style two lamps indicators as well. I find that very amateurish. You then need to drill a hole between the two lamps, and insert this “rubberized” lamp kit. You still need to do the same rewiring as I did.)”

 

 

All parts used in this project were bought from eBay:

1. Lamp holders BA15D 
2. Three pole connectors, as seen in the pictures 1-2 and 4. 
3. LED Indicator relay. 
4. DRL Switchback bulbs. 

Johnny with the complete conversion

Twin contact bulb-holders from eBay

Plastic housing modified for earth connection

Now with twin terminals

Adapted plug

 

SLUK Sena Video Competition

 

We still have one Sena Prism camera to give away in our competition, so if you have something scooter-relevant and funny you want to share with Sluk readers then the competition details are here.