Author Topic: Admore Light Bar Installation  (Read 26580 times)

Online maxtog

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Admore Light Bar Installation
« on: July 09, 2011, 06:41:53 PM »
Post 1:  Overview

I am never happy with the stock lighting on any bike.  Simply not visible/safe enough.  After much research, I decided I wanted to purchase and install an Admore brand light bar.  http://www.admorelighting.com/index.php?page=products/index.php&subpage=5  There are two versions, the 8" 54 light and the larger 11" 72 light bar.  I chose the larger, model number LED7226N-T-TS.

It is a bit pricey ($139), but when it arrived, it was clearly quality stuff.  It included all the hardware and positap wiring connectors.  The bar supports tail light, modulated brake light, AND "progressive" yellow turn signals.  One of the things I love about this model is that it will blink the brake light three times rapidly (in 1 sec) and then go solid for the duration of holding the brake.  This makes it very visible, but without annoying traffic at lights.  It even has a time delay to prevent flashing until the brake has been released for about 10 to 15 seconds.

I decided the best place to mount it was below the license plate.  That way, it is far enough away from the stock brake light and turn signals to greatly increase the visible "size" of the bike.  I was concerned that the plate would not be strong enough or lead to excessive vibration.  That doesn't appear to be a problem.  I am very happy with the installation and results, and do highly recommend this product.  UPDATE: A better WAY to mount it is listed in post 30 http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=2505.msg197619#msg197619

Attached are three photos of the finished installation.  I am pleased to follow this posting with detailed instructions for anyone interested (love giving back to the forum that helps me so much).
« Last Edit: December 31, 2013, 03:27:26 PM by maxtog »
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2011, 06:44:36 PM »
Post 2: Instructions (PDF)

Attached is a PDF file of instructions I wrote, along with the photographs.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2013, 03:30:39 PM by maxtog »
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2011, 06:47:05 PM »
Post 3:  Instructions (text + attached photos)

These instructions are for mounting the light bar on the bottom of the license plate.  Remove license plate.  Drill a small hole, the size of the Admore cable, directly under the license plate light (see photos).  When drilling, be careful not to damage the license plate light cable behind the fender.  Take off the seat and remove the tool box.  Remove the relay attached to the tool box.  Pull the ECU up and move it forward out of the way.  Remove the two nuts on the base pan that hold the rear fender in place.  Thread the Admore cable through the hole you just drilled in the fender.  Look under the bike above the tire, you will see the cable for the license plate light going through a square hole.  Now that the fender is loose, you can thread the Admore cable through the same hole, do so. 

Mount the Admore bracket to the bottom of the license plate (many state plates have two holes on the bottom of the plate already).  The bracket should be offset so the Admore can be mounted to the bracket (using the two small screws and nuts on the sides), lower than the holes that hold it to the plate.  This will prevent the Admore from blocking the plate.  For a more finished look, mounted the bracket behind the plate instead of in front.  This install used  white nylon plate mounting bolts to attach the Admore to the plate and reflector bolts to attach the plate to the bike (see photos).  UPDATE: A better WAY to mount it is listed in post 30 http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=2505.msg197619#msg197619

Wrap the Admore cable around the license plate bracket once, then mount the whole assembly to the bike.  This will give you a service loop for later.  Take up the slack in the rest of the cable going into the bike and tie wrap it to the license plate light cable under the bike.

Locate the black "boot" near the rear of the bike, under the seat, which contains all the connectors.  There is one connector with three wires- red, blue, black.  That is the brake light.   You will also see two dual connectors with green and black wires.  Those are the turn signals. Use the supplied positap connectors as follows and then reassemble everything and you are done:

Bike      Function      Admore
Red      Tail light      Red and Blue
Blue      Brake      Purple
Black   Ground      Black

Green   Right turn      Green
Green   Left turn      Yellow
« Last Edit: December 31, 2013, 03:27:01 PM by maxtog »
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

Offline IRULE

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2011, 11:41:06 PM »
Really nice write up. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing.  :)
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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2011, 06:46:59 AM »
Really nice write up. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing.  :)

Thanks.  I might have gone a bit overboard, but it should also be useful for any type of other light bar or license plate-based brake light frame.
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2011, 07:58:09 PM »
I turn on the bike today and to my dismay, the brand new light bar is missing 1/3 of the right LED's.  Yet they still work yellow with the turn signal.  Guess I now get to find out how good their customer service is.  And this, after saying how much I like the quality....  I suppose I jinxed it.

Anyway, I think a suitable remedy would be to cross ship me another, and they pay to return the almost DOA one back.  We shall see.  I will, of course, let you all know.
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

Offline ZG

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2011, 08:08:05 PM »
I turn on the bike today and to my dismay, the brand new light bar is missing 1/3 of the right LED's.  Yet they still work yellow with the turn signal.  Guess I now get to find out how good their customer service is.  And this, after saying how much I like the quality....  I suppose I jinxed it.

Anyway, I think a suitable remedy would be to cross ship me another, and they pay to return the almost DOA one back.  We shall see.  I will, of course, let you all know.

 :(
 
That sucks Max...

