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DRC Edge Integrated Tail Light Install

By K.Ray,
in CRF250L/Rally & CRF300L/Rally

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K.Ray

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DRC Edge Integrated Tail Light w/ 12oclocklabs board -
 

aU39zKRl.png

 
So, this was one of the most frustrating installs yet. The entire DRC kit is cheap and poorly made. One of the screws was pre-stripped for me. The mounting bracket plate didn't conform to the slight bend in the CRF's rear subframe so I had to drill it out. The wiring wasn't too bad but the supplied ends were complete trash. After fighting with this thing for a few hours I finally got it installed. The results look pretty sweet and I do feel quite a bit more safe with my louder exhaust and flashing brake lights. I will definitely have to order the flasher regulator from 12oclocklabs though. The supersonic flash is annoying.
 
Purchased from SRmoto.com
 
Install Photos:
What is supplied in the DRC Integrated kit. You essentially get the DRC Edge in it's packaging from China, the mounting bracket, and then the 12oclocklabs kit in a separate baggy.
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This is the stock light housing that you have to open up and replace the board. Not hard but also not easy.
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Very nice of them to supply a pre-stripped screw. I had to drill and retap this with a slightly larger screw. Incredibly frustrating.
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Old board
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New 12oclocklabs board
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Here you can see the slight bend in the rear subframe assembly. Not sure if it's supposed to be that way or not but it makes install even more frustrating, as the mounting plat wouldn't fit. I had to slowly retap the frame mounting holes because they stripped on my first attempt when I hadn't realized it wasn't going to work. I then drilled out the mounting bracket holes to allow for more play around the two bolts. This part took the longest and had me acting like a sailor.
Tt4VINrm.png
 
Furthermore, the kit wont mount up to a US license plate so be prepared to drill into your plate. (Yes I know the light is upside down. I fixed it before final install. I was pretty frustrated by this point.)
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Final product mounted up and wired.
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I do really love the way that looks! :evil
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Honestly if I would have known about all the headaches prior I could have been better prepared. But going into it blind was rather frustrating as I was under a slight time crunch.

Had I done it over again I would have built the light assembly inside under a lamp on a desk and drilled out the holes on the mounting bracket prior to installation to allow some play for mounting. Those two differences would have made this install MUCH better. Still...for the price I paid all this crap should have been put together and ready to bolt up so I see your point.
Edited by kray
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JohnnyUtah787

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Sorry to hear that you had some frustration on the install, but I can honestly say I didn't really have any. However, I ordered mine directly from the 12 O'Clock Labs website. The kit came complete and bolted on without issue. I don't remember a slight bend in the subframe, but that kind of concerns me. I also didn't have to switch out the processor boards. I'm not a big fan of using connectors so I just soldered everything together. Sure the license plate needs to be drilled out, but that takes all of a couple minutes. The only complaint I have is that there is a sizable gap now underneath the tail that I will have to plug up to protect from dirt/water.

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K.Ray

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Sorry to hear that you had some frustration on the install, but I can honestly say I didn't really have any. However, I ordered mine directly from the 12 O'Clock Labs website. The kit came complete and bolted on without issue. I don't remember a slight bend in the subframe, but that kind of concerns me. I also didn't have to switch out the processor boards. I'm not a big fan of using connectors so I just soldered everything together. Sure the license plate needs to be drilled out, but that takes all of a couple minutes. The only complaint I have is that there is a sizable gap now underneath the tail that I will have to plug up to protect from dirt/water.

Had I know...I would have just ordered from 12oclocklabs too. Ohwell!

 

Yes, the gap does bother me too. I thought about using duct tape to block it off, but not sure what to really do to solve it. I mainly ride on the road so figured it wouldn't be as much of an issue for me as it would be for people who frequent mud more often. 

 

When I took my rear taillight assembly off the mount for it was slightly bent in the middle to conform to the frame on my 2014 model. If anyone comes along afterwards please verify if you have a bend or not. Now I'm worried I got a "dropped" bike from the dealer.

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JohnnyUtah787

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Had I know...I would have just ordered from 12oclocklabs too. Ohwell!

 

Yes, the gap does bother me too. I thought about using duct tape to block it off, but not sure what to really do to solve it. I mainly ride on the road so figured it wouldn't be as much of an issue for me as it would be for people who frequent mud more often. 

 

When I took my rear taillight assembly off the mount for it was slightly bent in the middle to conform to the frame on my 2014 model. If anyone comes along afterwards please verify if you have a bend or not. Now I'm worried I got a "dropped" bike from the dealer.

