Is the ST2 Flashing Brake Light System Plug'n'play on 2020+ RT?

[Poppie65]

Prior to installing the ST2 equipment, I had installed the Show Chrome Form Fusion Trunk Light kit with the Plug & Play wiring harness. All of the wiring work that was done for the ST2 was made to that harness. I did not have to cut any BRP wiring. I don't know if this harness can be purchased separately, but if it can be, I highly recommend doing so. This write up covers the installation of the ST2 brake module as well as the ST2 brake strobing module.











Placement of the module is limited the flat surface under the passenger seat where it is not contacted by the underside of the seat.



I initially applied self-adhesive Velcro strips in multiple layers in order to both hold the module in place as well as provide some cushion.



Since I used the plug & play harness from Show Chrome, the wire colors did not match the BRP wire color chart, but it was very easy to locate and follow the corresponding wires for the installation. As per recommendation from Tiny2 and Bert Remington, a diode was spliced into the signal wire to eliminate the possibility of disruption of the cruise control.







It's important to leave room in the signal wire to splice in the stroke module if it is being used









After riding over a couple of days I found that the module needed to be moved and the position "tuned" to eliminate some of the false signals that it was sending to the lights. I used some strips of foam insulation that is used in shipping to change the degree of slope and buffer any lateral impacts that the module may have experienced. It's operating quite well now, but may still need more tweaking. The slope can be set too far forward, this was the reason that I added padding under the leading edge of the module.







Very special thanks to Bert Remington for exceptional tutorial help and materials. You ROCK!

 

[Poppie65]

I was recently contacted by the ST2 folks, who asked if I wanted to replace the mechanical module out for the digital version. I answered that I did, and accepted the offer to order the new module for the cost difference between the two, minus a small discount. I installed it yesterday and can report that the performance is WAY better! No more flashing, blinking brake lights when riding on a rough road. This module illuminates the brake lights a couple seconds after a down shift, much like I was looking for. This is a very positive upgrade..

 

[liv2cod]

Tiny2 has really great advice. I'd like to add what I've discovered recently about the ST2 Brake Module...

My first purchase of the ST2 Brake Module was a disaster. I could NOT get it to do anything but flicker annoyingly whenever the Spyder was ridden. Accelerate, decelerate, all was the same. Flickering nonsense. I went a couple of rounds with support at ST2 and finally they revealed....

They redesigned the brake module a couple of years ago. It went from a solid-state gyroscope design to a mechanical tilt switch design. You can tell if yours has the tilt switch because it rattles when you tilt it back and forth. The tilt switch design does not work. It definitely does not work on the Spyder, and I doubt it works on other bikes.

ST2 offered me an "upgrade" to the legacy design and I bought it. The solid-state model is much smaller and... it works. It works perfectly. You can still adjust its sensitivity by tilting its mount position up or down. You can have it "flash" the brakes on and off during deceleration or come on steady, by mounting it "right side up" or "upside down". (The tilt switch model does not have this feature.)



BUT -- you STILL need the diode. It will kick you out of cruise mode as soon as the brake light comes on without the diode. Here is where I have a small difference of opinion with Tiny2:

Here comes the scary part...
I don't remember for sure what diode I used. I have a bunch laying around here. More than likely it was a 1N914. You just need a 'fast-switching diode' that can work with very small signals.

The brake light must get all of its current THROUGH the diode. Luckily our brakes have LED bulbs and don't require much, but a small-signal diode could easily be burned out with the currents needed. "Fast switching" isn't really a necessity because diodes ALL switch in microseconds to nanoseconds. I recommend a diode rectifier part capable of 100V and 2A. (Don't be freaked out at the 100V rating, that's just a "very low" voltage rating for diodes. Anything over 20V would be fine.) I just ordered some from Amazon to fix my Spyder and a friend's.

 

[CloverHillCrawler]

Sounds like more trouble than what it is worth, especially with the effect it is having on other systems.