After I got the Avenger coil plate and 55/60w H4 halogen fitted in my motorcycle, touring at night has been a lot safer than earlier and majority of the time, I have been able to maintain 80+kmph at night. But I finally decided to add another 55w light, in the form of a spot lamp, last night.
This is due to the fact that there have been times, especially on the single lane roads, when the lights from the oncoming traffic blinded me so much that I couldn’t see a pedestrian or a cyclist on the road.
If you can’t see them, you can’t avoid them, so I decided to do something about it.
I had three options to increase the visibility:
Get coil rewinding done and fit a 100w headlamp: I ruled this out, since it would have had a major impact on the reliability of my motorcycle and that is something I am not ready to compromise with.
Get HID: This was the most expensive option, HIDs (High Intensity Dischargers) are quite good at providing illumination and would have provided me the best lighting setup out of all the options. However with a single ballast and xenon costing a minimum of Rs. 2000 if imported and Rs.3000 if bought from Delhi, it was ruled out for the time being. In any scenario, if I were to add an HID, I would add it in a spot lamp. That way I would get to retain my current headlight, which runs off the magneto. Since HID is dependent upon battery power i.e. needs DC setup and I don’t want to be totally dependent upon the battery.
Get a spot lamp with 55w halogen: This was the most logical and cost effective option for me, spot lamps are cheaply available and can be easily fitted to the battery, without messing with the current wiring. This meant, if some thing was to go wrong with the spot lamp or its wiring, it wouldn’t cause any problem to my bike’s wiring and I would still be able to use the headlight. Add to this, I do plan to purchase HID later on and it would come in handy, even at that time.
So yesterday I went to Karol Bagh with Shamik, Manik, Eric, Deepak and Sparsh, to hunt for a spot lamp. We visited quite a few shops and checked out at least half a dozen spot lamps, before deciding on the pair which looked pretty decent and well built and got it fitted on my motorcycle.
For Rs.150 a piece, this is relatively cheap (even cheaper options are available) and provide decent illumination.
Total cost for the spot lamp setup turned out to be:
Spot lamp (including halogen) = Rs. 150
Bracket, wire and switch = Rs.45
Labor = Rs. 50
Total cost = Rs. 245 (US$ 6)
Not a bad deal at all, though its beam is a little wider than what I wanted, but with the low beam of my motorcycle, I get much better light and I can easily see the road and people/traffic even at 80+kmph. Though I am yet to test it on a single lane highway, which I would most probably do this weekend.
Oh yes, the mechanic that fitted them on my motorcycle said, they will suck all the power from the battery in 5 minutes. However on the ~20 minutes ride back home, I had the spot lamp on and I must have used the electric starter 3-4 times, plus horn numerous times and indicators to check if there was a significant load on the battery, but it didn’t looked it.
However it would be only after the continuous use of 3-4 months and a major ride that I would be able to confirm if they have any adverse effects on the battery or not.
78 Comments
Mahesh, you will need to reroute the power to battery, in order to charge it fast enough. There are two ways of doing that:
1. You can do this at coil level and reroute the whole power to the battery (apart from that going to CDI).
2. You can reroute the wires powering the headlight.
You will also need to install a dedicated DC charger (the one found in Bullets) to ensure faster charging. Any good motorcycle electrician ought to be able to do this for you and I would recommend getting this done through one.
Kushal which halogen are you using? As for converting the setup to DC, the above things will apply to your bike as well.
Sorry for late reply Yogesh as i was busy studying for my internals..
After changing stator plate i installed Mico(i.e. Bosch) Premium Blue 60/55 P 43t base which was superiorly whiter,brighter n visibility was considerably high as compared to stock 35/35 Halonix n visibility was superior at da dusk i.e. wer we find difficulty wit normal ones…..
