What's With The Landing Lights On The '05

[Lynn_Keen]

OK, so I'm trying to figure out all the bells and whistles on my new to me '05. I see that it has these neat lights on the bottom of the tip over wings but the only time they light up is when I turn the key off. I guess they would also come on if the alarm is tripped, haven't gotten that far yet. Just wondering if anyone has tied into the wiring for those lights and installed a switch so they can be turned on on demand. Would this affect the operation of the alarm? I think it would be nice to have them available when pulling into the camp site after dark and checking the lay of the land before deploying the cool center stand.

[®win]

I've been thinking of doing that modification myself, for exactly the same reason.

The light comes on when the ignition is switched off and when you switch off the alarm / unlock the bike. I don't think the alarm function is affected when you add the extra circuit to the lights.

[hschisler]

OK, so I'm trying to figure out all the bells and whistles on my new to me '05. I see that it has these neat lights on the bottom of the tip over wings but the only time they light up is when I turn the key off.
They are "foot lights" (don't recall BMW's term for them) -- they light up the ground around the bike when you are ready to dismount, for safety/convenience.

[highwayman820]

Courtesy lights.

[Malki]

In the UK at least, and I probably suspect the same in the US, the reason they are wired as such, is that it may be illegal to run with them on, only legal as a parking aid, or when you approach the bike to mount same. Once running they turn off as they should. Just a thought.

[Ranger6]

Hi Lynn,

Congrats on the new ride. Sure is fun trying to figure out all the new doodads, isn't it? I'm like the other post, in that I'll bet it's a DOT thing and has been rigged to function in a way other than what the designer originally intended. I thought they were intended to be more or less "landing lights", like what you're talking wanting to do with them, but I bet it's an easy fix.

[Malki]

Hi folks
Does anybody know if these 'landing/foot/courtesy' lights can be retro fitted from an 05 to an 02?

Malki

[mneblett]

Hi folks
Does anybody know if these 'landing/foot/courtesy' lights can be retro fitted from an 05 to an 02?

Malki
The lamps themselves are simple two-connector blocks with two phillips screws holding them in their hole in the black tip-over wing. You'd have to wire power and ground to them, and then decide how you want to control them -- the module that turns them on when the ignition is turned off, and then fades them out several seconds later, isn't an "easy to graft on" item for the pre-'05s.

[Malki]

Hi
Was more the actual fitment of the lights themselves I was interested in, not having seen them in the flesh. Not bothered about the time delay, the getting them to go off when the ignition was turned on might get me thinking a while tho.