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Showing results for tags 'headlight'.
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This coming week, we are going to be having some very nice riding weather over most of the country. These are the days so many of us have waited on for so long. The down side is I will be surprised if we do not have a rider death or injury before the week is over in this area. It seems to happen every year. First of all, we are going to be out on the roads with people in cages that have not been around motorcycles in awhile. Many won't see us because they will not be expecting us. We will be invisible to many and we need to expect it. In daylight, I run my headlight on highbeam all the time. I see bikes with their headlight on lowbeam during daylight and the light would just as well be off. But remember, at night, a highbeam can be your enemy if you are blinding oncoming drivers. Many of the back roads around here still have fine gravel on them that was put down due to ice. General road conditions still need to be watched. There will be a lot of riders out there that will be on a "new to them" bike and sometimes it is hard not to see what it will do. Get used to your bike before you start pushing the limits. Hopefully, if you had not already done so, one of your winter projects was to put some loud horns on your bike. I have absolutely no doubt that if I had not put air horns on my bike years ago, I probably would not be sitting here typing this. Put them on and do not hesitate in using them if you suspect someone is invading your space. Being lucky is great, but being diligent may be what saves you. RandyA
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Some time ago I added an HID Bi-Xenon kit to my 1986 Venture Royale. As kits go it has done a decent job and for $60 who could complain. It was a massive improvement over stock, but as with all of these kits, it was not coming close to the true potential of HID headlights. The light output was compromised by two main factors, the poor stock reflector and the fact that the bulb moves to create High and Low beams. Whichever way you cut it, in one of those positions (and probably both), it was not at the true focal point of the reflector. So it was time to do the job properly, and install a projector. First problem is the glass lens on the stock headlamp. It is cut for halogen bulbs. Projectors need a clear glass cover if they are to work well, and the '86 doesn't have one. However, the earlier bikes do, so first up was a trip to ebay for the front cover, rubber boot and glass from an '85. How hard could it be to make that fit over the '86 headlight bucket with the original headlight glass left off? Harder than it appears is the answer, but not so hard that you shouldn't try it if you are so inclined. It was open to me to do a full retrofit of the earlier headlight, and this may be a better way to go but I don't know how the earlier headlight mounts, and what additional parts might be needed. So ... This is what I started with: http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0292.jpg Nothing wrong with it, it's just not good enough for the amount of night riding I sometimes have to do. First up was the HID kit. I bought the Stage III Superbike Kit ($150) from theretrofitsource.com The kit comes with literally everything you need except a man to fit it all for you. The components appeared to be of high quality although there was some excess flashing on the Shroud that needed removing. No complaints. The kit also came with a Left Hand Drive Projector, more of that later. This is what was in the quickly delivered box: http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0290.jpg And the parts laid out: http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0291.jpg First job was to split the headlight. Ten minutes in the oven at 265F, and it came apart with no real effort at all: http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0317.jpg Then the whole of the inside of the bucket got two coats of grey primer and three coats of black paint. It looks good in black, but also serves to prevent any excess light from straying into unwanted places: http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0324.jpg Note ... There are two tabs in the hole where the original bulb fitted. They need removing and a file made short work of that. Also, the solenoid wiring has to emerge somewhere so I drilled a 1/4" hole in the reflector just below the projector. This will be covered by the shroud and not seen. Then we can mount the Projector, Bulb and Shroud in the housing. The projector is the smallest available at 2 1/2". The shroud appears massive, and doesn't fit at first as the diameter is too big. A few minutes with a hacksaw and it fitted just fine. The shroud is simply glued to the projector with a fitting ring and some silicone. http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0329.jpg And the rear .... http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0325.jpg I have covered the thin wires with a couple of layers of heat shrink, and they are now siliconed in place and have wire protector round them. Having stripped out most of the wiring for the old kit, all that is left is the ground from the switch I fitted above the brake master cylinder. This interrupts the ground to the lights and I use it as a manual On/Off switch. I leave this in place as I plan on re-using it. Next up is fitting the new wiring harness. There isn't much room. I found a place to install the two included relays. They are bolted to the center inner fairing behind the relays and below the instrument panel. The ballast has it's own bracket which bolted handily to the frame, just above and behind the headlight adjuster. I fitted the supplied plug to the solenoid wires (for High/Low beam) and plugged it into the harness. Connect the ground and run the hot back to the place on the Auxiliary fuse panel that was powering the original kit. All the wires in the harness are very well protected, they just need clipping in place ... cable ties rule! Now the difficult bit .... The rubber boot for the '85 was not designed to fit