Headlight Mod

[Perez]

I'll just buy the ready made piece online.....thanks anyway.

[racerman_27410]

I'll just buy the ready made piece online.....thanks anyway.

i bought a H4 Single bulb harness from these people....get the ceramic headlight plug as it will not melt if you choose to use a higher wattage bulb..... i strongly suggest still not going higher than 90 watts as high wattage bulb life sucks....  although they can and will last just long enough to melt your headlight reflector

http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/H4_Kits/h4_kits.html

Kookaloo

[SlowOldGuy]

I'm running an 80/100 bulb for years with the headlight relay mod.    I remember Jeff having problems when he tried to run a 130W bulb (?!).  Those kept blowing out, presumably to excess heat.

I've only blown one headlight bulb in the last 10 years.

DavidR.

[Marsh White]

I'll just buy the ready made piece online.....thanks anyway.

You might as well just buy the HID kit here: http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-35W-55W-Single-HiLo-Motorcycle-HID-Kit
Same price...

No need for a relay kit when running an HID setup as it draws less power.

Full thread here: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=2132.0

[Pat Conlon]

I'll just buy the ready made piece online.....thanks anyway.

i bought a H4 Single bulb harness from these people....get the ceramic headlight plug as it will not melt if you choose to use a higher wattage bulb..... i strongly suggest still not going higher than 90 watts as high wattage bulb life sucks....  although they can and will last just long enough to melt your headlight reflector

http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/H4_Kits/h4_kits.html

Hey Frank, good advice on the ceramic plug for high wattage bulbs. I bought my harness from these guys:
http://www.electricalconnection.com/wire-harnesses/hrns_headlight.htm
I liked the plug feature on the relays that, should a problem ever occur with either relay, you can unplug them, and plug in a new one. I keep a spare relay in my tool kit.
No messing around with cutting/splicing wires. (Murphy's Law: At night, in the rain, by the side of the road)

Question: Does the  Eastern Beaver kits have this plug feature or are the relays hard wired?
In looking at their web page, I see that the Panasonic relays come with a "socket" Is this the same thing?
Cheers!

[racerman_27410]

Question: Does the  Eastern Beaver kits have this plug feature or are the relays hard wired?
In looking at their web page, I see that the Panasonic relays come with a "socket" Is this the same thing?
Cheers!

yes they have sockets... and the relays are smaller and more waterproof than the electrical connection harness

i had the E/C setup previously but the headlight connector failed and melted the wiring.. i believe they have updated their H4 connector now though.

KOokaloo!

Frank

[teeeeeceeeee]

I Have a New H4 High Output Headlight Harness by The Electrical Connection for an FJ that I never installed - It's still in the delivery box so any member can have it for FREE if you pay the postage from Australia.

It cost me US $12.30 postage from the US to Australia years ago.


It has a plastic connector & yes Frank........... it's the one you recommended to me years ago that I never fitted.



Kookaloo


TeeCee 

[Perez]

I did exactly as racerman did. I bought the eastern beaver with the ceramic plug. I think the headlight shell itself is made from plastic too....right? So that will be the weakest link as far as melting.

I ordered an 80 /85 and a 100 /105 bulb. Melting and/or bulb life are my concern. I suppose I can put it in and use the old finger test. Looks like I can get my finger right there on the base of the socket when everything is all assembled.

I wish I had known about that HID. The ones for cars are pretty pricey and in some cases reputed to have a huge current draw that melts wires, etc. I just assumed it was too expensive, so I ignored it. Silly me.

[racerman_27410]

im running HID driving lights so having a full brightness halogen in the standard position is ok .

Kookaloo!

[rodo68]

hey teecee is that your misses in the picture shootng an arrow, if not whats the story

[Perez]

racerman: how did you mount a set of driving lights without making the bike look funky....any pics?

Also, what about all the current draw of all this lighting? Battery still OK?

[racerman_27410]

racerman: how did you mount a set of driving lights without making the bike look funky....any pics?

Also, what about all the current draw of all this lighting? Battery still OK?

oh yes the battery is fine... the FJ makes plenty of electrical power to run everything i need. but i still use a voltage monitor to make sure i'm not going to be stranded  somewhere or overcharging as FJ's are want to do......

http://signaldynamics.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=56&category_id=14&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=77&vmcchk=1&Itemid=77


the HID's actually draw less power than the regular 35 watt halogen bulbs did and are easily twice as bright.

you can see mine and T Roy's driving lights in this picture




KOokaloo!

[Perez]

What kind of lights are they or where did you get them?

Are they a set of miniature lamps designed for a car (I assume so because I see 2 of them)

[FJ Flyer]

The relay mod in the modifications section is ridiculously easy.  It was the first mod I attempted on the bike.  Definitely need a heavy duty bulb socket.  I melted two before Frank gave me a good one.  The instructions are accurate and easy. 

And its a good primer for putting relays in for horns, heated grips, etc.

[racerman_27410]

What kind of lights are they or where did you get them?

Are they a set of miniature lamps designed for a car (I assume so because I see 2 of them)

Mine are optilux (made by hella)

got them here on closeout then did a HID H3 retrofit in the housings.

http://www.rallylights.com/hella/Optilux_Aux_Lamps.aspx

they dont offer the same ones i have anymore but there are many to choose from.


KOokaloo!

Frank