Installed a new headlight plug

[Yamifj1200]

Hey there folks, today I installed a new headlight plug to replace the stock one that had melted down to a chunk of plastic. I replaced it with a new ceramic plug that should be fine for the 80-100 headlight bulbs I use. I also installed some new front brake pads and gave her a needed bath. I aired up the tires and took her for a short ride hoping for a state inspection. Looks like the shops I stopped at only inspect till noon on Saturdays. Oh well I will get a sticker on her this week and start getting my gear all ready for Boone...

Eric M

[yamaha fj rider]

Good for you Eric, it's always nice to get that first ride of the season in.

Kurt

[roverfj1200]

 

[Joe Sull]

I should get a sticker. lemee write that down 
I might get pulled over by the Marine Patrol 

[Derek Young]

Hi Eric.

Those high wattage bulbs do heat things up a bit.  Donna and I were on a four day road trip a few years back.  I didn't notice that i was riding with the high beam on during the daylight until it got dark and there was no high beam. Due to some bad time management issues that day we ended up having to ride the Monashee hwy in the dark... with no high beam... and it started to rain.  That's 200 km of one of the best motorcycling roads in British Columbia, a great experience during the daylight. Donna still had a high beam on her bike so she had to lead.  It was even challenging following her without a high beam.

I assumed it was the light bulb filament burned out so the next day I bought the best light bulb Canadian Tire in Vernon had and changed it in the parking lot.  There was much hand scraping and more than a little profanity involved.  And still no high beam!

When we returned home I discovered the real root of the problem was in the high/low beam switch.  There was enough heat buildup to cause one of the soldered wire connections to come adrift.  They are attached to the switch mechanism with a large, cold looking blob of solder.  An easy fix in the shop... not so much on the side of the highway in the dark.

I figured there were 2 options to make sure this never happened again:
1) Install a headlight relay
2) Install an HID light kit

That winter both of our bikes received DDM tuning HID kits, a great improvement over stock IMHO.

Derek

[Bminder]

Hey Derek, which wattage kit did you go with? 35 or 55?

[movenon]

Still giving some thought to the HID headlight.. Any recommendations ?  I threw that bloody weak ass horn away and replaced it with 2 Hellas on the side of the bike. No problem now getting up there to change a bulb. That bulb will never fail in a nice warm and dry shop....

I would recommend that anyone who hasn't changed out a headlight bulb to learn how to do it before it fails them on a cold rainy night..  Might be a minor thing to show at a "tech session" during a rally along with carb balancing, SAG measurements etc. as a thought ?

Looking forward to seeing you again at the WCR.
George

[ribbert]

I would recommend that anyone who hasn't changed out a headlight bulb to learn how to do it before it fails them on a cold rainy night..  

George

Excellent point George.
More common with cars, but a tip for any procedure that requires doing it by feel, like the headlight bulb, is to have a look with a mirror and torch first so your fingers can "see" what they're feeling, makes it a lot easier.

Noel

[Derek Young]

Hey Derek, which wattage kit did you go with? 35 or 55?

I have the 55 watt on my FJ, Donna has the 35 watt for low beam and 55 watt for high beam on her Ninja 650.

Still giving some thought to the HID headlight.. Any recommendations ?  I threw that bloody weak ass horn away and replaced it with 2 Hellas on the side of the bike. No problem now getting up there to change a bulb. That bulb will never fail in a nice warm and dry shop....

I would recommend that anyone who hasn't changed out a headlight bulb to learn how to do it before it fails them on a cold rainy night..  Might be a minor thing to show at a "tech session" during a rally along with carb balancing, SAG measurements etc. as a thought ?

Looking forward to seeing you again at the WCR.
George

The DDM tuning kits are the only experience I've had with HIDs. We have been quite happy with them.  I think they function a little better on Donna's bike as she has 2 bulbs and smooth lenses.  We went with 6000 k temp, which are a little on the blue side.  This makes it easy to see if she's still behind me on a group ride as most other bikes have white headlights.

Good idea about the "tech lessons" at the rallys George.

It will be good to see you and your resurrected FJ again also.  I'm especially interested in seeing your wiring work.  The pics look very impressive.  I'll be taking pointers for sure.

Derek

[movenon]

TNX. The wiring is as required. Not all that great. One problem leads to another.  The bike is work in progress. Still need to paint the scoops and fender.  Never ends and that's probably the good news.  In about 20 more years it might be almost nice as yours.... Of course in 20 more years I will probably be sitting on it 6 feet under..... or figuring out how to get 2 of the damn wheels off a wheel chair............

I am thinking around 4-5000 K on the lights.  A part of me is holding back because I have seen some that just "spray" light everywhere and some that are more focused.  I like the idea of reducing the current load especially here in the states where the light is on all the %%$#$$  time.

I plan on trailering down this year so I can bring along some extra stuff.  I have an extra headlight assembly I can bring along.  Easier to show someone how to do a bulb change out.  Most everyone has done it but if there is someone new it might be helpful.  Pat did a excellent job showing how to sync carbs last year and that would be good to do along with adjusting the fuel/air screws (blip test), SAG measurements are only numbers but might be helpful if interested (easier to do with a little help).  Just throwing out stuff and seeing what sticks.  I am willing to help out where ever I can. If anyone has ideas throw it in the pile. 

Cheers George

[fj1289]

With regards to the blue tint vs white -- if it doesn't reduce your visual range at night I'd suggest the blue tint to help you stand out from all the day time running lights now.  In my mind, when everyone is running daytime lights these days, it's not so much of a safety factor any more -- better to try to stand out in the crowd a bit.