| Author | Message | ||
     Xb9rski |
Yesterday while I started my journey home from work. I noticed my High Beam was flickering on and off when I pulled up behind a black truck. I pushed the wiring and the light came back on then flickered and went out again. When I got home I tore into it and found that the wire clip was so heat damaged it had broken into four pieces. Knowing that there are no service departments open at 6 pm around me and that it generally takes about 2-3 weeks to get parts in at the HD dealership, I opted for the quick fix and used a paper clip to hold the light in place by bending it like the old clamp. Since I had the front fairing off, I just couldn't resist tearing into the low beam. It is really quite simple to remove the shield from the low beam, (4) screws mounting the light to the mount, (4) screws to open the light housing and (1) screw securing the shield in place. So now I have 2 high beams, I adjusted both down slightly and it must be good, nobody was flashing their high beams at me on the way to work. | ||
| M1combat |
Cool... I'll do that this weekend. I hate that shield. | ||
| Xb9er |
I haven't needed to take off the fairing on mine yet. I hate that shield too. When the low beam is off, it stares at you like a cloudy, diseased, pus-filled eyeball. I think I'll take the thing out this weekend. Mike. | ||
| Xb9r49er |
I'm tired of people telling me I have a light out . Thanks for the mod | ||
| Xb9rski |
Couldn't tell you how many times I've heard that....LOL | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
dork "you have a headlight out..." me "are you sure? Look close..." dork looking close *blip* "OWWW SHIT" me "guess its called a HIGHBEAM" | ||
| Jasonxb12s |
If you want both lights to come on when high beam is engaged, do the following: Open up the control switch on the handle bar and solder a bridge between the blue and yellow wires. Both lights will come on when you turn your switch to high-beam. | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
Maybe I'm confused, but I think both mine stay on now??? | ||
| Unibear12r |
Both stay on when in high beam on the R models but I think not on the S. Definitely not enough distance light at nite on my 12R with both high & low. Sounds like a great quick mod. Thanks edited by unibear12r on April 10, 2004 | ||
| Fullpower |
i put some little PIAA 004X (H3) aux lamps on upper fork legs. wired the relay sense wire to hi beam lead, so i have one low beam, and 3 hi beams. they work real well, and dont look too dorky. the XB charging system can keep up with heated grips, electric vest, 165 watts of halogen lighting, no problems. | ||
| Spiderman |
Has anyone noticed the shield n their low beam at night? I watch mine bounce all over the place, gotta rip that thing out. | ||
| Fdl3 |
Fullpower: Do you have a picture of your lighting setup? | ||
| M1combat |
That would be cool. Adding light is something I'd like to do and I'd like all the ideas I can get first... | ||
| Geofg |
Got to put a "me too" in for seeing a pic of those extra lights on your forks, Fullpower. I'm thinking of doing the same thing and wouldn't mind seeing what it'd look like beforehand. -Geof | ||
| Xb9rski |
I've considered mounting fog lights to the bottom of the front fairing, had them mounted on my 600 ninja and they worked great. Think I would have to make a back plate though to support them to keep the fairing from cracking. | ||
| Glitch |
I like this idea... link  | ||
| Fullpower |
no photo yet, but make a mental pic of this: you know those butt ugly federal reflectors on the forks, i drilled small holes in the plastic reflectors, screwed the PIAA's directly to the plastic. i put a plastic cable tie around for reinforcement. wired in to high beam circuit, lashed the relay to the horn mount. pretty clean install. dean | ||
| Roc |
 The mirror mounts make good light mounts too. | ||
| Xb9rski |
Roc, That's..... just not right. Those lights got to go Bro. | ||
| Roc |
No way. The lights housing is even the same color as the XB's frame. Different, with an emphasis on performance and function - Rock on! Blow through a heard of elk at about 80, which the lead Bueller did not even see, and you will love big lights too. | ||
| Xb9rski |
Ok, Ok, So they have a good purpose, I'll let it slide. But promise me if you drive down south you'll leave them at home....LOL | ||
| Fullpower |
nice moose lights there roc. lookin good. | ||
| Fdl3 |
Roc: Classic example of function over form... Fullpower: C'mon, borrow a digital camera and post up some photos! Buelling minds want to know... | ||
| Bomber |
Roc do you slow down much when you turn those puppies on? only jokin . . . .light is GOOD (little PIAAs on my upper forks, just below th headlight)  | ||
| Henrik |
Bomber; those are nice - tiny. What model, and how did you end up mounting them (not clear in the picture)? Henrik | ||
| Fst_tyms |
I was thinkin about little lights too. The stock headlights suck in the canyons at night  | ||
| Fdl3 |
I am guessing that lights with a broad beam pattern would be more functional than directional beams. When shopping for aux. lights, is it enough to look for lights that advertise a broad beam pattern? Are there any particular models that are preferred? | ||
