| General -> Accessories. | New Thunderbird Bar End Wei... - Storm Fairing | | | | Categories : |
|  | Topic : Auxiliary Lights installed |  |
| | | PapaSmurfMC | | Chaac |  |  | | Reg. Date | : | 03/10/2013 | | Posts | : | 871 | | Location | : | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
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| | Posted : 20 Oct 2013 - 02:48 Post title : Auxiliary Lights installed | | | Finally got the ambition to install the Auxiliary Light Kit on my '13 Bird. It was a rediculous amount of work for just a light bar. You really just get a box of unassembled parts:
The two turn signals in the photo aren't supplied, they're what's left of the stock signals after they're removed from the forks and disassembled. Removing the front signals wasn't fun but could have been worse. Instead of following the directions and removing the brakes, wheel, and lowering each fork, I just jacked it up a little, opened the triple clamps and gently dropped the forks, wheel and all. Well maybe not exactly gently, since you're dealing with both forks still connected to the wheel they took some coaxing, a little at a time, so if you do it this way, make sure you've got your Bird firmly secured to the lift.
I wrapped a few turns of blue painter's tape on each fork right at the lower fork clamp to make it easier to line it back up at the exact same place it came from. With a few turns of tape, it just stops at the right place on the way back. 
In the above pic, the right-side signal has already been removed, the left is still attached.
I found two pretty big problems with the kit (and have emailed Triumph Support about them):
1) After opening the auxiliary lamps to wire in the harness, I found that only the harness end connections were insulated. The crimps on the lamp side were exposed and will short against the metal lamp bowl (or eachother) for sure. Very dangerous. I'm assuming the supplier of these lamps accidentally left the insulators off and Triumph QA missed it. I added heat shrink on my connections.
2) The bolt supplied to attach the new lamps to the bar bracket ends is too long for the domed type of nut supplied. It doesn't even come close to the bracket. The supplied bold is 35mm, probably should be 30mm. I made a spacer out of washers to allow the nut to tighten lamp bracket connection. The photo below shows the fully tightened nut.
So, a little improvising and a lot of swearing, it's all installed and looks awesome. Very solidly made, too. Here's a finished front view:
Ride safe!
| 2013 Blue Marble Haze Thunderbird 1600 ABS
2009 Black Bonneville A1 ("Mag")
Buncha farkles
| | Post edited by PapaSmurfMC on 20 Oct 2013 - 02:49 |
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| | | sunnyday | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 03/08/2013 | | Posts | : | 343 | | Location | : | Australia |
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| | Posted : 20 Oct 2013 - 05:44 Post title : Re: Auxiliary Lights installed (Re: PapaSmurfMC) | |
| | | PapaSmurfMC | | Chaac | | | | Reg. Date | : | 03/10/2013 | | Posts | : | 871 | | Location | : | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
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| | Posted : 24 Oct 2013 - 01:46 Post title : Re: Auxiliary Lights installed (Re: sunnyday) | | | Here's the response I got back from Triumph after reporting the electrical and mechanical issues I found with the Aux Light Kit:
"I will pass this along to the people doing quality control on our accessories. Thank you."
That was it. Pretty underwhelming.
| 2013 Blue Marble Haze Thunderbird 1600 ABS
2009 Black Bonneville A1 ("Mag")
Buncha farkles
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| | | Sensiblepete | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 20/08/2011 | | Posts | : | 158 | | Location | : | Sweden |
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| | Posted : 24 Oct 2013 - 08:35 Post title : Re: Auxiliary Lights installed (Re: PapaSmurfMC) | | | Thank you for nice "how and tell" 
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| | | SpeedShaker | | Set | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 15/08/2013 | | Posts | : | 154 | | Location | : | Whittier, CA, United States |
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| | Posted : 25 Oct 2013 - 17:49 Post title : Re: Auxiliary Lights installed (Re: Sensiblepete) | | | I put those lights on my '13 too. I positioned the lights to shine out and up. It looks like Mickey Mouse if you did it right.
|  The look when I twist the throttle.
 I get when I roll up to a light.
 When they debate to race.
 When they see the back of my Triumph shirt, after I leave that red light.
Bikes owned:
2005 Speedmaster
2013 Thunderbird ABS
2013 Victory Cross Country
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| | | PapaSmurfMC | | Chaac | | | | Reg. Date | : | 03/10/2013 | | Posts | : | 871 | | Location | : | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
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| | Posted : 26 Oct 2013 - 00:20 Post title : Re: Auxiliary Lights installed (Re: SpeedShaker) | | | SpeedShaker wrote:
I put those lights on my '13 too. I positioned the lights to shine out and up. It looks like Mickey Mouse if you did it right. |
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Mickey Mouse was definitely not the look I was going for. 
Aiming those lamps up, into the eyes of oncoming traffic, is probably not in your best interests. Mine are pointing straight ahead, angled only slightly lower than the headlight (as aligned against my garage door).
| 2013 Blue Marble Haze Thunderbird 1600 ABS
2009 Black Bonneville A1 ("Mag")
Buncha farkles
| | Post edited by PapaSmurfMC on 26 Oct 2013 - 00:23 |
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| | | PapaSmurfMC | | Chaac | | | | Reg. Date | : | 03/10/2013 | | Posts | : | 871 | | Location | : | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
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| | Posted : 26 Oct 2013 - 00:22 Post title : Re: Auxiliary Lights installed (Re: PapaSmurfMC) | | | Sunnyday and Sensiblepete, your appreciation is appreciated!
| 2013 Blue Marble Haze Thunderbird 1600 ABS
2009 Black Bonneville A1 ("Mag")
Buncha farkles
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| | | zolti | | Thor | |  | | Reg. Date | : | 23/03/2010 | | Posts | : | 3,127 | | Location | : | newcastle , United Kingdom |
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| | Posted : 26 Oct 2013 - 03:10 Post title : Re: Auxiliary Lights installed (Re: PapaSmurfMC) | | |
PapaSmurfMC wrote:
Here's the response I got back from Triumph after reporting the electrical and mechanical issues I found with the Aux Light Kit:
"I will pass this along to the people doing quality control on our accessories. Thank you."
That was it. Pretty underwhelming. |
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lets hope they inform other buyers of the possible short you mention.
nice images and good job
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