Wilsons Sandbox

On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 18:04:01 -0700 (PDT) Gary D writes:

> Hello, > Brand new to the group and to KLR's. Just picked up an '06 and want > to upgrade the headlight. I saw the FAQ by BigCee and he mentions > going with an 80/100 bulb. He also mentions upgrading the connector > and the 10A fuse to a 15A. > > My question is about what is entailed in upgrading the fuse and > connector? What kind of fuse do I need? Is an auto fuse sufficient? > I looked in my newly acquired Clymer manual and it mentions neither > items. Are there any instructions on this anywhere? > > Thanks for the help, > > Gary > Troutdale, OR

<><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><> Gary, Welcome! Some folks think putting a 15amp fuse in the headlight circuit is a good idea to keep it from blowing. If you are a bit slow on the dimmer switch and get hung up between high and low you can blow the fuse. Folks that have done the 15 amp fuse don't seem to have any issues with it. I think it's a poor idea since the fuse is suppose to protect the wiring. The headlight wires are small and I'm not sure they can take a sustained 15 amp load. If they can survive the "extra" load I'm not sure the head light switch contacts can last for a long time. Using a higher wattage bulb like you describe will put about a 5.8/7.2 amp load on the circuit. The stock bulb of 55/60 only puts about 4.0/4.3 amps through the circuit. I've changed my fuses to automotive (ATO) type blade fuses. You can buy plug and play set ups for this conversion or do the work yourself. The stock glass type fuses tend to be a bit fragile and can sometimes be hard to find when on the road. I think you could get a replacement ATO type fuse at most quick stop stores and auto parts places. In a pinch you might even be able to talk a passing motorist out of a spare from their fuse box. Note there are mini blade type fuses available too but they won't swap with the larger blade fuse. May I suggest instead of changing the bulb and fuse size you consider adding a couple of relays to the headlight circuit and control them with the stock headlight wiring. I've done this to a few bikes and the light output is much better than the stock wiring alone. I think it was Norm Keller on this list about 3 years ago that did a voltage drop measurement on his headlight wiring and found he was dropping 1.2 and 1.5 volts at the bulb. In light output that equates to a monster light loss. Using the relays you should have less than 0.1 volt drop and the stock bulb might just actually work well for you. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT ____________________________________________________________ Click to compare life insurance rates. Great rates, quick and easy. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3m2vxZL7yzSHQulj3ePrv0XNDgnMrkZ6Oa2dzesouIoeADh6/

Tammys totally wired cycles had a headlight relay upgrade kit a year or two ago for around $50. Works great. I don't know if they are still available, as something makes me think she is no longer in business. Jeff A20 In a message dated 10/3/2008 6:31:10 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, salinej1 @... writes: On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 18:04:01 -0700 (PDT) Gary D writes:

> Hello, > Brand new to the group and to KLR's. Just picked up an '06 and want > to upgrade the headlight. I saw the FAQ by BigCee and he mentions > going with an 80/100 bulb. He also mentions upgrading the connector > and the 10A fuse to a 15A. > > My question is about what is entailed in upgrading the fuse and > connector? What kind of fuse do I need? Is an auto fuse sufficient? > I looked in my newly acquired Clymer manual and it mentions neither > items. Are there any instructions on this anywhere? > > Thanks for the help, > > Gary > Troutdale, OR

