Headlight change out, ad infinitium..

[Arizoni]

The two front lights bolt directly to the brackets that the existing lights use.
That's why they look like their tucked in close to the front forks rather than sticking out like a sore thumb.

To mount the rear turn signal lights I bought a couple of sheet metal brackets from Nfieldgear by phoning them.  They needed a bit of bending to make them work for the way I used them.

Unlike the original turn signals these all metal bullet lights need to be grounded so I added a ground wire to their attachment studs to plug into the wiring harness like the originals.
When doing this I found that the Indian's had switched the wire colors on the short leads from the harness so the black "ground wire" was really the hot wire and the colored "hot" wire was actually ground.
When hooking them up it is a good idea to find out which color wire is the real ground wire and then connect it to the mounting stud.  (A cheap volt/ohm meter from Harbor Express works well for doing this and costs about $9.00.)

[mattsz]

NField Gear has a number of 7" options - sealed beam, non-sealed beam, halogen, different wattages...  what's the best choice?  I like the look of the tri-bar a lot, but $170 for the light and the conversion kit is just too much for me!  What do you guys like?

[gremlin]

I went with the BPF unit because I like the yellowish day-time pilot bulb.  When I turn on the main beam it casts a wide cone of light & with 35/35w bulbs the hi/lo switch dips the light when on LOW and raises it on HI.

It's not for superslab driving in the dark, but, perfect for metro areas with streetlamps & rural roads !

[mattsz]

I went with the BPF unit ...

Gremlin - sorry, but what is the "BPF unit"?

[mattsz]

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

Bit of a thread hijack, I know, but...  Arizoni, are the NField Gear Bullet Turn Signals you installed the "regular" ones or the "2-inch stem" ones?  It's a really nice look!

[gremlin]

BPF = British Pre-Focus

It is a reflector/Lense assembly with P38D bulbs (vacuum ) and a separate T-9 pilot lamp offset from focus to illuminate the lense.

 

[barenekd]

I have a Tribar in mine because I like the looks of it. I had a Sylvania $13.00 sealed beam in it, a much better light.
Either way, you need to get the overpriced 7" lamp adapter.
But for the light, you can go quality or style.
I seldom ride at night, so I don't worry about it too much, at last since I got the brightness of the lights up to where they belong. Different thread for that one.
Bare

[Ducati Scotty]

+1.  Just cough it up and get the 7" adapter, then you can put in any light you like.  I tired to piece it all together for less money from different sources, it's not worth the trouble.

Personally I really like the look of the pre-assembled 7" from NField Gear which has the Minda reflector.  It has a very flat face to the front which I like, but an inexpensive 7" sealed beam works just as well.

Scott

[mattsz]

Either way, you need to get the overpriced 7" lamp adapter.

Seems to me that there's three NField Gear kits that have the adaptor included:

145017/A - Pre-assembled non-sealed halogen, 60/55W - $111
Z90477 - Not pre-assembled, sealed beam, 60/50W - $80
Z90447 - Not pre-assembled, Lucas non-sealed beam, no wattage given - $90

Gary at NField Gear suggested the first option as a popular choice, but didn't answer my questions about the differences between them or what the wattage of the Lucas is.  I don't need to pay $30 more for pre-assembly - is the sealed beam light good enough?

Scott - the pre-assembled kit description says nothing about a Minda reflector - what is it?

[Ducati Scotty]

Just the brand of reflector. 

[mattsz]

BPF = British Pre-Focus

It is a reflector/Lense assembly with P38D bulbs (vacuum ) and a separate T-9 pilot lamp offset from focus to illuminate the lense.

Gremlin-  I took my headlight off today, and found two wires with connector ends dangling loose inside the assembly.  Are these power for the pilot bulb?

[gremlin]

yes.

[Arizoni]

mattsz
The Z90447 - Not pre-assembled, Lucas non-sealed beam, no wattage given - $90 headlight uses a "pre focused" Lucas 40w (low), 50w (high) beam bulb.
These bulbs are not made or marketed by any US company and the only place you can buy one is on the web or from Nfieldgear.  (It took Nfieldgear over 9 months to deliver my back up replacement bulb).  The bulb is a #414 on the box and I found a British web site that listed it as a LLB414 if you want to go exploring on the web.

The bulb that comes with the light is designed for British use so it lights up the road on the left side, just forward of the bike when it is on low beam.

It is an authentic old style British headlight and bulb which is probably the same as the original Bullets used but if I were to do it over again I think I would just buy a 7" sealed beam style.

[Ducati Scotty]

The pre-assembled one uses a standard H4 bulb available just about anywhere.

Scott

[gremlin]

Arizoni -

What about the flutes in the lense ?  The first 7 incher I bought was a minda with a left-side beamlet created by the lense (not the bulb ).

The reflector/lense unit I am currently using I got from bulletwala.  It has a uniform flute pattern & illuminates in a balanced fan pattern.