Headlight Possibilities

Good day all. The bike in question is a 1980 XJ650 Maxim. Rather than researching myself, I would like to call on the experienced folks here for a recommendation. I do not intend to change the installed factory round headlight nacelle or add auxiliary lighting fixtures. I need more illumination that the stock sealed beam gives. What are my options here?
Thanks to all contributors in advance.

 

I think that Chacal sells a halogen replacement.
Odds are that just replacing the old sealed beam with a new one will give a surprising difference.

 

There was a guy who put the money into a truck LED headlight replacement. I haven't seen any local DOT approved LED stuff but I'm not in the land of the free and gun toting
Love to have a LED headlight though!
Do a search, I think it was in modifications.

 

Maxim is a standard 7" maybe finding a later H4 headlight can help. Or shoot the wad and go LED

 

Many thanks. Bingo on the Modifications search. I'm going to go with the 7" euro-vision unit that has a replaceable bulb module. It will be interesting to see how the headlight beam diffusion is on this unit. If that isn't enough illumination for these old peeper's, then dark=park.

Thanks all.

 

BRIGHTER HEADLIGHTS HOW-TO:

Q3) Why don't I just install a higher wattage bulb, even with a compromised, ritually-unclean electrical system?

A3) Because it doesn't work that way. I would suggest reading Section 8 on this excellent article about XJ electrical systems (heck, you should actually memorize the whole article) and you'll begin to see how "going bigger" is not only NOT better, but could be a whole lot worse, economically and otherwise:

http://web.archive.org/web/20071214...ies.com/MotorCity/Speedway/7795/xjfaqbig.html


Q4) Should I use the "whiter" or "daylight" or "blue" or "purple" or "whatever" modular bulbs that are advertised as producing "better light" or "whiter light" or "more light" or "bigger light" or blah-blah-blah?

A4) You can, but it's mostly hooey that you're buying. Again, the problem isn't the light output of the BULB, it's the electrical system and the design of the reflector and lense that are the real issues. A great in-depth, easy-to-understand review of these issues can be found at:

http://www.danielsternlighting.com

Go and read the "TECH" section of the website "bulb articles". You might be in for a surprise.........but at least you'll know the truth, and that's supposed to set you free.


Q5) So what do I do?

A5) First: make sure your electrical system is in tip-top shape: alternator, battery wiring, connectors, switches should all be operating properly and all of your the connectors are going to have to be cleaned. This is cheap but time-consuming to do.....but, it produces the best results. Like love, there's some things that money just can't buy.........

Even better, update your headlight system to modern standards by using our easy-to-install HEADLIGHT RELAY HARNESS that allows you to pump pure, fresh, full battery voltage directly to your headlight.....the way nature intended it to be!


Second: If you've got a sealed-beam system, upgrade to a modular headlight system....it's a bolt-in replacement.


Third: For those models with round headlights, upgrade them to a higher-performance modular system, such as the Hella Vision Plus systems below. The better optical design on these lense/reflector units put more light, and better light, WHERE YOU NEED IT, rather than scattering the light somewhat uselessly like most standard headlights do.



HEADLIGHT RELAY-CONTROLLED WIRING HARNESS:

Headlight Relay Wire Harnesses:

In order to take full advantage of either stock or aftermarket headlights, full battery voltage must be available at the headlight terminals. The long run of under-sized factory wiring, and the stock headlight toggle switch, will not allow your headlight to receive a full dose of current, and thus your headlight---the most critical safety component on your bike----will be suffocated for amperage and will far less brighter than it should be. The solution is a professionally assembled, plug-and-play RELAY-CONTROLLED HEADLIGHT HARNESS that uses your headlight switch to actuate an electrical switch (the relay), which then allows full battery power to your headlight.....allowing it to shine like the sun!

REMEMBER, as per the discussion previously, that headlights are rated at 12.8 volts, but typically receive a lot less......and that's the main reason why your headlight is so dim.

These headlight relay wire harnesses are simple to install-----even for the most electrically-challenged mechanics-----and come with extra terminals, cable ties, and do not require cutting your original wiring harness at all. Your stock headlight switch now powers the relays, rather than the headlight, and thus no new switch is needed. Installation time varies, but normally requires 90 minutes or less to install (mostly involving the removal and replacement of your seat and gas tank, and the routing of the wire harness), and absolutely no soldering is required.