Date: 28-03-24  Time: 08:36 am

Author Topic: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...  (Read 7013 times)

j the yank

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Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« on: 16 August 2013, 11:42:36 am »
 I would like to be able to see the road this winter as my bike is my only form of transport. Can anybody suggest a good up-grade kit for the head lamp of a year 2000? My mechanic mentioned something (HID?) that he said to stay away from because it can get too hot and tends to melt and burn parts of the housing.
 I'm not the most mechanically minded guy, but am very keen to learn as much as possible about my bike and all of it's possibilites. Has anyone up-graded their lamps sucessfully and were are the kits available?
 Thanks.

stevierst

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #1 on: 16 August 2013, 12:25:43 pm »
You can start with the twin light mod where you wire up the other headlight to come on. Dead easy to do.
It doubles the light on the road. Better, but still crap.
Stop polishing it and ride the bloody thing!!

Jamieg285

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #2 on: 16 August 2013, 12:27:20 pm »
Get some decent bulbs - look at Osram and Phillips. They do some really good bright bulbs that are surprisingly better than regular ones.


After that, there's tinkering involved.  You can wire it up so that both lights are on all the time (there's right and wrong ways to do this, look elsewhere on this site)


I'm looking to see if I can convert the left bulb to an H4 as well. 


As stevierst says, all of these are better, but still not brilliant.

j the yank

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #3 on: 16 August 2013, 12:33:41 pm »
Better, but still crap.
:lol
 
 Good to know. I just found the post about the wiring. Thanks.
 

darrsi

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #4 on: 16 August 2013, 02:08:03 pm »
Make sure you get bulbs that are plastic friendly otherwise your lenses will just discolour and make things even worse!
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garyb

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #5 on: 17 August 2013, 11:25:32 am »
Make sure you get bulbs that are plastic friendly otherwise your lenses will just discolour and make things even worse!

Jeez I never knew about this - that must be what's wrong with mine, when I got the bike, apart from noticing the lights were crap the lenses seem to be a sort of brownish tint presumably from the wrong bulbs in use by the previous owner.

Any recommendations for the correct type to use?

Cheers Gar
« Last Edit: 17 August 2013, 11:26:26 am by garyb »

darrsi

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #6 on: 17 August 2013, 02:24:25 pm »
Make sure you get bulbs that are plastic friendly otherwise your lenses will just discolour and make things even worse!

Jeez I never knew about this - that must be what's wrong with mine, when I got the bike, apart from noticing the lights were crap the lenses seem to be a sort of brownish tint presumably from the wrong bulbs in use by the previous owner.

Any recommendations for the correct type to use?

Cheers Gar


Osram Nightbreaker Plus, or if you're feeling a bit flush Philips X-Treme Power  :b


Both plastic lens friendly.  :smokin
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garyb

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #7 on: 17 August 2013, 07:13:24 pm »
Make sure you get bulbs that are plastic friendly otherwise your lenses will just discolour and make things even worse!

Jeez I never knew about this - that must be what's wrong with mine, when I got the bike, apart from noticing the lights were crap the lenses seem to be a sort of brownish tint presumably from the wrong bulbs in use by the previous owner.

Any recommendations for the correct type to use?

Cheers Gar


Osram Nightbreaker Plus, or if you're feeling a bit flush Philips X-Treme Power  :b


Both plastic lens friendly.  :smokin



Nice one - thank you kind sir!

unfazed

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #8 on: 17 August 2013, 10:55:55 pm »
I posted this on another thread here about headlights about how I sorted the headlights on an 2000 Boxeye I had for a while. Gromit one of the members on here had his box eye headlight damaged by vandals, maybe the reflectors are intact. 
http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,9438.0.html
When I had a 2000 boxeye I did the old green wire from the switch fix which brought on two dims but the main beam still was not great. I picked up a broken headlight from a local breaker open it and remover the right side reflector and other bits . Then opened my own one (carefull use of a heat gun to melt the glue holding it together) and removed the left reflector and replaced it with the right one from the one from the breaker.
A little bit of fiddling and setting up but I finally had two H4s like the Fox Eye and the Fazer 400 and now much better main beams. Took me nearly a full day to do, but was well worth the effort.
I am at present in the process of converting a European specification Fox Eye headlight to a Irish/English specification one by changing the reflectors. This is even easier to do than the box eye. Still trying to get my hands on a broken fox Eye headlight as I one I got had one cracked reflector.

Fuzzy

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #9 on: 05 September 2013, 05:13:00 pm »
I picked up a broken headlight from a local breaker open it and remover the right side reflector and other bits . Then opened my own one (carefull use of a heat gun to melt the glue holding it together) and removed the left reflector and replaced it with the right one from the one from the breaker.

