Yankee Turn Signal and Stop Light Modification

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WorkShop > Yankee Intruder > Signal Turn & Stop

The Yankee Intruder
by; C. Gustave Sandberg (Sandy)

WorkShop@YankeeCruisah.com
Yankee Turn Signal and Stop Light Modification
Add Turn Signal and Stop Light functions.

Intro
Now you CAN have you cake and eat it too.
With a simple wiring change, and a module available at your local Auto parts store, your Yankee Signal Replacements or any other Red lensed rear light can now function as a Signal AND a Stop light.
If (as in the Yankee Signal Light replacement) there is also a running light filament, then this can act as a Running, Signal, and Stop light adding much more safety illumination to the back of you bike.
This mod can also be done to any bike that has two bulbs in the stop lights assembly.
Such as the Kawasaki-Vulcan, or some sports bikes like the Suzuki TL-1000.
Actually this idea came from my son who rides a TL. He pulled off those awful looking stalk mounted signal lights, and now the stop light acts as a signal light too. This is because there are two bulbs in the stop light. He seperated their wiring, and added this Trailer Adapter module, and now both lights come on as usual for the Stop light. But if he signals a turn then the bulb to that side will flash, while the other is still steady.
All this safety and style for only $12, and about an hours time in wiring.

Description
This is another 'on-the-bike' modification.
That is, you can do this in a short time, and you don't have to pull the bike apart to do it.
What we will be doing is disconnecting the current lights, and inserting this module between the harness wires and the lights wires. You need access to the wirng for the Signal and Stop lights. On the Intruder, this is under the rear (pillion) passenger seat. Most of the wiring can be done using the bullet type snap connectors, such as the ones used on the bike currently.

Tools Needed

standard tools to get at the wiring harness
wire cutter-stripper, soldering iron, crimping tool
bullet style snap connectors, Radio Shack #64-3085 Red, (64-3086-Blue)
sorry no Binford 2000-massive horsepower tools needed
and of course the Module:
it called a Trailer Light Converter,
or a Taillight Converter.
I find them a WalMart for $13 to $20,
JC Whitney #15BU6042R, $9.95,
but at Auto Zone Store, they have one for $12,
they all seem to get them from Hopkins Manufacturing,(Hoppy) and the one I used is model number 48845.
heavy duty Flasher unit;
this requirement will depend on the rest of the load for the signal circuit. On mine, the Stop lights worked, and the Signal Lights worked, but if I had the Stop on and the Signals, then the Lamp did not flash. This was fixed by changing the stock flasher to a 'Heavy Duty Flasher' from the local Auto parts store. Get one that is marked to work with 1 bulb. Mine was marked to work for 1 to 8 bulbs. Be sure to get a two (2) terminal unit, NOT the three (3). They cost about $2 - $3, there is an Electronic version for $10. But the $2 one worked for me.

One version of the Trailer Converter Module

Procedure
All the wiring for the rear lights is under the rear (pillion) seat.
Briefly, to access the wiring, you must: remove the rear seat back,
unlock the secret tool compartment in the sissy bar-back rest,
remove the wing nut holding the rear seat on,
(note: you have replaced that 6mm bolt going down with a longer one coming up, and used a wing-nut to hold on the rear seat HAVEN"T YOU ? ? ),
lift off the rear seat, and stand petrified in fear of the mass of wires you've uncovered.

Once you re-gain your composure, you pull back the black boot over the connecters, and trace the wires going to the signals, license plate, and the brake light assembly.

Please read through this and visualize it before doing any cutting.
If you can't 'see' it, send me an email so I can clarify it for you, remember;
Measure twice, cut once (you only have one shot at it.)

