I’ve known Ben Kudon, the general manager of Rivera/Primo for over 20 years, and no one knows Rivera Primo products like Ben. He won’t hesitate to let you know his level of expertise. Unfortunately, when the RP team developed these cool lighting systems, I was forced to ask Ben about them.
Here’s his initial response: “Our integral LED turn signals built into a series of stylish billet headlight buckets have become an industry phenomenon. They are popular with bikers and hot rod enthusiasts alike. The HeadLED Headlights are sanitary, cosmetically badass, and they work great!”
Okay, so I said, “Let’s put a tech together, Ben. Let’s show our readers how to install and wire up one of these puppies.” He agreed whole-heartedly, but two years later, I stumbled into their shop to discover a partially wired unit.
Hey, Ben, you’ve got one right here. Just send me the shots of the installation and we will work with your techs on the story.” Still nothing.
“Shut up, Bandit,” Ben said. “Don’t tell your readers that, you bastard. I’ll send you one. Install it yourself.”
No problem, right? I received one and started to look around for a test bike to install it on. I needed a custom, and Ben was correct, they are badass, and answer multiple questions for the new custom builder. No one wants to run bulky turn signals.
Then Ben and the RP team stepped up to make it easy. They built every configuration of headlight imaginable, so no matter what the chopped style, they have a headlight to match, from Alien Black with the LEDs in the bezel to fully chromed sleek units. They are available in a variety of sizes from 4 ¼ inch and 10 inches long with frenched-in bezels and a RP-patented LED ring, moisture-resistant rings, including a 55/60-watt halogen bulb with high/low applications and a crystal clear lenses.
Since I couldn’t find a donor bike, Jeremiah brought over a couple of front ends I could use to mock-up an application. He hauled over a 20-over twisted stock springer, and a stripped stock wide glide from the ‘70s. I went with the glide and started the installation with a Paughco, headlight bracket, and then Custom Cycle Engineering rubber-mounted dog bone risers and some bars laying around the shop from Biker’s Choice.
Installation is almost as simple as any custom headlight. There are only six wires and a ground. So once the Paughco headlight bracket was bolted to the front end and the headlight in place, we were ready for wiring. The headlight comes with a flexible mounting system, so there were no issues.
The wiring was simple: the green wire was for the left turn signal positive, the black for the negative left turn signal. Then the white handled the positive right turn signal with the other black being used for the left negative turn signal. The yellow wire handled the high beam and the red the low beam. Some builders don’t run a separate ground wire, but it’s not a bad idea to ensure the circuit is complete.
Since I wanted to see these puppies flash, I ordered a Rivera-Primo 1116-0501 solid state LED controller. The Rivera Primo instructions call for running the red wire to the ignition switch with a 5-amp fuse.
There is a wiring diagram printed right on the flasher controller. Again, it was a simple operation with the purple and green wires not used. The black wire went to ground, natch. Of course, the red wire was the hot wire to the ignition switch.
The yellow wire was connected to the white wire on the HedLED Headlight, and the blue wire ran to the green wire on the RP headlight.
I’ve got to admit some confusion. And I was never able to make the unit flash. It called for connecting the white/purple wire to the left turn signal switch, and the white/red wire to the right turn switch. Since I didn’t have turn signal switches, I mocked up one, and although I was able to make the high beam and the low beam work, the turn signal lights came on, but they didn’t flash.
Not to be outdone or to leave any stone unturned, Ben jumped on another application, which is perfect for the custom-touring world: the all LED 7-inch Phase 2 River/Primo Headlamp.
“It’s another first for lighting and Rivera Primo’s HedLED Headlight Systems,” said Ben ardently. “This all LED solid state 7-inch headlamp with high and low beams will outshine any halogen and HID light and most LED headlamps on the road today. State-of –the-art technology went into making a headlamp that outshines the competition both in brightness and cosmetics.
“It looks like an old school headlight, not something out of a Star Wars movie, and will fit perfectly on an old school bobber or late model bike. It will light up the road ahead of you like you’ve never seen before, and because of the lower amperage draw of LEDs, it’s perfect for older alternator systems. To top it all off, our signature integral LED turn signals and running lights are wired in OE wiring harness (2014 models require 69200897 adapter harness). “
Integral turn signal ultra bright amber LEDs strobe or use them just as turn signals. Wire them directly to a 12V switch to just stay on all the time as running lights, your choice.
We will bring you another more suitable, more street wise, and more user friendly tech in the very near future. We are picking up a ’97 FLH Standard today. It will be perfect for the Phase 2 install, I swear…
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