<><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><> Gary, Welcome! Some folks think putting a 15amp fuse in the headlight circuit is a good idea to keep it from blowing. If you are a bit slow on the dimmer switch and get hung up between high and low you can blow the fuse. Folks that have done the 15 amp fuse don't seem to have any issues with it. I think it's a poor idea since the fuse is suppose to protect the wiring. The headlight wires are small and I'm not sure they can take a sustained 15 amp load. If they can survive the "extra" load I'm not sure the head light switch contacts can last for a long time. Using a higher wattage bulb like you describe will put about a 5.8/7.2 amp load on the circuit. The stock bulb of 55/60 only puts about 4.0/4.3 amps through the circuit. I've changed my fuses to automotive (ATO) type blade fuses. You can buy plug and play set ups for this conversion or do the work yourself. The stock glass type fuses tend to be a bit fragile and can sometimes be hard to find when on the road. I think you could get a replacement ATO type fuse at most quick stop stores and auto parts places. In a pinch you might even be able to talk a passing motorist out of a spare from their fuse box. Note there are mini blade type fuses available too but they won't swap with the larger blade fuse. May I suggest instead of changing the bulb and fuse size you consider adding a couple of relays to the headlight circuit and control them with the stock headlight wiring. I've done this to a few bikes and the light output is much better than the stock wiring alone. I think it was Norm Keller on this list about 3 years ago that did a voltage drop measurement on his headlight wiring and found he was dropping 1.2 and 1.5 volts at the bulb. In light output that equates to a monster light loss. Using the relays you should have less than 0.1 volt drop and the stock bulb might just actually work well for you. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.Air The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT __________________________________________________________ Click to compare life insurance rates. Great rates, quick and easy. _http://thirdpartyofhttp://thihttp://thirdhttp://thirdparthttp://thirdparthttp ://thirdparthttp://thi_ (http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL214 ... ouIoeADh6/) **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out! (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000001) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Jeff, could you give us all a source for relays, or a type of relay, or something? That's something I know about in theory but have never done. db ----- Original Message ---- From: Jeff Saline To: gajudaw@... Cc: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, October 3, 2008 8:28:20 PM Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Question about wiring On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 18:04:01 -0700 (PDT) Gary D writes:

> Hello, > Brand new to the group and to KLR's. Just picked up an '06 and want > to upgrade the headlight. I saw the FAQ by BigCee and he mentions > going with an 80/100 bulb. He also mentions upgrading the connector > and the 10A fuse to a 15A. > > My question is about what is entailed in upgrading the fuse and > connector? What kind of fuse do I need? Is an auto fuse sufficient? > I looked in my newly acquired Clymer manual and it mentions neither > items. Are there any instructions on this anywhere? > > Thanks for the help, > > Gary > Troutdale, OR

<><><><><><> <><> <><><><><><> <><> Gary, Welcome! Some folks think putting a 15amp fuse in the headlight circuit is a good idea to keep it from blowing. If you are a bit slow on the dimmer switch and get hung up between high and low you can blow the fuse. Folks that have done the 15 amp fuse don't seem to have any issues with it. I think it's a poor idea since the fuse is suppose to protect the wiring. The headlight wires are small and I'm not sure they can take a sustained 15 amp load. If they can survive the "extra" load I'm not sure the head light switch contacts can last for a long time. Using a higher wattage bulb like you describe will put about a 5.8/7.2 amp load on the circuit. The stock bulb of 55/60 only puts about 4.0/4.3 amps through the circuit. I've changed my fuses to automotive (ATO) type blade fuses. You can buy plug and play set ups for this conversion or do the work yourself. The stock glass type fuses tend to be a bit fragile and can sometimes be hard to find when on the road. I think you could get a replacement ATO type fuse at most quick stop stores and auto parts places. In a pinch you might even be able to talk a passing motorist out of a spare from their fuse box. Note there are mini blade type fuses available too but they won't swap with the larger blade fuse. May I suggest instead of changing the bulb and fuse size you consider adding a couple of relays to the headlight circuit and control them with the stock headlight wiring. I've done this to a few bikes and the light output is much better than the stock wiring alone. I think it was Norm Keller on this list about 3 years ago that did a voltage drop measurement on his headlight wiring and found he was dropping 1.2 and 1.5 volts at the bulb. In light output that equates to a monster light loss. Using the relays you should have less than 0.1 volt drop and the stock bulb might just actually work well for you. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads. org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Click to compare life insurance rates. Great rates, quick and easy. http://thirdpartyof fers.juno. com/TGL2141/ fc/Ioyw6i3m2vxZL 7yzSHQulj3ePrv0X NDgnMrkZ6Oa2dzes ouIoeADh6/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This is where I bought my relay set about 2 years ago. _http://www.totallywiredcycles.com/shop/catalog/_ (http://www.totallywiredcycles.com/shop/catalog/) I suspect they are no longer in business. A quick search on internet brought up this: _http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/H4_Kits/h4_kits.html_ (http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/ ... _kits.html) Looks like a good place to start. It is worth the trouble. The stock wiring is pretty weak as it is. It can't really handle any more. Jeff A20 In a message dated 10/3/2008 7:02:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, davebbell@... writes: Jeff, could you give us all a source for relays, or a type of relay, or something? That's something I know about in theory but have never done. db ----- Original Message ---- From: Jeff Saline To: _gajudaw@..._ (mailto:gajudaw@...) Cc: _DSN_KLR650@yahoogroDSN_KLR_ (mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com) Sent: Friday, October 3, 2008 8:28:20 PM Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Question about wiring On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 18:04:01 -0700 (PDT) Gary D writes:

