Dual low beam opinions??

[dxh24]

Was on SBN and came across a thread about how to make your low beams come from both lights... and there was discussion about why they made it only one and if it was a good idea to switch it back to 2 or not.... so I thought i'd ask those who use them all the time... is there a big difference, would you recommend switching to dual low beams or stick to one?

Thanks ahead of time!

 

[Dandy D]

I did it shortly after picking up my used '05 in 2007. Been good ever since. Doing it will provide additional light to the right for shoulder and road sign issues. Its not a perfectly aimed beam because the reflector is only designed for the high beam but it still helps, looks better and doesn't seem to bother any oncoming drivers/riders. So there - but its up to you. However if you choose to do this and your electrical system gets messed up, its not my 'fault'.

 

[novaks47]

I say it's worthwhile. Oddly, the H4 low beam when activated, has less glare than the factory low beam. I'll be doing this soon, whenever this damn rain goes away. Started raining again, and looks like more for this week and the following weekend! Anyways, I think it's a great mod, for visibility(especially on mountain roads in the morning/at night), and looks. No more people saying you have a bulb out either! lol Search on the forums for the "BD43 dual headlight mod". It's pretty easy to do. He(BD43) even makes and sells the appropriate cabling to make the job even easier.

 

[jaredz28]

If you decide to do this, make sure you've done so properly. I bought an 06 that already had it done but not the recommended way. It was more or less piggy backing power from the lowbeam, therefore leaving it on even when the high beam was switched on. I live in Georgia and on a warm day completely lost power and popped the infamous code 46. BD43 seems to make the best option for the dual headlight mod as it switches off the low in the right socket when the high beam switch is activated. Advantages to this include a stock rate of power draw and looks as though it would ensure grounding in tha circuit. I'm new to this forum and actually found it because of this problem. It seems like a worthwhile mod as long as it's done properly.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I say it's worthwhile. Oddly, the H4 low beam when activated, has less glare than the factory low beam. I'll be doing this soon, whenever this damn rain goes away. Started raining again, and looks like more for this week and the following weekend! Anyways, I think it's a great mod, for visibility(especially on mountain roads in the morning/at night), and looks. No more people saying you have a bulb out either! lol Search on the forums for the "BD43 dual headlight mod". It's pretty easy to do. He(BD43) even makes and sells the appropriate cabling to make the job even easier.

+1 on the above. The BD43 is the way to go, works great and you still have highbeam.... Very, very professionally made, good instructions too... A definite must have farkle...

 

[GTPAddict]

X2. I bought my bike Tuesday and did the BD43 light mod Friday (I had the needed wiring and connectors already). The time he took to document this really made the mod very simple. Here's a link to the page...

http://www.600riders.com/forum/how-tos/1663-bd43s-07-headlight-mod-part-1-a.html

 

[tcmalker]

I think bd43 charges $35 for his wires.

 

[novaks47]

That's not terribly unreasonable. Saves us time on hunting down the proper connectors/pin, and he does do a good job on them. Labor counts for something, right? I'll probably just make it myself, or rig something else up, but for people that aren't familiar with cable making, that's not a bad deal at all. :thumbup: Better than people blowing tons of cash on fancy, overpriced speaker wire, or Monster HDMI cables.

 

[Motogiro]

If you decide to do this, make sure you've done so properly. I bought an 06 that already had it done but not the recommended way. It was more or less piggy backing power from the lowbeam, therefore leaving it on even when the high beam was switched on. I live in Georgia and on a warm day completely lost power and popped the infamous code 46. BD43 seems to make the best option for the dual headlight mod as it switches off the low in the right socket when the high beam switch is activated. Advantages to this include a stock rate of power draw and looks as though it would ensure grounding in tha circuit. I'm new to this forum and actually found it because of this problem. It seems like a worthwhile mod as long as it's done properly.

That's exactly how you have to do it. Unload the low beam during high beam operation.

 

[Def]

Get BD43's headlight mod wire. The mod is quite easy with great instructions. I'm not so sure that you can see at night much better with the mod, but you sure are noticed more with both lights on low beam.IMHO. From a safety point of view, it's worth it.
Stock head lights really aren't that great at night, but if you're looking for better night vision, nothing works better than a bi-xenon projector mod. Hit the search button for both mods.

 

[H8 PVMT]

I did this to my 07, I got tired of people telling me that I had a headlight out. I know very little about electrical work but I was able to do this mod very easily and I'm glad I did. For kicks I even installed turn signals into the vacant housing next to the head lights.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

That's not terribly unreasonable. Saves us time on hunting down the proper connectors/pin, and he does do a good job on them. Labor counts for something, right? I'll probably just make it myself, or rig something else up, but for people that aren't familiar with cable making, that's not a bad deal at all. :thumbup: Better than people blowing tons of cash on fancy, overpriced speaker wire, or Monster HDMI cables.

+1 on the above..

It'd take me longer hunting down wire ends, etc than doing it yourself. If you have everything already, and know how, that's fine. I don't have a problem paying someone for his inguinuity and subsequent product.

BTW, I make speciallty brackets for BMW's and FJR's to mount helmet locks on them. They are not patentented as it would cost too much for each one to do so. If someone wants to copy my design and make their own, that's fine, they'll have several hours into making the first one fit correctly, costing them more in time than its worth(IMHO)...
They are labor intensive (much more so than the BD43 mod) with a specific procedure in the manufacting process. BMW cannot make enough BMW locks to keep up with the demand literally with what I produce and my distributor sells ( The Easy Helmet Lock for the BMW K1300S, K1200S, K1300R, K1200R, & R Sport ).

 

[DownrangeFuture]

Bi-xenon is the way to go! You'll need to do BD34's mod anyway so you'll have one connector wired like an H1. It uses a relay to switch power from the battery to the lights and to switch the little flap up and down for low and high, and it uses the logic from the H1 plug to do it.

And if you buy the morimoto kit, it's all there (except the BD34 cable), and all the plugs are idiot-proof. Great for guys like me! You can see how they look in my thread about it.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-mods/37638-bi-xenon-projector-morimoto-mini-stage-iii-kit-install-my-new-mirrors.html

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Bi-xenon is the way to go! You'll need to do BD34's mod anyway so you'll have one connector wired like an H1. It uses a relay to switch power from the battery to the lights and to switch the little flap up and down for low and high, and it uses the logic from the H1 plug to do it.

And if you buy the morimoto kit, it's all there (except the BD34 cable), and all the plugs are idiot-proof. Great for guys like me! You can see how they look in my thread about it.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-mods/37638-bi-xenon-projector-morimoto-mini-stage-iii-kit-install-my-new-mirrors.html

I didn't want anything quite as involved as your set although I'm sure its bright..

If I need anything any brighter than what I have (and I'm happy with what I have), I'd invest in some PIAA Super bright bulbs (had one in my old KLR). Considerably brighter and doesn't use anymore voltage than the stock bulbs(100 watts vs 60 on HB however it pulls 60 watts)..

Most of my riding is during the day and any high speed stuff is definitly NOT AT NIGHT, I won't outride my headlights...

 

[DownrangeFuture]

Yeah, I commute to work at about 5AM every morning, so seeing and being seen at night is important to me. But if I only rode during the day, I would have just stayed with BD34's mod myself.

 

[FIZZER6]

HID projector retrofits is the way to go if you want to be seen. I ride the twisties with my high beams on and it looks like the sun is coming at you! At night it's like there is no darkness. :thumbup: