tinting tail and signal lens's

[limeex2]

Has anyone tried tinting there signals or tail light. Didnt want to change the looks of my turn/tail lights so I thought I would try tinting them. Worked and looked great till I cleared them, which was needed. Problem was the clear turned a dull white. Wtf did I do wrong?

 

[TxGSrider]

I think it will look good if done right... but I really have to wonder about the safety aspect. I mean, right now with mine stock I have Bozos that seem to not see my brake light... I can only imagine how much worse it would be if it was tinted.

 

[limeex2]

It was plenty bright. There are different bulbs to use also. try a 2357 bulb. Guy on the ZRX forum gave me some hints that I will try next. The Bozo's in cars couldn't see a bus parked in front of them if it was coated in $100 bills. No way around 'em other than stay out of their way and instinct.

 

[BurntKittyForge]

Sounds like the tint reacted with the plastic in a bad way???

What kind of tint?
I was looking at the spray can tint in walmart auto section, next to the Rustoleum rust restore and engine paint, bed-liner, etc. spray paint.

I was planning on ordering clear turn signals, with yellow bulbs and tinting the clear with the spray can.
Just curious for future since I ordered These (Except some reason I ordered the "Brass" gold color fin part:

I copied pic from ebay where the half off price for TWO is what I paid for four...They're very solid, nice chrome, maybe too heavy (feel like maybe a pound each) By the way...Haven't installed yet because inspection coming up and don't know how strict they'll be (they're smaller than stock/ dunno DOT rating)
Good business transaction from China was my experience ... Might sell mine and order the all chrome like pic...(or several).
Still wondering about the tint for future reference. LED bulbs are getting much cheaper too these days, brighter bulbs...

 

[limeex2]

Followed the directions to a T. Good thing it peels off. Nothing melted or crazy stuff like that. It was Rust-oleum brand. Both finishes when dried are tacky like a tack cloth and collect dust like one. Going to use the short OEM Katana signals. That build, which is an 80 1100E will also get the tail light blacked out, because while it does flow with the rest of the tail section, in red it literally sticks out like sore thumb

 

[Steve]

Making important lights harder to see? :-k

You may as well take a Dremel tool to score along the design in your helmet so it cracks in a way that is not so noticeable while you are at it.

Really? I have always done what I could to make lights BRIGHTER and more easily SEEN, rather than try to hide them.

Yeah, at night, you can look at it and say "you can still see it", but certainly not as well. In daylight, you may as well not even have them on, because ambient light (especially direct sunlight) will wash it out so it won't be seen. Even stock lights are hard to see, I can't imagine wanting to hide what little is there.

On the other hand, I have not been in your neck of the woods for many, many years. Maybe everyone pays attention to what is happening in front of them and nobody ever gets rear-ended. Can't say that for here, and many other places I have been in the last few years. :-\\\

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[BurntKittyForge]

Making important lights harder to see? :-k

You may as well take a Dremel tool to score along the design in your helmet so it cracks in a way that is not so noticeable while you are at it.

Really? I have always done what I could to make lights BRIGHTER and more easily SEEN, rather than try to hide them.

Yeah, at night, you can look at it and say "you can still see it", but certainly not as well. In daylight,
you may as well not even have them on, because ambient light (especially direct sunlight) will wash it out so it won't be seen. Even stock lights are hard to see, I can't imagine wanting to hide what little is there.

On the other hand, I have not been in your neck of the woods for many, many years. Maybe everyone pays attention to what is happening in front of them and nobody ever gets rear-ended. Can't say that for here, and many other places I have been in the last few years. :-\\\

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Good point but for me, I don't depend or even count/ plan on the turn signal making any difference OR change in following car.
Usually I use my turn flasher BUT also I notice it's a waste of critical timing...Feel my time is more importantly used checking mirrors, adjusting speed to affect the following distance BEFORE the turn and concentrating through it.
I agree with the importance of visibility in traffic, especially at night and inclement weather. Reflective strips on a jacket, backpack, etc. and auxiliary lighting are probably more visible than even running lights on the turn signals I've seen anyway.
LED replacement bulbs with some tint are most likely as bright or brighter than standard incandescent bulbs.
The helmet bit is a different comparison all together since the helmet can actually be relied upon to increase crash survivability...

Followed the directions to a T. Good thing it peels off. Nothing melted or crazy stuff like that. It was Rust-oleum brand. Both finishes when dried are tacky like a tack cloth and collect dust like one. Going to use the short OEM Katana signals. That build, which is an 80 1100E will also get the tail light blacked out, because while it does flow with the rest of the tail section, in red it literally sticks out like sore thumb

Thanks, sounds like the brand I was looking at. Was planning on removing the lenses and applying to the INSIDE of the lenses(?) ...Going to leave my finned signals as are , might go with LED IF they're not bright enough. The stock and some of the aftermarket stuff look like massive yellow things ...the integrated turn/ brake light kits in LED have been looking more reasonable (I'll try and find a link when have time). ...

 

[suzukigs1100ez]

I tinted the side reflectors on my gs1100 but I'm not tinting the turn or brake light. It just a light tinting too.

 

[GS1150Pilot]

There was a time when I wanted to use "blue dots" on my VFR's tail lights, but when my father told me they were illegal, I gave up on the idea. Seems some states have relaxed their statutes on differentiated tail light colors since the 80's, but making the light less visible or eye-catching does seem a bad idea.

 

[limeex2]

I used VHT brand,Nightshades and it worked fine. These bikes are ridden 98% in the day. I trust car drivers about as far as I could throw one. I pretend NO car is safe and I am their next potential victim. I'm as serious about safety as the next guy, have heard all the speeches, but I wont let it run my life. When its my turn, its my turn and if its my fault, I had it coming.