Single Projector Retrofit
Single Projector Retrofit
SmokinJoe and ZKarma's headlight projects got me looking into doing something to mine.
To my surprise, VTR forum members have been upgrading headlights in one form or another for almost 20 years.
I have no experience with auto lighting so wanted to keep in simple for my first go.
I bought a single bixenon headlight conversion kit from Morimoto which doesn't require as much fabrication.
I used 270 oven temp for 8 minutes and the lens seemed to come apart easily.
Notice how with a little work, the back of the projector can be secured with a locknut . I got lucky in some areas but had to be creative in others.
A couple nubs needed trimming with a hacksaw. I added a 1 1/4" x1" electrical reducing washer over the old bulb mounting area since the original bulb was clocked a bit off, not straight up.
The shroud i selected just happened to squeeze in to the original reflector area.
There appears to be just enough room for the ignitor and bulb lock nut. I do have some wiring issues with the harness they provided.
I will post more later as I finish up.
To my surprise, VTR forum members have been upgrading headlights in one form or another for almost 20 years.
I have no experience with auto lighting so wanted to keep in simple for my first go.
I bought a single bixenon headlight conversion kit from Morimoto which doesn't require as much fabrication.
I used 270 oven temp for 8 minutes and the lens seemed to come apart easily.
Notice how with a little work, the back of the projector can be secured with a locknut . I got lucky in some areas but had to be creative in others.
A couple nubs needed trimming with a hacksaw. I added a 1 1/4" x1" electrical reducing washer over the old bulb mounting area since the original bulb was clocked a bit off, not straight up.
The shroud i selected just happened to squeeze in to the original reflector area.
There appears to be just enough room for the ignitor and bulb lock nut. I do have some wiring issues with the harness they provided.
I will post more later as I finish up.
Last edited by Hangfly; Dec 7, 2024 at 09:40 AM. Reason: photos
https://www.morimotohid.com/motorcyc...-mm?quantity=1
Below is the packing list they sent with my order.
Last edited by Hangfly; Dec 6, 2024 at 08:57 PM.
Here are the steps I took to do this job. I'm not sure if there are better ways. Please feel free to recommend better ways.
I know, the following will read like giberish until you actually dig in to this project. But just about anyone can do it I think.
Remove fairing .
Remove headlight from fairing. Hopefully the screws will snap loose within a quarter turn. If not , don't continue to turn the screw since it will only chew away at the plastic. If the headlight mounting screw is stuck, drill out the screw starting with the phillips part until the head pops off . Shouldn't take more than four 1/4" bits, half an hour and four swear words.
Bake headlight at 270 deg F for 8 min and separate the Honda headlight.
Set aside lens in safe place .
Separate reflector from headlight enclosure by backscrewing the adjustment screws all the way out and popping off the ball socket with pry device .
Shave off nubs from back of reflector . Careful , it's plastic of some sort.
Install the projector . Don't forget to first push on the silicone gasket. Run the small wires for the "high beam" actuator out the back of the reflector . I found that there was a small opening where I shaved off the "nubs" with a hack saw.
There was a 3 pronged lock washer provided, but I found I could not use it since the slots in the Honda reflector were not clocked straight up.
Use a flat washer before the lock nut to protect the back of the plastic reflector . I used a 1 1/4"x 1" electrical reducing washer but had to grind the inside slightly ( drill and round grinding stone) to allow it to fit over the threaded area.
Align the projector the best you can and tighten the lock nut. I was concerned that the lack of three pronged lock washer would allow the projector to rattle and rotate. So I siliconed around the lock nut.
Install the reflector assembly back into the Honda headlight enclosure . Adjust the adjuster screws to about mid position on both sides . Pop the ball socket back into place.
Install the shroud on to the front of the projector. I used dabs of silicone to secure it . Try not to use too much. it makes a mess on the projector.
(At this point you might want to skip over lens installation until you assemble everything and then perform a test drive at night ).
Clean up all dust and fingerprints , put back into oven and heat everything , take out and join lens and enclosure. I just re-used the original mastic glue still stuck to the seams. Note : The Honda front lens has a black bezel screwed inside . It may interfere with your shroud when joining everything back together. However, mine just fit perfectly .
Trim the Honda rubber bulb seal to allow larger diameter igniter connection. I temporarily pushed a pipe nipple in the opening and cut the new larger opening with a razor blade.
Install the headlight assy back in the fairing.
Tuck the new ballast in the fairing somewhere using rubber padding or double sticky tape.
Install the new harness along the frame back to battery positive and ground. All the "plug-ins" were identified on the harness that I received, which made it easy to know what wires went where.
Two new "plugs" will now be required to be disconnected when removing the fairing. The igniter plug from ballast and thin "high beam" wires from headlight hi beam actuator.
Notice* The "high beam" function of the harness Miromoto provided would not work with my Superhawk. I called them to explain. They have no customer diagram for this harness which made trouble shooting difficult for me . Their representative recommended a Miromoto inline resistor at the H4 plug which they will ship. Not wanting an in-line electric toaster needlessly drawing more current, I found a work around. If I simply run wires parallel from the H4 connector blue and green (high beam and ground) wires, it works perfectly .
At least the harness keeps the low beam on all the time which is what you need with this light. The high beam circuit just activates a shutter which allows full lighting . This way the provided harness "hi beam" plug is abandoned . The bar switch operates the high beam actuator and the hi beam light on the dash still works properly .
