PIAA 910 Installation
By: Gary Harris March 1999
Over the weekend I installed a set of PIAA 910’s (110W) on my K11RS. I thought I’d pass on some info in case some other K11RS owners (Ted?) are looking to install driving lights as well.
Earlier this winter I cried out in a desperate search for suitable brackets that would let me hang a pair of lights from under the mirrors on the K11RS. The brackets I had used prior proved to be too weak to hold a set of PIAA 1000’s. I had gone thru 3 breakages.
Richard Bernecker stepped up and had a set of aluminum brackets made per his specs and sent those brackets on to me to try. I first want to thank Richard for his efforts. (To this date, he has yet to ask for a dime. I will find some way to repay him.) Ultimately, however, I did not used those brackets. Although the fit was perfect, the aluminum was too soft and I didn’t think the platform would be solid enough to hold the weight of the 910’s.
Standing there wondering what to do next, I remembered a pair of brackets that came with a turn-signal relocation kit I got for my ZX-9 from RKA Luggage and never used. The first time I tried these brackets, about two years ago, they were too thick to fit between the mirror and the mounting plate. Butt, I thought, what about putting them *behind* the plate just like Bernecker had in mind? (Don’t know why I didn’t think of this two years ago ;-P). VOILA’!! I works!! Well, almost…
The thickness of the bracket rendered the lower stock screw useless as it was not long enough to make it completely thru the assembly and hold the bolt. Off to Pergament…
Back with 2 1/2″ machine screws and we have a fit!! The bracket is mounted… actually, in effect, it is rubber mounted thanks to the rubber spacer.
Now, slip in the post of one PIAA 910… hmmm… to long… touching mirror… Off to Pergament, again…
Back with 3/8″ washers. Slip 3 washers onto post before sliding thru bracket… now slide into bracket… Nice!!! Post clears mirror by…oh… 1/8″. Bolt down and one 910 is mounted!!! Repeat for other side. Do wiring and stuff. Go to reinstall fuel gauge… hmmm… what’s wrong? …. why won’t it go in?… Oh….Dammit!! That 2 1/2″ screw is in the way!!! It’s TOO long!!!
Off to Pergament…AGAIN!!
Back with small hacksaw… saw off about 1/4″ of that screw… reinstall fuel gauge. Repeat for left side and temp gauge.
The 910’s are installed! Looks good! A solid mount! The bracket is a perfect size… It’s also very strong. I stand back and smile!
The last thing I did was attempt to weather-proof the PIAA switch. HowdidIdothat? Well, I opened up the switch casing and liberally covered the circuit board with silicone rubber sealant (do not apply to button!). I then covered the seams just before tightening the screws. Time will tell if this works.
If you’re interested in doing this for yourself, here are the details:
What you’ll need:
- ONE (or more) BMW K1100RS motorcycle(s).
- ONE PIAA 910 kit.
- ONE Turn signal relocation kit from RKA Luggage – I’m not sure if this is a universal kit, butt, if they ask, tell them it is for a ’95 Kaw ZX-9. Important: You’ll notice these brackets each have two elongated holes. One on each side. One hole is centered, the other, luckily, is offset. The side with the centered hole goes behind the mirror mounting plate and hangs on the metal insert (going thru the rubber spacer) for the lower screw. Hang each bracket so that the offset hole is closest to the front of the motorcycle. That means one bracket should be for the left side only, the other for the right side only. This offset works perfectly with the angled front lower face of the mirror, allowing just enough clearance for the 910’s mounting post. Beautiful!!!
- TWO 2-1/4″ machine screws. Same “size” as the stock mirror mounting plate Phillips screws, just 1/4″ longer. (or… 2-1/2″ screws and a small hacksaw! ;-))
- Six 3/8″ (inner diameter) flat washers.
- Extra 14 gauge wire to extend ground wires (depending on where you mount the relay and harness). PIAA recommends grounding the system as close to battery ground as possible to get maximum bulb life.
As far as the wiring goes, just follow the PIAA instructions. Be sure, however, that you are able to READ the instructions. My package was apparently intended for Korea or someplace as ALL of the instructions were in either Korean or some dialect thereof. Since I had already done one PIAA installation, I wasn’t really concerned.
I connected the power sensor wire to the stock hi-beam wire (white) so the PIAA can be used as the hi-beam is used.