K11 Owners Group

Adrian · Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 5:20 am Post subject: I've seen the light (at last)

Seeing the threads here with Shoganai and the HID conversion prompted me to into changing my lights. Not to HID, but adding relays. I remembered I had an Eastern Beaver headlight relay kit I'd taken off a previous bike, so have added this to the K1100LT. Not without a whole day of head scratching though Rolling Eyes

I just could not get the thing to light up. Eventually realized that I'd snipped through the earth wire on the way to the relay when removing from the old bike. This couldn't be seen easily as the outer sheath just has a tiny slit in it, but managed to completely chop the earth! Crying or Very sad

Anyway, now solved, posi-locked the break and all is good, maybe not as effective as HID, but I can now run my 80/100 bulb which is good enough for me Very Happy

Here's a conundrum - in the UK HIDs are OK and legal, but you cannot run a high watt output bulb on the road (over 55/60) - what's that about!

Here's to a brighter future... Wink

Adrian
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Adrian in Somerset, UK
K1100LT SE
145,000 miles and counting Smile

https://sites.google.com/site/worlestone/

BMGraeme · Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 5:32 am Post subject:

I never knew that 55/60 bulbs were the limit over here! I fitted the same relay kit just to upgrade the lights and run a 55/90 at the moment. I think badly adjusted lights are more the problem than output.
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1980 CB900FA
1994 K1100RS
2008 R1200GSA

chopper_harris · Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:15 am Post subject:

The big issue with uprated bulbs is the HEAT they produce Shocked

Any plastic components in the vicinity will be at risk.

Old airheads have an all steel headlamp bowl and rim, so no worries, but most moderns bikes have plastic or composite materials around the bulbs.
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C1 200 (2001)
R100 RS (1990)
NSU Quickly N (1964)
Honda 400/4 F1 (1977)
MotoGuzzi 1000C (1978)
Suzuki TL 1000 R (1999)
Kawasaki KLV1000 (2005)
K12R Sport (2007) - Wifeys

Flying Duck · Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:21 am Post subject:

I run 90/100 Xenons in my bikes. 55/60 is tha legal limit on our side of the pond as well. I'm just very careful about headlight aiming.

And the the Xenon bulbs run cooler for a given wattage than halogen and I don't seem to have any problems with excess heat - even riding 12 hour + days.

And the reflectors in our bikes are metal. The outer shell is plastic but the reflector itself is metal.
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93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
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