C 400 GT: Skene "Photon Boosters" Added to Front Fender

[wspollack]

As I alluded to a couple of days ago (in https://www.bmw-scooters.com/index.php?threads/garmin-zumo-xt.2599/, a thread about powering a Garmin), I was working on adding Skene Lights' "Photon Boosters" to the fender of my '22 C 400 GT:



I've now finished that work, including the documentation for anyone with a C 400 who would like to duplicate the process. The details start with this particular image in my C 400 GT gallery, and include 18 pics and a YouTube video I just put up:

2022 & 2023 BMW C 400 GT Scooters

billanddot.com

The links to all products used are in the image captions, but if you're curious right now, this is the Skene product I'm talking about:

Photon Booster (LED modules only- pair)-LED

skenelights.com

I am VERY pleased with these LED modules -- super bright, basically painful to stare at in a garage. And they have the same casing as the Skene P3 lights I put on out back last summer, which have held up without issue (with about 4,000 miles on them now).

 

[triangletom]

Thanks for sharing this! Mimicking your setup is the next thing on my list of things to do to my CE04.

Did you try the conspicuity mode on the photon blasters? I’m curious how annoying it will be versus visible. It’s difficult to assess from the videos due to issues capturing the flicker.

 

[wspollack]

Thanks for sharing this! Mimicking your setup is the next thing on my list of things to do to my CE04.

Did you try the conspicuity mode on the photon blasters? I’m curious how annoying it will be versus visible. It’s difficult to assess from the videos due to issues capturing the flicker.

Tom:

Yep, you're right about the difficulty of seeing what's going on in a video of lighting, especially considering that even the stock LED headlights appear to flicker in videos. Someday I might try to record at different frame-per-second rates -- higher and lower -- to see what happens. But then again, YouTube might alter those rates. I'm not sure what to do about this sort of thing.

More to the point of your question, I think I've confused you a bit, regarding what lights I've added. Pay attention here, because there WILL be a quiz afterward.

I got Photon Boosters -- https://skenelights.com/photon-booster-led-modules-pair.html -- for the FRONT, not Photon Blasters -- https://skenelights.com/photon-blaster.html . Only the Blaster modules have Skene's "patented flicker," which is what I think you're talking about.

I went with the $80 Boosters instead of the $140 Blasters up front because of my experience out back. Let me explain.

Last year, I added the $165 P3-TS lights out back. These are essentially the same thing as the Blasters -- LED modules and controller -- and I also detail that work earlier in my gallery. I had the default "conspicuity flicker" enabled for them, but only at first. Take a quick read through https://skenelights.com/photon-blaster-installation--iq-250-series.html .

The problem, I decided, was that this flicker was too pronounced, IMO. It almost looked as if the four-way flashers were enabled, in normal riding-down-road mode. I don't think that this was related to the CANbus, as Skene products are used on all sorts of Beemers (Skene's favorite brand, I'd say), for instance. It MIGHT have been related to the lack of a load resistor; on that installation-info page, they note: "On bikes that monitor bulb continuity the other end of the cut wire must be connected to a load resistor and then to ground." I really don't know.

In any event, shortly after I made my first Skene video, the one of just the P3-TS lights, I turned off the flicker mode for those rear lights.

(It is a really nice feature with the Blaster controller that you can change the operation of lights without doing any physical wiring changes. Just go through their trick sequence of squeezing the brake lever.)

So, when it came time to order lights for the front, I went with the non-controller, non-flicker, model, i.e., the cheaper Boosters instead of the Blasters.

I will say this, though:

1) Those Boosters -- i.e., the LED modules that Skene sells -- are very impressively bright, without any tricks! That's why I continued to patronize Skene. The front Boosters really are almost painful to look at in the garage: very bright, and with a very wide beam pattern.

And the P3-TS out back are the same bright LEDs. And the fact that they synchronize with and augment the stock turn signals -- that is, they're not just running lights out back -- is an added bonus.

So I am pleased with my flickerless installation of the red P3-TS system out back and the amber Booster system in front, would do it again if the bike were crashed or stolen, etc.!

2) About three years ago, I bought the Photon Blasters -- amber, up front -- as a (birthday or xmas or something) present for my local riding buddy. This was for his 2012 RT. And they work fine on that bike, including the trick from-the-side flicker. It's a very subtle effect, though, definitely not pronounced. I can tell that they have this capability, if I look really hard for it. To me, I'm not convinced that the flicker is worth having, even when it works as intended on that older bike.

Bottom line: IMO, the Booster -- that's a Blaster, minus the controller and all its capabilities -- is excellent for the front. And for the rear, the Blaster-like P3-TS is very good, and I use the controller in that setup only for turn-signal augmentation, not for flickering.

All that make sense now, or have I just confused you some more?

 

[triangletom]

That makes sense! Thanks for clarifying the difference.

I'll be sure to post once I get setup - it'll be a couple of weeks.

 

[mzflorida]

That makes sense! Thanks for clarifying the difference.

I'll be sure to post once I get setup - it'll be a couple of weeks.

I have had the Photon Blasters on my last four bikes, also my wife's last bike. Pullouts by drivers of other vehicles goes to almost zero. Amazing little devices with kind of a goofy name! You'll see the driver intending to pull out, recognize there is a motorcycle, then stop. Anyhow, if you haven't had them before I think you'll be surprised and pleased.

