Aztec8 Dual Headlight

[colobb]

Anybody try this dual headlight from Aztec8?
5 3/4" Black Dual Headlights Only

 

[wangt86]

I think people have mounted this headlight on the FZ6. However reading from other forums the lighting in them are terrible. So if you plan to do some night riding you might need to upgrade the lighting system.

 

[Sawblade]

I've got the dual 4" lights, and the lighting is just as good as stock. My left side bulb has burned out 4 times in less than a year though. I'm looking around for new mounts to try and fix that problem.

 

[thethendi]

There's a picture of an FZ6 with those particular ones on there on the Aztec8 site. Gallery 2

I have the 7" single headlight from them and the lighting is fine (once I got the headlight aligned properly, of course).

 

[colobb]

I've got the dual 4" lights, and the lighting is just as good as stock. My left side bulb has burned out 4 times in less than a year though. I'm looking around for new mounts to try and fix that problem.

I assume that you're thinking too much vibration?

 

[colobb]

There's a picture of an FZ6 with those particular ones on there on the Aztec8 site. Gallery 2

I have the 7" single headlight from them and the lighting is fine (once I got the headlight aligned properly, of course).

Thats what I've read about the 7"'ers. Do you think that its better than OEM? I ride at night here in NW Colorado, with deer, elk, bear, fox, raccoons etc roaming across the road.

Could you or Sawblade tell me if I can do the normal trick of heating in the oven to open it up, or is there a way to open them built in? The bowl(s) are made of some sort of metal correct? How about how deep they are? The picture on the Aztec8 website doesn't exactly show much detail. I can't even tell how you get to the bulb.

 

[thethendi]

Just as an FYI - their mounting system is...OK. Nothing too great, but they get the job done. The fork brackets are plastic, the pieces that mount to it are aluminum...thin enough to drill through if you want to mount your turn signals there (as I have, and as Sawblade seems to have done, judging from his signature pic). You've got to tighten everything really tight (and maybe with some star and/or rubber washers) to minimize the effects of vibration. And regarding the fork tube brackets, if you mount them too low, they'll bump the frame when you have the wheel fully turned to either side. It doesn't seem interfere with the operation of the bike (wheel lock still worked), but I didn't want to leave any scuffs or scratches there.

I'd be interested to see what kind of windscreen, if any, you put on that thing...I'm a fan of the "completely naked" look, but something doesn't quite look right from the front once you have the headlight and gauge on there (in my opinion anyway)...I think it's because the top triple where the handlebar attaches is a little too tall.

 

[thethendi]

I haven't opened up the headlight myself (I've only had it for a month), but it seems that there are a few screws that hold the headlight piece into place in the bucket. You shouldn't have to heat them up or anything to get it open.

Most of my night riding has been in or around Boston since I got the light, so I can't comment on how well the headlight will do on a pitch-black freeway yet. Better than OEM? Probably not. As good...maybe. I am planning on taking a night trip on the interstate later this week (there are some poorly lit portions, especially in Western Massachusetts), so I'll let you know my impressions after that.

EDIT: sorry, I just read your post again. Yes, the headlight bucket is some kind of metal. The depth of the 7" headlight is maybe 4-5 inches (I'm guessing)...I have the triangular brackets in such a way that there's enough clearance behind the headlight to route some cables and wires. If I tried to get it any closer to the bike, I'd wind up having the clutch cable bumping into the back of the headlight a lot. But if you're planning on doing a projector retrofit in there or something, you may not have the depth inside to pull that off.

 

[colobb]

...But if you're planning on doing a projector retrofit in there or something, you may not have the depth inside to pull that off.

How'd you guess?
I'm ok with the projector sticking out the back a little.

 

[thethendi]

Hm. You may be able to find a projector that will fit, but it might be really tight. My only experience with a projector was fitting a bi-xenon projector in a 96 I30 headlight casing 5-6 years ago...and the more I think about it, the more I think it might actually work. I'm going from memory though, so take that with a grain of salt.

If you want to do a single 7" with projector, you can probably find a cheaper setup than Aztec8's. I don't know who else makes a dual 5 3/4" kit though.

Scott at Aztec8 is easy to get in touch with, so I'm sure he can provide the exact depth measurements for the setup you're looking at. In the event that the projector is a little longer than the casing and you've got the right tools to cut through the metal casing in the event that the projector requires a deeper depth, I think that might be a cool looking setup.

 

[colobb]

Hm. You may be able to find a projector that will fit, but it might be really tight. My only experience with a projector was fitting a bi-xenon projector in a 96 I30 headlight casing 5-6 years ago...and the more I think about it, the more I think it might actually work. I'm going from memory though, so take that with a grain of salt.

If you want to do a single 7" with projector, you can probably find a cheaper setup than Aztec8's. I don't know who else makes a dual 5 3/4" kit though.

Scott at Aztec8 is easy to get in touch with, so I'm sure he can provide the exact depth measurements for the setup you're looking at. In the event that the projector is a little longer than the casing and you've got the right tools to cut through the metal casing in the event that the projector requires a deeper depth, I think that might be a cool looking setup.

From Scott at Aztec8:

"hey,
they around 13" wide, 6" deep , 6" tall.
metal.
thanks scott"

Doesn't sound like the most precise measurements...

