TOPIC:

ltdrider wrote:

love2ride wrote:

I ride this bike only when its daylight. The headlight switch is usually off anyway, so not to tax the charging system.

Lights are important, but people dont see lights or bikes anyways. I commute everywhere o a bike and am very aware what people do behind the wheel of a cage.

You REALLY should run with the headlight on during the day. It wil absolutely improve your visibility with the cagers. Being seen is half the battle.

I went out today and rode with the lights on. When I got home I checked the voltage of the battery. It was at 12.2 and slowly rising with the bike off. I guess its doing good as far as charging with the lights on.

Battery is at 12.5 when cold, before start.

otakar wrote:

I am converting my 79 KZ1300 and my 81 gpZ1100 to true Xenon system with the High Volage balast. It only draws 5A and is about 5x brighter than the Halogen. The conversion costs about $90.<br><br>Post edited by: otakar, at: 2007/12/20 13:52

I've seen those kits, but are they DOT legal?

Seen "HID" kits that were not true HID,, and not DOT legal. The Real Deal HID kits for bikes are $400+.

Dunno much about Xenon kits but I do know that the circuit that powers the headlight on most KZs is a 10A circuit. This means wires, connectors and the fuse itself can take MAX 10A... (probably not for long). If you have a 35W bulb, like the low beam in a sealed beam bulb, in a 12VDC system, that is about a 3A draw (35/12= ~3)... Also, keep in mind that the subcircuit that powers your headlight may also be powering other stuff... ANYWAY When you use an accessory lens and bulb holder and plug in a modern bulb, they use 55/60W so on high beam you are using about ~5A. Its only when you get into the higher wattage bulbs, mostly called "off road use only" type, that you can run into issues. 90/100 and more wattage bulbs are available. Say you have a 100W high beam? 100W/12VDC = ~8.5A; dangerously close to the max for the subcircuit that powers the lights. Keep in mind that old connectors and wires won't carry as much load as new/fresh ones. I would take care if exceeding half the rated circuit value (10A) which means a 55/60 bulb is about as far as I would go. You can get the "ultra-white" type bulbs which are actually brighter than their wattage value would indicate.

Use a headlite relay.

Has anyone seen the 7" tribar headlights? Where to buy?

I think this will give you as bright a headlight as you can use.
a pair of 100/80 watts from Amazon

I've wired mine in using two relays like I showed in
This thread (go half-way down)
and tucked the extra relays in a little 1x2x3 project box from Radio Shack that I've bolted to the bottom of the headlight housing. I'd post a pic, but my 'puter doesn't seem to "see" my camera right now. Anyway, although the bike isn't done yet, when I rolled it out on the street after dark just to see how the headlight worked, I was tickled to death!
Total cost:
two headlight bulbs = $10
two relays = $10
project box = $ 3
Resistors = $ 5
extra switch = $ 3

I'm rewiring the whole bike, so I'm using 12 gauge for the headlights, 'cause I got it. I'm also mounting another small project box up by the ignition switch to house a couple of other switches for my fuel injection, so I have a place to locate the "Daytime Running Light" switch.

I'm running sealed beam halogen and added two relays for high & low with new wire to the bulb. Original circuit only activates the relay. I have a fuse in the line from the relay to the hot side of the battery. No battery issues but will probably add a kill switch to the hot side for a "just in case" situation someday.

ltdrider wrote:

I agree, the old sealed beams give a wimpy, yellow light compared to modern headlights.
Beware... brighter bulbs may tax your charging system. The light is always on, not just at night. If you idle alot, like in traffic, you may draw more juice than your dyno can produce, and you'll start to drain your battery. Most of the generators on these KZs aren't what they used to be (if they ever were).

If these are the standard 7" round sealed beam units: they were VERY dim. I still have the one that came on my 1979 KZ750. It actually had replaceable bulbs inside. It was about as bright as carrying a flashlight in your teeth.

There are 7" round sealed units which are halogens that drop right in and use exactly the same amount of power (40W/55W) as stock but are at least 3 times as bright as the stock lights. I have run them for about 25 years in mine. I highly recommend changing over.

wiredgeorge wrote:

Dunno much about Xenon kits but I do know that the circuit that powers the headlight on most KZs is a 10A circuit. This means wires, connectors and the fuse itself can take MAX 10A... (probably not for long). If you have a 35W bulb, like the low beam in a sealed beam bulb, in a 12VDC system, that is about a 3A draw (35/12= ~3)... Also, keep in mind that the subcircuit that powers your headlight may also be powering other stuff... ANYWAY When you use an accessory lens and bulb holder and plug in a modern bulb, they use 55/60W so on high beam you are using about ~5A. Its only when you get into the higher wattage bulbs, mostly called "off road use only" type, that you can run into issues. 90/100 and more wattage bulbs are available. Say you have a 100W high beam? 100W/12VDC = ~8.5A; dangerously close to the max for the subcircuit that powers the lights. Keep in mind that old connectors and wires won't carry as much load as new/fresh ones. I would take care if exceeding half the rated circuit value (10A) which means a 55/60 bulb is about as far as I would go. You can get the "ultra-white" type bulbs which are actually brighter than their wattage value would indicate.

+1 As long as you use standard halogen for street use, you will have no problem.

BTW: On mine, the Hi-LO beam switch is "make before break" so if you move it to the middle, both high and low beams are on (which draws about 95W which is about 8A of current). It won't blow a 10A fuse, but it will heat it up.

pstrbrc wrote:

I think this will give you as bright a headlight as you can use.
a pair of 100/80 watts from Amazon

I've wired mine in using two relays like I showed in
This thread (go half-way down)
and tucked the extra relays in a little 1x2x3 project box from Radio Shack that I've bolted to the bottom of the headlight housing. I'd post a pic, but my 'puter doesn't seem to "see" my camera right now. Anyway, although the bike isn't done yet, when I rolled it out on the street after dark just to see how the headlight worked, I was tickled to death!
Total cost:
two headlight bulbs = $10
two relays = $10
project box = $ 3
Resistors = $ 5
extra switch = $ 3

I'm rewiring the whole bike, so I'm using 12 gauge for the headlights, 'cause I got it. I'm also mounting another small project box up by the ignition switch to house a couple of other switches for my fuel injection, so I have a place to locate the "Daytime Running Light" switch.

As somebody mentioned, there could be a problem with just doubling the wattage of the headlight: the stock alternator is only designed to put out a specific amount of current.

The stock wiring on my 1979 KZ750 originally comes with a dual branch setup with an 8A fuse on each. The headlight is on one branch, and the ignition and other smaller lights are on the other. That means it is fused to blow at a total of about 90W per side or about 180W total power output.

Adding an extra 50W onto just the headlight alone is a big chunk of current.

hwms wrote:

Use a headlite relay.

I would check the voltage to the headlight and see if you're loosing a some on the way. On one bike I had, it was only receiving 9.5V instead of 12. Wire in a relay (like the WG's coil mod) and there was a huge improvement. Brighter bulb with bad wiring means you're not getting everything you paid for.
Good luck.