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BMW C400GT Mods - Aux lights / Side Markers / Givi Box

byee

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Here are some of the mods I’ve done to my C400GT

Added Rigid Ignite auxiliary lights - flood and spot pattern. Dual mode - high and low modes.

Replaced the stock side marker reflector with LED side markers.

Added a Givi v47 monokey box using an AltRider luggage plate.
 

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Here’s the link on a


I made the mounts on my Sherline lathe and purchased stainless steel hex bolts. I can give you the details if you’re interested.
 

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Riding season has started in the Vancouver BC area. A friend and I took advantage of the good weather a couple weeks back and rode the last 70km of a 225km ride on country back roads with little or no street lighting.

I have 2 pairs of Rigid Ignites mounted a few inches above the front axle - spot and floods. The usable light was completely useless in lighting the roadway to travel safely ride at 80kph. I basically rode back into the city using my high beams.

After doing research on the web and talking with friends, I decided to move remove the lights from where I had them above the axle up higher on the C400GT without them looking intrusive & ugly. The only spot I found was the 2 upper corners just below the headlights. I made sure this mount point still allowed oncoming traffic to see the front signal lights.

After countless days of trial and error, I was finally able to find the sweet spot to mount the L bracket and Ignite lights up high into the corners with just enough to allow the front suspension to travel the full 4-1/2" without having to worry about the front fender smacking into the lights.

Unfortunately, I do not have any light pattern photos to share when I had the lights mounted lower. I have the Rigid Ignites spot lights which toggles between high & low simply by turning them on and off.

I have attached a couple of pictures showing the light patterns. The LOW BEAM photo shows the just the low beam only, low beam with Ignite on low and low beam with Ignite on high. The HIGH BEAM photo shows the just the high beam only, high beam with Ignite on low and high beam with Ignite on high. As you can see, there is a substantial amount of usable light on the roadway.

There are no plans to mount my second set of Ignite floods. Just having a single set of lights will solve the low battery warning message when I had both sets of lights on, grip and heated seat on along with my heated jacket liner. Each set of lights draw just over 3 amps as well as the jacket liner. Keeping the current draw to 6 amps will definitely help eliminate or minimize the warning message.
 

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@byee @wspollack Do either of you two know how to make the turn signal/parking lights stay on all the time and flash only when the turn signal switch is engaged?
Short answers:

1) Not I.
2) I accomplished the same thing with the Skene products.

On my two Burgman 650s, I accomplished what I think you're trying to do by replacing the old-school turn-signal single-filament sockets and bulbs with duallies. See this pic/caption and the next couple in my Burgman gallery:


Closer to current times, LEDs, etc., on my Victory Cross Country Tour, I attempted to do a similar trick with a product designed to do that from Custom Dynamics (where I also got a brake flasher for the Vic, and a license-plate-frame flasher many years before that). Alas, I never could get this to work -- the CANbus was too much of a nanny -- and abandoned ship.

Custom Dynamics has a module that might work:


I have no experience with that. When I bought a product from them for the Victory, it was a much simpler in-line device -- something like $25 for a pair of them (I can't find the product now) -- but this device looks like it might accomplish what you want. I would imagine that no one has ever tried this on a C 400, though. So you could be the guinea pig, much as I believe that I was for the Skene products on our scooters.

Some folks have asserted over the years, by the way, that even if one were to get this to work you would then need to be concerned about the heat buildup inside the confined areas, given that an LED would be on all the time. I'm just reporting this, i.e., I'm not necessarily a believer. As I say, I tried and failed, with my Victory (which had LED turn signals), with its front turn signals.

Now, if you'll review my Skene Photon Boosters (not Blasters, but Boosters) up-front installation, I have full-time amber running lights that are akin to having the turn signals lit all the time. And while the don't blink -- that's left to the stock turn signals, the Boosters are much brighter than the turn signals.

In the rear, the Skene P3-TS do both functions, and very brightly. They're in addition to the stock signals doing their stock thing.

So, if I understand your question correctly, you have a nice clean idea, but I don't know how to accomplish it without throwing extra lights at the problem, with the possible exception of that $100 Triple Play device (or something similar).

Good luck.
 
Short answers:

1) Not I.
2) I accomplished the same thing with the Skene products.

On my two Burgman 650s, I accomplished what I think you're trying to do by replacing the old-school turn-signal single-filament sockets and bulbs with duallies. See this pic/caption and the next couple in my Burgman gallery:


Closer to current times, LEDs, etc., on my Victory Cross Country Tour, I attempted to do a similar trick with a product designed to do that from Custom Dynamics (where I also got a brake flasher for the Vic, and a license-plate-frame flasher many years before that). Alas, I never could get this to work -- the CANbus was too much of a nanny -- and abandoned ship.

