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Trace I recently did the soft-rev removal, and enhanced that mod by adding a very high quality LED shift light. A shift light is a wonderful thing.....no need to look down at the tachometer---EVER. Set it where you want it, and when you see it flash to ON, you shift. No more watching that dim LCD "bar" (that's hiding behind the damn brake fluid reservoir! :confused: ) to keep from hitting the hard limiter. And no guessing about how many revs you have left. Frankly, I don't see how a rider can live without it. In fact, as you can see, I use it for all my vehicles, and the product is Shift Light by Raptor Performance In my Z-06 Image On my VFR with yellow LEDs Image And now, on my RC! Bang!! Image It's a very simple installation, and as you can see, the light is very hard to miss. For the RC, I set the shift point for 10,000 rpm. This gives me a few heartbeats to actually pull the shift without hitting the "hard", or you can back off the throttle a tad to hold the revs at 10K+ (and the shift light "on") if you're busy doing something else...like steering! This Raptor light is simply the best. No chips or other BS to set the revs, and it can be used on anything from a single cylinder job to a Viper, all by setting two rotary switches (rpm) and 3 dip switches (cylinders). And by putting a bit of Scotch tape over the switch area and with the clear LED cover (provided) over the LED display, it is quite waterproof (short of being submerged!). I attached the light to the top of the panel with a bit of high quality doubleback tape (the sticky grey kind used for auto emblems, not the cheapo white stuff that you probably already have). It comes with nice little brackets as you can see in the Vette and VFR pics, but tape is fine for this lightweight application where it's sitting on the LCD panel. I snaked the cable down the left side, along the clutch hydraulic line, towards the rear cylinder coil. The green wire is the trigger, and you simply tap into the coil wire like this: Coil Tap (blue tap connector) Image Then it's a matter finding some switched power for the red wire and a ground for the black. I had already installed a solenoid-controlled auxiliary fuse panel 'cuz I don't like tapping into my harness willy-nilly as I make additions to the bike over time (like heated grips when I get around to it...I LOVE heated grips!). The aux fuse panel is really the way to go, and it provides "switched power" by using a solenoid to directly tap big fat battery power, and then firing that solenoid to On by using something like your tiny little tail light wire (which comes on when you turn the key, of course). So, when the bike is off, your accessories are off....and that's damn important!! Fuse Panel Image I took battery power from the big OEM solenoid where you see the blue P, ran it thru a 30 amp fuse (the red F....you gotta protect the system!) to the fuse powering solenoid (orange S) and then on to the fuse panel (where you see the red P). The fuses are for Radar, Shift Light, and Tag Light, with 3 empty slots at this point. The rectifier bolt makes a good mounting point for a little bracket to hold the powering solenoid AND a good ground tap for the solenoid and for the shift light's black wire. The fuse panel is about $6 and the solenoid about $7 from most any chain auto parts place. It's a bit of work, but I do like tidy wiring, and in the unlikely event that something shorts or quits working I can trace the problem pretty quick.(tidy wiring is usually happy wiring!) Oh...if you want to set your Raptor to 10,000--set the Thousand selector switch to 5. Set Hundreds to 0. (now you're set for 5000) Set the Cylinder dip switches to "2 cylinders". The Raptor's brain sees this as 10,000, somehow, since it's only getting input from a single (the rear) cylinder coil. To test your work before you button everything up, leave the setting at 5000 and put all three dip switches "down" in the single cylinder configuration. The light will now come on at exactly 5000. I repeat....EXACTLY 5000. This is a good check for tach accuracy, as the Raptor is digitally exact! If you want your rpm setting at 9900, you leave the cylinder setting at 1 cylinder and set the two rotary switches at 9 and 9. If you want 10,100...I don't think you can get that....only 10,200 by going with a 5,100 setting. My 4 cylinder VFR is set at 5900 on the 2-cylinder setting....making the light come on at 11,800. And again, that's because I tapped one of the 4 coils for a signal. Raptor provides excellent instructions for all this stuff, and their website has all the required info, too. Me likey! And it's soooooo much fun to let the big RC motor pull like crazy and not have to look down at the tach. FLASH...SNICK!! As for the various claims that some guys will have that they can shift perfectly by the seat of their pants.....well, shift lights are on race cars and race bikes for a reason. To each their own. As you can see, I'm a Shift Light Addict. It comes from years of drag racing: FLASH=>PULL!! ..... FLASH=>PULL!! ..... FLASH=>PULL!!!! #1 · Sep 18, 2007 (Edited) I recently did the soft-rev removal, and enhanced that mod by adding a very high quality LED shift light. A shift light is a wonderful thing.....no need to look down at the tachometer---EVER. Set it where you want it, and when you see it flash to ON, you shift. No more watching that dim LCD "bar" (that's hiding behind the damn brake fluid reservoir! :confused: ) to keep from hitting the hard limiter. And no guessing about how many revs