Factory wiring = WEAK headlight voltage. Time for an upgrade!
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Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 987
From: San Diego, CA
Factory wiring = WEAK headlight voltage. Time for an upgrade!
I ride at night a bunch, and the stock headlight output sucks.
Someone posted some interesting numbers on how halogen (incandescent) bulbs lose quite a bit of intensity with even a small drop in voltage.
My results with bike warmed up and running:
13.6V = Battery voltage
11.0V = highbeam voltage
10.8V = lowbeam voltage
That's a 20% voltage drop! Hopefully with a relay and a more direct circuit to the batter, I can get 13V to the headlight.
Revving the bike had no significant effect on voltage, since the R/R is brand new and regulating properly.
So I'm going to buy the lazy man's relay kit for $30 and upgrade to a higher wattage bulb. Now I just gotta find that old thread...
And here some less important numbers for posterity: (with engine off)
10.0V = lowbeam voltage
10.2V = highbeam voltage
12.5V = battery voltage with headlamp on
12.8V = battery voltage with headlamp off
Someone posted some interesting numbers on how halogen (incandescent) bulbs lose quite a bit of intensity with even a small drop in voltage.
My results with bike warmed up and running:
13.6V = Battery voltage
11.0V = highbeam voltage
10.8V = lowbeam voltage
That's a 20% voltage drop! Hopefully with a relay and a more direct circuit to the batter, I can get 13V to the headlight.
Revving the bike had no significant effect on voltage, since the R/R is brand new and regulating properly.
So I'm going to buy the lazy man's relay kit for $30 and upgrade to a higher wattage bulb. Now I just gotta find that old thread...
And here some less important numbers for posterity: (with engine off)
10.0V = lowbeam voltage
10.2V = highbeam voltage
12.5V = battery voltage with headlamp on
12.8V = battery voltage with headlamp off
Last edited by CentralCoaster; Nov 11, 2008 at 07:42 PM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 987
From: San Diego, CA
Why the voltage drop is bad:
Originally Posted by Tweety
Good to know... Here's what happens according to Hella's website...
Quote:
Light output, or luminous intensity drops off faster than the voltage drops because of the relationship between the two.
100% voltage = 100% intensity
95% voltage = 83% intensity
90% voltage = 67% intensity
85% voltage = 53% intensity
A H4 bulb is designed to operate near the 14V your alternator puts out. If you are only getting 12V from the battery when the lights are on, you will only be producing 1/2 of the possible light output.
Quote:
Light output, or luminous intensity drops off faster than the voltage drops because of the relationship between the two.
100% voltage = 100% intensity
95% voltage = 83% intensity
90% voltage = 67% intensity
85% voltage = 53% intensity
A H4 bulb is designed to operate near the 14V your alternator puts out. If you are only getting 12V from the battery when the lights are on, you will only be producing 1/2 of the possible light output.
Last edited by CentralCoaster; Nov 11, 2008 at 07:50 PM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 987
From: San Diego, CA
Info on relay upgrade:
Well either you spend money buying a kit... Rather costly If you ask me... Here is one example... www.easternbeaver.com
The DIY version is simple... Your local DIY store or autoparts store should have all of it on the shelf for a few bucks... I'm not sure about the measurements listed at your end...
3,5-4 mm squared in cable width should be plenty, If you wan't to be real hardcore, do one for highbeam and one for lowbeam... Omron G8MS-**** relays or comparable should also be a shelf item... This is only an example, just make sure it's weather proof though... A H4 socket and plug, to make it possible to reverse this is optional... I just cut the cables... Some spade connectors, and ring connectors for the battery terminals, and an fuse/fuseholder on the positive line...
Note: If you want to be able to restore the original, you will have to use an H4 socket and plug, not in my instructions...
1. Run two cables (pos/neg) to the front, along the cable channels, put the fuse holder on the positive, close to the battery under the saddle, and put on ring connectors...