When you say right side reflector, I take it you mean the nearside one?
Once you opened up the unit, was the reflector a straight fit and could you still adjust aim as before?
« Last Edit: 05 September 2013, 05:14:49 pm by Fuzzy »

topgun44

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #10 on: 05 September 2013, 06:08:32 pm »
here we go again
ok bud go for the hid 55w on the low beam forget about hight beam it shit  :lol  so you need to get a kit hid h7 then get set of runing daytime lights they will save your life here is a link for them http://www.bikevis.com/motorcycle-cree-led-running-lights.html they worth the money i have my on a year know good bit of kit and the hid kit get car kit as you will get two set always handy to have a spare one  ;)  and yes it will pass the mot and no it will not burn your headlight i have my in for last 3 years and on day a night always have the headlight on bud ride safe and been see ;)

Fuzzy

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #11 on: 05 September 2013, 07:04:05 pm »
Hid might work for some but it doesn't for me, I had one fitted and it used to drain the battery in winter as I have a short, low speed commute, so got rid. Might consume less power once switched on, but hid is greedier on startup than halogens. Spread of light wasn't great either.
 
Those running lights look good. I already have these http://www.bikevis.com/motorcycle-rigid-industries-duallys.html. If I get those too, my bike will look like a Christmas tree  :lol  All the newer led lights are great.
 
The spotlights more than sort any high beam issues but I find dipped still lacking. Been looking for a 400 unit but no luck so am interested in unfazed's mod.

unfazed

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #12 on: 06 September 2013, 12:38:51 am »
I picked up a broken headlight from a local breaker open it and remover the right side reflector and other bits . Then opened my own one (carefull use of a heat gun to melt the glue holding it together) and removed the left reflector and replaced it with the right one from the one from the breaker.

When you say right side reflector, I take it you mean the nearside one?
Once you opened up the unit, was the reflector a straight fit and could you still adjust aim as before?
No the right side reflector is the one on the right hand side of the bike with the H4 bulb.
As far as I can remember (it was 10 years ago) I had to do a lot of fiddling to get it working, but cannot remember the exact details. I think I removed the adjusters and glued them on the opposite sides. I know I used apoxy resin for something and it may have been for the adjusters. It took a fair bit of work but the result was worth it.

Kentish

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #13 on: 07 September 2013, 06:40:19 am »
I didn't realise the headlights were so poor on the boxeye. HID,s are ok if you used the 4300k that's white. Most cars have 4300k from the factory Audi's BMW's etc

topgun44

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #14 on: 07 September 2013, 07:02:44 am »
I didn't realise the headlights were so poor on the boxeye. HID,s are ok if you used the 4300k that's white. Most cars have 4300k from the factory Audi's BMW's etc
true but to have pure white is 6000k any more it will start to go to blue and it will fail the mot  ;)

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #15 on: 13 September 2013, 11:29:28 am »
Just ordered some Osram Nightbreaker bulbs from Amazon (AP Motor Store) £24.56 delivered, and as they are in pairs of H1/H4, means i have a spare set for 'under the seat'.  Hopefully they'll help significantly.  This is my first road bike in nearly 5 years, and the journey home after picking it up was on a dark wet night, couldnt see a damn thing!  Even got passed by an L plater who could obviously see better...

Have done the dual dip mod, got 12v at the dip terminal on the H4 but no light, i suspect that bulb might be no good anyway, but it doesnt look obviously blown on the dip.

Stooby2

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #16 on: 13 September 2013, 08:15:37 pm »
I have a foxeye with the dual headlamp mod. A pair of the Phillips Xtreme vision bulbs and the headlamps are superb at night.

HIDS are useless - they're not properly designed for the reflectors and produce a blob of light that isn't properly aimed and dazzles other drivers  / riders. An expensive waste of money.

Punkstig

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #17 on: 13 September 2013, 08:35:22 pm »
I have a foxeye with the dual headlamp mod. A pair of the Phillips Xtreme vision bulbs and the headlamps are superb at night.

HIDS are useless - they're not properly designed for the reflectors and produce a blob of light that isn't properly aimed and dazzles other drivers  / riders. An expensive waste of money.


Are you talking about standard replacement HID bulb kits or HID projectors?
HID bulb kits I've had in the past are frickin awesome, far superior to any normal bulbs!
Some say...

dcurzon

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #18 on: 14 September 2013, 03:27:28 pm »
My Nightbreaker's arrived today, 2 days after ordering (glad i didn't select the £9.99 fat postage option), and came with a pair of 501 sidelights, so i decided to fit one of those also.  Dual low beam mod is working (knew it was that bulb), haven't been out on bike yet to compare, but seemed instantly brighter to me.  Also, i have a spare H4/H1/501 now under the seat, so i'm happy so far :)

dcurzon

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #19 on: 14 September 2013, 03:49:57 pm »
Quick question... on the H1 side, theres a metal looking 'thingy' inside the light that surrounds the bulb.  Anyone removed this and is it worth while, or is it a lot of aggro?

Fuzzy

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #20 on: 14 September 2013, 03:56:25 pm »
I removed mine because it was rattling a bit and because I'd heard the light is better without. Not really worth it unless it's rattling about imo. Fairly easy to remove, used some pliers to bend the tabs so it'd fall off and then removed it through the hole for the offside bulb.

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #21 on: 14 September 2013, 07:34:32 pm »
Removed it on mine because of a broken tab - light is definitely better and it went through its MOT :)

john 087

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Re: Looking for advice on my sh*tty head lamp...
« Reply #22 on: 14 September 2013, 09:17:17 pm »
i removed it as well. no mot here but a better light, and no rattle