you have left. Frankly, I don't see how a rider can live without it. In fact, as you can see, I use it for all my vehicles, and the product is Shift Light by Raptor Performance In my Z-06 Image On my VFR with yellow LEDs Image And now, on my RC! Bang!! Image It's a very simple installation, and as you can see, the light is very hard to miss. For the RC, I set the shift point for 10,000 rpm. This gives me a few heartbeats to actually pull the shift without hitting the "hard", or you can back off the throttle a tad to hold the revs at 10K+ (and the shift light "on") if you're busy doing something else...like steering! This Raptor light is simply the best. No chips or other BS to set the revs, and it can be used on anything from a single cylinder job to a Viper, all by setting two rotary switches (rpm) and 3 dip switches (cylinders). And by putting a bit of Scotch tape over the switch area and with the clear LED cover (provided) over the LED display, it is quite waterproof (short of being submerged!). I attached the light to the top of the panel with a bit of high quality doubleback tape (the sticky grey kind used for auto emblems, not the cheapo white stuff that you probably already have). It comes with nice little brackets as you can see in the Vette and VFR pics, but tape is fine for this lightweight application where it's sitting on the LCD panel. I snaked the cable down the left side, along the clutch hydraulic line, towards the rear cylinder coil. The green wire is the trigger, and you simply tap into the coil wire like this: Coil Tap (blue tap connector) Image Then it's a matter finding some switched power for the red wire and a ground for the black. I had already installed a solenoid-controlled auxiliary fuse panel 'cuz I don't like tapping into my harness willy-nilly as I make additions to the bike over time (like heated grips when I get around to it...I LOVE heated grips!). The aux fuse panel is really the way to go, and it provides "switched power" by using a solenoid to directly tap big fat battery power, and then firing that solenoid to On by using something like your tiny little tail light wire (which comes on when you turn the key, of course). So, when the bike is off, your accessories are off....and that's damn important!! Fuse Panel Image I took battery power from the big OEM solenoid where you see the blue P, ran it thru a 30 amp fuse (the red F....you gotta protect the system!) to the fuse powering solenoid (orange S) and then on to the fuse panel (where you see the red P). The fuses are for Radar, Shift Light, and Tag Light, with 3 empty slots at this point. The rectifier bolt makes a good mounting point for a little bracket to hold the powering solenoid AND a good ground tap for the solenoid and for the shift light's black wire. The fuse panel is about $6 and the solenoid about $7 from most any chain auto parts place. It's a bit of work, but I do like tidy wiring, and in the unlikely event that something shorts or quits working I can trace the problem pretty quick.(tidy wiring is usually happy wiring!) Oh...if you want to set your Raptor to 10,000--set the Thousand selector switch to 5. Set Hundreds to 0. (now you're set for 5000) Set the Cylinder dip switches to "2 cylinders". The Raptor's brain sees this as 10,000, somehow, since it's only getting input from a single (the rear) cylinder coil. To test your work before you button everything up, leave the setting at 5000 and put all three dip switches "down" in the single cylinder configuration. The light will now come on at exactly 5000. I repeat....EXACTLY 5000. This is a good check for tach accuracy, as the Raptor is digitally exact! If you want your rpm setting at 9900, you leave the cylinder setting at 1 cylinder and set the two rotary switches at 9 and 9. If you want 10,100...I don't think you can get that....only 10,200 by going with a 5,100 setting. My 4 cylinder VFR is set at 5900 on the 2-cylinder setting....making the light come on at 11,800. And again, that's because I tapped one of the 4 coils for a signal. Raptor provides excellent instructions for all this stuff, and their website has all the required info, too. Me likey! And it's soooooo much fun to let the big RC motor pull like crazy and not have to look down at the tach. FLASH...SNICK!! As for the various claims that some guys will have that they can shift perfectly by the seat of their pants.....well, shift lights are on race cars and race bikes for a reason. To each their own. As you can see, I'm a Shift Light Addict. It comes from years of drag racing: FLASH=>PULL!! ..... FLASH=>PULL!! ..... FLASH=>PULL!!!! See less See more Preview image for a collapsed post. 5 Sort by Oldest first Oldest first Newest first Most reactions #2 · Sep 18, 2007 :woot: ME LIKEY !!!!!!!!! ME WANT :clapper #3 · Sep 18, 2007 i have honestly never looked at tach while riding, i tend to keep my eyes on the road. i have never understood the need for a shift light, you can tell when to shift by the sound of your bike, when you think the valves are about to blow you shift #4 · Sep 18, 2007 TX, Well, we agree and disagree. I don't WANT to look at my tach either, as I tend to keep my eyes on the road, too. But I DO want to know when I'm at redline (or whatever a person considers his redline to be) and avoid the hard limiter or engine damage. So, when you combine these two requirements, a shift light is the obvious, perfect solution. As for being able to tell when to shift by the sound of your bike....I disagree. If you're not looking at the tach and shifting only by ear/feel....then just