Unless you like driving w/the equivalent of "one-eye shut," my advice is to bin the stock headlamp. Upgrading to another, better headlamp is so-easy, for reasons of safety, you should do it among the first mods.
Here's my headlamp mod:
- an EMGO bucket/bezel in 7" size
- eBay rubber-insulated downtube brackets & 'ears' w/double machine screws/bolts
- Harley halogen headlamp, bought used, w/o looking, I think it's 55/60 watts
At some point in the future I plan to go to a HID, probably from
ddmtuning.com
The install was very straightforward, required
no cutting, splicing or other mods to the stock harness.
I substituted longer machine screws for the ones that came in the downtube bracket/'ears' eBay kit, which made it much-easier to assemble.
I used rubber fender washers between the headlamp bucket and the 'ears' for additional vibration insulation. The position of the bucket is stable and doesn't move once set. If you look carefully at the bare bucket picture, you will notice I had the rubber fender washer on the outside of the bracket. I placed it after that between the bracket and the headlamp bucket, which worked much-better to dampen any vibration, and held the bucket in-position much better.
It probably cost me < $175 for all the parts. Removing the top triple tree to slide on the eBay downtube brackets instead of 'spreading' them enough to mount w/o having to remove the top triple tree probably took the most time.
The light output is wider, reaches farther, and has a sharp cut-off at the top of the beam. On the expressway, overhead signs are easily read from much-further-away. I haven't had anyone ride my bike towards me coming from the opposite direction, to check for a 'too-high' aiming, but I haven't had
one person flash their high-beams at me.
Plus, I think the 7" headlamp improves the bike's look at the front. Aesthetics is a personal thing, but optical visibility and lumen output is a safety issue. A photometric exam I am sure would show the superiority of the mod, but I don't have a photometer. For now, I am satisfied, but I know going to a HID will be another magnitude of improvement.
Please note I have the
stock flyscreen. The 7" bucket fits w/absolutely
no interference which was a pleasant surprise as I was prepared to remove the flyscreen to make the mod work, but that wasn't necessary.
ABout the only thing that needs to be yet done is that all the electrical connections which used to 'live' inside the stock bucket are now exposed, as the wires aren't long-enough to reside inside the stock bucket. My plan there is to take a short length of bicycle innertube, and to place it over all the connectors (yes you have to disconnect the leads to slip the innertube over the wires, and re-connect them), and then use a zip tie just inside the ends of the innertube to 'gather' the wires together w/the innertube over them. I previously compared this to a 'sausage.' This would be much-easier to open for any maintenance as-opposed to using a couple of feet of electrical tape to make a cocoon around all the wires and their connectors. The tape residue is very messy if you need to remove the tape. And, if you're one of those people who likes to plan for roadside repairs, there is enough room inside the headlamp to place some replacement bulbs in foam-rubber and to stick them in-there, I suggest a headlamp and taillamp.:biglaugh:
