Modern Vespa

My ET4 has a small LED mounted in a rubber gromet in the numberplate light housing.
I bought the bike 2nd hand about 3 months ago and since then I've been puzzled as to what it's for.
It never lights up, and is connected to the main wiring loom by two black wires.
It's an odd place to put a light, anybody got any ideas as to what it's for?

that was mostly removed when the scooter was sold in the past.. or a pretend flashing one someone fitted to make it look like an alarm was fitted, and has since packed up?

Got a picture?

Not a very good photo, but you get the idea...

My son just came up with a possible and interesting (though not very likely) idea.
It goes like this...
The LED is actually working fine. It's either IR or UV and it's dazzling the digital cameras at all the speed traps I go through,

This is highly unlikely I know, but it would explain my recent lack of mail ...

Why don't you follow the wire and see where it goes? Should be fairly easy to trace it's path.

As I said in the original post, its two black wires disappear into the main loom.
I can't see where they come out again, and it doesn't mean so much to me that I would unwrap the loom to find out.
I'm just curious is all.

it appears to be a decoy light to ward off potential theives and the two wires to the LED just connect to a posivitve and a negative.....that's my guess.

You're probably right, but the boy's solution has set me thinking....

Do you know where I can get a high intensity IR LED?
I've just got to test it out against my camera.

Probably at Radio Shack.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062565

Thanks,
Now the little bugger's put the idea in my head, I've just got to have a go.

some daft idea for blocking speed cameras??

I'm just one of those people who are naturally curious...

sorry i should have been clearer.... i was answering the question not asking what you was gonna try

Most digital cameras have very strong IR filters (in fact, you have to physically remove them in order to take IR photography, as in the pic below), so I doubt a LED would blind your camera. I don't know how much IR speed cams let in, but if they are not blinded by a hot muffler, I doubt they would be blinded by a tiny LED.

Seeing that it is a red LED, I am thinking that it was used as like a city light or something to allow the scooter to be seen in the dark while parked. Maybe there is a switch in your glove box or something.

I think that I've seen city lights on European cars where they are small dim lights that light on one side on the front and rear while the car is parked, when turned on.

Just my guess since IR LEDs are usually clear, like the ones on TV remotes.

Back-up light.