Spot light Bulbs

[mercianbike]

Originally Posted by jmc

what relay should I get?

I bought a relay at the local auto parts store and followed the instructions on "Gadget's" fixit page.

http://www.gadgetjq.com/wiredrivinglights.htm

I don't pretend to understand the workings of a relay. All I know is that everything works like I wanted it to.

[rayski271]

i have same lights u do ive changed my blubs to 55 watt bulbs change your bulbs make sure u have relay and u should be fine

[jmc]

looking for bulbs and a relay now, hopefully get this fixed up soon.
Jim

[cnc]

Originally Posted by jmc

looking for bulbs and a relay now, hopefully get this fixed up soon.
Jim

Jim,
When you buy the relay ask them if they have a socket for it.
It usually comes with about 6-8 inch wire leads on it. That way you just splice the leads on your wires and plug the relay in instead of fiddling with individual connectors on the terminals.

[jmc]

CNC:
Thats what I would like to do but right now I am having troubles just finding the bulbs locally. tried N.A.P.A. part source and KTM so far.

Supposed to be 15 degrees Celsius today...I know what I am doing after work.

Jim

[bulldog]

CWI did have a problem in which the lights do not have any sort of an isolator to reduce vibration and the bulbs eventually burn out. I went though two sets of bulbs and finally contacted them and they sent n/c GE sealed beam # 4411 and since then I have had no problem.

[hammer]

The Volusia/C50 lightbars had similar problems and the 4411's were commonly used to resolve it. I did that BUT a lot of the problems are also with poor connections and grounds inside the cans themselves. The 4411's are sometimes cheaper than the Honda bulbs they were using there.

[jmc]

Hammer:
I went to the GE web page and it looks like the bulbs you got are 35 watt, I want to move up to a 50 watt so I had a look around and this looks like it will work for our tractors....er.....Bikes

http://genet.gelighting.com/LightPro..._Sealed%20Beam^Tractor&SearchFieldCode=null

Jim

[dogdoc]

If your spots are a Cobra set-up those 25W bulbs are a Honda item and can be ordered thur such dealers. my bro and I bought 6 at a time for like $9 each. have only needed 2 in like 2-3 yrs of use. they dont burn out very often but when you need em they are hard to find. :-)

[Jared]

I'm totally electrical stuff illiterate. How do I know if my lights have been wired with a relay? How to I make a relay? Or better yet, what is a relay?

[Jared]

Bump up to the stop for my dumb question......:(

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Utah Motorcyclist

I'm totally electrical stuff illiterate. How do I know if my lights have been wired with a relay? How to I make a relay? Or better yet, what is a relay?

A relay is simply a remote switch. The reason we use them is because it allows a small electrical load to drive a larger electrical load. For example, let's say you have a device you want to turn on or off with the ignition, such as driving lights or accessory fuse block. You connect the coil side of a relay to a circuit that is controlled by the ignition switch, like the running light circuit. You then connect the relay to a dedicated source of power - the battery, using wires of appropriate gauge to handle the load. Then you connect the output of the relay to the device.

So when you turn the key on, the circuit you tapped into (running lights, in my example) goes "hot" and it closes the switch within the relay. This allows the power from the battery to flow directly to the device. This protects the running light circuit from the heavier load of the device.

A relay is a small cube, about 1" on all sides and on one side there will be 4 or 5 spade terminals.

I hope this helps you understand it.

[bkmaxvrb]

Utah, you'll have to trace your wiring back to see if a relay was wired to your lights. A relay is a black 1.5 inch (or so) square box with 4 (or sometimes 5) prongs coming out of it. It's used so you don't overheat or overload a circuit. You'll have main power coming in and power going out. But there are lower powered wires coming in to help complete (trigger) that circuit. The electrical guru's here can explain how a relay works better than I but, I can say that it is necessary for higher powered electrical accessories (Air horn or Aux light w/ bulbs larger than 25 or 35 watts or similar stuff)

I used the diagram and instructions from Gadget's site to wire my lights up a couple of weeks ago. I took my time, paid attention and it turned out to be pretty simple. I did have a ton of electrical connectors on hand which helped out. Other wise I would have had to make a couple of trips to the local auto store to get some. I think I use 5 or 5 different types.

Hope this helped.

Russ

[mercianbike]

Originally Posted by cactusjack

So when you turn the key on, the circuit you tapped into (running lights, in my example) goes "hot" and it closes the switch within the relay. This allows the power from the battery to flow directly to the device. This protects the running light circuit from the heavier load of the device.

Thanks Cactus. Your explanation triggered the circuit in my brain that now allows me to understand the function of a relay.

[hammer]

As far as the 50 watt seal beams JMC, I know nothing about those. The 4411's seem to be a fairly standard fit. If your supplier can tell you they fit "the same as" then you could try them.
Either way, if you go to that kind of wattage I would be using a relay.

Gadget has very good info on what the relay is for and how to wire it in.