If you’ve just purchased a brand new Harley-Davidson® motorcycle, then welcome to the team. You’ve joined a community of motorcycle enthusiasts with a long legacy. No matter where you go in the country, you’ll find fellow Harley-Davidson® riders and they’ll all share your excitement. You’ll also find that your motorcycle is expressly built for customization. You can customize your Harley-Davidson® motorcycle to fit your needs and your style. So where should you start?
Here at American Harley-Davidson®, we recommend an LED lighting system. They’ll add flair to your bike while also making you more visible to other drivers on the road. And, as it so happens, you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
We’ve listed out the basic steps below, but if wiring and installation aren’t really your thing, bring your bike and LED light strips down to our experienced professionals and have them do it for you. We proudly serve the regions of Buffalo, Lockport, Niagara Falls, Batavia, and Rochester, New York.
Test your Light Strips
Before you start, make sure you have everything you need and that it’s working. Organize your LED light strips so they are easily accessible and outline how they’ll connect to one another. Your kit should include a battery, LED light strips, a fuse box, a switch, and spare wiring. Make sure all the parts are there, and if your LED kit comes with a wiring diagram, use it instead of trying to figure it out yourself. You’ll also want to make sure you have masking tape and possibly Velcro to make the strips easier to move after installation.
When you have everything you need to begin, test out your LED strips. This can be done with a 9-volt battery or your motorcycle’s battery. Return any malfunctioning strips you encounter.
Map Out your Plan
Next, before you start the installation, map out where you want to put your LED strips. Masking tape will temporarily hold them in place without damaging your bike’s paint. This will help you know if you need to trim them down or move some of them around, and will make installation easier. Don’t forget to orient the strips so the wires face the battery.
Wire it Up
Now it’s time for the installation. Collect all the wires and plug them into the connector box (or “junction box”) so they’re part of one positive and negative lead. If your switch is remote, rather than manual, you’ll need to wire the relay box between the connector box and the battery. This type of system also comes with its own fuses so there are no additional installations. A manual switch on the other hand will require a fuse boat to the negative lead and a place for mounting. We recommend somewhere out of sight.
Once you have all the necessary components wired in sequence, attach ring terminals to the positive and negative leads. Remove half an inch of the plastic jacket off each lead wire to expose the copper and wrap them around the connection point on the ring terminals. Attach the positive lead to the positive terminal on the battery. Make sure the switch to the system is turned off, then attach the negative lead to the negative terminal. Test to see if you’ve done everything correctly by flipping the switch. If some of the LED lights don’t light up, check connections, wiring, lights, anything that might signal something was installed incorrectly or that something is malfunctioning.
Once you’re satisfied, switch out the masking tape with Velcro to give you the option of moving them around after you’ve installed them. Zip tie and clean up any loose wires so they don’t interfere with your look or your performance.
Now you’re ready to cruise around town in style. Using LED lights are not only a stylish way to upgrade your bike, but now that the days are getting shorter, it’s the perfect way for you to stay seen. If you need help installing your LED lights, or if you’d like to upgrade your bike in some other way, stop by American Harley-Davidson® and talk with our professional staff. We welcome all riders from Buffalo, Lockport, Niagara Falls, Batavia, and Rochester, New York.