the larger shell of the '86. Surgery was needed to cut away quite a lot of rubber. Another problem is that the top of the front frame will not clear the two protruding brackets on the VR frame, so it had to be cut away leaving the whole part less strong. It will be okay because it is firmly held in place, but care is needed. So ... Now I have a clear front glass that will fit, but there is another problem ... Isn't there always! There is no way that the new arrangement is going to keep water out of the projector. The light is well enough protected at the sides and from below, but any water running down the screen is going to run straight under the trim and through the butchered rubber boot. Something has to be done. I decided that if I could seal the gap between the windshield and the front of the fairing all would be well. What I needed was a seal that would effectively cover the whole of the area behind the chrome front trim. What I had is an old inner tube, and I vaguely remember that rubber is waterproof This is the result: http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0330.jpg The rubber is completely sealed onto the windshield with silicone. Once mounted it was very easy to cut the lower edge to match the profile of the trim, and the whole lot is invisible. Any water running down cannot now get into the front of the fairing, or the light. It should be good enough. And the final reveal .... This is what it looks like now: http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0332.jpg That crack at the bottom has been repaired, and it needs painting to match the bike, but the bike will be painted so it can wait. The gold doesn't look too bad. I couldn't get video of the original, halogen light output on video simply because it didn't put out enough for a decent picture. I got a blurry still pic to give you an idea: http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/Headlight%20Conversion/DSCN0306.jpg I did get video of the resulting output. The video id decent, but it doesn't give the full impression ... It is shot 25 feet from the garage door. You will immediately spot that the beam is dipping the wrong way. That is the incorrect projector. I called the supplier and explained. They were a very apologetic and said it had the wrong solenoid shield fitted. A new one was on it's way withing a couple of hours and I'm told it's a very easy part to swap out. I have been impressed with these folk: This light, and the pictures do not do it justice, almost turns night into day. The improvement over stock is phenomenal, and the improvement over the previous HID kit has to be seen to be believed. At some point I will add a couple of HID Driving Lights ... One Spot beam and one Eurobeam, but for now I can see -
I took my (new to me) 1986 Royale out for the first time this weekend for a shake-down run. But when I got back, I noticed that my headlight was not working. In after-thought, I don't remember if it was working when I took off, I checked turn signals and brake lights, etc, but not headlight. No warning indicators on the dash lit up. I know before this "Sea-foam drive it like I stole event", it was working when I was checking the bike over. Anyways, I've checked the bulb - ohm'd good. filiments intact but only 1.2 volts present. Opened, cleaned left side handle bar switch, also minimum (1.2) voltage present on both low and high. Now, I'm thinking that it might be in the starter switch, since I'm not getting any indication of problems on the cmu and I never started it until yesterday. Am I on the right track?
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I bought a Canadian Custom cruisers HID kit for my 86 Venture and I was wondering if anybody has installed one of these on a 1st gen bike? Will it make the headlight warning system trigger?, If so is there a work around for this? Going to work on this over next week so any advice is appreciated Thanks, Gary
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Malibu Headlamp Replacement Rob Spiegel, Senior Editor, Automation & Control 11/23/2011 GM seemed to get a lot of things right when it introduced the new Generation 7 Chevy Malibu in 2008. I got one of the higher-end models with a six-cylinder engine and a very smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission. I was generally happy with the car until a headlamp bulb burned out. I went to the local auto parts store and bought a replacement bulb for about $12. Then I popped the hood and found that I couldn't get to the back of the headlight assembly. The owner's manual was no help at all -- its advice was to consult the dealer for bulb replacements. A quick Internet search revealed the awful truth: To replace the headlight bulb, you needed to remove the front bumper (among other parts). The dealer confirmed this and quoted $150 labor to replace one bulb. The steps needed to replace the headlight bulb are as follows: Open the hood and remove the plastic cover above the radiator (14 screws). Jack up the car and remove the wheel (five lug nuts). Remove the wheel-well liner (15 screws and pop-rivets). This exposes two bolts that hold the bumper in place; remove these bolts and slide off the end of the bumper. Now, you can reach the three bolts that hold in the headlight assembly; remove the headlight assembly and replace the bulb. Replace everything (29 screws, nuts, bolts, and pop-rivets). If you think you might as well replace both lamps while you're at it, you'll still have to remove the other front wheel, wheel-well liner, the other side of the bumper, and the other headlight assembly (25 additional fasteners). In my Toyota Camry, I could replace both headlight bulbs in less time than it takes to read this paragraph -- without needing a single tool. Just open the hood, twist the bulb socket a quarter turn to remove it, and plug in the new bulb. What's next? Will we have to remove the dashboard to change the oil? Remove the rear seats every time we get gas? I can't believe that there wasn't a way to provide easier access to parts that require replacement many times over the life of a car. Maybe the monkeys who designed the car don't think it's going to last very long?