I have to take my tail section off this weekend in order to clean out some of the dirt that invaded the gap while on some trails the other day. I'll take a look at the subframe and see if there is a slight bend as I have a 2014 as well. Chances are it is supposed to be bent and that maybe you just got a crappy bracket for the tail light. I plan on plugging up the gap by cutting off a portion of the old fender and using some gorilla glue to stick it in place. I think this should hold up just fine and provide adequate coverage. I mentioned this in another thread so I'll throw some pictures up when it's done. Any excuse to use the dremel tool is fine by me  ?.

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K.Ray

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I have to take my tail section off this weekend in order to clean out some of the dirt that invaded the gap while on some trails the other day. I'll take a look at the subframe and see if there is a slight bend as I have a 2014 as well. Chances are it is supposed to be bent and that maybe you just got a crappy bracket for the tail light. I plan on plugging up the gap by cutting off a portion of the old fender and using some gorilla glue to stick it in place. I think this should hold up just fine and provide adequate coverage. I mentioned this in another thread so I'll throw some pictures up when it's done. Any excuse to use the dremel tool is fine by me  ?.

Probably a crappy bracket but would give me piece of mind. I just keep my dremel, grinder, and sawzall out at all times!  :smashpc:

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JohnnyUtah787

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I chose the Yoshimura light just because I didn't know of any others at the time.  After reading all of this it's a wonder anyone would choose the DRC over the Yoshimura.

Is the Yosh integrated? If not, does it allow room for aftermarket signals? In my experience, this was one of the easiest items to install on my bike so I can see why DRC sells quite a few of them. And in my case, I hadn't even heard of the Yosh option. Guess it all depends where you look  :excuseme:

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greenyone

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Is the Yosh integrated? If not, does it allow room for aftermarket signals? In my experience, this was one of the easiest items to install on my bike so I can see why DRC sells quite a few of them. And in my case, I hadn't even heard of the Yosh option. Guess it all depends where you look  :excuseme:

I guess that's the difference.  The Yoshi is not integrated.  It uses that factory blinkers.  But I don't see any reason you couldn't put any universal blinkers on the mounts.  They are pretty standard size holes in the brackets as far as I can tell. 

 

Personally I like having the larger blinkers off to the side.  From a visiblilty/safety standpoint that have to be better than an integrated light. 

I had an integrated led tail light on my Harley FXSTB until my riding buddies told me they could never tell which way I was turning.  If fellow m/c riders had a hard time making that determination then I can't imagine that the driver paying closer attention to a smart phone than they are on the road would be any better.

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JohnnyUtah787

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I guess that's the difference.  The Yoshi is not integrated.  It uses that factory blinkers.  But I don't see any reason you couldn't put any universal blinkers on the mounts.  They are pretty standard size holes in the brackets as far as I can tell. 

 

Personally I like having the larger blinkers off to the side.  From a visiblilty/safety standpoint that have to be better than an integrated light. 

I had an integrated led tail light on my Harley FXSTB until my riding buddies told me they could never tell which way I was turning.  If fellow m/c riders had a hard time making that determination then I can't imagine that the driver paying closer attention to a smart phone than they are on the road would be any better.

Completely agree on the safety aspect, that's why I have some very bright Rizoma signals on my sv650. However, with the dual sport, I viewed the blinkers as just another item that can break if I go down. If I end up spending a lot of time on the street, I'll probably put external signals on.

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K.Ray

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Completely agree on the safety aspect, that's why I have some very bright Rizoma signals on my sv650. However, with the dual sport, I viewed the blinkers as just another item that can break if I go down. If I end up spending a lot of time on the street, I'll probably put external signals on.

Not only were mine barely hanging on after a few drops offroad but the exhaust had started to slowly melt the pass. side marker off.

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K.Ray

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Hmm.  I guess I'm just lucky because I've lifted mine out of the dirt too many times to count and never broke one.  The stock handlebars however are a different story.  I think they are made from plumbing copper or maybe somethign even softer.

 

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That's a beautiful collection you've started! What handlebars did you go with?

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turnbuckle

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As promised, a quick and dirty fix. Not my best work but I think it turned out quite well. Just need to wipe off the excess epoxy. Only time will tell how well it holds up.

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It's hard to see what exactly your trying to connect together.

But if your trying to connect OEM plastics together with normal, off the shelf epoxy, it won't work. Nor will epoxy work trying to adhere the oem part to any other material, such as aluminum.  Epoxy, and acrylic polymer resin for that matter, won't adhere to the type of plastic the oem part is made of.

Do a long search about different plastics, what type motorcycles use on different areas and what adhesive products work.

I did an extensive search a year ago, caused a brain fart. BUT there are adhesives that will work, expensive is an understatement.

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