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Taillights Unlimited We
can stick all kinds of neat crap on our bikes. |
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Taillights 1
Taillights
2 Taillights 3 |
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We might as well start at the beginning.
This is a catalog illustration of a 1938 BMW R71, CJ's
grandpa. The taillamp also illuminates the license plate. |
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This is a reproduction found on a CJ that's
been fitted for WWII re-enacting duty. |
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Same here. |
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This is an R71 with a coffee can taillight
much like those seen elsewhere on this page. |
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The M72 was a Soviet copy of the R71. This
modified but equally puny taillamp was used. |
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As you might imagine, this type of taillamp
isn't very effective due to its small size. |
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Here's Ronald Smith's M72
with the same type of taillight. |
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This improved variation is found on Frans
de Wit's M72. (Check out the sidecar light in
the enlarged image.) |
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The earliest Changs were virtually identical
to the Soviet M72. The original CJ750 taillight was very
similar to those found on the M72 as illustrated here. (LRM)
These were also used on sidecars. |
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From the parts book comes this illustration
of the later type of taillight used on CJs. These lights
are still in use on sidecars. |
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This LRM restoration is a
perfect example of how one of these assemblies looks. The
bike belongs to Stephen Boyce. |
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Here's the taillight on the LRM
Alpha Project. |
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And this one is found on the LRM
Beta Project. |
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This CJS bike uses one as
well. |
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This one is on my CJS bike. |
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Fred Balanay's CJS bike
also has one. |
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Here's a chrome plated example. |
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This chrome example is accompanied by
blinkers. Nice try, but no cigar. |
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Then along came this thing. It's the plastic
fixture commonly seen on factory-assembled bikes. |
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This example is from the DTE
web site. These were also used on Donghai 750s. |
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In keeping with BMW tradition, coffee can
taillights have become very popular. This example was
once mounted on my grey bike. |
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This is the most common type of arrangement
we see nowadays. It has bullet blinkers. |
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From behind. In some places this would meet
the minimum standard for visibility. |
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Miin Leong's CJS bike has
painted blinkers. |
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These lights will sometimes be chromed like
this one on a BSS M1M solo. |
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Coffee can on the sidecar fender? Forget it! |
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The J.C. Whitney Model A taillamp.
It's no longer listed in their catalog but it's still
available elsewhere. |
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A Whitney light on my grey bike. It was bead
blasted then primed with zinc-chromate before painting. |
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These cheap brackets were bent, drilled and
ground to make... |
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...these assemblies for mounting the Model A
taillights. |
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Very sturdy bracketand it looks fairly
decent too. |
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Tony Linz was the guy who
first suggested Whitney lights. He went a step further
and incorporated blinkers. He also opted to keep the
stainless steel finish. |
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Dan Mullins knows
a place that sells a variety of different lenses for the
Model A taillight including this STOP lens that was on my
grey bike last year. |
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And here's the one on Dan's
bikeilluminated. Click here to see what other
lenses and fixtures are available from the Taillight
King. |
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In the US, a two-color lens like this is
illegalbut nobody has bothered me for having them
on my bike. |
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The upper part is the brake light and the
bottom is the running light. I have one on the sidecar as
well. |
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Taillights 1
Taillights
2 Taillights 3 |
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