I have looked for another 5.75 dual headlight and haven't found one. Being from London, (not sure if that makes a difference) but I like the single round headlight. I want the duals for the extra light, I'm greedy that way... I have a set of bi-xenon projectors and ballasts etc. I was doing the retro into the OEM headlight but gave up, cos I kept seeing the bike naked - looks so much better without that ugly '04 fairing on it.
I'll need to let my bank balance recover a little before I fork out the cash for the headlight. Seems kind of pricey for what looks like somewhat of a 'cheap' item.

 

[FazerNYC]

I'm not a big fan of the look of the Aztec duals. I went with the Buell set up. The Buell set up with the flyscreen costs less, looks great and the light output is excellent.

 

[bmccrary]

I've got the dual 4" lights, and the lighting is just as good as stock. My left side bulb has burned out 4 times in less than a year though. I'm looking around for new mounts to try and fix that problem.

Are you using a MC bulb?

If not try picking up one, from what I understand they have a thicker filiment that makes them last much longer.

-bryan

 

[colobb]

I'm not a big fan of the look of the Aztec duals. I went with the Buell set up. The Buell set up with the flyscreen costs less, looks great and the light output is excellent.

I have these, but the headlight is too small for what I want to do. I'm gonna give it a try as is for a week or so. Half of the time will be at night on unlit NW Colorado roads.

You know of anyone else that makes a dual 5 3/4?

 

[thethendi]

Have you looked at CustomDynamics or a Triumph dealer?

Anyway, I took the bike out on some of the weird-ass roads in upstate NY...yeah, you'll want a bulb upgrade for conditions involving poor road lighting and/or furry things wandering across the road. I can't imagine the Aztec8 5 3/4" to be substantially better with the stock bulbs.

Oh, and my low beam went out on the ride. Yay.

 

[colobb]

Have you looked at CustomDynamics or a Triumph dealer?

Anyway, I took the bike out on some of the weird-ass roads in upstate NY...yeah, you'll want a bulb upgrade for conditions involving poor road lighting and/or furry things wandering across the road. I can't imagine the Aztec8 5 3/4" to be substantially better with the stock bulbs.

Oh, and my low beam went out on the ride. Yay.

Custom Dynamics would be pretty expensive, they're $200+ for just one bucket with no light.
Closest Triumph dealer is over 100 miles away, but I did look at an online parts fiche. Looks like it would be about $250 for the Triumph dual setup, and I'd just be hacking it up. I'm also not sure how to mount them, as they connect on the side inbetween them. Well I suppose I could swap them L <-> R, then use fork clamps to each. Hmmm...

 

[colobb]

Correction, the Triumph duals would be about $180, then if I want the piece that connects them, thats another $50 or so.
Too many things to do, not enough money to do them. This forum is great, but its good at draining my bank account!

 

[crowdaoc]

I'm not a big fan of the look of the Aztec duals. I went with the Buell set up. The Buell set up with the flyscreen costs less, looks great and the light output is excellent.

FazerNYC, was just curious where you were able to buy the buell dual setup with the flyscreen? Also how hard was it to get the mounting hardware and get everything cleaned up on your fz? If you could, please send me a PM with the info or reply here. Much appreciated m8.

Also, was debating on the aztec8s myself. Does anyone know what size forks for a 2006 FZ6 I'd need to get the mounting hardware for? They have a sizing chart on aztec8's site, but did not see fz6 anywhere, just r's and other yamaha models. Thanks much everyone!

 

[FazerNYC]

FazerNYC, was just curious where you were able to buy the buell dual setup with the flyscreen? Also how hard was it to get the mounting hardware and get everything cleaned up on your fz?QUOTE]

i have to take everything apart next weekend because i think i could do a better job in hiding the wires than I did. I'll try to post up a step-by-step pictorial of the job (I've seen some pictorials of this on the "other forum" if you do a search. Here's the part list I used:

I purchased these parts in January from https//www.surdyke.com/

Buell XB Headlight
Y0721.6AC
$92.80

Buell XB Windscreen (dark smoke)
M1600.1ACMW
$59.46

Buell XB Windscreen Mount
M0645.1ADA
$18.84

Go to Home Depot and get four 10-32 X 5/8 stainless cap screws (Allen key type) for the windscreen. Find some small rubber or nylon washers for these screws.

You can use any fork mount brackets that fit 43mm diameter. I cant recommend the ones I bought because they turned out to be Fuggin ebay crap made out of chromed plastic! They have to be made out of some sort of metal because you’ll have to make a slight angle bend in the tips to meet the mounting point of the Headlight/Windscreen mount system.

I cut off the Buell headlight connector and bought this one: http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Elec__Products/Connectors/Waterproof_Connectors/SM-HM/body_sm-hm.html to connect to the FZ harness.

In retrospect they mod was easy. While doing this you gotta have a little patience and be willing to make adjustments.

* looks like the link doesn't work. Heres a pic and part # for the connector:
Motorcycle Electric Connectors, cheap worldwide shipping.
Then go to Sealed Connectors - Sumitomo HM Series - Part # 4P090WP-HM Kit

 

[crowdaoc]

Thanks for the good info FazerNYC! I'm thinking of buying that shortly. Is there a pic of your bike with this windscreen on it already? Just curious because the parts list on that website isnt showing me pics . Thanks again!