Norton Headlamp Replacement

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It should. I use a 7" automotive one in mine.

Why go sealed beam, though? Why not get an H4 reflector and bulb? And run it off a relayed connection right to the battery. Makes a HUGE difference.
 
You can get a halogen insert and bulb for around 40 at rocky point

But you will lose your parking light. If that is important to you then you can get a Cibie reflector from DanielSternLighting.com and others for about $75 that retains the parking light.

I never use the parking light, but I know others live in "lights on" states that prefer to use that as a daytime running light.
 
I bought a H4 unit for my Commando, brand name "Narva",from an auto parts supplier, that has a pilot light. Came with a 60 watt high beam globe. Also fitted a relay. Made a huge difference and the stock alternator seems to be up to the job.

HTH

Bazz

1970 Bonneville
1973 Commando
 
The one from rocky point also has a different lense shapewhich might matter if you are a purist. It was cheap though so didn't matter to me. I think I'm going to wire mine so the low beam is the daytime running light.

Is the cibie one made of plastic or glass?
 
I have a Cibie with H4 Halogen 55/60W bulb and the Euro parking lamp, I think I got it from a Mini Cooper web site. Be aware that there are right/left hand versions depending on country. I like the light pattern and it's nice and bright. I use a 20W halogen bayonet base bulb for daytime and it works out well. Had to fabricate a socket for that and wire my headlamp switch for DRL but that was no big deal.

A friend of mine uses the super bright Candlepower lamp and he loves it:

http://store.candlepower.com/ca7inquiohsu.html

An English gentleman should not fear motoring at night.
 
I'm running a small 5" headlight with a 60/55w bulb. It also has a small bulb in it that is not hooked up. We wired it to run on the 3rd key selection and high beam. The stock 38 year old alternator can't keep up with the 75 watts being pulled from the head light and tail light. I talked to the guy over at Classic Cycle and he told me to install an LED taillight bulb and purchase a brand new alternator and it should be fine.

But my Q is about this relay everyone's talking about. What type and where is it wired into the loom and what is it's purpose. Can I just save my cash and wire in this relay or just buy a brand new high phase alternator? The stator is fine as it's pushing 16-19 volts on both wires when the bike is running. Also that smaller bulb in there should it be wired to run during the day and use the big one at night? I don't ride much in the dark.
 
A relay can give you a brighter light, but will not reduce the current use. It will save the current that poor connections and corroded switch contacts can waste and deliver it to your light, but the battery will still be seeing the same demand. The relays I use are standard Bosch style "cube" relays, but there are smaller Panasonic relays available fromm Mouser, DigiKey, or Eastern Beaver.

The LED taillight will draw less current, but if your system is positive ground you will need to find a positive ground LED light.

The original single phase alternator does not put out much current at low rpm, so if you run headlights around town, it will have a hard time keeping up. A three phase alternator puts out more current, but more importantly will produce more current at lower rpm.

The small light in the headlight is a parking light which is turned on by the toggle switch on the headlight bucket. Many riders in "headlight on" states use a halogen bulb in the parking light and use this as a daytime running light. I have a halogen main bulb in my Interstate with a 3 phase alternator. It will putter around Daytona for an entire Bike Week without need for a boost from a charger. A 3 phase is a worthwhile investment if you run a daytime light or do much night riding in town.
 
Ron L said:
A relay can give you a brighter light, but will not reduce the current use. It will save the current that poor connections and corroded switch contacts can waste and deliver it to your light, but the battery will still be seeing the same demand. The relays I use are standard Bosch style "cube" relays, but there are smaller Panasonic relays available fromm Mouser, DigiKey, or Eastern Beaver.

The LED taillight will draw less current, but if your system is positive ground you will need to find a positive ground LED light.

The original single phase alternator does not put out much current at low rpm, so if you run headlights around town, it will have a hard time keeping up. A three phase alternator puts out more current, but more importantly will produce more current at lower rpm.

The small light in the headlight is a parking light which is turned on by the toggle switch on the headlight bucket. Many riders in "headlight on" states use a halogen bulb in the parking light and use this as a daytime running light. I have a halogen main bulb in my Interstate with a 3 phase alternator. It will putter around Daytona for an entire Bike Week without need for a boost from a charger. A 3 phase is a worthwhile investment if you run a daytime light or do much night riding in town.

That's what I was wanting to know. Thanks RonL. For now I'm gonna install a normal headlight bulb until I can scratch up the funds for a new alternator. I wired the bike to a negative ground so it's all good on that end.
 
For those in the ststes, try your MG or mini cooper spares supplier and you should be able to obtain a H4 reflctor with side light for a lot less than $70 bucks. A lot of the MG and Mini Cooper stuff was Lucas 7 inch. Be wary when fitting some of the modern type reflectors as they tend to sit deeper in the headlamo shell.
 
You might want to consider a bi-xenon HID kit. They are available quite cheap on Ebay. Only consuming about 35W, they would be ideal for a puny alternator. I don't know whether the control unit would easily fit in the headlamp shell.
 
I'd love an HID... all the ones I've seen are a couple hundred bucks though...worth it?- no
 
Madnorton said:
For those in the ststes, try your MG or mini cooper spares supplier and you should be able to obtain a H4 reflctor with side light for a lot less than $70 bucks. A lot of the MG and Mini Cooper stuff was Lucas 7 inch. Be wary when fitting some of the modern type reflectors as they tend to sit deeper in the headlamo shell.

My headlamp was bought from a Mini supplier online. It's a Wipac I believe, and has the pilot lamp hole. Much better light pattern and brightness than what I had. You need to read carefully when ordering as there are right and left handed dip beams for US or UK road use. I thought the price was a bit steep until I received a package of two..

And yes, it fits a bit deeper in the shell.
 
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