35w Halogen too much?

Tnecniv Edipar

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Another option and one I have seen discussed on this forum is to go HID headlight. These give more light for less power than a 35 watt Halogen. A member on here found a really low price source for a conversion kit which worked really well.
 

John Appleton

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VOC Member
Another option and one I have seen discussed on this forum is to go HID headlight. These give more light for less power than a 35 watt Halogen.
They do not use less power than a 35 watt halogen! 35 watts is 35 watts in any money, but they do give more light than a 130 watt halogen for the same power consumption as a 35 watt anything !

John
 

Tnecniv Edipar

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Also , I forgot that they are only available for 12 volt systems. They definitely use less power than filament lamps though. The strike current is momentarily high but the running current is quite low. I'll measure the current on the ones fitted to my car when I get a chance.
 

vintagetour

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Ignition is a Dolphin twin contact. Regulator is mechanical (Triumph I think) and the headlight is aftermarket 7" with H-4 bulb. I built a new wiring harness using heavier wire for 6 volt amp requirements grounded to the UFM bolt and grounding the headlight via terminal strips. All connections are soldered. I would like to run daytime low beam for visibility and high beam for an occasional run across town. I have inspected the dynamo, added new brushes and the voltage regulator is working properly.
Thanks for all the good feedback so far.
Tom
 

johncrispin

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Lights & overload etc

If it is of any use, I have found to get the best out of my 35/35w Halogen, by employing the pattern CB250 reflector available from M&P, which fits neatly into the std 6/1/2" Miller lamp. You have to buy the whole assembly (about £35) which gives you a whole plastic headlamp shell plus a 50/50w bulb.
nb!! don't use it! yes you get a lovely bright light but only for a short time !!! It will donald duck the whole system ( notice no swearing there)
I know it seems alot to get just the reflector, but look at the cost of resilvering should you be able to find someone to do it well enough?
I cannot afford the excellent alternatives as offered by timetraveller and the Alton etc, much as I would like them, so the fitting of an Led tailight is also very helpful, ( I don't know how many watts, but it is negligible compared to a tungsten filament, avec the stop light ). I can also run indicators which are 21w each and when the pennies are available, I will change them Led's also. It has held up nicely for the past five years with two dry cell 6v 5ah batteries in series stuffed into the std battery case.
OK I do not go dashing about too much at night but it is an adequate light for up to about 60mph on ordinary roads and balances the full load at about 45mph. Hope this is helpful, J
 

vintagetour

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
I too bought the headlight unit new with a 50w bulb but was not comfortable with using it. I found a 35w/35w bulb used for a BMW R-27 upgrade. I believe I will stay with 6volt but try to replace the mechanical regulator with a Podtronics and try the LED stoplight. I have used the Podtronics regulator on my 74 Ducati but the LED stoplight was not a visable during the daytime as the filament bulb. Worth a try though. Thanks for the advice.
Tom
 

timetraveller

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
If you can live with a full 7" headlight shell rather than the original sized approx. 6.5" then there is another alternative. In the UK there are several companies which sell pairs of reflectors complete with bulbs, glass, rubber gaiters to seal the back of the bulb housing etc. These are intended for people who have older cars to allow them to painlessly replace their incandescent set up with quarts halogen. Price over here is typically £30 so either you have a spare or you get together with a chum and do two conversions at once. Headlight shells made of steel are available at just about every auto jumble and your only problem will be to find one which does not have too many holes in it already to take switches, warning lights etc. Prices for shells tend to be in the £20 - 30 range. One other alternative which I have seen on a couple of Vins is to get the headlight for a Velocette. This is very similar to the Vin item, takes a 7" reflector and has enough space in it for spare cables, flasher units etc. Good luck :)
 

vintagetour

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
The headlight shell is Japanese and is fitted with an aftermarket reflector to house an H-4 type bulb. I guess before everyone has a heart attack about all the different brands of accessories I have on this bike I should tell you it has been a cafe special since 1965! I don't want you to think I ruined a perfectly good Vincent. I do appreciate all the help though.
Tom
 

peterg

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
LED's and a possible elec reg shortcoming....

Howdy Tom,

I think you'll be delighted with the Vin LED tail light conversion as sold through the VOCS. It is actually made here in the U.S. by Bulbs That Last Forever for which VOCS has exclusive distribution rights so thus not listed at their site. But, here's an example of their offering for the /2 which gives you some idea of the excellent craftsmanship on the Vin unit which is a drop-in. One need only solder the two very thin leads to each existing socket tabs.

To give you some idea of its illumination characteristics, the VOCS incorrectly sent me a 12V for my 6V system, and not having yet discovered its local origins - which I then subsequently had it modified to 6V - and in a time crunch pre-Daytona Bike Week, fitted it anyway. Though not as intensely bright as the incandescent it replaced, a broader source of light resulted in the same "visibility" as far as I was concered. Important as I live/ride in a major city. Once corrected to 6V, it was no contest. As an indication of the amperage drop, the supply wires are very thin.

PODtronic. Early regulators/voltage regulation as typified by the much maligned Miller cartridge, were the choke point to efficient output on generators that were in fact very robust. Later retro-fits of two-charge and similar mech. regs. of unknown origin did not necessarily improve output/efficiency, just reliability. But, at the end of the day, when going for that last amp or two derived with minimal heat - especially important if one is feeding a battery ignition system - there is no substitute for a good modern electronic regulator.

But, I'll mention possibly the only shortcoming of any modern electronic regulator in context with a generator based charging system. It assumes a positive system charge balance at lower rpm, thus more duty cycle during a typical operating cycle. Thus, its tendency to regulate charge just over load (ie, you won't see huge positive swings on your ammeter) means your not capturing maximum charge bang for your buck and this can pose a potential problem if you ride - lights on - in an urban setting.

Older systems - especially cutout equiped ones - operated on the feast or famine principle because they recognized generator ouput was very rpm dependent and they had to capture as much as they could when it went positive and the capacitor (battery) they're feeding this charge into was generally large (3 x max amp charge output) and lead acid which is an extremely forgiving recipient of overcharging situations compared SLA's such as AGM's.

That said, I would not trade the clicking pair of points and amperage draw of a mech reg for this nearly bullet proof tiny unit that fits in a stock reg housing. I currently have 6 POD's in service on some of my machines.
 
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