> Hello, > Brand new to the group and to KLR's. Just picked up an '06 and want > to upgrade the headlight. I saw the FAQ by BigCee and he mentions > going with an 80/100 bulb. He also mentions upgrading the connector > and the 10A fuse to a 15A. > > My question is about what is entailed in upgrading the fuse and > connector? What kind of fuse do I need? Is an auto fuse sufficient? > I looked in my newly acquired Clymer manual and it mentions neither > items. Are there any instructions on this anywhere? > > Thanks for the help, > > Gary > Troutdale, OR

<><><><><><> <><> <><><><><><> <><> Gary, Welcome! Some folks think putting a 15amp fuse in the headlight circuit is a good idea to keep it from blowing. If you are a bit slow on the dimmer switch and get hung up between high and low you can blow the fuse. Folks that have done the 15 amp fuse don't seem to have any issues with it. I think it's a poor idea since the fuse is suppose to protect the wiring. The headlight wires are small and I'm not sure they can take a sustained 15 amp load. If they can survive the "extra" load I'm not sure the head light switch contacts can last for a long time. Using a higher wattage bulb like you describe will put about a 5.8/7.2 amp load on the circuit. The stock bulb of 55/60 only puts about 4.0/4.3 amps through the circuit. I've changed my fuses to automotive (ATO) type blade fuses. You can buy plug and play set ups for this conversion or do the work yourself. The stock glass type fuses tend to be a bit fragile and can sometimes be hard to find when on the road. I think you could get a replacement ATO type fuse at most quick stop stores and auto parts places. In a pinch you might even be able to talk a passing motorist out of a spare from their fuse box. Note there are mini blade type fuses available too but they won't swap with the larger blade fuse. May I suggest instead of changing the bulb and fuse size you consider adding a couple of relays to the headlight circuit and control them with the stock headlight wiring. I've done this to a few bikes and the light output is much better than the stock wiring alone. I think it was Norm Keller on this list about 3 years ago that did a voltage drop measurement on his headlight wiring and found he was dropping 1.2 and 1.5 volts at the bulb. In light output that equates to a monster light loss. Using the relays you should have less than 0.1 volt drop and the stock bulb might just actually work well for you. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads. org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Click to compare life insurance rates. Great rates, quick and easy. _http://thirdpartyof_ (http://thirdpartyof/) fers.juno. com/TGL2141/ fc/Ioyw6i3m2vxZL 7yzSHQulj3ePrv0X NDgnMrkZ6Oa2dzes ouIoeADh6/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out! (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000001) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

By the way, I also replaced the stock bulb at the same time as the relay install with a Sylvania Silver Star bulb. Something like 55w/65w??? It's not one of the 90-100W bulbs I know. The light output has to be double stock. Jeff A20 In a message dated 10/3/2008 7:02:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, davebbell@... writes: Jeff, could you give us all a source for relays, or a type of relay, or something? That's something I know about in theory but have never done. db ----- Original Message ---- From: Jeff Saline To: _gajudaw@..._ (mailto:gajudaw@...) Cc: _DSN_KLR650@yahoogroDSN_KLR_ (mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com) Sent: Friday, October 3, 2008 8:28:20 PM Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Question about wiring On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 18:04:01 -0700 (PDT) Gary D writes:

