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Old 03-13-2010, 04:01 PM   #1
bkmaxvrb   bkmaxvrb is offline
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My Weekend / Rainy Day Project



I know a bunch of you guys have already done this but, I had to post.

I got the CWI spotlight brackets and a couple of amber sealed beam spotlights with my tax return this year. I got the amber, sealed beams to replace the halogen bulb spots. I've heard the reliability issues and I just think the ambers look great!

I picked everything up at my local bike shop yesterday and switched out the lights last night. I had to rewire them a bit as the sealed beam lights don't ground to the light bucket. I took my cue from Netnorske and ran a ground wire to the bolt on the bracket below the light bucket. I also extended the wire going into the headlight bucket so I would be sure to have enough.

This morning, after screwing up a breakfast pizza, I took everything down to the garage, took my time, followed the instructions on Gadget's site, as well as instructions and a photo I got from Dave K., and got everything in with no problems. I wired them so they're on when the headlight comes on. No draining the battery when the motor is cranking over and switch to worry about. I'm hoping I don't get hassled since the lights will be on all the time with both the low and the high beams. PA says I can only have them on with the low beams. Being amber, I don't see a problem.

Anyway, here's the result:



I ran the wire behind the forks and into the headlight bucket, You can't see the wire from the front and it's not noticeable from the side.

It was a nice way to spend a rainy, cold Saturday while getting the bike ready for the riding season.

Russ
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Old 03-13-2010, 04:54 PM   #2
schoeney   schoeney is offline
 
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My Weekend / Rainy Day Project

Looks great!
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Old 03-13-2010, 04:56 PM   #3
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Nice job, looks great. I would love to have that setup.
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Old 03-13-2010, 05:34 PM   #4
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My Weekend / Rainy Day Project

Hey, bkmaxvrb has Idahos avitar on his windshield.
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Old 03-13-2010, 05:55 PM   #5
bkmaxvrb   bkmaxvrb is offline
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TC, getting that avatar there was a technological challenge, to say the least. :)

Yellow Jacket, it's pretty easy to do, if you take your time and don't rush. Plus, it makes our wickedly fast green machines even faster and better looking. Those red, blue and black ones just don't stand a chance!

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Old 03-13-2010, 06:43 PM   #6
macmac   macmac is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bkmaxvrb
TC, getting that avatar there was a technological challenge, to say the least. :)

Yellow Jacket, it's pretty easy to do, if you take your time and don't rush. Plus, it makes our wickedly fast green machines even faster and better looking. Those red, blue and black ones just don't stand a chance!
I agree, but look the hell out fer moose! Don't do what I do. I am a trained professional moose hunter using a green and silver Nomad with yellow passing lights to hunt moose! No whimpy guns
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Old 03-13-2010, 06:48 PM   #7
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Looks good, I really like the amber lights!
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Old 03-14-2010, 12:12 AM   #8
biscuitsngravy   biscuitsngravy is offline
 
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You can see that I have the amber lights also. I really like the look. And people can see you better, from what I can tell.
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Old 03-14-2010, 01:17 AM   #9
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Nice work.
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Old 03-14-2010, 12:18 PM   #10
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Nice work.

You say you wired them to the headlight and they are on all the time, both low beam and high Beam.

If you wired them directly to the hot wire going to the low beam then they should turn off when the high beam is on.

I did the same thing only I used a car headlight relay located in the headlight bucket to control the driving lights. There is already a power tap in the headlight bucket, yellow wire, so the relay is controlled by the low beam and the driving lights have a direct power connection. Just my 2 cents.
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Old 03-14-2010, 01:22 PM   #11
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Looks Good They go well with the Bezels on your signals.
 
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Old 03-14-2010, 04:36 PM   #12
timebandit   timebandit is offline
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Amber lights look good , I'm thinking of trying it out.

BiscuitsNGravy aka Dave Mills, I noticed yours are more a orangy color, what brand are they?
 
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Old 03-14-2010, 06:11 PM   #13
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Those look really good. Nice work!
 
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Old 03-14-2010, 06:29 PM   #14
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Lookin' good! I think you will find you really like those!
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Old 03-14-2010, 11:57 PM   #15
bkmaxvrb   bkmaxvrb is offline
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Thanks all!

Bubba, they are wired to the switched trigger power wire to the headlights, not the constant power wire to the high or the low. Back in the wiring harness mess, there's a blue and yellow striped wire you can tap into with a T-Tap. That's the trigger for the lights. It's only energized after the starter has fired the bike up and the bike is running. And, yes, I used a relay as well. They don't draw the power from the headlight circuit. I used the power supply already there for that, especially since it's already fused and is a direct line to the battery.

Time Bandit, I got the sealed beams from CWI. They're part #05-0072. I know I can get them cheaper through NAPA or a similar parts store but, I got those mostly for convenience. I noticed they were a deeper color than most amber ones I've seen and I like it. I think the ones on Dave M's bike are the same. I'm not sure though. I've yet to see how they look at night though. And, I won't be able to for another few weeks, as I'm having eye surgery and won't be able to ride for a little while.

If anyone wants the wiring route I used, drop me a PM and I'll shoot you an e-mail. I can tell you what connections I found worked best for me, how I rewired the spots to accept the sealed beams, etc...

Anyway, Thanks Again for the compliments!

Russ
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