2. Connect the positive cable to the feed lines (input) on the relays (short wire to the second relay) and find a good place up close to the headlight for the relays...
3. Connect the drain (output) of the relays to the headlight, lowbeam on one relay and highbeam on the other...
4. The negative wire (ground) connects up directly to the headligh H4 plug...
5. The stock headlight cables coming from the handlebar switch is connected to the coil on the relays, mind the high/low beam orientation... Also the stock ground connects to the ground on the relay...
6. For obvious reasons make sure all connectors are sealed up to be weather protected, using electricians tape or vulcanizing tape, no substitutes allowed...
The result is that the switch and the stock wiring only supply voltage to operate the relay, and the shoddy wiring is more than enough for that...
Now when you test it the light will be bright white, even with the stock bulb, not the yellow light that indicates that the bulb is underpowered... An good quality bulb like the Silvania or such, possibly even a higher wattage than stock and then you are set...
Just don't look directly into the headlight at close range when testing... Don't ask me why I know...
Edit: I forgot to add... The relays and dedicated wiring isn't a bad idea to start with even if you are considering a HID upgrade... as hak said eairlier (In another thread) that he was using relays to power the ballast, it should be possible to just re-use the wires and possibly even the relays...
The DIY version is simple... Your local DIY store or autoparts store should have all of it on the shelf for a few bucks... I'm not sure about the measurements listed at your end...
3,5-4 mm squared in cable width should be plenty, If you wan't to be real hardcore, do one for highbeam and one for lowbeam... Omron G8MS-**** relays or comparable should also be a shelf item... This is only an example, just make sure it's weather proof though... A H4 socket and plug, to make it possible to reverse this is optional... I just cut the cables... Some spade connectors, and ring connectors for the battery terminals, and an fuse/fuseholder on the positive line...
Note: If you want to be able to restore the original, you will have to use an H4 socket and plug, not in my instructions...
1. Run two cables (pos/neg) to the front, along the cable channels, put the fuse holder on the positive, close to the battery under the saddle, and put on ring connectors...
2. Connect the positive cable to the feed lines (input) on the relays (short wire to the second relay) and find a good place up close to the headlight for the relays...
3. Connect the drain (output) of the relays to the headlight, lowbeam on one relay and highbeam on the other...
4. The negative wire (ground) connects up directly to the headligh H4 plug...
5. The stock headlight cables coming from the handlebar switch is connected to the coil on the relays, mind the high/low beam orientation... Also the stock ground connects to the ground on the relay...
6. For obvious reasons make sure all connectors are sealed up to be weather protected, using electricians tape or vulcanizing tape, no substitutes allowed...
The result is that the switch and the stock wiring only supply voltage to operate the relay, and the shoddy wiring is more than enough for that...
Now when you test it the light will be bright white, even with the stock bulb, not the yellow light that indicates that the bulb is underpowered... An good quality bulb like the Silvania or such, possibly even a higher wattage than stock and then you are set...
Just don't look directly into the headlight at close range when testing... Don't ask me why I know...
Edit: I forgot to add... The relays and dedicated wiring isn't a bad idea to start with even if you are considering a HID upgrade... as hak said eairlier (In another thread) that he was using relays to power the ballast, it should be possible to just re-use the wires and possibly even the relays...
Senior Member
SuperBike
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,216
From: Westerly, RI
Here's the prior thread: https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...dlight+upgrade
I did this upgrade. Which "lazy man's" kit are you going to use? The Eastern Beaver? It's $48 plus $7 for shipping. It's worth every penny. Craftmanship is superb.
If you want an excellent bulb, for next to nothing, got to rallylights.com, looking in the Hella H4 section and purchase the 85/80 Hella Hyper. It's like having the Sun on your bike with this bulb and the wiring kit. Not as good as HID, but very bright.
I did this upgrade. Which "lazy man's" kit are you going to use? The Eastern Beaver? It's $48 plus $7 for shipping. It's worth every penny. Craftmanship is superb.
