Right, just in case anyone is curious about how to do it etc, this is what I did. Took me about 20-25 minutes but thats because I made a couple of mistakes. First of all I replaced the low fuel indicator which ideally I shouldn't have done - i've put the original bulb back but have to wait to see if i've got it in the right way (read on). Second, I dropped a washer and then couldn't find it
I am by no means an electrician or mechanic so skill required on a scale of 1 (low) and 10 (high) is practically 1.
Disclaimer:
If you break yourself, your bike, your pet, any family member or other object its your own fault and is not any responsibility of mine. You are liable for anything you do or do not do.
Credit goes to craigybee404 for his original modification.
You will require:
1x Philips Screw Driver (I used a PZ1 bit in my multi-purpose driver)
1x 10mm Ring Spanner
1x 10mm Socket (1/4" Drive) (Optional but damn handy for getting one of the bolts off)
3x 286 T5 Dashboard LEDs (Sourced these from eBay - £3.49 for 10)
(I thought I needed 4 LEDs but it turnt out that one of them is the low fuel indicator)
I have a Red fazer (with a Silver tank) but opted for Blue LEDs because ive limited success with Red LEDs in my computer
1. First thing I'd recommend is to disconnect the battery underneath the seat before continuing (I didn't but I have to cover all bases)
2. Behind the instrument panel there are 3x 10mm bolts with washers that hold the dials to the frame. These need to be removed taking care not to lose any (I managed to drop one of the washers somewhere when reassembling and couldn't find it). Keep them somewhere safe in a little pot or dish, if you don't they are bound to roll off somewhere...
(This image was taken from the left of the bike - the side with the clutch lever)
The top one was a pain to get to so if you have a Socket set that can reach it I would recommend it - I used a 10mm Socket with a 1/4" drive.
3. Behind the dials is a connector which feeds all the information to dials - this can be simply disconnected with by pushing in a pin on the connector and pulling it free (mine was quite tight however)
(The connector is underneath the rubber sheath at the top of this picture - it also shows the 7x Screws that need to be removed next)
4. Remove all the screws using your screw driver and keep them somewhere safe with the bolts and washers.
5. The back cover and internal board should all come apart easily (there arent any clips) and reveal 4x bulbs. 3x of the bulbs are for the backlight of the dials, the other is the low fuel indicator - you can replaced this if you wish but its not easy to test if its working unless you happen to have no fuel in your bike :P
(The dials seperated into there 3 segments. The middle is the board showing the 4x bulbs - these are the black plastic bits that have a gold dot in the middle (at least in this picture). The top most one in this photo is for the low fuel indicator - once I figured this out I kept the original bulb in place but I have to wait to see if i've got it in the right way - more on this in a second).
(Close up of the back of the dials - top right bulb is low fuel indicator)
6. The black plastic bits (I have no proper name for them :P) twist free and pull out of the PCB. The existing bulbs can then be pulled out. They are in pretty tight but you can pull them free with your hands, I wouldn't recommend using any tools to do this in case you break them and need to put them back in the future. Once free, grab one of your new bulbs and put it in then twist the black plastic bit back in to the PCB.
(From left to right: Plastic bit that holds the bulbs, old bulb, new bulb)
7. For safety reasons, reassemble the casing, plug the connector from the dash back in to the dials, reconnect the battery and turn on the ignition (with either side lights or dipped beam on) and test if the bulbs are working. (The easier but non-recommended option is to just connect the PCB back to the connector and test that way). If any of the lights aren't functioning its because the polarity is incorrect.
8. For any non-function bulbs, twist the black plastic casing of the bulb, remove and make a 180 degree turn and reinsert and tighten. Basically we are just changing the contacts to the PCB. I had 2 of 3 bulbs not working initially so had to do this.
9. Test bulbs again - if a bulb doesnt work then that bulb is probably broken or isnt seated correctly. Hopefully this wont happen to you...
10. Reassembly is a reverse of disassembly. For the bolts holding the dials to the bike, I found it easiest to try and get the washer and bolt on from the top of the dial instead of from underneath. The left and right bolts are simple enough.
Hopefully that covers all bases and the results are below. My LCD doesnt seem to have been as adversely affected as craigybee404's but that is possibly because I had slightly dimmer bulbs - they are by no means dull and provide more than enough light.
Full size (8 MegaPixel) larger versions of these images are also online and available at
http://www.imperial-empire-se.com/images/foc-u (old domain as my other one is having issues).
Since I have 7 spare bulbs, if anyone is in Bristol and wants them (and a hand fitting them) then you are more than welcome to PM me.
Edit: Btw, my indicators and other lights on the bottom row do still work, I just put the bike in to first so that the glare from the green Neutral light didnt effect the photo :P
