Motone Indicator Install

Thought I might do a bit of a write up on installing a set of Motone indicators on my Street Cup. I won’t go into a step by step process, just some highlights particular to my install that may apply to many of the new Triumphs. Install is fairly straight forward, if you can unbolt the old ones you can manage the rest.
The first thing is what you get in the box, each set comes with clear and amber lenses, preterminated wiring, and two little rubber grommets that cap off the mounting stems. One pair per box. Typical Motone quality, finish is perfect, very solidly built. The threads when removing the bezels are so fine that it’s like a piece of aerospace tech. A good rubber seal protects the innards from moisture but changing a lens or bulb should be a snap.

 

Here’s what I have to work with, starting with the rear first, my 2018 Street Cup. I already have the Motone tail tidy, which wouldn’t change the addition of these signals too much.

 

The tail tidy creates a tray under the seat where the wiring harness sits, I already have the rear wiring harness adapter from Motone due to the new led taillight that came with the tail tidy. When buying one of these tail tidys and harness, make sure you get one of the newest ones with a resistor added, my first one caused my bike to throw a code just going from an incandescent brake light to led. Motone shipped me a new harness free so problem solved.

 

Under the tray is a channel that bolts over the wiring going to the brake and signal lights to protect them, this needed to be removed for the install.


The tt has integrated tabs where the factory indicators were bolted, and where the new ones would be placed.

 

The lights are an easy straight bolt on, the hardest part being getting them at the angle you want and matching. The only hang up was that the oem lights had bullet connectors slightly larger than the ones on the Motone lights, and caused them to fit loosely. Squeezing the connectors on the adapter harness tightened them back up, no problem there. The rest was just running the wires to suit your preferences.

 

On to the front. There are many options for mounting aftermarket lights to the front including clamps fitted around the fork tubes, brackets that adapt to the oem location, and brackets that mount behind the rectifier mount. I chose to see if they would fit simply to the oem location without any added hardware.


Here’s an oem front light unbolted showing the bracket.

 

The holes are too small to mount the new light, so I used a 10mm drill bit to enlarge the front mounting hole. This should not bother anything if the oem light were ever reinstalled.


The nuts holding the new lights are 17mm and can be a bit difficult to tighten but I have this nice set of pass-through sockets. They in effect negate the need for deep well sockets and are lower profile for hard to reach areas. They allowed me to run the wires straight through the socket and not get them in a twist.

 

The wiring stuffed into the headlight bezel can be a nightmare! Don’t panic, take your time, and take pictures! A Haynes manual will help and I suggest it as the very first thing you ever buy for your bike.


So here’s where I hit my first snag. I didn’t realize that the powers that be at Triumph do not know what consistency is. At the back the indicators plugged right in with the supplied and prewired harness, at the front the factory used a completely different and female bullet connector on the oem indicators meaning the new ones will not simply plug in.

 

My mistake was that I did not realize that Motone offers an adapter harness for the front indicators that allows plug in installation without cutting the original harness. They do not mention this is needed on the listing when purchasing the lights. It only cost about 15£ and would have saved me a bit of bother. One quick run to the auto store had me sorted though! I chose to go ahead and cut the oem connectors off the harness and replace them with insulated spade connectors. I also used a bit of shrink tubing to ensure they are protected and will not come loose. If I ever need to reinstall the factory lights I can simply change their connectors to plug in.

 

This was a definite change for the front of the bike, getting rid of that hammerhead shark look.

 

Over all I’m very pleased with the result, and other than a couple fiddly bits not a difficult project. I completed it in an easy afternoons work. The sleeker low profile of the lights almost disappear on the bike, but when you notice them they look quality that fits the finish of the rest of the bike. As far as safety they are as bright and noticeable as the factory units, and have the E and DOT markings for legality. They come in several finishes to suit any bike, including black anodized with brass bezels if you don’t want plain black, brushed silver, and polished silver. Hope the few details I’ve mentioned helps someone, as I’ve not seen any installs mention them. Cheers!