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Headlight Useless


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#21 steves100uk

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Posted 08 February 2019 - 05:40 am

Hi fella.
You got any pics from fitting the projectors. I am looking at doing this.

its not finished yet. although i have the projectors in I kind of think I should have kept the original headlight glass now. I will be sorting it in the next couple of weeks. the bike is currently completely apart in my garage. 



#22 TKH

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Posted 21 February 2019 - 08:04 pm

OK. Last night I was riding home on the M62 from seeing my daughter in Leeds. I'd caught my hazard flasher when switching on my "high" beam. I moved over onto the hard shoulder to switch them off but managed to do it as I was slowing (doing ~40). Just about to accelerate and re-join the carriageway when I saw something in the road which looked at first like a cloth (it was dark). Thinking nothing of it I ran over it. The cloth was in fact a brick which I only saw at the very last second, too late to avoid. And yes I know you shouldn't run over something if you don't know what it is. 

 

 

Had I still been able to legally have my HIDs I would have noticed this a lot sooner and taken avoiding action. I've tried to supplement the poor lighting on my 9'er with so called "spot lights" but nothing offering more than about 10-15 foot of light in front. 

 

Sorry rant over.

I've had yet another look and the nearest thing I can find is about £60 each plus bulbs plus mounting kit, either that or the flood light type of thing (sold as "spot" I already have fitted) or the crappy things with tiny halogen bulbs. Now I know you can't put a price on safety (although whoever dreamt up banning HIDs on bikes clearly did) but has anyone come across anything that does give a good forward view in the dark that I can fit and that isn't illegal for a bike to use.

 

I've looked online at ebay (pages and pages of the usual Chinese/indian/etc tat), Amazon (mostly same as ebay)  Halfords, demontweeks,  and it's either ring (which i was warned off ages ago or the huge expensive car stuff (Cibie, IPF, hella, etc.). I saw some some "maybe" on biker mart, bikebytz, motea but I've no experience of them and I'm fed up of paying for stuff that ends up in a drawer. As well, a lot of chinese/indian/etc. stuff is re-badged in the UK and priced at 3- 4 times as much. I read reports of the cyclops lights but they were very varied for >£200 sounds too risky. for another flop.

 

Has anyone any positive experience of anything? What have you got? 

My dip and hi beam are Osram night breakers - which I think are are streets ahead of standard H7s.

 

Thanks

 

OK, scratch this for now. I've bought a pair of Hella oblong lights. The bike's gonna look like a christmas tree with all the lights in it.


Edited by TKH, 21 February 2019 - 09:09 pm.


#23 dapleb

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Posted 21 February 2019 - 09:14 pm

But if you still had your HIDs 50 oncoming ve-hickles would have run over bricks whilst being blinded!!

Glad the brick didn't have you off.
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#24 dandywarhol

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Posted 22 February 2019 - 09:45 am

I found the acetylene lamp a useful improvement over the stock TDM one.

 

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#25 muddy

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Posted 22 February 2019 - 11:08 am

LED lights are blinding and I echo what someone else said here, I reckon they're be some sort of legislation at some point. I don't think LEDs will be banned, the 'what new taxes can we invent' co2phobe bigwigs are too invested LEDing the world, but they'll be adapted to prevent glare. That said, something has to be done to improve so bike headlights. On my new bike full beam isn't too bad, but dipped is useless to man and beast, it throws about as far as a pissed Tyrion Lanaster. 


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#26 TKH

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Posted 22 February 2019 - 08:20 pm

I found the acetylene lamp a useful improvement over the stock TDM one.

 

Acetylene would defo be an improvement!s-l1600.jpg


Re the HIDs, I only used them on high beam, I used fast start-up which are up to brightness in about a second. I'd been told that they could affect oncoming traffic. 

 

Mind you the numpties who drive around with fog lights on all the time are even worse and that is a fixed penalty fine although plod never does anything about them.


But if you still had your HIDs 50 oncoming ve-hickles would have run over bricks whilst being blinded!!

Glad the brick didn't have you off.

Thanks dappers. 



#27 TKH

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 09:22 am

I've now fitted a pair of lights so much improved, but, I was casually looking at projector lights. In all the add I've found they're described as HID projectors. Anyone had experience of them? If they're HID then I would assume they'll be an MOT fail?



#28 fixitsan

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 03:30 pm

I'm starting to think that the way to go is to replace the whole headlamp assembly, maybe fore something like the dual lens units on newer naked Triumphs (Street Triple etc)  They cutout in the front fairing does seem to be a good shape for it.

 

Like this (obviously there are a lot of bikes with lights like this, designed for HID use already ) https://www.google.c...xKqRVE9PiJ-TLM:

 

 

 

Here's one in great condition, not cheap though ! https://www.ebay.co....SsAAOSwl7dcP1LF


Edited by fixitsan, 14 March 2019 - 03:34 pm.

900 with better bits. Owes me nothing, Makes me smile


#29 TKH

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 09:11 pm

Headlamp units are a bit on the pricey side



#30 fixitsan

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Posted 14 March 2019 - 10:03 pm

Headlamp units are a bit on the pricey side

 

 

Yup, but sometimes they pop up when you aren't looking for them. I spent an hour looking at lots of headlight sales with clear photos....a couple of possibilities but only with a bit of work


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#31 TDM4ever

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Posted 15 March 2019 - 07:42 am

I've now fitted a pair of lights so much improved, but, I was casually looking at projector lights. In all the add I've found they're described as HID projectors. Anyone had experience of them? If they're HID then I would assume they'll be an MOT fail?

 

What lights did you get?



#32 TKH

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Posted 15 March 2019 - 10:01 am

 

What lights did you get?

 

I ended up adding a pair of hella h7 lights. Got them off ebay worked out less than half new price. The guy I got them from had them on a pan american. I've not linked them to the high beam as yet I'm waiting to see how I go on with them. I took my LED "spolight" off although I may end up putting that back on.


 

 

Yup, but sometimes they pop up when you aren't looking for them. I spent an hour looking at lots of headlight sales with clear photos....a couple of possibilities but only with a bit of work

 

Hope you get sorted. There was something I saw which was supposed to convert both lights on a tdm so you could run bulbs with both high and low beam built in. it was about £60. It was from a link on here somewhere to a site in europe. No idea if they were any good or not.


Edited by TKH, 15 March 2019 - 10:01 am.



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