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Question about changing headlight bulbs

Discussion in 'XJ Modifications' started by zach7797, May 17, 2021.

  1. zach7797

    zach7797 New Member

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    Hello, I looked around and I'm unable to find a direct answer. Apologies if I missed it and the answer is probably there somewhere. Also sorry if this is the wrong section of the forum to post under.

    Long story short I have a 1982 Yamaha Seca XJ750R. The head light is awful to the point where I have had to ride behind my friend and use his light as my light. My question is will I be able to just swap a LED bulb into it in order to make it brighter or would that require changing the fusebox or hardwiring other things?

    I was going to just buy a bulb and see if that helped but something tells me it won't, hopefully I'm wrong.

    Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated thank you so much!
     
  2. Fuller56

    Fuller56 Well-Known Member

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    Short answer is No. Just swapping in an LED bulb will not work. Lots of issues. The lens and reflector were not designed for the pattern of light the LED produces so likely all you would get is huge scatter with no focus to the light and everybody you faced would be blinded. That is if you could fit it in the headlight bucket with all the other wiring stored and connected there. LED's generally have a bigger backside than incandescent, some have a separate driver that is remote but the bulb itself is also bigger.
    Examine your lens and reflector, they may have become dirty or tarnished. Also the incandescent bulb dim with age, maybe a new halogen bulb will be all you need. Lots better technology since the early 80's.
    And yet another way to brighten everything is to install remote relays triggered by your original headlight wiring but powered by a fused lead directly from the battery. There is considerable voltage drop and current limiting through all the switches and such of the original wiring.
    And again, cleaning all the contacts through out the wiring harness will help. Lots of dirt, corrosion and oxidation in 40 years.
    Plenty to think about.
    John
     
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  3. zach7797

    zach7797 New Member

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    Thanks a lot for the amazing response I appreciate it either today or tomorrow after work I'll take a crack at cleaning it and what not and see how it all is! Thanks again!
     
  4. short_circutz

    short_circutz Active Member

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    Is the bulb separate from the reflector/ lens? Or is it a sealed beam?
     
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  5. JPaganel

    JPaganel Well-Known Member

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    I tried LED headlight bulbs and was disappointed. It's bright, but focused all wrong.

    I had more success with just getting the ultra-bright Sylvania halogens.

    The only time LED lighting worked properly was when I used either additional driving lights, or replaced the whole headlight bucked with a purpose-designed LED unit.
     
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  6. Dave in Ireland

    Dave in Ireland Well-Known Member

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    The only LED H4 replacements that work worth a damn are the ones where the position of the original filaments are replicated very closely by the LEDs.
    The others are junk.
    Then, there's the question of cooling. Some people have had reasonable luck with the fan-cooled ones, but I tend to stick to the braid-cooled versions.
    The LED replacement can work very well, but you have to do some research and trial and error fitting.
    Not all the LED bulbs (even the decent ones) will suit all older reflectors.

    Of course, if your headlamp shell lends itself to a complete LED 7" unit, you're laughing, but be prepared for rubbish results from some of the cheap versions.
    Trucklite are amongst the best, but pricey.
     
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  7. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    The other issue is the systems monitor (ATARI).
    It is possible to fit a good LED headlamp (not just changing the bulb), though.
    The warning light for a burned out bulb will trip with any LED headlamp.
    I'll look for the thread with the solution tomorrow. For some reason I don't have it bookmarked.

    Honestly, a new Halogen bulb will give better results for less trouble. Cleaning the housing helps too.
     
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  8. zach7797

    zach7797 New Member

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    I put a new bulb in last night I think it's brighter a little but nothing crazy. Headlight housing is very clean already.
    I've noticed that when I turn my handlebars to the left it gets brighter/dimmer sometimes so maybe there's a loose cable or something.
    The high beam is also very high too so maybe if I angle the headlight housing down more it'll work better.
     
  9. Minimutly

    Minimutly Well-Known Member

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    Really good answer here - backed up by your findings that the light improves when you move the bars.
    On the relay solution I did work out a circuit that did away with both handlebar switches - some bikes don't have a relay and the current goes up and down both sides and two switches before getting to the lamp.
    The circuit needed two relays back to back, one for the supply, one for the dip/main. 12.8 V at the headlight has to improve things, and it's cheap and easy.
     
