Light Duty 
By Steve Lita
We’re halfway done with the RoadBike Blue Collar Bobber build, and this month we’ll equip Tyler’s Honda Shadow with new signal lights front and rear, and a retro 1930 Ford Model A-style LED taillight. It’s a high-tech take on an old-school-bobber look.
The rear light kit includes a high-quality LED taillight, a side-hung bracket that carries the taillight license plate, and two rear signal lights, plus all the wires, crimp connectors, and shielding needed. The bullet signal lights are dual filament and are not LED. The rear signal lights mount to the Blue Collar Bobber seat brackets we installed last month.
The front signal light kit includes a pair of glossy black powdercoated mounting brackets, front bullet signal lights with yellow lenses, and everything you’ll need to mount the front signal lights to the sides of the fork tubes. The lights look the same as in the rear lighting kit, so everything matches all around.
To walk you through the install process, a DVD is 
included with the Blue Collar Bobber kit. Be sure to watch the Blue Collar Bobber video installation instructions beforehand as Lance does a great job of showing which wires connect where. No soldering is necessary. The kit comes with some neat adapter splitters to make wiring even easier. By the way, if the 1930 Ford Model A taillight doesn’t suit you, there’s also a 1959 Cadillac replica that may be more up your alley.
1. The Blue Collar Bobber license plate bracket is well-made and finished nicely in gloss black powdercoat.
2. Both front and rear light kits are shown here. The kits come with plenty of extra installation material.
4. The side-hung license plate bracket attaches with supplied U-bolts. Be sure not to pinch brake lines, and don’t overtighten, as it may bend the backing plate.
4. The side-hung license plate bracket attaches with supplied U-bolts. Be sure not to pinch brake lines, and don’t overtighten, as it may bend the backing plate.
5. I attach the LED vintage taillight onto the license plate bracket and ground the taillight housing.
6. I connect the donor wires from the old taillight to the new taillight wires with solder-less connectors and cover them with heat shrink.
7. The wires run up to the area under the seat and connect to the Honda factory wire harness using these neat splitters that come with the rear light kit.
8. A length of wire from the stock wire harness is grafted to the new bullet rear signal lights.
9. I temporarily bolt on the signal lights and wire them up to make sure everything is connected correctly; better to check now than after the seat is back on.
10. Once all the connections check out okay, I bundle everything up and stow the excess under the seat pan.
11. I sourced this Adel clamp at a hardware store to keep the wires nice and neat. It bolts to the back of the license plate bracket.
12. Once the seat is back on, the rear lighting is done.
13. Up front, the stock Honda signal lights leave a lot to be desired.
14. I unbolt the lights and chop the stock wire harness, then attach the new Blue Collar Bobber front signal brackets to the front forks.
15. Then I crimp a terminal ring on the factory ground wire; it will be grounded to the fork clamps.
16. The front signals are sleeker than stock and plenty bright.
Hard Data:
Blue Collar Bobbers
Ford LED Light Kit, $160
Front Signal Light Kit, $98
801/676-7889
Originally published in RoadBike Motorcycle Magazine, January/February 2011
How long have you guys been using this name “Blue Collar Motorcycle”?
Oh, we don’t “use” the name, sir – Blue Collar Bobbers is the name of the company that supplied the kit..
According to the story, Lance started in 1975… contact them directly at:
Blue Collar Bobbers, 801/676-7889, http://www.BlueCollarBobbers.com