Introduction:
Many FZ1OA members, including me, have wished that the FZ1 instrument cluster lighting were better. The warning lights,
particularly the turn indicators, tend to wash out in the day. An effective way to deal with this issue is to replace
the bulbs with LED instrument bulbs (T-1.5s).
LEDs improve the warning light brightness, and reduce current loads by a small amount. In addition to the warning lights,
backlighting can be enriched through application of LEDs in place of existing bulbs. Additional improvements to cluster
lighting have been developed and will be presented at a later time.
Tools and Materials:
- For a full relighting you will need 6 green (3 for cluster backlighting, 2 for turn indicators, 1 for neutral indicator
plus get some spares), a superwhite or blue for the high beam, an amber for low fuel and a red for oil level. The coolant
indicator is already a red LED. They are $1.79 each.
- Phillips Screwdriver/ 10 mm wrench and your hex keys.
- For MultiGauge owners only: a 2.2 K ohm, 1/4 watt resistor (Part #271-1325) and a 1N4148 diode (Part #276-1122) from Radio Shack.
Steps For Mod:
Follow Instructions 1 through 8 of MultiGauge Installation on Pat's website
here and summarized below:
- Remove both inner cowl panels.
- Remove windshield (6 nylon screws--use caution and a good screwdriver tip--do not overtorque on reassembly).
- Remove 3 - 10 mm nuts and washers which retain the instrument cluster.
- Unplug and remove the cluster.
- Place on towel on bench face down.
- Remove screws and back panel of cluster. Keep cluster in front case for now to prevent damage to needles. You can now
see the 9 black cluster bulb holders.
- Take three green LEDs for the cluster backlighting and buff the surface of the lens (top and sides) with sandpaper. This will
diffuse the light and prevent "hot spots." This makes the light more uniform
The right shows the LED before and the left shows the bulb after sanding until almost white
- Remove the warning bulbs by rotating CCW. When inserting LED bulb holders, they can be tight. Be patient and ensure that
you are going in straight. A small amount of board opening may be required. Turn one quarter turn CW to lock in place.
- If you bought the wedge LED bulbs with holders (T1.5s) from the above link, you will notice a red dot on the side of the
holder. This is the positive side on the LED (as long as you do not remove the LED from the socket).
The LED bulb should be installed with the RED dot at 10:00 for proper polarity. If you get it wrong and it does not light
just remove, turn 180 degrees and reinstall.
- If you haven't installed a MultiGauge skip to step 12.
If you have installed the MultiGauge, a mod is required because the MultiGauge draws a small current through the neutral
indicator which you can see with an LED, but not with an incandescent bulb.
- If you have the multigage and use a LED Neutral indicator, a mod to the multigage input circuit is required. With the
multigage installed, the neutral indicator will stay illuminated when in gear because the multigage draws a small current
through the neutral indicator. This small current will light a LED, but not an incandescent bulb.
Purchase a 2.2 K ohm, 1/4 watt resistor (Part #271-1325) and a 1N4148 diode (Part #276-1122) from Radio Shack for $2.50
total (for 5 sets) for you and 4 of your closest friends. Install as shown below:
Here is what you are doing to the circuit:
- Reassemble with one or two screws, plug into bike and check functions for proper operation. When you first turn on the
key, look for the low fuel warning light, and the oil warning light to temporarily light for 5-10 seconds. Check remaining lights
by exercising their functions. If an LED doesn't light, disassemble and reverse the LED by 180 degrees.
When all are working, fully reassemble in reverse order of disassembly.
In Case Of Difficulty With The Turn Signals
On a stock bike you will not have any problems with this mod. However, with mods, funny interactions can occur which can be
difficult for a non-EE to troubleshoot. Most issues I've heard about fall into these two categories:
- Some taillight integrators will try to drive a small amount of current through the LED turn indicators, lighting the
indicators erroneously. This occurs if the integrator has not been properly designed to isolate itself. You can tell if this
is the problem by temporarily disconnecting the integrator turn signal inputs from the circuit and checking if the turn indicator
works properly (i.e. turns off when it should).
For taillight integrators, place a diode in series with the turn indicator input to the taillight integrator to isolate it.
A 1N4001, 002, 003 or 004 will work fine (from Radio Shack). The band of the diode would be on the integrator input side.
-
If you have installed 1157 LED bulb substitutes in the front indicators it is theoretically possible to have a problem,
although unlikely. If a turn signal indicator shows green when the indicator is not on, troubleshoot by removing the front
LED bulb to see if proper function is restored. If so, place a diode in series with the turn indicator input to the bulb.
Please let me know if you have this issue as I have not actually seen this one yet.
Please contact me through the board if you are still having difficulty troubleshooting and I will assist you. Please provide
a list of all mods that you have done that affect the electrical system (i.e. have wires attached).
Last Updated: 05-01-2007
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