Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: NorEaster on November 09, 2013, 01:16:09 am
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Have a newbie question. Hope someone can tell me the answer. What are the pilot lights for? What was their original function? Were they at one time turn signals?
Thank you!
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I was under the impression they were just marking lights to be seen at night...especially in those dark no street light villages of merry old England where this bike originated from....cheers
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One story is , the lights are for thumping through ally ways after dark.
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Correct, parking lights.
Cars had them too.
In France you'd use these even in illuminated streets, to save your battery.
Today those tiger eyes protect you from gremlins. ;D
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Correct, parking lights.
Cars had them too.
In France you'd use these even in illuminated streets, to save your battery.
Today those tiger eyes protect you from gremlins. ;D
protect ?
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I think the 'eyes' were Royal Enfields answer to the night-time parking requirements that England had (has?) following WW II.
A lot of Brit bikes used a small bulb inside the headlight and some of the 7" headlights available for the RE still have them. That's what the small gray wire inside the Casquette is for.
Digging on the web I found these British laws concering parking at night. As far as I know, they still apply (although many don't follow them).
Parking at night
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You MUST NOT park on a road at night facing against the direction of the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space.
[Laws CUR reg 101 & RVLR reg 24]
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All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater than 30 mph (48 km/h).
[Law RVLR reg 24]
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Cars, goods vehicles not exceeding 1525 kg unladen weight, invalid carriages, motorcycles and pedal cycles may be parked without lights on a road (or lay-by) with a speed limit of 30 mph (48 km/h) or less if they are
at least 10 metres (32 feet) away from any junction, close to the kerb and facing in the direction of the traffic flow
in a recognised parking place or lay-by
Other vehicles and trailers, and all vehicles with projecting loads, MUST NOT be left on a road at night without lights.
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Thanks all... I have seen posts about swapping them out with LED bulbs and changing the color; but wasn't sure why they were there in the first place.
If they were more visible, they could be turn signals. I don't think they would pass inspection in my neck of the woods
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They're a little too close to the headlight to be used as turn signals. I had white LEDS in mine. They worked well. Any other color would also be illegal.
Bare
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protect ?
Positive vibes, man... positive vibes... ;D
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Must be all those positive vibes that cause them to blow out so much ;)
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They are there to burn out and to give the RE owner practical experience at changing light bulbs.
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Any other color would also be illegal.
Bare
HEH HEH HEH, Try & Catch Me..........
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Chances are, they would probably ignore them but the police in my neck of the woods seem to think that only they can have blue lights visible on the front of a vehicle. :(
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I was under the impression they where called tiger eyes and were standard issue in the world war - very low illumination so other road users can see the bike but very hard to spot from an airplane - or is this an urban myth?
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Probably some truth to that. The lighting was always rather muffled on military bikes, even if it was just taping the headlight down to a small slot.
And the LEDs won't burn out!
Bare