If you want an excellent bulb, for next to nothing, got to rallylights.com, looking in the Hella H4 section and purchase the 85/80 Hella Hyper. It's like having the Sun on your bike with this bulb and the wiring kit. Not as good as HID, but very bright.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 987
From: San Diego, CA
On HID, I'm concerned with losing high beam and also the sharp cutoff becoming a problem when I'm leaning through the turns and can't see up ahead. Not to mention its more work and I'm lazy.
There's a guy local to me with HID on his Superhawk, maybe when I get mine set up I'll give him a hollar and we can compare for the rest of you.
There's a guy local to me with HID on his Superhawk, maybe when I get mine set up I'll give him a hollar and we can compare for the rest of you.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 987
From: San Diego, CA
Did you get the 16" wires? Seems like 8" would be long enough to mount the relays in the front of the fairing. Also, what do you think about both beams on high vs. just high beam?
Last edited by CentralCoaster; Nov 12, 2008 at 08:43 AM.
Senior Member
SuperBike
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,216
From: Westerly, RI
I bought the 16", mounted the relays on the inside of the left fairing. You'll need the 16", believe it or not, so that you have some slack.
Knowing that I was gonna get the upgraded Hella bulb, I decided against the both beam kit. Tweety mentioned some concerns, mainly if you went with a 100W bulb, about minor melting in the headlight housing. The other reason was for bulb life.
After having looked at the bulb and how it works, deflects light, I don't think that having both on would make much of a difference.
Knowing that I was gonna get the upgraded Hella bulb, I decided against the both beam kit. Tweety mentioned some concerns, mainly if you went with a 100W bulb, about minor melting in the headlight housing. The other reason was for bulb life.
After having looked at the bulb and how it works, deflects light, I don't think that having both on would make much of a difference.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 987
From: San Diego, CA
Cool thanks. I ordered that one. Not cheap at $53, but I figure I'd be spending $20 on the parts anyways, 2 hours searching and driving around to get all of em, and more time to put it together.
Last edited by CentralCoaster; Nov 12, 2008 at 11:13 AM.
Out of my mind, back in 5
MotoGP
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 6,109
From: Skurup, Sweden
Whoohoo I got quoted...
Hey... Mind if I join in...
Yeah... a 100W bulb on a very hot day in stop and go traffic did make my lense go sligthly milky and bubbly... Nothing you would have to worry about in normal every day use though...
Get the 16"... having a too long wire neatly bundled up is a lot better than having a to short one... Trust me... I just had to spend an hour re-doing my wiring to the HID setup for that reason (And no, splicing the wire is not an option, I don't do patchwork...)
For both on in terms of optics it makes no difference at all... the range remains the same, and belive it or not the luminosity only increases by a small margin (they have the same amount of halogen gas and power available)... The gain from it however is that the lowbeam has a shorter pattern, but a lot more coverage of that pattern... basicly both reach of the highbeam and near lighting of the lowbeam (tends to be more narrow on the highbeam)
Hey... Mind if I join in...
Yeah... a 100W bulb on a very hot day in stop and go traffic did make my lense go sligthly milky and bubbly... Nothing you would have to worry about in normal every day use though...
Get the 16"... having a too long wire neatly bundled up is a lot better than having a to short one...
Trust me... I just had to spend an hour re-doing my wiring to the HID setup for that reason (And no, splicing the wire is not an option, I don't do patchwork...)For both on in terms of optics it makes no difference at all... the range remains the same, and belive it or not the luminosity only increases by a small margin (they have the same amount of halogen gas and power available)... The gain from it however is that the lowbeam has a shorter pattern, but a lot more coverage of that pattern... basicly both reach of the highbeam and near lighting of the lowbeam (tends to be more narrow on the highbeam)
Out of my mind, back in 5
MotoGP
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 6,109
From: Skurup, Sweden
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