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  10. Sean67

    Sean67 New Member

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    Greetings. Maybe this should be a new thread so please let me know if thats the case. I found this thread while searching for my issue. It is related to the headlight. Heres my question.... Will putting in a 12.8v headlight bulb instead of the original 12v bulb cause any problems? My low beam was burned out so I went to Canadian Tire and picked up a Silverstar 9003 H4 bulb. It is a 12.8v 55/60 watts. After install I get the battery light coming on now. I then unplugged the headlight bulb and the battery light went off. I then plugged the bulb back in and the battery light came on again. So.... does this make any sense to anyone?
    Bike is 1981 XJ750R
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2023
  11. Fuller56

    Fuller56 Well-Known Member

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    Sorry nobody has answered your question yet. You should have no problem with the new headlight bulb. It will likely draw a bit more current than the original did so it may take a few more RPM's for the battery light to go out but you are going to have a HUGE amount more light and illumination from the new bulb. The labeled .8 VDC difference will make no difference to the bike. Play on! Be safe, have fun!
    John
     
  12. Rooster53

    Rooster53 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Are you running the stock battery sensor? Or has it been converted to a voltage sensor?

    After you start the bike with the new bulb the CMS sequences normally but faults on BATT?
     
  13. Sean67

    Sean67 New Member

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    Thanks for the reply. I did some upgrades and have been getting things working properly for the last 3 weeks. I havent had it running past idle up to now. I put her all back together tonight so tomorrow will be her maiden voyage this season (Canada). I will let you know what happens with the BATT warning.
     
  14. Sean67

    Sean67 New Member

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    Greetings Rooster53. Thanks for the response.
    Yes, I am on the stock battery. There is no battery fluid sensor. I was looking for the White/red wire tonight but dont think I found it. There is a wire that could be it but has aged and its not really white?? It looks almost Yellow/red. I took a few photos of whats there. The PO removed the fuse box and put individual fuses in. The maybe white/red battery sensor wire has a bullet connector with the attached wire taped into the fuse bundle. If thats not the battery sensor wire then I don't know where it is.
    20230510_210250.jpg 20230510_210117.jpg 20230510_210245.jpg 20230510_210054.jpg 20230510_210106.jpg

    Yes. Thats whats happening.
     
  15. Rooster53

    Rooster53 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    So that looks like the correct W/R wire given its exit location from the harness. The PO may have tied it directly to 12V, or there could be a resistor under that tape. You could easily tell by checking with a DVM to see if it's a short or a resistor. The recommended value for battery monitor is 6,2K and it could be good information to isolate why the BATT is illuminating

    If done correctly and with the correct wattage bulb then the bulb should have nothing to do with the BATT warning being set. However, PO's have been known to do some creative wiring / modifications.

    And since you were replacing a burnt out bulb was this working at one time with that bulb before it burnt out? Was the high beam working and not setting the fail on the original bulb? And, you were getting a HEAD warning with the burnt out low beam or when you disconnect the bulb?
     
  16. Sean67

    Sean67 New Member

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    It was a strange thing. No BATT warning light before the bulb change. So, a few weeks earlier I had changed my controls and levers. Controls came from a 2003 ZZR 600 and the levers came from a 2007 ZX10R. I eliminated the self cancel feature and I gained hazards.
    I was getting a HEAD warning light and after looking at the wiring diagrams I had discovered that I mixed up the high and low beam wires as I had no headlight. When I switched the two wires I discovered that the low beam was burned out. Thats when I replaced the bulb.
    So here is an update..... I took her out last Friday for my first ride of the season. The BATT light came on at start up and while idling. I then pushed the warning cancel button 2 times to shut off the light. I then went for a ride! Over the next 2 days I put 125 km on her and the warning light never came back on.

    I am going to go buy a voltage meter so I can get more in depth with the wiring. I plan on getting a proper fuse box so I will be opening up all the tape from the PO's fuse modification. For now things seem to be ok. The rain is now ending here today and tomorrow is looking like a great day to ride!
    Thanks for all the input!
     
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