 

[mzflorida]

Tom:

Yep, you're right about the difficulty of seeing what's going on in a video of lighting, especially considering that even the stock LED headlights appear to flicker in videos. Someday I might try to record at different frame-per-second rates -- higher and lower -- to see what happens. But then again, YouTube might alter those rates. I'm not sure what to do about this sort of thing.

More to the point of your question, I think I've confused you a bit, regarding what lights I've added. Pay attention here, because there WILL be a quiz afterward.

I got Photon Boosters -- https://skenelights.com/photon-booster-led-modules-pair.html -- for the FRONT, not Photon Blasters -- https://skenelights.com/photon-blaster.html . Only the Blaster modules have Skene's "patented flicker," which is what I think you're talking about.

I went with the $80 Boosters instead of the $140 Blasters up front because of my experience out back. Let me explain.

Last year, I added the $165 P3-TS lights out back. These are essentially the same thing as the Blasters -- LED modules and controller -- and I also detail that work earlier in my gallery. I had the default "conspicuity flicker" enabled for them, but only at first. Take a quick read through https://skenelights.com/photon-blaster-installation--iq-250-series.html .

The problem, I decided, was that this flicker was too pronounced, IMO. It almost looked as if the four-way flashers were enabled, in normal riding-down-road mode. I don't think that this was related to the CANbus, as Skene products are used on all sorts of Beemers (Skene's favorite brand, I'd say), for instance. It MIGHT have been related to the lack of a load resistor; on that installation-info page, they note: "On bikes that monitor bulb continuity the other end of the cut wire must be connected to a load resistor and then to ground." I really don't know.

In any event, shortly after I made my first Skene video, the one of just the P3-TS lights, I turned off the flicker mode for those rear lights.

(It is a really nice feature with the Blaster controller that you can change the operation of lights without doing any physical wiring changes. Just go through their trick sequence of squeezing the brake lever.)

So, when it came time to order lights for the front, I went with the non-controller, non-flicker, model, i.e., the cheaper Boosters instead of the Blasters.

I will say this, though:

1) Those Boosters -- i.e., the LED modules that Skene sells -- are very impressively bright, without any tricks! That's why I continued to patronize Skene. The front Boosters really are almost painful to look at in the garage: very bright, and with a very wide beam pattern.

And the P3-TS out back are the same bright LEDs. And the fact that they synchronize with and augment the stock turn signals -- that is, they're not just running lights out back -- is an added bonus.

So I am pleased with my flickerless installation of the red P3-TS system out back and the amber Booster system in front, would do it again if the bike were crashed or stolen, etc.!

2) About three years ago, I bought the Photon Blasters -- amber, up front -- as a (birthday or xmas or something) present for my local riding buddy. This was for his 2012 RT. And they work fine on that bike, including the trick from-the-side flicker. It's a very subtle effect, though, definitely not pronounced. I can tell that they have this capability, if I look really hard for it. To me, I'm not convinced that the flicker is worth having, even when it works as intended on that older bike.

Bottom line: IMO, the Booster -- that's a Blaster, minus the controller and all its capabilities -- is excellent for the front. And for the rear, the Blaster-like P3-TS is very good, and I use the controller in that setup only for turn-signal augmentation, not for flickering.

All that make sense now, or have I just confused you some more?

Bill, I have a favor to ask. Can you please share the bracket you selected for the installation of the Skene Photon Blasters? The bracket that Skene provides in the packaging that you need to select before ordering. Thanks for considering!

 

[wspollack]

Bill, I have a favor to ask. Can you please share the bracket you selected for the installation of the Skene Photon Blasters? The bracket that Skene provides in the packaging that you need to select before ordering. Thanks for considering!

No worries: ask, and if I can provide an answer, I will.

If we're talking about the lights in the front:

1) Just so we're clear, those are Photon Boosters, not Photon Blasters. See post 3 above: the Boosters are the Blasters without the controller, without flicker, etc.

2) I used the T1-S. See pic https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-75

3) But, the bracket was mighty close to the fender, sort of touching. Take a careful look at this pic: https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-85

If I were doing it again, I might go with the T5-S, which adds about an inch to the spacer and bolt.

Don't forget to add the little M5x3mm-long spacer, in order not to mush the fender. See pic https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-77 and the next one.


If you're talking about the Skene lights I added out back:

Those are the Skene P3-TS lights, with controller, and brake flashing, and turn signaling, etc. For those, I just used the provided flat bar; see pic https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-42


I think that covers it, right?

 

[mzflorida]

No worries: ask, and if I can provide an answer, I will.

If we're talking about the lights in the front:

1) Just so we're clear, those are Photon Boosters, not Photon Blasters. See post 3 above: the Boosters are the Blasters without the controller, without flicker, etc.

2) I used the T1-S. See pic https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-75

3) But, the bracket was mighty close to the fender, sort of touching. Take a careful look at this pic: https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-85

If I were doing it again, I might go with the T5-S, which adds about an inch to the spacer and bolt.

Don't forget to add the little M5x3mm-long spacer, in order not to mush the fender. See pic https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-77 and the next one.


If you're talking about the Skene lights I added out back:

Those are the Skene P3-TS lights, with controller, and brake flashing, and turn signaling, etc. For those, I just used the provided flat bar; see pic https://billanddot.com/C400GT/#S-42


I think that covers it, right?

Hi Bill. Thank you once more for another comprehensive response. Yes; it covers the question and more! As an FYI, Skene will send you whatever bracket you want gratis; all you have to do is ask. Sounds like you are familiar with the company; but for others who are not, their customer service is excellent.