Home Page | Owners Registry | Discussion Forums | ProwlerMall | Event Scrapbooks | About |
| |||||
Want to register? |
If you have previously registered, but forgotten your password, click here.
Installation - The fog lamps came with a bracket which I simply enlarged one of the holes and used one of my bumper bolts & washers to attach it to the bracket. They are perfect. They are adjustable and fill the void and look like factory lights. Saving the best for Last - In my next article, I’ll show the real benefit of this delete kit as we'll transform your front end and A-Frames to make your prowler even more attractive. Regards I almost bought a Rune when they first came out. How do you like it? They are beautiful bikes. Love those Goldwing's must have owned a dozen in the past and one absolutely beautiful Rune which bothers me even today that I sold. Here's a few images of my girls! I'm into Indians today I have a Scout and Chieftain that are really sweet! Regards - Mike Mike Mike Low On Cash
In This Article - I’ll share with you my inexpensive “Bumper Delete Method” so you don't have to go out and spend close to a grand to buy a bumper delete kit. The real benefit of my method is it actually enhances the appearance of your Prowler’s front-end and keeps it looking stock. I'm not going to cover removing the bumpers since its been covered in detail on this forum.
This overview will concentrate on the lighting aspects of our bumper delete. In my next segment, I’ll cover working on the A-Frames and suspension and show a very inexpensive manner in which can enhance the already beautiful looks of our suspension, to include chrome additions for only around $30 and some elbow grease.
Immediately After I Removed My Bumper - I began looking for a delete kit to both replace my park/signals and to fill the empty voids where the brackets were. After spending weeks looking at different options, I found a number of companies offering these in a variety of designs and prices. Regretfully, most all of these kits were pricey side running $600 to over $1000, but none of them really appealed to me because they changed the stock factory look of the Prowler’s front-end, which was something I didn’t want to do. After this exhaustive search, I finally decided to come up with my own delete kit!
First Things First - I had to immediately get some working turn signals on my Prowler. So I removed the lamp fixtures and plugs from the old bumpers then remounted the turn lamps behind the grille and plugged them right back into the factory harness so the CAN-bus was happy and all the lights came on and signals blinked properly.
LED Lighting - I wanted to enhance the turn signals for both safety and visual reasons, making them more visible to other traffic. Having just the signals in the grille worked okay, however the grille louvers are angled slightly downward which restricts the lamps to a truck or bus or anyone who is not in the same horizontal plane as the low Prowler, so I needed additional lighting.
As soon as I went to look for some Led’s, I quickly learned almost no one makes an “Amber” colored LED strip. After weeks of searching, I finally found a company called Alpena manufacturers who have bright Amber colored 24” Led strips and also smaller 8” strips and available by order through Auto Zone.
When Installing the LED’s - I mounted a set of amber 24” strips at the lower portion of the headlight fixtures so the lamp fixture helps to conceal them. Next, I mounted two small 8” LED’s vertically in from of the headlight fixture. Before installing them I carefully masked the LED’s with tape and painted them flat black to give them the appearance they were just part of the headlight fixture. Wiring the Led's is as simple as splicing them into the turn signal circuit right there in the nose of the prowler.
Filling Those Bumper Voids- As most of you know, after you remove the bumpers it leaves a good size void in front of the upper A-Frame. One of my “Things to Do” on my Prowler was to install some running lights. With this in mind, and the void to fill, I went out to find a nice pair of running/fog lamps. While there were many choices at the auto-part stores in LED’s, I didn’t want a bright LED since it just didn’t fit the Prowler’s D&A. I finally located a set of nice inexpensive Halogen Fog lamps at my local Wal-Mart for a whooping $19.95. The lamps are fairly nice for $10 each and the best part; they have a halogen bulb that matches the K temperature of the headlights.
Wiring- Instead of dragging wire all the way from the nose to the cab and mounting a switch in the dash (which I was not going to do) I simply wired them to the parking lights, so if I want running lights, I simply turn on the Prowler’s parking lamps and they illuminate.
In Conclusion - For around $60 I have my bumper delete kit. Unlike the ones you could order, mine has grill mounted and LED park & turns signals. In addition, we have halogen fog/running lights, which were not available with the kits. Most importantly, I didn’t change my Prowler’s appearance, she still has a beautiful stock look.
Regards - Mike Mas Low On Cash Here's a few images I had on the fog lights which are available from Wal-Mart. 921 Very nice look Mike, well thought out. ed monahan I think I will put those on my motorcycle. Low On Cash They work well, I installed them on my Honda NC700 with a Madsted windshield they are easy to mount and wire. They make them in both halogen and in LED for the same price. 921 What kind of bike do you have Ed? ed monahan I currently have an '06 Goldwing with 98,000 miles but I am probably buying a neighbors '06 or '07 Goldwing with about 35,000 miles on it. I will know tomorrow if he still has it or if one of the other neighbors bought it. The other guy had first dibs on it.
I also have a 2004 Honda Rune and it has around 14,000 on it. I bought that one used with about 5,000 miles on it a few years back. Larry Lord Ed, Low On Cash quote:
Originally posted by ed monahan:
I currently have an '06 Goldwing with 98,000 miles but I am probably buying a neighbors '06 or '07 Goldwing with about 35,000 miles on it. I will know tomorrow if he still has it or if one of the other neighbors bought it. The other guy had first dibs on it.
I also have a 2004 Honda Rune and it has around 14,000 on it. I bought that one used with about 5,000 miles on it a few years back. quincy Excellent post! Well done! Thanks for the tips! Low On Cash Thanks for the Reply! ed monahan My Rune is red, the only color to have. haha
I like your trike, very nice.
L.L., I really like the Rune, however Sandy loves the look of it, hates the ride, compared to a Goldwing. I have several after market seats since the stock seat is a little harsh after a few miles. I like riding it on shorter trips since it doesn't have all of the creature comforts of the Wing, like a place for a Diet Dr. Pepper, no radio, etc.
That said, I am not considering selling it. I like it a lot. It has a longer wheel base and can get heavy while turning it around on a grade at very low speed. Steering at regular speeds feels the same as any bike.ed monahan My neighbor sold the Goldwing to my other neighbor and fellow Prowler owner. I am glad he has a Goldwing now, but I am slightly bummed I didn't get it. I passed the 98,000 mile mark today.
Now Jack and Rhonda can take some longer jaunts with us, which is the good news.Low On Cash You know the way old guys are we like new girls - here's a few images of my new girls she's a 17 Chieftain. ed monahan Sweet. 921 You guys both make me jealous!!!!! Nice rides.....
All material contained herein, Copyright 2000 - 2020