> Hello, > Brand new to the group and to KLR's. Just picked up an '06 and want > to upgrade the headlight. I saw the FAQ by BigCee and he mentions > going with an 80/100 bulb. He also mentions upgrading the connector > and the 10A fuse to a 15A. > > My question is about what is entailed in upgrading the fuse and > connector? What kind of fuse do I need? Is an auto fuse sufficient? > I looked in my newly acquired Clymer manual and it mentions neither > items. Are there any instructions on this anywhere? > > Thanks for the help, > > Gary > Troutdale, OR

<><><><><><> <><> <><><><><><> <><> Gary, Welcome! Some folks think putting a 15amp fuse in the headlight circuit is a good idea to keep it from blowing. If you are a bit slow on the dimmer switch and get hung up between high and low you can blow the fuse. Folks that have done the 15 amp fuse don't seem to have any issues with it. I think it's a poor idea since the fuse is suppose to protect the wiring. The headlight wires are small and I'm not sure they can take a sustained 15 amp load. If they can survive the "extra" load I'm not sure the head light switch contacts can last for a long time. Using a higher wattage bulb like you describe will put about a 5.8/7.2 amp load on the circuit. The stock bulb of 55/60 only puts about 4.0/4.3 amps through the circuit. I've changed my fuses to automotive (ATO) type blade fuses. You can buy plug and play set ups for this conversion or do the work yourself. The stock glass type fuses tend to be a bit fragile and can sometimes be hard to find when on the road. I think you could get a replacement ATO type fuse at most quick stop stores and auto parts places. In a pinch you might even be able to talk a passing motorist out of a spare from their fuse box. Note there are mini blade type fuses available too but they won't swap with the larger blade fuse. May I suggest instead of changing the bulb and fuse size you consider adding a couple of relays to the headlight circuit and control them with the stock headlight wiring. I've done this to a few bikes and the light output is much better than the stock wiring alone. I think it was Norm Keller on this list about 3 years ago that did a voltage drop measurement on his headlight wiring and found he was dropping 1.2 and 1.5 volts at the bulb. In light output that equates to a monster light loss. Using the relays you should have less than 0.1 volt drop and the stock bulb might just actually work well for you. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads. org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ Click to compare life insurance rates. Great rates, quick and easy. _http://thirdpartyof_ (http://thirdpartyof/) fers.juno. com/TGL2141/ fc/Ioyw6i3m2vxZL 7yzSHQulj3ePrv0X NDgnMrkZ6Oa2dzes ouIoeADh6/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out! (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000001) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On Fri, 3 Oct 2008 22:34:56 EDT jokerloco9@... writes:

> This is where I bought my relay set about 2 years ago. > > _http://www.totallywiredcycles.com/shop/catalog/_ > (http://www.totallywiredcycles.com/shop/catalog/) > > I suspect they are no longer in business. > > A quick search on internet brought up this: > > _http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/H4_Kits/h4_kits.html_ > (http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/H4_Kits/h4_kits.html) > > Looks like a good place to start. > > It is worth the trouble. The stock wiring is pretty weak as it is. > It > can't really handle any more. > > Jeff A20 > > In a message dated 10/3/2008 7:02:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, > davebbell@... writes: > > Jeff, could you give us all a source for relays, or a type of relay, > or > something? That's something I know about in theory but have never > done. > > db