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Well, I got my ignition emergency bypass switch wired in as well as the ignition relay and my relay for the driving lights (Special thanks to Dingy here!). Now, I want to install a relay for the headlight and I've run into a bit of confusion. I looked at a thread by wes0778 who did this work and he mentioned tapping into a Blue wire with a Black tracer to install the headlight relay. When I checked the simplified wiring diagram for the 2nd gen, it shows a Brown wire with a Blue tracer. I have the fairing split and have found a Blue/Black wire going into a plug from which exits a Red/Yellow wire. Now wes0778 cut the Blue/Black wire and put the "downstream" end to the 87 terminal (I assume that the downstream end is the one that goes into the plug and comes out as a Red/Yellow wire going to the dimmer switch- this is what the schematics indicate.) He then put the other end to the 86 terminal as his "switching" wire (He had a wire coming from the battery to the 30 relay already as do I). So...do I cut the Blue/Black wire or should I keep looking for a Brown/Blue wire? Anyone know? I'd hate to cut the wrong wire and wind up frying something...especially after doing all this work. Thanks Andy
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My headlight has lost it's brightness. At first it was only on the dim side now both high and low beams are not working correctly. THe headlight indicator on the dash is lit also. When this first started happening I could reach in and move the wires behind the headlight and it would work now nothing. I can not see any broken or frayed wires. THere are many things I can do but electrical is not high on that list. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Just curious - has anyone painted the plasti-chrome headlight trim to match the color of their bike? If so, I would like to see pictures.
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Noticed a while back that it seems like the rear of my Venture "feels" lower. Got another bike and wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or not. Then a buddy who I was riding behind asked if my headlight was on bright (it wasn't). Tried adjusting the headlight, hadn't before, but it still seemed the headlight was high, which would be right if the rear was low. Checked the rear shock but saw no fluid leakage, aired it up and it held, at least for a while. The shock was replaced about a year ago, had puked its guts out, can't really remember any change after the shock was replaced, but not sure. Bikes still under warrenty, an 08, think I'm going to depanel a little and see what I can see. Any ideas? Thanks, Sam
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Please call 206 245 8408. Need to know where the headlight fuse is
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I was chatting with the venture owner Janne jurvelin and he had a pic of his Mk2 scoot with 2 projector bulbs where the original square oem headlight would go, i asked him about it and he directed me to this site that offers the projector light pods and universal mounting plates for what I thought was a pretty reasonable price. the result looks quite similar to Snaggletooth's hella light conversion, but I think it would end up a bit cheaper, and they supply the mounting plate, probably eliminating some fabrication work. high beam- http://www.louis.de/_20100191f9ec6203dfd4ca1147ce400239/index.php?topic=search&searchterm=10033667&cmd.x=9&cmd.y=4 low beam- http://www.louis.de/_20100191f9ec6203dfd4ca1147ce400239/index.php?topic=search&searchterm=10033666&cmd.x=3&cmd.y=7 universal mounting plate- http://www.louis.de/_20100191f9ec6203dfd4ca1147ce400239/index.php?topic=search&searchterm=10020904&cmd.x=7&cmd.y=10 I have never dealt with this company and havnt done this install I am just posting this info as most of us G1 owners are always looking for better ways to see the road. so please dont ask me how to do it as I havnt done it myself. brian [Janne Jurvelin info- Parts from www.louis.de Part no.10033667, 10033666 and 10020904. Installation takes 30 minutes.]
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I know how to adjust the up and down the know behind the fairing but how about right to left? Thanks
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I haven't seen stores that sell the Silverstar ULTRA in single packs and was thinking of replacing my headlight. Current stock headlight is almost invisible at night with the passing lights on. Was wondering if anyone from the KW area bought the two pack and has a bulb to spare they'd like to sell. Don
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Does anyone have a source for H4 headlight plugs? I have a pair of headlights coming that I want to hook up to the stock Hi/Lo beam switch through a pair of relays. If I can get some male and female H4 plugs and sockets the wiring can be kept reversible back to stock.