* Original Wiring
This is shown here only as a reference point.
You can't do this mod to the stock lighting as you would have yellow (amber) stop lights which aren't legal anywhere.
You need to have changed the lenses on the stock lights to Red, then go ahead and add this modification to the Lg (Light green) and B (Black) wires (depending upon side) to add the Stop function to them. Original Wiring Detail

Dual Filament Wiring Detail * Dual Filament Wiring
This is the 'after' from the Yankee Signal Light Replacement. The wiring should be similar, even if you have did it differently, or are doing this on a different bike.
You notice the 'Signal Lights' are now dual filament, the brighter one (18W) for Signal (and soon to be Stop also), and the dimmer one (6W) for running. With the common being either a seperate wire or attached to the chassis ground. The wire colors on the new lights may (and probably will) vary. I got a few from JCW, and 3 were wired with the Black being the high output, while one of them (naturally the first I used) was wired so the Red was high. You should test them with a battery to be sure. For this discussion, I'm using the Black as high (your results may vary).

This is the New Wiring with the Module wired in.
Compare this to the above wiring and you can see all we did was connect the module between the original harness and the new Signal / Stop lights.
New Wiring detail
The module I used was the Hoppy #48845. This has 4 input wires, (Left, Right, Stop, Tail{Run}) and 3 output wires, (Left, Right, Tail {Run}). The module shown in the picture above has only 3 in, and 2 out wires (no Tail {Run}). I'm not sure why mine included the Tail {running} wires as they seem to go straight through the module, so if yours doesn't have the Tail {running} input/output wires, just attach the lights to the License plate, or other constant powered connection. The color coding of the module wires seems to be constant, Green-Right, Yellow-Left, Red-Stop, Brown-Tail. If your module has other colors, again try to match the connections by name.
The WalMart $13 version has no output wires, just the standard 4-position flat connecter. You can buy the output wire adapter or just use the Bullet-Snap Connecters into the module itself. I used the Bullet Style Snap connectors on all the connections, this seems to make the mod simpler to install and later, trouble shoot if needed.
Naturally the bullet connecters that RS has are a slightly different size that the metric bike has.
I found that I could push the metric male connections into the RS females easily, but the RS males floated in the stock connectors.
So a simple squeeze with a gas line plier and the stock connectors re-sized perfectly.

The long and short of the install is:
   * measure the wires to fit the module under the seat, or in the back rest.
   * Crimp on the male Snap connecters onto the input side of the module.
   * Crimp the female Snap connecters on the output.
   * Connect the Green (Right) input wire
         to the Lg (Right) wire of the harness.
   * Connect the Green (Right) output wire
         to the wire going to the right Signal-Stop light.
   * Connect the Yellow (Left) input wire
         to the B (Left) of the harness.
   * Connect the Yellow (Left) output wire
         to the wire going to the left Signal-Stop light.
   * Connect the Red (Stop) input wire
         to the White / Black (Stop) wire of the Stop-Tail light harness.
         Here I attached a female Snap connecter on a short piece of wire,
         to the harness side of the Stop-Tail light connection.
         Then the male Snap goes into here to 'pickup' the Stop.
   * Connect the Brown (Tail) input wire
         to the Brown (Tail) wire of the Stop-Tail light harness.
         As just above, I attached a short length of wire
         to the harness side of the Stop-Tail connecter,
         then Snapped in the Brown input wire there.
   * Connect the Brown (Tail) output wire
         to BOTH Tail light wires, the low intensity side of the bulbs.

When the Stop AND Signal lights are functioning (On), the flash rate on the Signals may increase (get faster) or not flash at all.
This can be eliminated by getting a heavy duty or an electronic flasher module instead of the mechanical one normally used.
Look for a two terminal unit that is listed to flash 1 bulb. The stock one needs 2 bulbs to flash.
They can be found at the Auto supply store in the lighting aisle.
I found one marked Trailer flasher, that was listed to flash 1 to 8 bulbs.
It only costs about $2 so it is a simple and cheap fix.
The flasher is mounted right there under the rear seat, at the left rear corner of the grouping of flashers and relays, and assorted electric stuff.
The OEM flasher is held on by a rubber tab. I left the tab on the bike frame and tie-wrapped new flasher to the original place.

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