| Henrik |
PIAA has a very good reputation with touring and Long Distance riders. Lots of light and quality housings. Pricy - but then what MC parts aren't  Web sites that sell PIAA lights often have illustrations of the spread pattern of the individual models. Our resident lighting expert, Peter, recommended that dual lights are set up in a cross-wise pattern for better spread. But then he rides one of those big  , ugly Beeemers - anything you hang on that thing will be an improvement in looks  Henrik | ||
| Xb9er |
Hey Roc. I really can't criticize your auxiliary light setup because it's a Safety Feature for you. I would imagine, though, that the wind noise off those things is ridiculous and they have to throw the aerodynamics way off! The added weight that high up on the bike would also concern me. In my mind, the negatives outweigh the positives on that setup, but that's just me. Oh, crap, nevermind what I said before, they are U-G-L-Y with a capital UGGG! But, did you happen to catch the headlight mod that XB9 did. You should be able to get suitable results with larger lights in the standard headlight locations. Mike. | ||
| Fullpower |
gee xb9er, did you have to sugar coat it? tell us what you REALLY think... | ||
| Xb9er |
Sounded a bit harsh, I guess. Just another opinion, and not to be taken too seriously. I've never had the pleasure of visiting Oregon. If I had the opportunity to ride with Roc, without a doubt I would let him lead the way! And maybe if I could Ride some Miles in Roc's Saddle, you might see me copying his headlight mod. The moral of the story is never compromise safety for looks... (I can say I'm guilty of breaking this rule a little bit). Ride safe. Mike. | ||
| Roc |
Love the lights - When I was about 12 I went over to a tough old biker dudes house and bought a Harley with my Dad. The guy was crippled up and he was missing an eye as a result of hitting a deer on his bike. He credits the fact that he was ridding an FXRT, with the radio on, for saving his life – an old farmer heard the radio and found him that night rather than the next morning. Weight – I lost more than the lights weight by changing the bodywork. The lights are Hella FF200’s, not very heavy. The weight is high up, but the speed I can safely gain at night is worth the hypothetical margin of sacrifice. Wind noise – nothing to about 110. Aerodynamics – Sure the air flow is not as laminar, but even in a tuck my shoulders stick out as far as the lights do. I can carry enough safe and practical speed with these at night to make up for the possible loss here. Besides, who buys and XB for top speed – out of the 4 bikes I have ridden the most in the last few years it is easily the slowest in a straight line. XB9rski’s mod sounds good and I may do it, it is free aside from some time, but the lighting improvement would not be in the same league. The only practical thing I dislike about the lights is that they are in the bottom of my line of sight, so I loose some of the feeling that I am flying along without a bike. The setup also gave me a mirror that is functional, two if I want them. Aesthetics – No way am I going to argue that with a guy who painted his mirrors white! | ||
| Xb9er |
Actually those mirrors looked cool in person. But, I used that Krylon fusion paint and it didn't quite match the Buell white. And by the way, that stuff won't flex with the rubber pieces (duh!). They were the short stalks, and I had nothing to lose as I was going to replace them anyway. I had already ordered the '04 mirrors. My new mirrors are unpainted and will stay that way, I guess. I need a new picture in my profile. My next project is to integrate LED turn signals into the mirrors. I still have the white painted ones to experiment with. Mike. | ||
| Xb9er |
Oh, and I was referring to XB9's lights, not XB9rski. XB9 enlarged the openings to fit larger, brighter lights to his bike. He posted pics here. I think all XB9rski did was remove the deflector plate from his low beam. Mike. edited by xb9er on April 16, 2004 | ||
| Drheathenscum |
let me know if you need any help with the signals in the mirrors. | ||
| Docrecon |
Yo, me too - out on the backroads I've had cars pull over & stop - I think they think I must me Da Law! Has anyone noticed the shield n their low beam at night? I watch mine bounce all over the place, gotta rip that thing out. | ||
| Xb9rski |
FYI, while at Auto zone over the weekend (getting stuff for my fog light install) I found the exact same bulbs that are used in the XB9R's and they are only like 4 bucks, They are actually fog light replacement bulbs. Didn't write the brand name down, but if you pull them and see what they look like you won't have a problem finding them. Just for your info.... Ski | ||
| Xb9er |
I checked out some Sylvania H3 55-watt bulbs at Meijer and they look identical to the XB9R bulbs on my bike and also have the same markings including "made in Germany". I know they were less than $5.00 ea. The fog light replacement bulbs are 100-watt and might melt the housing so I didn't pick any of those up. I might reconsider and get those. If you use H7 bulbs in the Firebolt, it involves some soldering and modification of the H7 bulb base, does it not?? Can someone explain how they did this? Mike. |
