Installing a two-bulb halogen headlight by Richard Cook
I picked this system up on the internet to try to get more light from high beam in rural areas and use less power during the day by wiring the park light as my running light. It uses halogen bulbs with an external focusing device; the bulbs have a blue tint that may make them more noticeable. I’d prefer if the driver talking on their cell phone sees me.
Since I had already installed a relay with a spare terminal on my run side I picked up power there for the daytime running light. All the lower right wires on the white terminal block as you face the bike are hot in the run position, you can tap into any of those too as the small bulb only takes about the power of a dash light.
The external focusing device makes the lights much brighter than they would be alone. The down side is there is not much room for the large reflector in the Chang headlight if you have many electronics in there. Make sure you have room for one in yours before going to a lot of work.
First remove the headlight bulb. You probably have an Allen screw or a Phillips screw on the bottom. Take it over to the workbench and invert it, using a piece of carpet under it helps but I was too lazy to go get one.
See all those little clips? These are some of the most annoying devices ever conceived by man. Be very careful removing them for three reasons. 1 The edges are very sharp on a Chang headlight and can easily cut you. 2 The little clips can spring off and cut you or worse.
3 The little clips can and will spring off and get lost. I’m not sure anyone has ever managed to put all the clips back on one of these they took off. You usually find one six months later in an obscure corner of your garage. Save it, you’ll need it next time, although then you probably won’t be able to find it. You may have to bend Chang ones as they are not the finest quality. Try to end up with enough clips to actually hold the headlight in.
A couple of little points about installing these clips, Use pliers if possible to keep your fingers back a bit. Start in two places and then check to see if you have the bulb straight in the holder. Bulbs usually say top and there are no location tangs to help align a Chang bulb. If you have more than two clips on you can’t turn the bulb to align it and each time you move one of these clips you have another opportunity to lose it.
Remember to not place a clip so that it will interfere with the top lip that is not so cleverly bent to hold the top of the headlight rim in. Better headlight rim use slots and tangs to hold them in but we have this design to contend with. Luckily you don’t have it off all that much.
My day position is now a fairly noticeable blue that I’m not sure I like. I may later change to a white bulb. The high beam looks like it might be good for removing paint on cars ahead of you. I’ll have to take it easy on other motorist’s eyes.