I called Yamaha today!!!

as I promised in another thread, I called Corporate Headquarters for Yamaha USA today. I asked them about the reasoning behind only wiring up the low beam on the left side of all Yamaha sportbikes, the FZ6 in particular. after being sworn to secrecy, I was given a telephone number and a name. we'll call him "Scott" (names have been changed to protect the sources). after identifying myself as Moderator on a enthusiast forum, I asked the Question, "what is Yamahas reason for having the left low beam lit only, when the factory installed high beam is a dual filament bulb. I also explained the shield under the low beam filament that would prevent the light bulb from illuminating the bottom of the headlight reflector, thus preventing it from blinding on coming traffic. initially I was told that maybe there was an error with my bike. I then explained to them the "error" was in all Yamaha sportbikes including the R1, R6, FZ1 and the FZ6. I was then asked to hold on why my call was transfered to someone we'll call "Julie" that was a product specialist. after explaining my question to her she briefly put me on hold. when she returned, I was told that information was "Propriety" and would not be released, as it was "Propriety" from Japan HQ. this has me even more intrigued than ever. I would have settled for any of the urban myths regarding the headlight, but this "Propriety" answer has peaked my interest.

gentlemen I dare to say we are through the looking glass...

Danny,
Sounds like you got a canned answer from Yamaha to me.
I worked for a memory chip manufacturer last year for 9 months. We had lots of "proprietary" information in regards to manufacturing processes and technologies. Somehow I just don't see what is so revolutionary in headlight technology about having one bulb lit versus two that it would kept such a closely guarded secret. If I'm wrong then somebody better tell Suzuki that they got it all wrong with their SV650S!
IMO; some engineer in Japan probably got fired today for allowing thousands of bikes to be sold with only one lamp working on low beam.
Just my 2 cents worth.

sportrider_fz6 said:

as I promised in another thread, I called Corporate Headquarters for Yamaha USA today. I asked them about the reasoning behind only wiring up the low beam on the left side of all Yamaha sportbikes,

gentlemen I dare to say we are through the looking glass...

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Whoooohhh

Thanks for clearing things up Yamaha

Thanks for trying Danny :thumbup:

By the way I posted a photo of my one eyed monster in the Gallery http://600riders.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/685/ppuser/673.

+1 on the canned answer.

SportRider August 2007 had a "readers fire back" letter in it and a follow up in November 2007.

They stated, "the reason for separate high/low beam headlights is because the manufacturers are moving toward more reliable single-filament buils, meaning they can only be used for one beam or the other."

Nonetheless, this does not answer all the wiring questions. Does the fact that everything is flipped on the other side of the pond shed any light on things? Perhaps the wiring products/packages they likely purchase from a third party are faily universal?
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DefyInertia said:

+1 on the canned answer.

Does the fact that everything is flipped on the other side of the pond shed any light on things?

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This statement has me curious. I'll need help from the guys and gals who don't live in the US to answer. In the US, the FZ6's low beam lights on the left side (if you're sitting on the bike) only. We then get the right side as high beam. In the countries where they drive on the left hand side of the road, does your FZ6 low beam light on the opposite (ie right) side?

Mart Man FZ6 said:

This statement has me curious. I'll need help from the guys and gals who don't live in the US to answer. In the US, the FZ6's low beam lights on the left side (if you're sitting on the bike) only. We then get the right side as high beam. In the countries where they drive on the left hand side of the road, does your FZ6 low beam light on the opposite (ie right) side?

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low beam left & high beam right. I think, Just checked and this is correct.

perryn said:

low beam left & high beam right. I think

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thats correct for the US bikes anyhow.

heres a question for the bikes on the opposite side of the road, is your low beam a dual filament bulb thats hooked up, and your high beam a single filament bulb?

This is just a guess, but could it have something t do with the output abilities of the generator and battery? I noticed on my bike (which has both lights wired) that when I apply the brakes (lighting up the tailight) the head lights dim. Again, just a guess, but it makes sense to me.

rdksek844 said:

This is just a guess, but could it have something t do with the output abilities of the generator and battery? I noticed on my bike (which has both lights wired) that when I apply the brakes (lighting up the tailight) the head lights dim. Again, just a guess, but it makes sense to me.

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That's an interesting angle. Will have to see how the heated vests/gloves compare to 55 W.
I was originally going to suggest that nothing sells bikes like a bit of controversy/mystique, but hopefully the Japanese haven't sunk to that American-like low in marketing...

