Headlight relay kit

[AMCQ46]

As part of my winter overhaul, I wanted to fix the headlight, so I might be able to see where the road is when I am riding at night!.............

So after reading about it on the SuperHawk forum, I bought one of these ready made relay kits:
http://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Produ ... _kits.html

Cost just over £30 shipped from Japan and the components and workmaship is top class.

I plan to also add a 55/100W H4 bulb, but I am told that the relay kit alone will make the standard 55/60W bulb a hell of a lot [a technical measure of light output!] brighter, as the voltage drop in the thin wires and bar switch contacts can has a big impact on a halogen bulb, and it could be as low as 60% efficient compared to its design rating at 13.5V.

When I finish the other project tasks I will post some photos of the light beam with and without

[sirch345]

I've been thinking about doing this for sometime now, but was intending to make up my own relay kit. It seems like a good idea. I'll be interested to know what you think of the before and after it's fitted.

Where are you hoping to get a 55/100W H4 bulb from

Chris.

[mik_str]

55/100W bulbs are fairly easy to find. I just bought one for an anftermarket place but they can be had on eBay too. BTW, I installed the Eastern Beaver kit earlier in the year, a very nicely done kit.

Merry Xmas to all

[AMCQ46]

Sirch,

I was looking at the bulb from a car off-road shop like this:
http://www.outbackautomotive.co.uk/bulb ... 366109.php

I was also tempted to make my own as well, but have to say I am glad I bought his kit as he has used only the best components. From my experience [25 years designing car components including electronics] the relay and the crimps and connectors are always the weak points in reliability terms, even if well specified, and will be a nightmare if you dont get the best sealed relays or a good quality crimping tool.

I am most impressed with the relays in this kit, nice and small, fully sealed, robust connector and from a top Japanese maker.

Would have cost me the same in search time & new tools to match his kit, but I am getting lazy in my old age, I would have seen this as a good excuse to buy new tools when I was younger!

[geodude]

I was thinking about a kit like that but after finding out they may invalidate your insurance in the event of an accident due to the fact they are not legal in the UK, I am now in two minds.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/hidheadlamps

My friend emailed the DFT to clear up the issue of legality and their response was,

The rules for replacement headlamps for motorcycles are similar to those for motor vehicles.

Therefore, a motorcycle can only be fitted with HID headlamps if it was type approved with that style of headlamp.

Yours sincerely

****
DfT - Transport Technology and Standards

[AMCQ46]

geodude,
this kit is not an HID conversion. it is only a way to feed your standard Halogen bulb with the full 13.5V it was designed for by avoiding voltage drop in the existing wiring harness.

this is what the net tells you about the relay kit:


What is a relay?

A relay is a remote controlled switch. It allows a high current to be safely passed directly from battery to component, while using the switch to trigger the relay. Really :-)

Why the heck does a bike need relays?

Normally on a bike, the current powering your headlight, horns, accessories, and auxiliary lighting goes through a maze of undersized wires, through tiny handlebar switch contacts, and through far to many connections. As a result, when the power reaches your headlight bulb (for example), the voltage has dropped significantly. Voltage is electrical pressure. The electrical energy has lost some pressure. More pressure forces more light from an H4 bulb. It makes a horn much louder, and it makes your heated clothing keep you warm much better.

Voltage drop and light output

Near a bulb's working design Voltage, a drop of only a half of a Volt results in a halogen bulb producing much less light. Many bikes have shown a 1 or even 2 Volt drop at the bulb. And this is on a new or like new bike. After installing my relay kits, you will have a drop of ~.1 Volt after installing a relay kit. That's 1/10th of a Volt in case you miss the decimal. There is always going to be some Voltage drop, and this is about the minimum possible. This low Voltage drop is the proof that the system is a good one. All the wiring, connectors, and components are working as they should.

so if you run the kit with the standard 55/60w bulb you should be fully legal. The lamp is legal, and the reflector is correctly designed for the lamp. All you are doing is feeding it with the designed voltage.

[sirch345]

55/100W bulbs are fairly easy to find. I just bought one for an anftermarket place but they can be had on eBay too. BTW, I installed the Eastern Beaver kit earlier in the year, a very nicely done kit.

Merry Xmas to all

Cheers Micky, Season Greeting to you also. Thanks for the info.

Sirch,

I was looking at the bulb from a car off-road shop like this:
http://www.outbackautomotive.co.uk/bulb ... 366109.php

I was also tempted to make my own as well, but have to say I am glad I bought his kit as he has used only the best components. From my experience [25 years designing car components including electronics] the relay and the crimps and connectors are always the weak points in reliability terms, even if well specified, and will be a nightmare if you dont get the best sealed relays or a good quality crimping tool.