Custom Dynamics has a module that might work:


I have no experience with that. When I bought a product from them for the Victory, it was a much simpler in-line device -- something like $25 for a pair of them (I can't find the product now) -- but this device looks like it might accomplish what you want. I would imagine that no one has ever tried this on a C 400, though. So you could be the guinea pig, much as I believe that I was for the Skene products on our scooters.

Some folks have asserted over the years, by the way, that even if one were to get this to work you would then need to be concerned about the heat buildup inside the confined areas, given that an LED would be on all the time. I'm just reporting this, i.e., I'm not necessarily a believer. As I say, I tried and failed, with my Victory (which had LED turn signals), with its front turn signals.

Now, if you'll review my Skene Photon Boosters (not Blasters, but Boosters) up-front installation, I have full-time amber running lights that are akin to having the turn signals lit all the time. And while the don't blink -- that's left to the stock turn signals, the Boosters are much brighter than the turn signals.

In the rear, the Skene P3-TS do both functions, and very brightly. They're in addition to the stock signals doing their stock thing.

So, if I understand your question correctly, you have a nice clean idea, but I don't know how to accomplish it without throwing extra lights at the problem, with the possible exception of that $100 Triple Play device (or something similar).

Good luck.
Thanks Bill. I appreciate that. I have the Skene Blasters, with turn and alert here in the garage. We're redoing our laundry room and putting in a small bar area in the house right now, so I don't have the time to install. Well, I do but choose to other things! I was under the impression that US sold MCs were required to have front facing amber position lights always on (retired LEO). Maybe something changed or I am recalling that fact incorrectly. I was hoping it was a setting or software update. Regarding the heat, I would think that those LEDs would not be capable of generating enough heat to be a concern. Could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

I am also thinking about using some of the older skene light modules I have in the garage and installing them in each of the recesses under the headlight assembly. I may purchase switchback led modules for that space. It may sound like overkill but it makes me more comfortable living in a tourist region where we have hundreds of thousands of half-drunk drivers nowhere to be at any particular time who are constantly looking at their GPS for 1/2 of the year.

I'll take a look at the product you posted. Also, I've only glanced at your trip videos. Looking forward to seeing more.
 
I have consider having Phad remote into my C400GT but decided against it. Based on our conversation, he does all the firmware updates for BMW Motorrad in Thailand.


You need to pickup a special cable to connect to your bike using a laptop. He will remote in using Team Viewer to connect to your bike.
 
Last edited:
I have consider having Phad remote into my C400GT but decided against it. Based on our conversation, he does all the firmware updates for BMW Motorrad in Thailand.


You need to pickup a special cable to connect to your bike using a laptop. He will remote in using Team Viewer to connect to your bike.
Though I am also not going to change the software, I'm still curious why you decided against having Phad update the system.
 
My C400GT was still under warranty which will require him to revert back to the original before I had my bike serviced.

He charges $50USD for each update.
 
View attachment 3356
Hi all!!!! I bought these led lights from Aliexpress (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003535187495.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.741518029qMI2t) and i want to ask you if you have any idea how to make the electrical connections and specially where to connect the yellow cable (DRL-- Day Running lights).
Of course i don't want to loose official BMW warranty and from what i know the bike has canbus system..
Any idea friends???
Hi I bought the same led .Did you finally install them ? Can you help me with the electrical connections?
 
I’ve finally decided to retire my Rigid Ignites after 3 years of use.

I decided on a pair or Morimoto 1Banger with the combo lens after some extensive research. Packaging and light output were the key factors

Rigid uses a plastic refractor to focus the light with a polycarbonate protective lens. Morimoto 1Banger lens is made of glass which is accurately ground to tight specifications to reflect light down the road.

I’ve included videos for the Rigid Ignites and the Morimoto 1Banger.

Rigid Ignite
~~~~~~~~~

With this video I had the low beam on then turned on the Rigid Ignites. Rigids were turned on at the 9 second mark.

Morimoto 1Banger
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In this video, I cycled the lights from low beam, high beam and then the Morimoto 1Banger.

High beams were turned on at the 6 second mark followed by the Morimoto 1Banger at the 11 second mark

As you can see….there’s a night and day difference between them! Unfortunately, my IQ275 doesn’t work with the 1Banger.

In the past, I could ride for hours at night with no one flashing their lights at me. It’s the opposite for the 1Bangers. They are blinding bright. My new usage habit is to turn them on & off as required while being sensitive to vehicles in front of me as well as oncoming vehicles.
 

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