Offline Conrad

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2011, 05:23:34 AM »
Nice write up and the light looks good. I can't say that I'm crazy about the way the bracket looks though.

Good luck with the replacement.
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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2011, 05:44:02 AM »
Nice write up and the light looks good. I can't say that I'm crazy about the way the bracket looks though.

Good luck with the replacement.

They have a smaller version that will blend with the plate a little better, but I didn't care, I wanted the increased area.  There really isn't any other place to mount a light bar except under the turn signals, which would be very complicated- plus it reduces the light "footprint" of the bike.  Perhaps under the luggage rack, but that pretty much ads nothing to the "footprint".  I think, ideally, one could use long light strips on the side luggage/bags- but I didn't want to mess up the luggage and have to fight cables taking them on/off.

The company responded immediately and said they were shipping me another one, in advance.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2011, 07:12:09 AM by maxtog »
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2011, 07:10:39 AM »
The company responded immediately and said they were shipping me another one, in advance.

And they did.  They got my Email on Monday and I had the replacement light bar in my hands on Wednesday.  Very fast.  On Thursday I installed it (it was MUCH easier than I expected, since I already knew exactly what to do this time.... and wasn't spending time documenting the process).  Works fine
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

Offline 556ALPHA

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2012, 06:26:20 PM »
I found this while doing a search, GREAT write up. 

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #11 on: January 07, 2012, 06:41:38 PM »
I found this while doing a search, GREAT write up.

Thanks.  This group has given me a lot of useful information.  I hope to give back something useful to others.
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #12 on: January 07, 2012, 07:22:15 PM »
This is FAQ worthy!
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Offline SuperBee

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2012, 07:06:29 AM »
Found this during a search as well.  Very very helpful.  Thanks for taking the time to document and post.

SB

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2012, 07:21:45 AM »
Found this during a search as well.  Very very helpful.  Thanks for taking the time to document and post.

You are welcome.  And my Admore light bar is still going strong.
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

Offline mvjr1904

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #15 on: December 01, 2012, 10:58:49 AM »
Great write up and quality light set up. The bracket could be made for model specific installation but I'm sure the overall cost of the light would go up.
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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #16 on: June 22, 2013, 07:00:29 AM »
Just a quick post to say the light is still working perfectly.  The bracket has a tiny bit of rust in a few corners, which surprised me.
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

Offline clogan

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #17 on: June 26, 2013, 02:09:44 PM »
Thanks for your thread, and the update. I do have one question: I noticed on the Admore site that they  offer a "plug and play" harness for their light bar to connect to the C14...priced at $30 bucks or so. Did you consider buying this harness, and if so, why did you opt out? I don't usually hesitate to make splices or positap taps, but a plug-in harness would seem to be worth the price, just for the long-term peace of mind of avoiding splices or taps.

Thanks,
CW
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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #18 on: June 26, 2013, 04:20:34 PM »
Thanks for your thread, and the update. I do have one question: I noticed on the Admore site that they  offer a "plug and play" harness for their light bar to connect to the C14...priced at $30 bucks or so. Did you consider buying this harness, and if so, why did you opt out? I don't usually hesitate to make splices or positap taps, but a plug-in harness would seem to be worth the price, just for the long-term peace of mind of avoiding splices or taps.

I can't recall.  One of the following likely applied:

* It was not available at the time
* I was not aware it was available at the time
* It was more expensive (if it were $30, I would have done it)

In any case, I was very impressed with the positaps.  I was VERY skeptical, because my only experience had been with "scotch locks" and those things are horrible- they damage the wiring, are finicky, make poor connections, and are not reliable over time.  The positaps, on the other hand, were super easy to install, don't cause any damage, and seem to be very reliable.
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc

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Re: Admore Light Bar Installation
« Reply #19 on: September 02, 2013, 09:32:02 PM »
I decided the best place to mount it was below the license plate.  That way, it is far enough away from the stock brake light and turn signals to greatly increase the visible "size" of the bike.  I was concerned that the plate would not be strong enough or lead to excessive vibration.  That doesn't appear to be a problem

Wrong!!  (Well, right location, wrong mounting technique)

Seems that the tin the plate is made of cannot handle the weight with the excessive bounciness of the Admore on it and after two years, the whole corner of the plate snapped off from stress fracturing.  And the other side was about half way through too.  Happened suddenly and I was lucky enough to see it right before I lost the whole thing.

I have it remounted temporarily with some strapping.  After I get a new plate, I will either use strapping behind the plate or make a plate to go behind the plate.  Will probably also put a rubber bumper behind the Admore to try and reduce the motion.
Shoodaben (was Guhl) Mountain Runner ECU flash, Canyon Cages front/rear, Helibars risers, Phil's wedges, Grip Puppies, Sargent World seat-low & heated & pod, Muzzy lowering links, Soupy's stand, Nautilus air horn, Admore lightbar, Ronnie's highway pegs, front running lights, all LED, helmet locks, RAM Xgrip, Sena SMH10, Throttle Tamer, MRA X-Creen, BearingUp Shifter, PR4-GT, Scorpion EXO-T1200,etc