Ah hell,
It all comes down to styling. Period. They let the marketing department make this decision.
Plus I'm not sure, but aren't dual filament bulbs cheaper than singles? Somebody here ought to know.

This is just imitating *ahem* "Euro" styling and the marketing department went with what they thought the buyers would want.

Just my 0.02 :thumbup:

trailblazer87 said:

Ah hell,
It all comes down to styling. Period. They let the marketing department make this decision.
Plus I'm not sure, but aren't dual filament bulbs cheaper than singles? Somebody here ought to know.

This is just imitating *ahem* "Euro" styling and the marketing department went with what they thought the buyers would want.

Just my 0.02 :thumbup:

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Yeah, that kinda makes more sense then my answer. I ride tonight and noticed that the lights dim when I am coasting with the clutch in and braking. Once I let the clutch out and the rpms go back up, the lights come back. So, style I guess seems more reasonable.

You know it's just not the FZ6....my roomates R6 is the same, only one headlight. Wonder what the dealership would have said to me during the inspection period that I didn't want to buy the bike with only one headlight working. Even after telling me that it's suppose to be that way. Wonder if they would have done the mod for me for free rather than lose the sale? An interesting thought in the future.

rdksek844 said:

Yeah, that kinda makes more sense then my answer. I ride tonight and noticed that the lights dim when I am coasting with the clutch in and braking. Once I let the clutch out and the rpms go back up, the lights come back. So, style I guess seems more reasonable.

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Er No. If your lights are dimming when the engine RPMs drop, there is something wrong with your bike! I'm not an auto electrician, so I can't begin to guess what, but there are loads of techie guys on this site, ask the question. :Sport:

rdksek844 said:

I ride tonight and noticed that the lights dim when I am coasting with the clutch in and braking.

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Does this have anything to do with the fact that the forces of rolling off the throttle and applying the brake shift the position of the lights? In other words, perhaps you are perceiving this but in reality the lights are just hitting a different spot at a different angle?

I used to notice this when I was behind a car at a light...they seemed to get brighter as I revved and started to move...I eventually realized they were just pointing higher and creating a more noticeable reflection.

Just a thought.........
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VEGASRIDER said:

You know it's just not the FZ6....my roomates R6 is the same, only one headlight. Wonder what the dealership would have said to me during the inspection period that I didn't want to buy the bike with only one headlight working. Even after telling me that it's suppose to be that way. Wonder if they would have done the mod for me for free rather than lose the sale? An interesting thought in the future.

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Not sure that that angle would have helped you. I went to my local Yamaha dealer to inquire about having them do the mod to my bike. The guy in the service dept. said it couldn't be done. When I explained to him the info I got from the headlight mod thread, he said "well it sounds like you know what to do so go ahead. They weren't willing to perform the work even when I told them how it could be done. I ended up doing the mod myself, and am glad I tackled it. It really was easy to do at home. Finding the connector was the most difficult part.

sportrider_fz6 said:

thats correct for the US bikes anyhow.

heres a question for the bikes on the opposite side of the road, is your low beam a dual filament bulb thats hooked up, and your high beam a single filament bulb?

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As you can see from the pic my right hand lamp is a dual filament either on low or high beam, my left hand lamp is a single which only goes on on high beam. I assume this is the same for the US bikes as we both ride on the right.

rdksek844 said:

Yeah, that kinda makes more sense then my answer. I ride tonight and noticed that the lights dim when I am coasting with the clutch in and braking. Once I let the clutch out and the rpms go back up, the lights come back. So, style I guess seems more reasonable.

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My lights on the r1 dim at idle to, Its normal. Bikes do not have a very good charging system. Then again they dont need many amps to keep everything going.

Pseudo Cloggy said:

As you can see from the pic my right hand lamp is a dual filament either on low or high beam, my left hand lamp is a single which only goes on on high beam. I assume this is the same for the US bikes as we both ride on the right.

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my left hand lamp is single filiment (h7) and works on low beam and my right hand lamp is dual filiment (h4) and works on high beam which seems different to yours cloggy.

finboz said:

my left hand lamp is single filiment (h7) and works on low beam and my right hand lamp is dual filiment (h4) and works on high beam which seems different to yours cloggy.

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Sorry ignore me, I just had a brain meltdown, mine is the same as yours but on the otherside, as expected. :banghead: