LED Turn signal bulbs that work!

[DrDave39]

Thought I would share my experience here. 

As I am learning about my new to me 2020 RS, I was surprised that it used incandescent 12v turn signal bulbs. I had previously tried to find CANBUS plug and play LED bulbs for my 2020 KTM 890  Duke R, but they either caused errors or were physically too long to fit inside the housing. Getting the RS inspired me to try again, and I came up with these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018UW...UTF8&psc=1

Not cheap at $40 a pair, but free returns and a lifetime warranty, so what the heck? Ordered a complete set for each bike, total of $160.  Of course they are now out of stock at Amazon, but should be available elsewhere.

Here' a quick clip showing the physical size of the bulbs vs. the stockers. This was from the KTM install, but the housing on the RS is actually a bit larger than the KTM, so plenty of room:

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/4rc...YLBJeiAtBh

Install was simple, no resistors or wiring changes. I wore nitrile gloves while handling all bulbs. Remove old bulb, Insert LED bulb. Done.

For a baseline, here's the RS stock turn signal bulb's brightness:

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/kd4...QjYk25Cgcw

Here is the RS with the LED bulb:

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/_eS...mz-AM4cq1e

And here's a side by side comparison on the KTM:  (Don't ask me why I forgot to do this on the RS!)

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/0e4...ohQPKqMMGv

As you can see, on both bikes, the LED is WAY brighter. Flash rates are identical. I  ran them for 10 minutes on each bike with no problems. 

I've run them on both bikes for over a month now with zero issues. Same flash rate, no error messages, CRAZY bright. I feel much better waiting to make a turn knowing these are blasting away.  AT $160 total for both bikes, I feel it was cheap indeed for the increase in safety. 

Dave
2020 1250 RS

[Motorhead1977]

Dave, I changed my OEM turn signal bulbs to LED using the kits from WeiserTecknic.com. Here's a link to our bike listing:
https://www.weisertechnik.com/product-ca...evo-range/
I went with the triple function rear and single function front. Total cost was $340 shipped to me. More expensive than your option but they offer additional functionality and are a direct fit plug and play without any canbus issues. I'm extremely pleased with having changed to these.

[DrDave39]

Dave, I changed my OEM turn signal bulbs to LED using the kits from WeiserTecknic.com. Here's a link to our bike listing:
https://www.weisertechnik.com/product-ca...evo-range/
I went with the triple function rear and single function front. Total cost was $340 shipped to me. More expensive than your option but they offer additional functionality and are a direct fit plug and play without any canbus issues. I'm extremely pleased with having changed to these.

Wow- that is awesome. Seeing how bright mine are now, I've been kicking ideas and researching modulators that would combine functions- this looks perfect. You say plug and play- do you not have to run taps into the brake wiring?

I looked at he website and now I'm lusting for the full kit- extra running lights and super bright turns front,  triple function rear....

Dave

[Grumpy Goat]

Thought I would share my experience here. 

As I am learning about my new to me 2020 RS, I was surprised that it used incandescent 12v turn signal bulbs. I had previously tried to find CANBUS plug and play LED bulbs for my 2020 KTM 890  Duke R, but they either caused errors or were physically too long to fit inside the housing. Getting the RS inspired me to try again, and I came up with these
....

Thanks for sharing your experience. Not sure if you realised it when you joined this Forum but there is good appreciation for DIY projects that owners are willing to share for the benefit of others who might read these posts. All part of ownership of the bike. 

Your writeup, complete with links and photos (which actually takes effort), will be of some benefit for those looking to do the same modification. Your alternative presents a cheaper alternative than some of the other alternatives out there, especially when you consider that you got no CAN-Bus errors ... not always the case. Weiser Teknik and Dynamic Motorrad make LED board-type alternatives that are designed for CAN-Bus systems, but they are more costly than your alternative. I have the latter on my bike with no problems.

[DrDave39]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Not sure if you realised it when you joined this Forum but there is good appreciation for DIY projects that owners are willing to share for the benefit of others who might read these posts. All part of ownership of the bike. 

Your writeup, complete with links and photos (which actually takes effort), will be of some benefit for those looking to do the same modification. Your alternative presents a cheaper alternative than some of the other alternatives out there, especially when you consider that you got no CAN-Bus errors ... not always the case. Weiser Teknik and Dynamic Motorrad make LED board-type alternatives that are designed for CAN-Bus systems, but they are more costly than your alternative. I have the latter on my bike with no problems.

GG-

Thanks! I expected to tap the Forum for expertise, didn't think I could contribute anything this early...
I'm really impressed with the bulbs, it would be interesting to compare them to the 2 you reference which replace the whole assembly for brightness and viewability angle.  
That said, I am really interested in the Wesiser setup- the idea of the turn signals also being used as super bright running lights front and rear, AND and improved brake lights is really cool. Of course its more $, but hey, this is a BMW... 

Thanks for proving this forum- it's great!

Dave

[36654]

GG-

Thanks! I expected to tap the Forum for expertise, didn't think I could contribute anything this early...
I'm really impressed with the bulbs, it would be interesting to compare them to the 2 you reference which replace the whole assembly for brightness and viewability angle.  
That said, I am really interested in the Wesiser setup- the idea of the turn signals also being used as super bright running lights front and rear, AND and improved brake lights is really cool. Of course its more $, but hey, this is a BMW... 

Thanks for proving this forum- it's great!

Dave

Dr. Dave,

I'll be interested in how long the Inertia bulbs last.  The early Dynamic Motorrad bulbs seem to be holding up quite well, while the later 2019-on bulbs seems to last about 1 year and the lifetime guarantee can be a hassle to "enforce".

Having said that, the Inertia and Dynamic Motorrad bulbs seem to be identical.

I'm currently considering a set of these
https://www.ebay.com/itm/355085781003?_t...%3A4429486

[DrDave39]

36654-

I've had good luck with Amazon standing up for me on warrantied stuff when the manufacture was difficult. Have to see...

Those LED signals look nice ,and you can't beat the price! I'm guessing you'll need to add resistors,  but that easy and inexpensive to do.

[36654]

36654-

I've had good luck with Amazon standing up for me on warrantied stuff when the manufacture was difficult. Have to see...

Those LED signals look nice ,and you can't beat the price! I'm guessing you'll need to add resistors,  but that easy and inexpensive to do.

I've asked the vendor for clarification.

[36654]

36654-

I've had good luck with Amazon standing up for me on warrantied stuff when the manufacture was difficult. Have to see...

Those LED signals look nice ,and you can't beat the price! I'm guessing you'll need to add resistors,  but that easy and inexpensive to do.

I've asked the vendor for clarification.

While perusing the eBay LED offerings, I found these $15 replacement signals.  
Turn Signal Indicator Light Lamp For BMW C 600/650 sport C650GT R1200GS R1200RS | eBay
However, the lack of a connection lead baffled me and prompted a note to the vendor.  And, as shown, no electrical leads are included.  

Installation could be fun.