More Light in your Headlights

discussion about the 750 Sport and '89/'90 900SS, which share many mechanicals with the Paso series
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ducinthebay
paso grand pooh-bah
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Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2005 12:00 am
model: 750 Sport
year: 1990
Location: SF Bay Area

More Light in your Headlights

Post by ducinthebay »

This product was featured on the back cover of the Motorcycle Consumer News this month. Basically its a wire loom with relays that plugs into the existing headlight socket. The effect is higher voltage at the bulb, which dramatically increases the light output. At $50, its a pretty good deal, considering how much time you could spend copying all of this.
http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/ ... _kits.html
I plan on getting a kit for my Sport and give you a full report in a couple of weeks.

Cool stuff.

Cheers,
Duc in the Bay
1990 750 Sport x2-Rosso Blanko (900ss copy) & Nuovo Nudo (Scrambler project)
1991 907 -mostly stock
2002 ST4s - Lots of mods.
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jcslocum
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model: 750 Paso
year: 1988
Location: Eastern Shore, MD
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Re: More Light in your Headlights

Post by jcslocum »

That, is a great option!

I reall like the way it uses the existing headlight plug to tap in and do the switching.
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samandkimberly
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model: 907 I.E.
year: 1993
Location: Boston, MA

Re: More Light in your Headlights

Post by samandkimberly »

I just ordered one of these 2 days ago for my 907IE; seems like a great idea. I'll make sure to drop a note when I get it.

Sam Stoney (recovering Sport owner, current 907ie owner)
Tamburinifan
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Re: More Light in your Headlights

Post by Tamburinifan »

Looks like a good solution, but,
isn`t this just the classic "Relay-good 12V- to frontlight"- thingy?
Gert

907 I.E. -91
M900 -97
MTS 1100s -07
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ducinthebay
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model: 750 Sport
year: 1990
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Re: More Light in your Headlights

Post by ducinthebay »

Gert,
Yes, this is basically putting relays in front of your bulbs with a direct tap to the battery, instead of running that voltage through your ignition switch, and your handlebar switch, and all the 20 year old connectors in between. In the trial of the magazine article, they measured the voltage increase to the bulbs, and the resulting light output. They got a 2 volt increase and had a 50% increase in light output. Halogen bulbs react very positively to higher voltage. If you are lucky, you probably have about 12 volts at your headlamp with a Sport or Paso, but most likely a bit less. With this relays, you should have about 14.2 volts, if your regulator is working correctly.


For more light output, I think that it is a reasonable price . If you wanted to, those relays will handle higher wattage bulbs (55w -> 65w), which are illegal in many places, but you can buy them almost anywhere, and the reflector should be able to handle the added heat.

The down side is that bulb life will be shorter, but I can't remember the last time I had to replace my headlight bulb, and they are reasonably priced for a safety item.

Cheers,
Duc in the Bay
1990 750 Sport x2-Rosso Blanko (900ss copy) & Nuovo Nudo (Scrambler project)
1991 907 -mostly stock
2002 ST4s - Lots of mods.
Tamburinifan
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 1527
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:00 am
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Re: More Light in your Headlights

Post by Tamburinifan »

Eitherway you do it, relay f light is a must.
And very noticeable outcome. :)
Gert

907 I.E. -91
M900 -97
MTS 1100s -07
blaster

Re: More Light in your Headlights

Post by blaster »

hi, i don't know about all you guys but i always thought the lousy headlite brightness was caused not only by the low voltage at the plug but also the headlite lens and reflector. i tried different h4 bulbs and all that happened was a color change. i also tried a different lens off a honda xl and that helped a little but the fitment was a little,how should i say,rough. i like to ride at nite and the lack of a good headlite got me pissed off enough to cough up the money for a hid setup last year. this system may not be for everyone because of all the stuff you have to mount but the end result is more then worth it to me. there is more then one supplier out there so i would look around first. the one i got probably came from china and,no shock here, the bulb failed in one month.the replacement is still working so i hope it keeps going because the improvement in headlite performance is dramatic. the system is wired up direct to the battery so it gets full voltage and the bulb is soo bright that the crummy reflector doesn't hold it back from throwing a bright clear beam. there are some pluses and minuses with this setup. pluses, the system draws less power then the h4 so everything else gets more power. dashlites are brighter,the horn works,etc.minuses,the bulb in the kit i got was too big for the lens bucket so i had to cut a hole in the back of it then rig up a cover with a rubber piece i had laying around.also the way the manufacturer designed the hi/lo system is kind of cheesy but the low setting is soo bright that i never use it. if i don't have problems with this system i am really happy with the result. blaster
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samandkimberly
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model: 907 I.E.
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Re: More Light in your Headlights

Post by samandkimberly »

I just posted this on the 907 page:

I got the relay kit today, 6 days after ordering. Not bad, considering it came from Japan and I live in the eastern US.

The quality is excellent - I'd take some photos, but the ones on their website - http://tinyurl.com/bqf68w - are very faithful to what I received. All the connectors are very well assembled, the wire gauge is quite heavy; all in all, it's equal to or better than what I'd make myself.

Installation should be a snap - there are two cables you run to the battery, and they have good terminations on them and they're long enough. The relays have holes on the top of them for screw mounting, but it looks like they would work out very well securely ziptied to the headlight frame. Other than that, it plugs right in. I have the dual headlight harness, which works with the standard Ducati headlight, but has a second connector as well - this makes converting to a dual bulb FZ headlight a 100% bolt-in project. (speaking of which, I have a spare, used FZ headlight I'll sell cheap -PM me if interested.)

I did do a little basic testing. First I shined the standard headlight against my garage wall running through the standard wiring. I compared this with the same headlight using the relay kit; it is easy to swap back and forth by changing the connectors. The difference was noticeable on low beam; dramatic on high beam! With the standard wiring the light is yellow, with the relay kit installed it is bright white. At some point I'll try to do some resistance and voltage comparisons, but that will have to wait.

Next I tried the harness with the double headlight assembly I plan on installing. Even brighter, but not nearly as dramatic a change as the relay kit made. But the combo will meet my lighting requirements for sure.

Bottom line: as far as I'm concerned, this kit is a no-brainer - something I always knew I should do but never seemed to get around to. One will be going on my Moto Morini next.




It is just a relay kit, but a well-made one you can just buy and bolt in - it makes a surprising difference. I've been "meaning to make one" for a long time but I somehow never have; I'm glad to pay someone 60 bucks for something that would cost me 30 bucks in parts and a couple of hours to make this well.
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jetboy
Posts: 86
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2008 3:51 am
model: 750 Sport
year: 1990
Location: oakland, ca, usa

Re: More Light in your Headlights

Post by jetboy »

nice. convinced me.

post some pics of your morini! I love em! still searching for my dream 3 1/2--
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