Now I’ve istalled Osram Night breaker H4 nd yes i can see da difference now as da beam is very intense n visibility has increased still more……
I’ been to one of da mech here in my place n he told dat conversion of AC to DC in UG3 is possible only after changin BCU unit(as what he told,I dont know exactly) n told cant direct DC to headlight without BCU as da whole electricals(speedo,illuminating switch,breaklights etc) are connected to dis BCUnit…..I’ve asked dis before reading your reply…..will go and ask to do as what you’ve stated,have to see what he says n will reply you soon…..can you please tell da price of DC charger n thing reqd for da mod….will be waitin for our reply…
Thanks a lot Bro
Take Care n Safe Biking
The one we got fitted on Apache was around 100-200bucks (don’t remember exactly) and it should also fit on Pulsar.
i want 2 fit 2 halogen bulb in pulsar digital 1`50 so will effect the b.c.u. unit is there any solution for keeping a high power bulb in that situtation
Here one of a local electrician who’s damn expert in electricals told me that he’ll study the CDI unit of pulsar ug3 and will do mods in th circuit to convert to DC he told….he told by fitting relay can run 100/90watts i.e now i have avenger stator plate n he told no need to modify the stator plate….is it ok to do such mods…..???
Regards
Thanks in advance
hey!!
i have cbz* 05 electrics start.
i want to fix HID in my bike.. i have heard dat hid drains so much power from betry.I have 9v and 7ah betry.Can anybody tel me dat wil it
work fine or not??
i have new mahindra rodeo (moped). i was unsatisfied with its headlight and converted it to an HID. Redirected the wiring and given power directly from battery{12V-7AH). my battery drained like hell.. it drained in just 20 min… Should i change the battery from 12V-7AH to 12V-9apmere… or change my alternator from 12V-100W to some higher for quick battery recharge… my vehicle has CDI ingition..
please reply fast..
Now my HID is not getting enough power and does not light up… so i have to drive without main headlight..
sir,
i want to fit 55/60w bulb in my pulsar 200…
please mail me which modifications have to be done….
Hi Yogesh,
I am from Bangalore and I have Pulsar 180cc UG4 2011 model.
The lights are OK for the city ride, but still very difficult in rainy season and highway rides at high speeds. As this model has DC, Kindly suggest me the best lighting for the bike.
I do not wish to ruin the bikes looks. It should meet the traffic standards for the bike lighting.
Awaiting your response.
Thanks and Regards
Ashweej
Asweej, if you are talking about traffic standards/laws, then you aren’t allowed to change headlight power without getting it cleared from the RTO.
If you are interested in increasing headlight power, then you can either install a 60w halogen or 35w HID (preferably 4500k one). HID can and will blind oncoming traffic (best to use it for low beam) and is illegal without it being installed in a projector lamp.
Hi Yogesh,
I have a Pulsar 180 DTSI and would like to install a pair of HID as spotlights that can be installed on both the leg guards.
Could you please advise which vendor I should go with ? Budget is not a problem.
Would it be fine if I were to get a 55W HID lamp ? Philips HID lamp ? Do I need to make any modifications to the coil or something ?
I wouldnt mind importing it from the US but it would be risky in case if the lamps dont work.
Please advise.
Thanks,
Regards
Samir Kulkarni
To add to it further, just get a 4300k HID from ebay.com or dealextreme and it would be more than enough. Most of the HIDs available in India are 6000k or higher, which look cool, but give less usable light. A 35w 4300k HID would be more than enough for your needs.
Samir, running a pair of 35w HID would entail a load of 70w on the battery + headlight and various other lights. If you go in for a pair of 55w HIDs (extreme overkill), then you will need to get some serious coil rewinding and wiring modifications done.
It would be a good idea to get in touch with a knowledgeable and competent bike electrician.
Hi Yogesh – Thankyou for the swift feedback. I will go with the one you suggested 🙂
Thanks
Samir
Hey Yogesh
I have Pulsar 180 UG 4. It has 35 W bulb & we all know its poor. Is there way to improve Pulsar’s headlamp?
