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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | after 58,000 miles and nearly two years I finally have the rightside headlight blow. I'm not really sure when it went, but it had to be sometime Wednesday, or it went this morning when I fired it up. Also, the left trunk light is out as well, and I'll be stopping by the dealer today to get the replacements. I'll post my experience with the headlight replacement, and yes I'm going to do both at the same time.
This is the first time I've had to replace any light so I think I'm doing pretty good with my dirty Bentley. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | arrrrggggh, i can't believe what it takes to change the headlighhts.... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 935
Rockford, IL | Chris....
A little trick I've found is to remove the front air filter and tip the bike over on the tipovers. Its still a tight fit to to get at the back of the bulbs, tipping the bike allows quite a bit more room for the arm, a little less contortioning of the hand & wrist.
Take a look in my gallery for some photos of the back of the headlamp bulbs, you'll be able to see how the retaining clips work and which way you need to move them and such. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 732
Western WA | Good luck V.
So far the only real bitch I have with the bike is replacing the headlight and side badges.
I'll be interested to see if you can change them without removing the bucket. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | YOW! I did a partial removal of the front, took the grill and pan off and pulled back the front fairing like open heart surgery. I found two things fighting against me. The lamp clips were fixed, even after unlatching them. Then when I took out the screws that removed the latch, I couldn't get the plug off. I didn't see any tricks, like levers or such, it looked like a straight pull. When I finally got it off I ended up breaking one, the old one, but it was a challenge.
I do not see how one, even if it everything works well, like latches and plugs, that the light can be changed according to the owner's guide. Victory owes us a road show to demonstrate how to do according to the book. I'm with you Breaker, this is the one discouragment on the Vision that I have. I hope I can go another 60,000, but guess what, the next major services, I'm going in and changing them.
I picked up the Sylvana's from wally word for $37.88 a set. 60/55w. |
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Tourer
Posts: 432
Gettysburg, 2008 Tour Premium | I hope you did not buy Silverstar's. They are nortorious ofr failing in a bike because of vibes. At least in Harleys they never last. When I ever change mine I will look for Hella rugged duty H4 bulbs. Susquehanna Mororsports (ralleylights.com) are the people to talk to.
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Thanks WRoman, I think that is what they are. I'll be looking for the "rugged" ones and wait to see when these will blow. I hope they don't go at the same time. Now that I've go an idea of what to do it won't be as tramatic to change them the next go around. Also, I want to go with the 110's these are just 55.
Edited by varyder 2009-11-16 4:28 AM
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Cruiser
Posts: 238
SF Bay Area | All the effort to change them may be worth a set of PIAA's (tough lights, from my experience). Plus they have many whiteness choices, and can match the HID light color.
Just a thought... |
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Tourer
Posts: 447
Cleveland, GA | varyder - 2009-11-15 1:01 PM arrrrggggh, i can't believe what it takes to change the headlighhts.... I see you have felt our pain! Embrace the suck! |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | yes, the pain is felt. As far as the tipover method, it MIGHT work the next time. My clips were FIXED and would not rotate even after they were un latched. I had to remove the screw to get them free up. Also, the plug DID NOT want to unplug. I could not see any thing that held them and had to pry them off. I think it was a bad day for the headlight guy at the factory and wanted to take it out on someone... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 732
Western WA | buddahead - 2009-11-16 7:14 AM
All the effort to change them may be worth a set of PIAA's (tough lights, from my experience). Plus they have many whiteness choices, and can match the HID light color.
Just a thought...
You would think, wouldn't you?
I replaced mine with the PIAA H4 Intense White.
That bulb lasted a couple of months before blowing the high beam. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 73
San Diego, Ca | The intense white PIAA does not come in a anti-vibration bulb . The extreme white does # 70856 in its description works for a Harley $85 for a pair retail. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 732
Western WA | Double checked and I had a slip of the brain. It was the extreme white. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 153
Newnan, GA | varyder - 2009-11-15 4:07 PM
I picked up the Sylvana's from wally word for $37.88 a set. 60/55w.
Get ready to replace them again after 20K miles. Many have had them burn out even sooner
I tried them for two years, riding straight though both years. I averaged 25K miles both years and both sets of Ultras burned out in about a year.
I liked the light that they put out but not for the price and the time that the lasted.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51g2%2B%2B9wtFL._SL500_AA280_... |
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Tourer
Posts: 447
Cleveland, GA | varyder - 2009-11-16 12:13 PM Also, the plug DID NOT want to unplug. I could not see any thing that held them and had to pry them off. I think it was a bad day for the headlight guy at the factory and wanted to take it out on someone... Yeah - mine did the same thing. It was a real PITA to get it off. I was going to replace both bulbs when one blew, but after doing the first one, I just said, "Screw it!" and waited for the other one to blow. Which it did a week later - along with the one I had replaced. I bit the bullet, took it to the shop, and paid for it to be done. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 153
Newnan, GA |
+1 on that!
They last about a year on my Goldwing.
I went though 2 sets before I went back to the cheap yet longer lasting bulbs.
wroman - 2009-11-15 7:03 PM
I hope you did not buy Silverstar's. They are nortorious ofr failing in a bike because of vibes. At least in Harleys they never last. When I ever change mine I will look for Hella rugged duty H4 bulbs. Susquehanna Mororsports (ralleylights.com) are the people to talk to.
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headlight