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Hey guys, I broke my headlight while I was fitting new driving lamps and an HID unit. Does anyone have a spare headlight for a 1986 Venture Royale? Thanks
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hey all anyone know of a headlight upgrade that i just plug in and go? i came across a old post here about someone trying to get a set of hella lamps to plug in to existing light but cant find it again and dont know if it worked out into a plug an play kit or not. the original headlight on my 83 venture is crap and looking for something to cange it without change or adding a bunch of wireing and electronics. thanks for any help -
I want to add lights to the front and back of my 2006 Royal Star Venture any suggestions? All I have on the bike right now are the stock lights that came on it and I've been told that I'm not very visable at night. I have installed a blinking headlight module and that really helps with catching peoples attention during the day but not usable at night.
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The headlight indicator in the monitor on my 1983 XVZ12TK is always on when I use low-beam. The headlamp itself is on and it shines brightly, but the indicator in the monitor LCD is on and, of course, so is the flashing red LED. On high-beam, no problem. I want the red LED to warn me of real trouble. I don't want to become so accustomed to its flashing that I ignore it. So, I use high-beam all the time and crank the lamp down with the manual up-down knob to a reasonably level just to keep that annoying red LED from flashing. What I can't figure out is why this should be so. I've changed headlamps, and no change in behavior. If you have a clue, I'd love to hear it. -
I bought the driving lights that I will be putting onto my MK II. They are the KC HiLites series 35. I have these same lights on my truck and really like them. The lens is designed to put some light forward like a driving light, but to also fill in the sides of where the stock headlight can't reach. very little of the beam is wasted on adding light to the same areas as the stock headlight. These come with 55W halogen bulbs that I plan to replace with 35W HID. 3 forward looking HIDs should light things up pretty good at night and keep me visible in the daytime. I am thinking of mounting them to the faring on the flat area just below the air intakes. I have not taken the vent out yet to see if there is room to add a reinforcement thickness of plastic to strengthen the area. Do you think that the plastic of the faring is strong enough as is to handle the weight of the light while bouncing down the road or do I really need to strengthen it some? -
I had the local stealer install the Yamaha driving lights. I had them wire the lights so they are on all the time except when the high beam is on. They didn't install the switch. So now I'm thinking is that practical or even safe? I ride at night and want as much light as possible on the road. I replaced the stock headlight bulb with a PIAA intense white. I'm wondering if I should re-wire them so they are relayed through a switch and I can turn them on and off regardless of whether or not the headlight is on low or high beam. How do you run your driving lights? Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Chris in Red Deer, AB -
While attepmting to remove the headlight bulb tonight, the socket (where the bulb plugs into the wireing) broke. I am guessing this socket, fixture, plug, or whatchamacallit, is part of the wiring harness. Is there anything a person could use to replace this? Other than a new harness? I think that I will get this fixed and then hire someone to do things for me. Fix one thing and another breaks. :confused::confused24: Might give up completely, go into debt, and buy a Can-Am Spder. At least then it would be warranty work. Thanks, Dave
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hey everyone, Hope someone can help me with a couple things. Looking for visors for my turn signals and headlight. Already have them on running lights but they have no logo on them. would love to find the rest without logo. Does anyone know of a vender they recrecommend for this. Also can I get one onto the headlight without removing fairing ,or do I have to pull it.
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I have visors on my running lights, and am planning on doing my turn signal also. but in order to do the headlight on my 99RSV do I have to remove my fairing or is there a way to get it on without doing that.
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I have completed the installation of an HID headlight and a pair of Martin Fabrication HID running lights. Attached are some pics when off, when on, and the switches (on and off). I added a switch for the headlight since it dies during starting (voltage drop will not keep the HID burning). Am looking forward to burning a hole through the darkness soon. Need to get at least another 6 inches of snow melted off the back drive though so I can get the bike out of the shop. C'mon Spring!!! RR -
Tonight as I left work at 2 AM my HID went out. I didnt notice it right away until I hit a real dark stretch of road. It was then I realized that I was riding with only those dreaded LED driving lights. I cant believe how much illumination those LEDs put out. It was almost like riding with a stock headlight. I saw a nice clear band of light in front of me. Those LEDS really lit up the road. As far as the HID headlight goes, this has happened a few times before. I sent Canadian Cruiser Customizing an email and requested a replacement ballast since its still under warranty. Ill see what response I get. I cant have that light go out on me at night any more.