<><><><><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><><><><> Dave, I've heard good things about the Eastern Beaver wiring kits and that could be one source of parts. If you want to make your own set up you could get parts at a NAPA auto parts store and at Radio Shack. Parts I used a few times this year when doing this project on my KLR and my nephew's KLR are: 1- NAPA 550 Thermal Flasher for the plug harness (to plug into the stock headlight socket) 1- NAPA LS6235 Headlight socket (it's heavy duty and will survive a hotter bulb) 2- Radio Shack 275-226 30 amp Auto Relay 1- NAPA 782-2023 Fuse Holder 1- 10 amp fuse I use the thermal flasher to make a harness that will plug into the stock headlight socket. Wires go from there to the relays to control high and low beam using the stock wiring. I think Norm Keller suggested this a few years ago. If you ever have a problem with the relays you can just unplug the add-on wiring and plug the stock socket on the bulb and be back to the stock system. I run a fused 12 ga wire from the hot side of the starter solenoid (keeps wires off the battery) to the relays (this wire gets a "Y" type junction so it splits to each relay) terminal 30. Then each relay has a wire connecting from terminal 87 to the appropriate wire on the new NAPA Headlight socket. One is high and the other is low. The ground wire from the socket is extended and run to the frame near the steering head. The harness is made using the plug part of the thermal flasher and with two wires from the ground side going to each relay terminal 85. Then the high side goes to the high relay terminal 86 and the low side goes to the low relay terminal 86. The thermal flasher plug, plugs into the stock headlight socket. You could probably get by fine with 14 ga wire for this harness. But larger wires (within reason) will allow better current flow and there-by allow better light output. I've mounted the relays just below and to the side of the headlight on the black plastic piece kind of covering the back of the headlight.. There is just enough room to allow the new mess of wires to fit. I remove the fairing when doing this mod. I think I posted something about relays to either the group files area or maybe it was just a .jpg of a wiring diagram I drew for someone a few years ago on how to wire a relay. Hope this is helpful. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT ____________________________________________________________ Get a degree and open new doors. Click to find flexible and affordable programs now. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3nNbXnorftXTXAgcaNFjEbYsxHk2vEoRmGASb8kS6uUIywnC/

Dave, I had a thought this morning about the wiring for the headlight relays. If a guy wasn't good at soldering, or didn't want to solder, or wanted to be able to easily take the connection apart... I think he could use Posi-Lock connectors to join wires. http://www.posi-lock.com/index.html They are available at NAPA but look at the price tag before you buy. : ) I don't know if they'll sell you one at a time over the counter but it's worth asking about. I've used them in the military on a few special applications. I think I used a couple on either Martin's bike or my nephew's bike since some of the wiring was temporary. Temporary meaning I know it's gonna get changed in the next year or two as we add more stuff to the electrical system. Make sure you get the right size for the wire you're using. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT ____________________________________________________________ Click here to find the satellite television package that meets your needs. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/Ioyw6i3mzvzTQ2UARDvfNGLiqVEa8dQ2nI6eUN0OLfojKam19j3H5i/

I did exhaustive testing on this awhile back. Others did it before me I'm sure. Bottom-line is wire size matters. Upgrade the entire system (wire, relays, bulb) and use the existing system to toggle the relays. You'll get a properly rated wire delivering high performance (with less than .1V drop...like Jeff noted). It's difficult for me to describe such a system, so if you're asking how to do it, I'd recommend simply buying a harness upgrade kit for $50. There is no soldering with the kit...100% plug-n-play with instructions. I installed the TPI HD harness for my brother a few years back (instead of custom build). Works fine and it includes the high-temp connector and wire harness/shielding. It's important to protect any 12V wire running long distances because a thicker gauge wire going distance can cause a fire if it's unprotected and gets compromised. Even if you don't need to solder, go learn how! I recommend it if you're not a pro. The key whether plumbing or electrical is enough heat. People wonder why it doesn't work and it's b/c not enough heat usually. Of course there's more to it like heat sinks to prevent destroying the material! Connectors are never my first choice for solderable connections. I don't like the added risk of corrosion, rubbing/chafing...bad juju. Here's a link for TPI. It's under electrical. http://www.tpimotorcycleparts.com/ Once you upgrade the harness, a 15A bulb is fine. I wouldn't do it on the stock wire even though many have. Bottom-line is the smaller wire size robs the power reaching the bulb so it won't be as bright-- even in stock conditions. To get the most light, upgrade the wire, base/plug, and the bulb and you'll notice a huge difference. Brian

opps...meant 15A fuse towards at the bottom...not bulb btw i'm running a 90w/90w with high output stator...the next level. it runs everything upto my Belgian waffle maker