M1100evo replace headlight with old style one

[SunEye]

So I have finally got fed up with the rubbish headlight on my M1100evo and am going to replace it with a nice old Monster style round one. I never particularly liked the look of the headlight anyway. It's a bit Suzuki Gladius for my tastes.

So I bought a lovely matt black round headlight on ebay based on Jerry's recommendation
http://i57.tinypic.com/vnjc4w.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/27ybk9d.jpg
http://i57.tinypic.com/do312v.jpg
It appears to be a well made unit and when offered up to the front of the bike seemed to suit it very nicely. It's also a bit lighter than the original one.

My measurements show that I should be able to the mount the new headlight so that it sticks out no more than 10mm more than the original headlight. It'll look best positioned centrally between the top and bottom yokes.

I've decided initially to use fork mounted headlight brackets. It's just a bit easier than fabricating something bespoke that attaches to the existing mounting points on the yokes. For £20-£30 I can get something like this
http://flyncycle-images.com/ca/headlights/brackets/hlbstl_dim-600.jpg
They will need modifying slightly so that the headlight doesn't stick out too far, but that just means cutting the mounting bracket back by about 30mm.

I have some LED indicators by Melotti that are the same as the DP ones. It would appear that I will be able to screw these straight into the headlight where the mounting bracket will be attached. This will keep the wiring nice and neat with the indicator wiring running through the headlamp housing.

This is what the bike looks like with the headlight, clocks and little fairing removed
http://i59.tinypic.com/24mt7de.jpg
To mount the instrument panel I intend to make a simple bracket that attaches to the existing mounting points that hang from the bottom of the top yoke. The great thing about doing this is that I will be able to get the instrument panel at the correct angle so that I can actually see everything on the display. Currently there are bits of info (i.e. DTC) that I can't see displayed on the screen because it is at the wrong angle.

Changing the angle of the clocks could mean that the fairing is at the wrong angle. But as I'll be making a separate bracket to attach the fairing to I can get it positioned wherever I want it to be.

I only spent an hour or so last night taking measurements and working out how I could make the headlight change work, but it does appear to be quite straightforward. I'm surprised not many people have done it. I'm a mechanical imbecile and I'm giving it a go. If I can do it then almost anyone could.

It's not going to be a quick piece of work. I work 6 days a week (afternoons and evenings) and I'm doing the mod at a friend's house because he has a garage and lots of lovely tools. So we both have to be available at the same time to progress the work. So it'll be done at the rate of a few hours every week or two, but even at that rate I don't think that it will take long to do.

[J.P]

Good on you.
I think it'll look brilliant with the old style light.
Keep everyone updated and you might have yourself a cracking thread.

[chris.p]

Personaly, I would have looked at a HID unit, but will ve interesting to see the finished look.

[jonzi]

I have a HID unit for sale, £50.

I am also going to try this at somepoint.

Though, I have a speedymoto top yoke and will attach my clocks to that.

Max (Pompone) mentioned something yesterday about brackets to hold the light that he sells. Might be worth sending him a message.

Good luck with it. Lookign forward to some pics

[Bonzo]

Can't wait to see the end result Suneye.

Totally agree, the stock light is pants.

[alan s4]

Disappointed that there are no Wheelie Bins in sight, however I can see a white Rolls in the background - very Arfur Daley:biggrin:

[Dirty]

Disappointed that there are no Wheelie Bins in sight, however I can see a white Rolls in the background - very Arfur Daley:biggrin:

That's where I'm hoping the 8 ball valve caps end up :)

[SunEye]

Disappointed that there are no Wheelie Bins in sight, however I can see a white Rolls in the background - very Arfur Daley:biggrin:
Obviously we were wearing camel overcoats, trilbys, drinking VAT and smoking cigars whilst working on the bike :biggrin:

The Rolls is a cream Mark I Silver Spur (long wheelbase Silver Spirit). Perfect for weddings or for embarassing your kids by driving them to school in it. Having had the privilege of driving it I can say that its handling is far more boat than car.

Because it's not my house I don't have much of a say in the position of the wheelie bins. Next time I'll see if I can coax them out of hiding around the back of the house, although I do believe they are quite shy and don't like being photographed.

[SunEye]

That's where I'm hoping the 8 ball valve caps end up :)
I think they may be for my friend's Triumph Rocket III. Judging by the fact that they are still in the packet I'm hoping that he has had an attack of good taste and has decided not to use them. However the fact that he has a Rocket III does mean that he can succumb to a lack of taste so I'm not sure for how much longer those things will remain in their packet.

[SunEye]

Personaly, I would have looked at a HID unit, but will ve interesting to see the finished look.
It is something that I have considered, but the issue with fitting an HID unit is that you'll still be using the stock lens and reflector which is where the problem with the headlight is. Obviously you'll get more light output from an HID, but it will still be patchy and uneven. I hope to get around this issue by replacing the whole headlight with something that has a far more even light output.