I am most impressed with the relays in this kit, nice and small, fully sealed, robust connector and from a top Japanese maker.

Would have cost me the same in search time & new tools to match his kit, but I am getting lazy in my old age, I would have seen this as a good excuse to buy new tools when I was younger!

AMCQ46,
I'm inclined to agree with you, about buying a kit already made up, especially for that price.

However after saying that I do have a ratchet crimping tool, so no problem in making good connections, but I'm having difficulty in finding a descent heavy duty H4 bulb connector. I did go to our local car scrapyard and got one from a car headlight there, but the wiring on that is thin, so my only bet with that would be to solder the heavier duty wires direct to the terminals.

Where exactly have you mounted the relays in your E/B kit

Chris.

PS. ATM I'm using a uprated bulb. It's a an Osram Silverstar H4 60/55W that I purchased from ebay. Definitely whiter and brighter than standard. Cheers for the info on the 100/55w H4 bulb.

PPS. Geodude, I also think (as AMCQ46) there's been a little mix up on the Eastern Beaver relay kit and an HID headlamp kit.
Cheers for the info on HID lighting, I did know technically they were illegal but didn't know all the exact reasons why.

[AMCQ46]

Chris,
Hope the picture works, but this kind of shows where I put them.



The relays are in the faring below the air ducts in the lefthand side, sort of pointing down to where the indicator wire is. I have not mounted them to anything solid but I plan to put some thick foam pads under them so they dont get rattled around, but they are fairly well restrained by the stiffness of the wiring.
My only concern is that the air duct is open at the bottom, so will channel rain into that area, so I have taped the underside [of the duct] up at the moment, but may try to seal or cover the relays later. But they are more likley to get wet when washing the bike as I am a fair weather road biker these days!!!!

I didnt get a chance to do a before / after picture of the light beam, but I did check the Volt drop on the standard harness and it lost 0.35V on the +ve feed

[Wicky]

Where did you cut into your switchgear wiring to connect it up to the relay - Does your passing light still work?

I've had my eye on one of those kits - When the weather's a bit warmer I'll give it a go

[Jonesey]

I've just bought one of these too, looking forward to getting it fitted- at the moment i've just got a 80/100w bulb, and it's ok but am interested to see the difference.
I'll also post experience/pics when i get it.
Hope you all had the best christmas, Chris.

[AMCQ46]

Where did you cut into your switchgear wiring to connect it up to the relay - Does your passing light still work?

the kit is ready wired up so that you connect the relay drivers to the old headlight connector, using a mating connector which looks like the 3 male blades of the headlight, so no cutting if you dont want to.
that is what is bound up in tape on my picture, the tape is to make sure the back of the existing connector pins can make contact with any of the faring brackets, as the Honda connector shell is open at the back [the kit part is fully enclosed].

so no cutting and the passing light switch will still work and allow both beams to work if you flash when on dip.

[sirch345]

AMCQ,

Many thanks for the photo and info, very much appreciated

I was wondering how you'd go about removing the fairing if you'd attached the relays to it, but seeing as yours are only lying there it won't be another thing to remove before taking the fairing off, as you can just lift them out of the way.

I assume that 0.35 voltage difference was when the engine was not running. I think you'll notice a bigger difference between the two once the bike is running and the alternator is doing it's bit.

Chris.

[AMCQ46]

Chris,
correct, 0.35V was engine off, so about 12.4V batt rather than >13.5V when running.
so there would be another 10% to add to the voltage drop for a running engine.

Plus I measured from Batt +ve terminal to the low beam +ve feed only, so I am assuming that the ground side has a much lower resistance than the +ve feed as it is not going through the switch contacts, but but as it is the same thin wire, that may be a wrong assumption.

So in hindsight, not a very usefull data point!

[sirch345]

So in hindsight, not a very usefull data point!

AMCQ,
I wasn't meaning it to sound like that

I thought it must have been a reading with the engine off as quite a while ago I measured the difference on my bike, but because it was small (I can't remember what exactly it was now, too long ago) I didn't think it was worth doing. It was only when a mate of mine pointed out with the alternator working that it'll probably be a much greater difference. I was amazed I hadn't thought about that, I should have,

Chris.

[AMCQ46]

Chris,
Dont worry, that was me having a go at myself.............not getting the hump at good [and tactfull] questions.