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I never liked the big rear signals sticking out on Winnie's rear end like Prince Charles' ears.

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So, I narrowed them with the help of a very creative buddy down at work.

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Here's the pieces that won't be going back on.

[attachment=1]rear3.jpg[/attachment]
We cut off the mounting pipe flush with the body of the stop light housing. Then, he cut a piece of steel the same size as the pieces that were welded in and tapped new set screw holes. He also tapped a hole in the pipe on the inside of the housing for a set screw to hold them level.

the last time I answered a question like that I got in trouble.

Looks good, did something like that to my '77 to make way for saddle bags.

Same thing on my black bike. It think it looks much better than sticking out like Your Prince's ears. On the 78 it was very easy just use a set of the front blinker stand offs instead of the 4 inch jobbers that go in the back.

I feel the need to remind everryone that the US DOT and Transport Canada both require that any flashing turn signal must be at least 4"/100mm from any light that is on while the signal is flashing.

This is a safety issue - if the flashing signal is too close to another light it becomes difficult to tell that it is flashing.

Thank you Officer Bob.

I can't wait til the officer whips out his tape measure on me.

and I'm not arguing with Bob. but it seems odd that car manufacturers break this rule/law in lots of tail light designs.

but it also seems obvious some cagers can't tell the difference between amber and red. look at the number of people who flat out run right through a red light.

HH, you are a quite observant chap.

And you got a chuckle outta me on that one.

That's the reason I don't "time" lights too close to the edge.

Those rules have changed as far as I know. Look at the rear end of a VFR800, for instance:



That is factory lighting back there, DOT approved and everything. I believe that law changed in the mid 90s because I know the earlier VFR750s could not have the lights that were signals in other countries used as turn signals, and had add-on signals. By 97 (probably earlier, but I had a 97) the lights made into the tail were legal as signals too.

Thought you'd like to know that the DOT now approves of our shennanigans.

Do the tail lights turn off when the signals are flashing?

I saw an item on TV a few months ago about some european made car that had the front signals so close to the headlights that the designers had actually deformed the side of the headlight lens to allow for the signals to overlap where the edge of the headlight should have been. When they tried to market them here they got past the 4" rule by turning off the headlight when the signal next to it is flashing.

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a bad fix for bad design to me - turn off the left headlight when you are turning left?

At any rate, it doesn't matter how cool your bike looks with the signals crammed against the tail light if a car driver doesn't see them flashing and tries to pass while you are turning. They are likely to do it anyway, so why give them the opportunity to say they couldn't tell the signal was on?

Made me look.

[quote]Title 49--Transportation

CHAPTER V--NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

PART 571--FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS


S5.1.1.25 Each turn signal lamp on a
motorcycle shall have an effective projected
luminous lens area of not less
than 2258 square mm. (31⁄2 square
inches).

S5.1.1.26 On a motor vehicle whose
overall width is less than 80 inches:
(a) The effective projected luminous
lens area of a single compartment stop
lamp, and a single compartment rear
turn signal lamp, shall be not less than
50 square centimeters (73⁄4 square
inches).

§ 571.108 49 CFR Ch. V (10–1–06 Edition)
TABLE IVâ€â€Â

So the tail lights do not have to turn off when the turn signals flash. The amber lights merely have to be 9" center to center. Here's the thing about rear turn signals. They are not going to keep someone from hitting you. They tell the person behind you that you are going to turn. If they are the sort of driver to ignore your flashing yellow turn signal lens and try to occupy the same space as you, it will not matter if your signals are 3 feet apart. I have a BAF o-range helmet and people don't see me. Best thing to do is keep going a little bit faster than those around you, check to make sure that the other driver is not going to come up from behind you when you are changing lanes, assume that they will and prepare for that sort of thing. I use my signals, but assume that nobody cares becaues people just do not pay attention.
If you want to be super safe and have people see you, then do this:



And I assure you that everyone will see you. They may cause an accident staring, but they will see you.

OK then.

The front signals must be 4" from the hedlight edge to edge and at least 16" apart centre to centre, but at the rear they only have to be 9" apart and the 4" rule only applies to red signals.
I guess that makes sense because headlights are a lot brighter than tail lights and a flashing red signal next to a red tail light is a lot harder to see than an amber one.

I'm not sure how to interpret S5.1.1.26, though. It looks like it says that lens area of a stop (brake) light and of a rear turn signals must be 7.75 sq. in. (4.93" dia.), but that doesn't make sense.
I'm not sure this is directed at motorcycles. Full sized pickup trucks are generally only about 80" wide, so this should apply to everything that size or smaller - in other words, most cars.

I'm sure Transport Canada's regs are substantialy the same. From what I have read, TC and DOT essentially share the work of writing motor vehicle standards so that both countries' standards are essentily the same and the same vehicles can be sold on both sides of the border. Considering the number of vehicles that cross the border every day, this is a rare example of government agencies actually doing something that makes sense.

BTW: 3.5 sq. in (minimum size of turn signal) is 2.11" diameter.

Sidecar Bob wrote:I'm not sure how to interpret S5.1.1.26,

Yea after reading it, that may not be the reference I initially thought. Was trying to reference taillight size. The section on lamps is 75 pages long and everything is mixed together with other vehicle classes. Available here if anyone's interested. Click Here
Standard No. 108 has to do with the lamps.

If we hear the WF is in the hoosegow we'll know why then.