In theory the M1100evo's H1 and H7 bulb combination should produce better light output than an H4, but they don't because the lens and reflector are pants. The Kawasaki ZRX1100 and ZRX1200 that I owned had better headlights than the evo. They were using an H4 in a 1984 GPZ900 headlight.

I'll be fitting a Philips Xtreme Vision +130% H4 in my new headlight, which I hope will get the best light output I can hope for from it.

Before permanently fitting the new headlight I do intend to do a side by side test of the new and old lights to compare the difference in the light output. If I can manage to take photos of the test I will.

[Dirty]

I think they may be for my friend's Triumph Rocket III. Judging by the fact that they are still in the packet I'm hoping that he has had an attack of good taste and has decided not to use them. However the fact that he has a Rocket III does mean that he can succumb to a lack of taste so I'm not sure for how much longer those things will remain in their packet.

:chuckle::chuckle::chuckle::chuckle::chuckle:

[Akita Boy]

Old Style Headlight + New Style Monnie = Winning Idea

[SunEye]

These arrived last week
http://i60.tinypic.com/14kzl39.jpg
So on Saturday we investigated how to fit these brackets onto the forks. The conclusion was that the easiest way will be to remove the top yoke and slide the new headlight mountings down the forks. However we did not have time to do this, that's for next time.

What we did do was establish how I want to mount the instrument panel and start marking out and bending a piece of aluminium to make the bracket.
http://i57.tinypic.com/2ntjmdh.jpg
http://i62.tinypic.com/2ev6qz4.jpg
The idea is to mount the bracket underneath the handlebar riser and on top of the top yoke. In this way it should benefit from the rubber mounting in the yoke that the riser is fitted to and therefore vibrate as much as the handlebars do. This does make the bracket reasonably simple, although the cut outs for the back of the instrument panel will a bit fiddly. It also means that the bracket won't be visible from the front of the bike as it will be hidden by the fairing. I will also be able to remove the extraneous attachments on the bottom of the top yoke, some of which appear to serve no purpose.

http://i57.tinypic.com/kdtpi0.jpg
The angle of the bracket means that the instrument panel is significantly more horizontal than standard, but if my measurements are correct the top of the instrument panel will be in almost the same position. This means that I will actually be able to read everything that is displayed whilst riding, which is obviously not what Ducati intended when they designed the original mounting ;)

Had we had a larger piece of aluminium to play with we could have integrated the fairing mounting with the instrument panel mounting, however if I ever wanted to ride without the fairing the mounting brackets would still be there. So we'll make some separate fairing brackets that mount onto the back of the instrument panel. This also enables us to more easily bend the fairing mounting brackets if we need to alter the angle of the fairing. With the instrument panel more horizontal it will tip the nose of the fairing down slightly. If it looks bad we'll just bend the fairing mounting brackets a bit to resolve the issue.

One concern we have is that our piece of aluminium may be a bit flimsy and might vibrate too much. We won't know until it's finished. At worst it gives us a very good template for making one out of something more substantial.

[Albie]

2mm would be good. 3mm too thick not necessary. The clocks were too low angle to read well especially in the rain too. Keep the pics coming.

[pompone]

I've done a similar job on a triumph a while back and cut out the rubber to suit the shape of the metal bracket, thus hiding the nasty rubber. Whenever I've lowered clock mounts (musty for sure, possibly Jonzi?) I just cut the mounting tab and made lowered brackets. I also had to cut the lower part of the instrument cluster with a die grinder to match the headlamp.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsyn8rk9po.jpg

[Bonzo]

Off topic, but the wheels on that Street look fab!

[Dookbob]

I was thinking the same thing about the seat.

[pompone]

Off topic, but the wheels on that Street look fab!

I was thinking the same thing about the seat.

I sell the wheels and I've made the seat ;) funnily enough the seat base is off an old carbed monster..

[pompone]

Sorry for hijacking the thred..
Wheels and details. Available for all ducati/monsters/most bikes really
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsyh4ey8rf.jpg
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpspikidluo.jpg

And seat, with rear light in the seat hump.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpskwqr6hrx.jpg

[Aviatore]

SunEye, what are you doing with the old stocker? I may need one for passing MOT and such as my headlight is US spec. Either that or follow suit with a nice classic one but I'd like to get my bike registered and on the road sooner rather than later.

[Darren69]

Sorry for hijacking the thred..
Wheels and details. Available for all ducati/monsters/most bikes really
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsyh4ey8rf.jpg
http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpspikidluo.jpg

And seat, with rear light in the seat hump.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpskwqr6hrx.jpg

Max - Do you have any details on prices/options specs etc? I have been looking at the Alpinas but I couldn't find any other suitable makes suitable for the Monster. Thanks

[Dirty]

And seat, with rear light in the seat hump.