Now drive the bike to a level lot with a wall 30ft away and check the beam adjustment . Mine was very close. The good thing is that you can still use the original headlight adjustment to get the low beam right .
So much more light now. The cut-off seems to work well for keeping it out of other driver's eyes also.
I'm sure this single bixenon is not as bright as other custom set ups. Also, the added weight , complexity and cost of the Morimoto is probably not for everyone.
But this may be the right compromise for me . I can see better and have more confidence riding after dark.
The good:
HIDs have been on the market for quite a while and are hopefully more reliable.
Bulb is replaceable
Ballast is fairly easy to replace
Adjustable
Less heat with single HID
Retains somewhat original look if that is what you want.
No special tools required.
The not so good:
Compared to original Honda unit: heavier, expensive and more complex. Wiring and components require work to hide and secure.
Not as bright or good looking as twin projector.
I know, the following will read like giberish until you actually dig in to this project. But just about anyone can do it I think.
Remove fairing .
Remove headlight from fairing. Hopefully the screws will snap loose within a quarter turn. If not , don't continue to turn the screw since it will only chew away at the plastic. If the headlight mounting screw is stuck, drill out the screw starting with the phillips part until the head pops off . Shouldn't take more than four 1/4" bits, half an hour and four swear words.
Bake headlight at 270 deg F for 8 min and separate the Honda headlight.
Set aside lens in safe place .
Separate reflector from headlight enclosure by backscrewing the adjustment screws all the way out and popping off the ball socket with pry device .
Shave off nubs from back of reflector . Careful , it's plastic of some sort.
Install the projector . Don't forget to first push on the silicone gasket. Run the small wires for the "high beam" actuator out the back of the reflector . I found that there was a small opening where I shaved off the "nubs" with a hack saw.
There was a 3 pronged lock washer provided, but I found I could not use it since the slots in the Honda reflector were not clocked straight up.
Use a flat washer before the lock nut to protect the back of the plastic reflector . I used a 1 1/4"x 1" electrical reducing washer but had to grind the inside slightly ( drill and round grinding stone) to allow it to fit over the threaded area.
Align the projector the best you can and tighten the lock nut. I was concerned that the lack of three pronged lock washer would allow the projector to rattle and rotate. So I siliconed around the lock nut.
Install the reflector assembly back into the Honda headlight enclosure . Adjust the adjuster screws to about mid position on both sides . Pop the ball socket back into place.
Install the shroud on to the front of the projector. I used dabs of silicone to secure it . Try not to use too much. it makes a mess on the projector.
(At this point you might want to skip over lens installation until you assemble everything and then perform a test drive at night ).
Clean up all dust and fingerprints , put back into oven and heat everything , take out and join lens and enclosure. I just re-used the original mastic glue still stuck to the seams. Note : The Honda front lens has a black bezel screwed inside . It may interfere with your shroud when joining everything back together. However, mine just fit perfectly .
Trim the Honda rubber bulb seal to allow larger diameter igniter connection. I temporarily pushed a pipe nipple in the opening and cut the new larger opening with a razor blade.
Install the headlight assy back in the fairing.
Tuck the new ballast in the fairing somewhere using rubber padding or double sticky tape.
Install the new harness along the frame back to battery positive and ground. All the "plug-ins" were identified on the harness that I received, which made it easy to know what wires went where.
Two new "plugs" will now be required to be disconnected when removing the fairing. The igniter plug from ballast and thin "high beam" wires from headlight hi beam actuator.
Notice* The "high beam" function of the harness Miromoto provided would not work with my Superhawk. I called them to explain. They have no customer diagram for this harness which made trouble shooting difficult for me . Their representative recommended a Miromoto inline resistor at the H4 plug which they will ship. Not wanting an in-line electric toaster needlessly drawing more current, I found a work around. If I simply run wires parallel from the H4 connector blue and green (high beam and ground) wires, it works perfectly .
At least the harness keeps the low beam on all the time which is what you need with this light. The high beam circuit just activates a shutter which allows full lighting . This way the provided harness "hi beam" plug is abandoned . The bar switch operates the high beam actuator and the hi beam light on the dash still works properly .
Now drive the bike to a level lot with a wall 30ft away and check the beam adjustment . Mine was very close. The good thing is that you can still use the original headlight adjustment to get the low beam right .
So much more light now. The cut-off seems to work well for keeping it out of other driver's eyes also.
I'm sure this single bixenon is not as bright as other custom set ups. Also, the added weight , complexity and cost of the Morimoto is probably not for everyone.
But this may be the right compromise for me . I can see better and have more confidence riding after dark.
The good:
HIDs have been on the market for quite a while and are hopefully more reliable.
Bulb is replaceable
Ballast is fairly easy to replace
Adjustable
Less heat with single HID
Retains somewhat original look if that is what you want.
No special tools required.
The not so good:
Compared to original Honda unit: heavier, expensive and more complex. Wiring and components require work to hide and secure.
Not as bright or good looking as twin projector.
Last edited by Hangfly; Dec 8, 2024 at 03:02 PM.
Here is a basic diagram showing how I ended up wiring the Morimoto harness.
As mentioned previously, the harness solid state relay as provided would not operate the "high beam" actuator properly. Instead of trying Morimoto's resistor solution , I tied into the harness wiring near the H4 headlight plug to directly energize the actuator.
I cut into the new harness wiring ( For the high beam actuator) and left the original Honda connector unmodified,
Last edited by Hangfly; Jan 17, 2025 at 09:08 PM.
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