what rpm are you shifting at? :confused: Most people tend to shift "low", as all that noise and vibe tends to spook them into an upshift. Not me....I wait for the flash, just like Michael Schumacher. :woot: Again, just about every race vehicle on the planet (sweeping generality here! :) ) has a shift light. Why worry about "being able to tell when to shift"? Why not simply "be absolutley certain of when to shift"? Funny thing....I got the same reaction (at first) on the VFR forum. It seems as though some riders are almost insulted at the thought that they need a light to help them shift. But all car racers widely accept them, and at dragstrips they are on everything...cars and bikes both. Again, as I mentioned above, much of my background is at a dragstrip, but every roadcar I've gotten to know by living in proximity to Daytona and Sebring and Roebling.....has a shift light. And don't all the "fast bikes" you can buy these days come with a light? [dunno for sure...but I think so] Anyway, to each his own, but it's the best $105 you can spend, IMHO. No...I take that back. Best money is a Valentine with the HARD alert device, but that's $500. Second best money is a Corbin, but that's $260. So.....Raptor's shift light is third best! :rockon After all, it allows you to get full use of the fourth best expenditure.....a Power Commander! FLASH--SNICK! 0 Reply #5 · Sep 18, 2007 Great info and write up. One of my next mods. #6 · Sep 18, 2007 Very nice :D A great write-up. And a nice, tidy wiring job too. #7 · Sep 19, 2007 Anyone know how to do this yourself without having to buy a $100 LED light circuit? There should be some way to wire a LED into the cluster (i would think) that goes off at xxxx rpm...? Just like the Flux Capacitor right.... #10 · Sep 19, 2007 you can actualy buy rpm activated switches from companies like MSD from your local speed shop, and then just hook up what ever light you want to it. on my race cars I often use one of the "idiot lights" such as high beam or something. Makes for a real sano look. most of the time the little icons on the lights can be easily removed. btw the switches should be somewhere around 40 bucks. tomake the wiring a little cleaner you can definitely grab the tach signal from the tach instead of the coil. 9 times out of ten honda uses a single pulse signal so it's a snap. you can also grab power and ground back there easily. I know a lot of people use that " scotchlock" type of connector in the picture, and all though they are easy to use they also have high failure rates so I would suggest soldering the connection instead. I spent many years of my life at a custom auto shop and have hooked up thousands of this type of thing, and fixed home based installs that are to many to count with connections of that sort. hope that helps someof you all. Show more replies 0 Reply #8 · Sep 19, 2007 :clapper Nice work! It's great to see a mod that hasn't been done and/or posted hundreds of times. I was looking at gear indicator/shift light combo but the shift light is REALLY small. The one you have is the ideal size and looks very bright. #9 · Sep 19, 2007 Nice and simple, I like that! I don't use this one much on the street, but on the track I can see it my peripheral vision without taking my eyes off the track... Have the light sequence programmed for 5k, 6k, 7k, 8k, 9k, 10k, 10.5k (all lit). Works like a charm. Only a couple of wires, power and tacho... There is a thread on it somewhere started by one of the guys across the pond.

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#12 · Sep 24, 2007 Becuase i'm really new at all the elec. work and dont trust my self:....does anyone have/know of a DYI link on this, or can you possibly writte on one up. (Trace or Johny) I dont mind buying one of the switches, but do they have instuctions on how to install it? #13 · Sep 24, 2007
rocketman said: Becuase i'm really new at all the elec. work and dont trust my self:....does anyone have/know of a DYI link on this, or can you possibly writte on one up. (Trace or Johny) I dont mind buying one of the switches, but do they have instuctions on how to install it? Click to expand...
Rocket--not to be an arsehole about this....but I strongly suggest you do yourself a favor and get the Raptor instead of cobbling something together with switches, LEDs, some type of housing, etc. You can either waste $50-60 doing that, or invest $105 on a flawless bit of bright, compact, adjustable-to-19,999 rpm, reliable, water-resistant engineering that you install with a simple 3-wire hookup. As you said....you don't trust yourself. I greatly trust myself with electronicals....but I'm not going to try and build a shift light and hope it's working right--when I can buy a good one for a reasonable cost. :twocents Show more replies 0 Reply #16 · Sep 26, 2007 So i should just admit I suck now, tell myself the bike is perfect, and spend the money on counseling so i dont live my life thinking i suck, and repeat the cylce #17 · Sep 26, 2007
rocketman said: So i should just admit I suck now, tell myself the bike is perfect, and spend the money on counseling so i dont live my life thinking i suck, and repeat the cylce Click to expand...
Well, you could do what I did: Instead of wasting the money on your bike or on counseling, spend it on Freddie School and confirm how BADLY you actually do suck! :( At that point, you can sell your bike, buy an old Sportster so that bike and rider can both suck, and you'll be $$$ ahead! :D 0 Reply Insert Quotes Post Reply
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