Idea for custom Maxim headlight...any thoughts?

Ok, I don't have any pictures to describe what I'm thinking here. The stock headlight on my Maxim is just awful, the brackets are bent up, doesn't light the road well at all, etc. I've considered replacing it with a more-modern sealed beam unit or a Hella light or something, but that's money I just don't have at the moment, and I don't ride at night very often anyways.

So my idea is that I've got two black sealed unit fog lamps I pulled off of a car I worked on a long time ago. 12 volt, don't remember the wattage, but if I remember right I think both can run simultaneously without drawing too much power. They would be similar to the small side-by-sides of a Buell.

I know they're "fog" lamps, but my current headlight only illuminates part of the road and a good chunk of the right shoulder lol. Anyone done something similar? Would it look absolutely dumb on a Maxim?

I've also thought of using one fog, and buying a set of "driving lights" and using one of the lights as a hi-beam.

 

whatever your local police will let ya get away with, i guess
i don't know where your at but don't come to Pa like that

 

Get a cheapo car headlight from the wreckers & mount it in a flowerpot.

 

your trying to do a cheap version of the "dominator headlight...DONT!!

fog lights do not have the proper light patters to be a headlight there great if you only want to see 20 feet ahead in the dark.

put up the money to buy the real thing

DOMINATOR HEADLIGHT

best price i've found and i already ordered them

 

If you want cheap, what about taking your existing brackets off and straightening them??

 

I have been thinking about changing my headlight and I have found desent headlights on ebay but it all depends on what you are looking for.

 

Before you spend any money on Headlights ... do the Math!

The Bike's Electrical System has a > "Load Limit"

The Alternator and Charging System is capable of sustaining just so much of a demand before serious consequences result.

One consequence of Overloading the Electrical System is Burning-Out the Alternator Rotor.

You are not going to be very happy having spent Big Bucks for Lighting only to have them overload the Electrical System and cause you to get inside a viscous circle of problems that will cost you some really Big Bucks to fix.

 

I know fogs aren't ideal for night riding, but I'm very seldom out at night, and always in-town with other riders if I am. Plus the Dominators are pricey even with that deal.

Already had the whole thing off the bike and pulled apart to straighten out. It's much better than it was before, but with the light aimed all they way left it still shines way off to the right. Even straight, the light pattern isn't good at all, so I'd be replacing it with something like a Hella light.

I'm not worried about the police or legal issues, the bike doesn't have signals installed at the moment either. I guess I'll just keep the stocker for now and put the money for lights into new gauges and turn signals or something.

 

Which maxim do you have? You will get more replies if you put your bike info in your "signature"

 

Sorry, it's a 1980 Maxim 650. Leaning a little more towards the cafe/ratted out styling, has clubman bars, no turns, going to get a different seat and rear fender treatment, etc.

 

HEY BRO. THIS IS AN OLD PIAA DRIVIN LIGHT. WORKS GREAT

 

Two sealed beam driving lights (35w each) work well for dual headlights. The beams are plenty bright. You can go with spot lights or flood lights, or one of each (covers both long distance and floods the path well) The electrical system will not suffer from them at all and the sealed beams are cheap and easy to find if one burns out.
Of course, your not going to have high/low beam option with that setup, but then most ride with brights on all the time anyways. I tried two spot lights setup just to see if it would work at night. With one light projecting farther down the road and the other, closer to the bike, they do a good job. Now to make some kind of bracket to mount them to the bikes...
I guess I can hook the one projecting down the road to the bright beam switch, so I can shut it off incase it blinds oncoming traffic.
The reason I haven't done the swap just yet is I will need to cut the opening in my windshield oplong to fit them there and look right. The bracket to the forks is going to be the only part I will need to fabricate. Just a thought.

 

PainterD, could you please give a link or a hint as to where one could find such driving lights? I found some, but I can't seem to find spot or flood lights, and I'm curious how this would work out.

Thank you!

 

The flood or spot lights I'm referring to are just what they sell for driving lights made for light bars (on each side of the headlight) Just about any place that sells bike accessories will have them.
I'mnot referring the 55w halogens however. Two of them might be too much drain on your electrical system. The ones I have are the 35w sealed beams.
I decided against using them instead of my regular headlight. I would need to cut the opening in the windshield bigger and decided not to.
I ended up with the headlight off of another bike (Suzuki I think) I got at a salvage yard and mounted it on brackets from a Kawasaki that fit perfect on the forks. The headlight is a halogen unit with a 60/100 watt bulb in it. Works very well at night. I also have a pair of 35 watt driving lights that I don't use much unless I run into some fog. I mounted a volt meter on the bike to keep track of my battery to make sure I'm not draining it with too many accessories on at once.

 

Volt Meter! Ingenious solution.

Mathmatically speaking, 2x35W bulbs would be better than my stock bulb, all other things being equal, but does it REALLY work out like that? I don't have a windshield and I am thinking about a dual over/under elliptical setup.

 

That should work. Just as long as the spread pattern of the lights covers the road well enough for riding at night. I just like volt meters on m bikes to know what shape the battery is in with all my added accessories.

 

I run 2 55w driving lights as headlights. no problems.