HID is not an option as my friend has done all of it on his CBR 250 & the light same as before just looks brighter.
Suyash, HIDs available in India are normally 6000k or higher and hence emit white/bluish light, which is only good for showing off. Importing 4300k HID from Ebay.com would help you easily achieve good lighting on your bike.
Alternatively, you can try and use 60w halogen and see how things go, if there is excessive load on the bike, then you will have to visit a bike electrician and explore other options to run that 60w halogen.
hii.. i have hero xtreme.. the light quality is very poor…. the system is not dc…. how can i get better lighting on my bike.. also is it good and safe to convert light to dc… originally it run a 35W halogen…
Suyash, you have the option of either getting coil rewinding done to support something like 60w halogen or converting your motorcycle to DC setup and using an HID (preferably 4300k HID).
In order to convert your motorcycle to DC setup, motorcycle electrician would have to connect headlight etc. to your bike’s battery and then divert current which was earlier going to power your headlight, to recharge your battery, so that it charges faster. Best option would be to go to a competent motorcycle electrician and see what he has to say.
My bike is already on DC setup. Bajaj Service Manager said that bike would drain in couple of months after putting 60 W bulb & also the reflector would burn.
About putting HID, white light is caught by Police in Mumbai.
Pulsar 220 F also has the same electrical setup as my bike i.e. 12V 9 Ah DC but it has Low – projector lamp 55 w, High – Ellipsoidal lamp 55 w.
& Avenger also has it same with 60/55 W bulb.
So is there any chance I can Avenger’s bulb or its coil or something like that?
Suyash, I have replied to your query above, this was a query from another Suyash.
You can’t change to Avenger coil and there is no need to do that in first place, try out the 60w halgoen like I have said or import 3800k or 3200k HIDs, which will give you yellowish tone.
If you install more powerful headlamp, reflector will get faded over time, but nothing dramatic as such.
thankx for ur support… do you know any bike electrician in bhopal… If i draw a wire directly from battery to headlight through ignition switch.. means giving battery power directly in stock wiring… n installing an ape rr along with stock rr… current comming through coil would b serve as input to ape rr… will this system work…
Suyash, no idea about electrician in Bhopal. Mechanic who did the same to a friend’s Apache, did by combining the power at coil level and then drew a wire from battery to switchgear. Standard charger was changed to an Enfield one.
bt im not going to do any modification in coil… wire which is going to headlight will serve as an input to ape rr… n output from ape rr will directly go to battery… m planning to use 2 rr instead of single i.e… one stock.. n one ape…. so that if one rr malfunctios atleast some power will go into battery… n can i directly install 60W halogen.. will this overheat my bike’s or reflectors…??
If you are installing more powerful bulb, it will cause damage in the long run to your bike’s reflector, because there will be a lot more heat generated by it.
ok.. do i need to install a headlight relay for 60W or more wattage bulb… which relay will best suit my bike.. i have hero extreme 2013 model… and if i use 2 rr… and connect them parallel to battery.. will my battery burn out… as in parallel combination voltage is directly added.. as per my knowledge… worried if voltage is directly added… then battery will get approx 24v… 12v from each rectifier….
Suyash, no idea about that. Best option would be to talk to a bike electrician and see what he has to say.
Hi I am parry…regarding ur problem its not a problem…using 2 voltage rectifier cum regulator in parallel wont double ur voltage but will increase ur current,coz ur source voltage wont exceed 13 to 14 volts but 2 rectifier means 2 easy paths for current to flow without overloading the transistors inside the rectifier
Hi
I want to install 10W fog lamps(a pair) in my bajaj avenger. Can i directly connect it to the parking light in headlight??
can i just convert ac power of headlight to dc and use it to power up hid instead of power up from battery? my bike is hero xtreme
Hi Yogesh Sarkar is there anyone in Mumbai who can help me with bike which is pulsar 180 I want to increase the power of my head light without adding any add-on lights to my bike.
Coil change and 55w wld be preferred