Spyder headlamps.....my take on 'em...and LIGHTING in general

[shovelbill]

well Mike. before embarking on this outside i did some reading.
i wanted to see just what i had.

straight voltage was 14.2, idling

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....after plugging in the Z through the stock harness i got 13.9v

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bottom line is i'm going to use a harness for the Cibie's......and run the headlight and auxiliary lamps through the Harley harness.....i checked the electric manual before i left work and they're using 14G wire to the lights......i'm just gonna run with this for now, i know a .3 volt increase would "technically" make a difference, but not that my eyes would be able to see.

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[shovelbill]

ok.....with a 55w H3 in the PAR 36 glass fog lens the bike will run it, with the headlight on.......as soon as i connect the second lamp, the circuit goes dead........i'd hazzard a guess the BCM don't like the 110 watts compared to the 55 it was designed for.

everyone knows Harley sells tons of ****** googas.....for everything you can think of. when they first made the FLD in 2012 they came out with the auxiliary lamp kit at the same time....bike specific. the stock harness has an incorperaded lead to hook up THEIR aux switch and harness to run THEIR lights.......anything outside THAT box will be peripheral to the bike's harness.

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i'll be needing to run 3 relays for my aux lighting system....one for each of the Cibie's and one for the "stock" side lamps if i want to run anything over the 27.5w 881 bulbs.....i believe you can bump it to the 896 37w bulb, but i hate that clear lens **** thing on the front of my bike.

nothing went right at all today....it started to rain in the middle of it all and my toolbox fell off the pail. i just ****** love crawling around like a bug lookin for 1000 sockets and ****.......so much for my R&R after another goatfuk week at the stealership.

tomorrow is x-ray day....i'll know if i can ride again or not......and a LOT of what this week will bring hinges on it.....let's just say i'm about to make a complete life change with no prospect of landing on my feet....so be it.


but the bike WILL look good when i get all my ducks in a row, just not today.

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[michael hurd]

ok.....with a 55w H3 in the PAR 36 glass fog lens the bike will run it, with the headlight on.......as soon as i connect the second lamp, the circuit goes dead........i'd hazzard a guess the BCM don't like the 110 watts compared to the 55 it was designed for.

everyone knows Harley sells tons of ****** googas.....for everything you can think of. when they first made the FLD in 2012 they came out with the auxiliary lamp kit at the same time....bike specific. the stock harness has an incorperaded lead to hook up THEIR aux switch and harness to run THEIR lights.......anything outside THAT box will be peripheral to the bike's harness.

You must be registered for see images attach

i'll be needing to run 3 relays for my aux lighting system....one for each of the Cibie's and one for the "stock" side lamps if i want to run anything over the 27.5w 881 bulbs.....i believe you can bump it to the 896 37w bulb, but i hate that clear lens **** thing on the front of my bike.

nothing went right at all today....it started to rain in the middle of it all and my toolbox fell off the pail. i just ****** love crawling around like a bug lookin for 1000 sockets and ****.......so much for my R&R after another goatfuk week at the stealership.

tomorrow is x-ray day....i'll know if i can ride again or not......and a LOT of what this week will bring hinges on it.....let's just say i'm about to make a complete life change with no prospect of landing on my feet....so be it.


but the bike WILL look good when i get all my ducks in a row, just not today.

You must be registered for see images attach

I would hazard a guess that they have a circuit breaker or other active circuit that disrupts power to the lights once a certain amperage limit is exceeded.

The pulsed voltage from a computer will not play nice with your relays unless you add smoothing capacitors to keep the contacts latched.

Let's face it, manufacturers don't like people modifying things. Just last month while tearing apart a hydraulic unit I found a temperature indicator ( think Butterball turkey ) adjacent to the port. It's a tell-tale if the maximum oil temperatures have been exceeded.

 

[shovelbill]

I would hazard a guess that they have a circuit breaker or other active circuit that disrupts power to the lights once a certain amperage limit is exceeded.

The pulsed voltage from a computer will not play nice with your relays unless you add smoothing capacitors to keep the contacts latched.

Let's face it, manufacturers don't like people modifying things. Just last month while tearing apart a hydraulic unit I found a temperature indicator ( think Butterball turkey ) adjacent to the port. It's a tell-tale if the maximum oil temperatures have been exceeded.

yup.....same as the heat tape on some transmissions....if it changes color, you overheated it......i would have liked to use their "hot lead" for the purpose of switching the relays, but i'll keep it separate from the bike's system.......let the computer run the turns/run/tails and the headlight.....i'll run the rest.

this is one of the reasons i was so damned resistant to buying a new bike......it is what it is and i'll have to adapt or settle. i don't like settling.

 

[deejaaa]

good luck with your X-RAYS tomorrow Bill. hope you get the clean bill of health.

 

[shovelbill]

good luck with your X-RAYS tomorrow Bill. hope you get the clean bill of health.

thanks man.....i doubt i'll get a good report card, but i'm used to that.

considering paralysis was on the table 14 months ago i'm way ahead of the curve.....i'm grateful for a great surgeon and what i got now compared to what i had.........now we're trying to get me back on the bike. i hear patience is a virtue...whatever that means.......but i'll follow his direction on this.....after the last 'bolt and rod fest' he wanted me off the bike for a year, he conceded after 6 months because of some good healing and x-rays...plus i behaved myself......

i really only have one more shot at this so i'll wait if i have to, but not riding is compromising my sanity. living in this ****** city ain't helping either.

splitin with my ol' lady, hatin my job and being displaced is taking it's toll........if i get the green light i may quit and hit the road for a month or three, put the pieces back together when i get back. misery always has time to wait......living in the land of "someday i'll" is getting old....as am i.....and dead is a long time.

 

[df2x4]

X2 on the good luck wishes, Bill. Hope you get the go-ahead soon!

 

[deejaaa]

........if i get the green light i may quit and hit the road for a month or three......and dead is a long time.

come to Texas for a few weeks. sure the wife wouldn't mind putting up with ya. we can chew the fat and spit the ****. there's a track 3 miles from me. royal purple raceway....look it up...plan a week that has a big race and we can hit it. going to the spring nats this weekend....first race of the season.
like we say here, "Come on down!"

 

[shovelbill]

come to Texas for a few weeks. sure the wife wouldn't mind putting up with ya. we can chew the fat and spit the ****. there's a track 3 miles from me. royal purple raceway....look it up...plan a week that has a big race and we can hit it. going to the spring nats this weekend....first race of the season.
like we say here, "Come on down!"

dang.....if the road becomes my choice i'll definitely point my front wheel west and come callin.......i have my mind on Skyline drive, Blue Ridge Parkway and do some touring in TN and NC, just wish it was Sept/October.....ain't done that in a over a decade......head toward the Ouachita forest in AK....then the Republic of Texas!

thanks for that.....sometimes there's a mean bad storm before the calm.....i'm due to make me some good memories.

 

[Brother Al]

Just saw this Bill... made the most outta the weekend with my Son and Wife...
Happy Easter and prayers for a good X-Ray outcome.

Life beats the hell out of ya, so make the most out of the days that you can! Right On Man!