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpskwqr6hrx.jpg

That plate set up for easy reading from helicopters? :mand:

[SunEye]

SunEye, what are you doing with the old stocker? I may need one for passing MOT and such as my headlight is US spec. Either that or follow suit with a nice classic one but I'd like to get my bike registered and on the road sooner rather than later.
I will sell it once the new headlight is fitted and working as I will have no use for it. Just keep an eye on this thread. It's slow progess, but I am hoping that by sometime in May the whole thing will be finished. In reality it probably only requires two days work with all the possible parts we might need available to us instantly. Unfortunately the two of us doing the work don't have a block of spare time like that available to us, so it is just a few hours every couple of Saturdays.

[pompone]

Max - Do you have any details on prices/options specs etc? I have been looking at the Alpinas but I couldn't find any other suitable makes suitable for the Monster. Thanks

Hi Darren, I have 2 brands available:
Kineo as on the Tripe (voluntary omission of the "l" ;) )

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/image.jpg1_zpsvjybl24b.jpg

I'm also an authorised dealer for Borrani. They do 2 versions:

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/image.jpg3_zpsclrrlxbe.jpg

On an s4r

http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww40/pomp_one/image.jpg2_zpswsecelpt.jpg

Price wise there's not much difference in them, with both sets around 2k depending on specs. They're available for most Ducatis, single and double swing arms

[SunEye]

As lovely as pompone's wheels are let's get back on topic.

http://i57.tinypic.com/do312v.jpg
As can be seen in the above picture the round headlight that I have has a very large cable entry hole (41mm diameter). I appreciate that all of the bulb fittings are well sealed against water ingress, but would it be better for this large hole to be well sealed to prevent water getting into the back of the housing?

[pompone]

As lovely as pompone's wheels are let's get back on topic.

http://i57.tinypic.com/do312v.jpg
As can be seen in the above picture the round headlight that I have has a very large cable entry hole (41mm diameter). I appreciate that all of the bulb fittings are well sealed against water ingress, but would it be better for this large hole to be well sealed to prevent water getting into the back of the housing?

Never seen water getting into the hole tbh, I wouldn't worry about it..
Ps. Sorry for the hijack.. :rolleyes:

[SunEye]

So I have now made some reasonably accurate templates for the brackets for mounting the instrument panel and the nose fairing. I also have a small sheet of 2mm aluminium to make the brackets out of.
http://i57.tinypic.com/2up7768.jpg
http://i59.tinypic.com/30s7ipw.jpg
The templates were made by presenting the cardboard to the pieces the brackets will be mounted on and cutting out the shapes. No actual measurements have been taken. Everything is being done by eye in proper bodging fashion.

The only template that is unfinished is the instrument panel bracket. As you can see above I have two templates for this. One for the back of the panel and one for underneath the bar riser. Ultimately it will be one template. By myself I can't sit on the bike in a riding position and move the instruments with the cardboard templates fitted into the correct position and mark it. I need an extra hand. So it will have to wait until I am at my friends house, which is where will will be cutting the aluminium anyway.

I am expecting the instrument panel to be positioned more horizontally than standard in order to make everything it displays visible to me when I ride. This will make the nose fairing point more downward that standard, but I don't think it will be particularly noticeable. If it's an issue I'll have to twist the brackets or put the fairing bracket on top of the instrument panel bracket and use a spacer under one screw to angle the fairing bracket.

One other thing is that the fairing mounting brackets are not flat. As you can see from this photo the fairing mounting is several millimeters closer to the instrument panel than the bracket for the instrument panel. This means that I will have to bend my fairing mounting brackets as shown. If I don't do this then the fairing sits too far away from the instrument panel and it doesn't look right because you can then see the back of the instrument panel.
http://i58.tinypic.com/dbh2ts.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/20tmrma.jpg

[Dirty]

Excellent work. I wonder if that's how Playstation settled on their controller design :)

[Albie]

I have been cutting cardboard templates too today. The joys of making your own bits by hand is great fun and the cornflakes end up in the cupboard in a bag only. Then get questioned why when someone finds out. They don't understand why.

[uksurfer]

How's the headlight mod going?

[SunEye]

Slowly. I've been away for a couple of weeks.

I have left my templates and the aluminium sheet with a friend. He may be able to get the guys at his work to laser cut them, which would be better than me attacking the aluminium with a Dremel. We may do some more work on Sunday if his family haven't got anything planned for father's day for him. Personally I think they should let him work on my bike in his man cave and keep us fed with tea and cakes all day. That would be a perfect father's day.

[Cobra88]

Remember to get a few made ;)

[Goose]

What was the end result on the headlight and bracket project..... David