Wanted LEDucation…

I have an ‘83 Yamaha XJ 550 maxim

Been on and off here picking up knowledge and such for the last almost year… Thank you all. You’ve helped a lot.

I come to you once again in our hour of need. Help Obi-XJ Kenobi’s…You’re my only hope.

I’ve earmarked some things and they do not seem to work or make no sense to me. The bike was sold to me at my most naive, by people who Frankensteined it. Some here may know my trials and how they chopped valuable pieces off the bike so my seat options are weird.

but I’m here now… who cares right?

What I’m looking to do is go full LED on my Maxim headlights, turn signals, brake lights. I need a really solid how to from soup to nuts about the wiring and the products to get.

I’ve been having conversations and reading and this is where I think I am;

-There are LED turns on front and back. When wired to a battery direct, they light up / When wired into proper wiring they do not.

-My headlamp is super super DIM. Brightens when I rev throttle, but super dim (almost off) when at idle.

-I know nothing about any installed LED relay, so that very well may be the culprit. They seem dumb enough to not have installed something vital to the cause.

So, what I’m asking is how best to track down and track the problem…

My biggest problem is if there are just so many how to use for so many different individual ways to do things I can’t seem to find a straight answer in a lot of things. It’s just the way my brain works. I need an overview of how something can happen and you guys have been great about giving me that.

 

brake light/taillight is just changing the bulb
headlight is as simple as installing it plugs into the same connector. if you get the fancy one with the halo it will need a little more work.
there is a thread here called
How to convert to LED's and still have everything work

you will need to install a metric diode in the directional indicater. superbrightleds sells them and they have a wiring diagram

 

Suppose he uses a UL-listed, SAE signal bulb (perhaps even made in the USA). Does the diode still need to be metric?

;-)

 

That thread is mainly for the machines with the systems monitor. Most of that is irrelevant to the 550.
He will need an electronic signal flasher.

 

So what you’re saying is that I can purchase ANY LED Headlamp and it will just work? Is it that the turn signals are the issue without an LED relay?

I really love the quick responses but if you could be a tad more dumbed-down for my sake, with the wiring I’m a supreme novice here. The links and product recommendations are amazing, but know that some of the stuff is complete Greek to me.

 

also, from my quick searches before work today I found this;

2-Pin Electronic LED Flasher Relay FIX Motorcycle Turn Signal Bulbs Hyper Flash https://a.co/d/hDtlMAB

this (and correct me if I’m wrong) will attach to TURN SIGNALS and allow them to blink without additional parts? Will this solve my aforementioned issue?

 

A Bussman 552 two-prong flasher or the equivalent from any manufacturer will do the job. Pay attention to the pinouts for the flasher so that they match what the socket has. You will need diodes for the dash lamp. @chacal sells a replacement LED lamp for that location which has the led built in to the light.