LED Bulb in EMGO aftermarket Tail Light

[jinx2350]

Hey folks,

So I thought I'd be clever, and buy an aftermarket tail light.

This one here from Dime City:
http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-racer-caferacer-bobber-brat-chopper-custom-motorcycle-electronic-lighting-parts-classic-retro-satin-black-taillight-62-21512-sbpc.html

I thought I'd add a trick little LED bulb to it from these guys:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-vehicle-replacement-bulbs/1157-led-bulb-dual-intensity-25-led-motorcycle-bulb/170/767/

Plugged it in, and NOTHING. I'm VERY inexperienced in LED lighting, but I thought it would work just fine. Anybody have any guesses about what I might need to make this thing run? Resistors? Relays? AM i just using the entirely wrong bulb??

 

[SONICJK]

Assuming the bulb fits the terminal in the light housing it should work just fine.

First get 2 wires and touch them to the pos and neg on the battery and to the pos and neg on the bulb and see if it lights up.

My guess is you put the bulb in backwards, try flipping it around. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode (a diode is a component that only allows current flow in one direction) so it only works on way

 

[jinx2350]

Bulb is in correctly...it has two tabs (one higher than the other), and can only go into the housing one way. I'll try with just the ground, and both running/brake wires to see if I get anything.

didn't occur to me to try it outside the housing first.

 

[jinx2350]

Fiddled around, and figured out the very cheap housing that the bulb sits in was somehow off-track, and thus not making a connection with the LED Bulb. Stock bulb is just a smidgen larger and seated properly, and the LED was juussttt a little crooked. Moved some things around, and it's set!

Thanks for the inspiration.

 

[SONICJK]

Nice glad you worked it out.

Motorcycles vibrate. A lot.
Find a way to make sure it doesn't move on the road. It would suck to be riding at night without a brake light and not know it because it rattled loose.

 

[jinx2350]

I thought about that. We'll see how it works for a minute, but I'll keep my eye on it.

 

[jsharpphoto]

I've fitted aftermarket bulbs to lights before, and some times there is just enough play in the bulb and socket that it will vibrate out of connection. If you use just a small amount of RTV on the bulb base and it will hold tight into the socket. Just make sure you don't get it on the actual contacts.