Headlight change out, ad infinitium..

[hortoncode3]

So, I see the posts of folks changing out the light for a brighter/more historically accurate head light but for the life of me I really can't see any obvious difference in looks. As far as it being brighter, did the bikes performance improve so much that you were out driving the old light? Please explain..!
Don't rush..I'll be here all day!

[Desi Bike]

I prefer the look of the full sized lamp with the shade. As for the brightness difference I can't comment as I put the full sized lamp on before I took my bike out of the crate and never even turned the small one on.

[Hobbydad]

Huge differance in light output going from the 35W 5-3/4" to the 55/60W 7", and a huge differance in apperance as well. The little light just doesn't look as good with that big trim ring as the 7", which fills the nacelle perfectly.

[FiRE Comms]

what sold me was the amount of light you could see if you were another vehicle coming head on.  The dealer had his (personal) bike 07 deluxe w/ tribar sitting next to my 11 c5 and his light looked SOO much bigger.  Yeah I know it's only an 1 3/4" but his light seemed to command so much more attention...

[t120rbullet]

Light output is immaterial.
5-3/4" = UGLY
7" = Belongs there 
The extra lumen are just a plus !

[Ducati Scotty]

The 7" look WAY better than that cludged together 5 3/4" with aiming armature.  I run a 35/35W bulb in it since my charging system can't deal with the 55/60W.  Even with the 35W bulb the usable light on the road is tons better than the 5 3/4".

It looks better and you can see better.  What more could you want?

The top three first mods I would recommend to any new RE are:
1) new grips, preferable some gel types from Pro-Grip
2) 7" headlight
3) change the stock fork oil for 195ml of 10w fork oil

Scott

[barenekd]

My stock headlight was terrible, so I put on a 7", first a tribar, and a Sylvania car lamp. the lights were still terrible. A car behind me would blot ut any headlight beam I had. It was like the the light beam just kinda dribbles out in front of the bike and fell to the ground. An old flashlight put out better light.
I fiddled around with the wiring and switches for months off and on, trying to find where I was losing over 1/2 V between the battery and light. still don't know where that was going.
Then my dealer suggested installing relays, so I finally got around to doing that. The relays are controlled by the original wiring  with new bigger wiring running from the battery to the headlight. No voltage drop now! I haven't messed with the sotck, but the Sylvania and H4 Tribar put out some decent light now, but the Sylvania has a much better beam pattern than the Tribar. I finally kept the tribar in the bike because it looks better, and I don't ride that often at night anyway.
Bare

[mattsz]

The top three first mods I would recommend to any new RE are:
1) new grips, preferable some gel types from Pro-Grip
2) 7" headlight
3) change the stock fork oil for 195ml of 10w fork oil

Scott

Scott-  Pro-Grip has a bunch of grips - what do you recommend?  I'll take any vibration damping I can get... 

[Ducati Scotty]

Almost any single density rubber ones will help.  I like the 713 myself but it could be a little bulky if your hands are small.

Scott

[raderj]

My G5 has a stock sealed beam and I noticed that it had water in it on my way to work one day.  I checked it out when I got to work and it had a crack in the glass across the whole face of the lens.  The water burnt out the bulb that day. There is no damage or sign of a strike to the headlight assembly.  Could the crummy roads here in Virginia Beach have caused this crack?  Has this happened to anyone else?  At any rate, it gives me an excuse to upgrade to the 7".

[Hobbydad]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I had another question for Scotty on the grips. When replacing the throttle side, what do you do with the molded tabs, grind them down, or are all grips made to fit them?

[Ducati Scotty]

I carved down the ridge on the outside edge a little just to make it easier to get the grip on.  Leave everything else.  I do put the throttle grip in the freezer overnight and use a sharp razor to carve a space for the conical ridge on the inside of the grip.  If you didn't, it would still be fine.

Scott

[hortoncode3]

Wish I could see the "before" and "after" 7inch light conversion look...The RE accessories site stinks and I can never get a truly clear versions of just WHAT it's supposed to look like.

[Arizoni]

If everything works right the pictures below show the stock, adjustable, 5 3/4" sealedbeam headlight and the Lucas 7 inch replacement I got from Nfieldgear.

The turn signals in the 7 inch photo were also changed by installing some Nfieldgear metal bullet lights.

[hortoncode3]

Thanks! That looks great but now you have me REALLY interested in how you attached the new turn signals..I bought em, still haven't figured out how to hang them!