Years ago, we put out a video on dressing up a Harley-Davidson (or Indian) with LED accent lighting. A lot has changed since then. Ciro's Shock & Awe system has evolved — literally — and the new EVOLVED lineup packs way more programmability into the same plug-and-play install we've always loved. We got our hands on the components, and we're breaking down every piece of it in this video: the engine kit, the fork mounted illuminators, the saddlebag expansion kit, the Lightstrike Commander, and how to run it all through the Ciro Central Hub app.

All of this — the Shock & Awe EVOLVED components, the Lightstrike Commander, and the extras we used along the way — is available now in the Law Abiding Biker Store. We installed this exact kit on a 2024 Road Glide, and like other products we carry, we used it, tested it, and filmed the whole process so you can do it yourself in your own garage.

What's New With Shock & Awe EVOLVED

The Shock & Awe EVOLVED system works on any motorcycle with a 12-volt electrical system — Harley-Davidson, Indian, doesn't matter. What's changed from the original Shock & Awe lineup is the level of control you get through Ciro's app. Every pod can be programmed individually, colors and patterns can run in continuous chase sequences from front to back, and if you want to tie the lighting into your bike's run/turn/brake functions, that's an option too — though it's not required if you just want standalone accent lighting.

Engine Kit, Expansion Kit, or Both?

Shopping in the store, you'll need to decide how far you want to take it:

• Engine Kit — lights up the center of the bike around the engine and components. This is the starting point and can stand completely on its own.
• Expansion Kit — adds LED strips underneath each saddlebag, so the lighting wraps around to the rear of the bike.
• Fork Mounted Illuminators — bolt to the front fender and light up the front wheel. Available for both Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles (CVO models with inverted forks need a slightly different hardware kit — the store listing will specify which one you need).

Run all three together and you get continuous lighting from the front wheel, up through the engine, and back to the saddlebags.

Brain Box vs. Lightstrike Commander — Which Do You Need?

This trips a lot of riders up, so let's clear it up. Every Shock & Awe EVOLVED install — regardless of bike or model year — needs the EVOLVED brain box, which wires directly to your battery terminals and houses the controller knob.

The EVOLVED Brain Box vs. the Standard Adapter vs. the Lightstrike Commander

Every Shock & Awe EVOLVED install needs the EVOLVED brain box, regardless of bike or year — it runs the engine kit, fork illuminators, and saddlebag expansion lighting. (included with the LED engine kit)

If you also want to tie that lighting into run/turn/brake, you've got two options: the standard adapter (works on any 2014 to present Harley-Davidson) or the Lightstrike Commander (a 24-and-newer-only option that ties into run/turn/brake and unlocks Central Hub app programming for any other Ciro lighting already on the bike — vent lights, filler panel tail lights, bag blades, etc.). That's why Lurch's Road Glide already had the Lightstrike Commander installed before this project — he's running other Ciro products.

If you want to tie the EVOLVED lighting into your run/turn/brake functions, you'll need one additional harness beyond the base kit — the store listing for your specific bike spells out exactly what's needed.

Installation Highlights

We won't walk through every single step here (that's what the video's for below), but a few highlights from the install:

• Seat and side cover removal came first, using a RickRak Extended Seat Bolt and RickRak Saddlebag Safety Bolts — both a massive upgrade over the stock hardware for anyone who's fought with factory bolts before.
• The Lightstrike Commander mounts under the seat with included 3M tape, tying into the main harness plug.
• The brain box connects straight to the battery terminals, with the negative and positive leads routed carefully around the ECM and battery tray.
• Channels: we ran the entire left side of the bike on channel one and the entire right side on channel two, daisy-chaining each LED pod together. That setup lets you program continuous light patterns that sweep front-to-back on each side — our recommended approach, though the wiring is universal enough to configure however you like.
• The expansion kit strips mount to the underside of each saddlebag support bar and loop back into the same channel as the engine lighting on that side, keeping everything continuous.
• For run/turn/brake integration, we tied into the Lightstrike Commander's existing leads using Y-splitters (brown for right side, purple for left), then tested turn signals and brake activation before buttoning up the wiring.

Every pod, extension, and mounting pad you need ships in the kit — it's just a matter of routing it the way that looks best on your bike.

Programming It With the Ciro Central Hub App

Once everything's wired and tested, the fun part starts. The Ciro Central Hub app (free on iOS and Android) connects to the brain box over Bluetooth and gives you:

• Basic mode for quick color and chase-pattern adjustments with brightness and speed control
• Presets — a library of built-in patterns, plus the ability to build and save your own custom sequences
• Channel-by-channel control, letting you isolate and program individual LED strips differently from the rest of the bike
• Music and race modes for lights that react to sound or your speed
• Run/turn/brake settings (if you installed the Lightstrike Commander) — including brake color, turn signal color, and turn pattern customization

You can also skip the app entirely and use the physical controller knob for quick access to pre-loaded patterns and colors — handy for when you just want lights on and don't feel like pulling out your phone.

More From the Law Abiding Biker Store

If you're building out a full Ciro lighting setup, a few related installs are worth a look:

• Ciro 3D GOAT-E Light Install — the front-fairing LED accent light that pairs perfectly with the Lightstrike Commander on 2024-and-newer Road Glides and Street Glides.
• Ciro Machete LED Light Install — one of the rear lighting add-ons that plugs right into the same Lightstrike Commander system.
• StealthPort Update — a clean, permanent mount for your battery tender cord (and heated gear), made right here in the USA.

Watch the Full Install Video Below

Scroll down to watch the complete, step-by-step install of the Ciro Shock & Awe EVOLVED system — engine kit, fork illuminators, saddlebag expansion, and a full walkthrough of the Central Hub app.

We're just a bootstrap company of bikers helping bikers, we appreciate every customer, and we'll definitely take care of you. We're not like the big corporate stores. We actually use, test, and install many of the products we carry in our store and then make helpful videos for the biker community.

Grab your Ciro Shock & Awe EVOLVED components, Lightstrike Commander, and everything else featured in this install at the Law Abiding Biker Store — free shipping on orders over $100, and no sales tax outside Washington State.