Parts Needed to Add Headlight, Battery and Wiring to Adult Trike

Question:

I want to install a motorcycle headlight and tail lights on my bicycle. It is an adult heavy duty upright trike. I dont have a power supply on this bicycle. Is it possible to install a 12v dc battery on my trike to power these components? Is there a charger that can be used to keep this dc battery charged? Thanks for your time.

asked by: Jaime D

Helpful Expert Reply:

It is certainly possible to add a 12V battery, wiring and lights to your adult trike to make it easier to see. This will probably be easiest if the bike has a basket or other cargo carrying part to store the battery.

That battery needs to be rated for enough amp-hours to power the specific light for the period of time you plan to use it. The batteries we offer are trailer breakaway batteries like # HM20008. We also have kits with a battery box too, like # 1026.

I suggest high-efficiency LED lights since they use much less power and will let your battery work longer between charges with a device like # CTEK56353. I have owned one of their chargers for 6 years and mine has worked perfectly in continuous 24/7 use on my mower, motorcycle and car batteries.

If you already have the motorcycle light you have may be able to convert it with an LED replacement element like # DI85VR that you can install in place of its standard power-hungry bulb. If you can find a bulb number from your light you can check on the linked page to see if we have an LED that corresponds to that bulb number that you can pop right in to convert it to high-efficiency operation.

You will want to use insulated duplex wire # 10-2-1 to connect the lights and you'll need a 12V power switch like # BV0199-03. Use butt connectors # DW05744-5 to make your connections.