50W 6Amp Alternator for Bicycles that WORKS!

[Flattracker]

H4

WOW! Live and learn. I never knew H4's weren't DOT legal!

 

[HseLoMein]

Yeah i didn't learn that will well after i purchased the light, but the good thing about it being ECE (European) approved is that it has a nifty 5 w parking light built in as to their specs. Great for a night bike show.

 

[Flattracker]

I dropped one of the tiny contacts and can't find it. I stripped and searched the wh

You Know what? I sometimes think I'm going crazy because I'll drop a screw, washer or something and it DISAPPEARS. I heard something about how alternate realities or dimensions somehow get close and things can get "bumped" across the boundary. I think thats where things go when they're dropped.

I'll tell you man, I dropped a small bolt and got down on the floor at eye level to try to spot it. Didnt work. So I rearranged my work area. Didn't find it. So FINALLY, I field-dayed (very thorough cleaning to non military) the whole place. Still didn't find it. So it must have gone missing to the "other side"

 

[HseLoMein]

im pretty sure, if i float a magnet over my garage and basement floor i would find everything that has been "lost"

 

[AussieSteve]

Yeah, when I say I stripped the room, I really mean stripped, down to a bare floor, then even vacuumed the corners with tissue paper over the vacuum hose, all to no avail.
This thing really did disappear. I did the eye-level thing, with a torch even - no go.
The contact was brass, so magnets are no good. If only I had a metal detector.....
That was the perfect switch and now I'm stuck with a combo switch. I'll have to use the indicators for on/off and the high/low for high/low, instead of one simple 3-position switch doing both.
Life wasn't meant to be too easy.

 

[Flattracker]

now I'm stuck with a combo switch.

I know how you feel. I bought one of those left handlebar mount switch pods. One with the built in choke lever found on , (drum roll) ebay!

Its one of those "euro" style units.

I had such a hard time wiring it properly! Then I discovered the master on off switch was defective, which was marked Hi/Lo.

I retrieved a micro sized slide switch from my stash of electrical parts goodies, and replaced the defective one.

It wasn't an exact fit, but a little JB Weld neatly applied and you'de have to be eyeball close to see it rigged.

This is the one that I bought.

That little custom made red button was very poorly made and had to be replaced before being used on the road.

 

[AussieSteve]

I know how you feel. I bought one of those left handlebar mount switch pods. One with the built in choke lever found on , (drum roll) ebay!
Its one of those "euro" style units.

I saw the ones with built-in choke and almost bought one because I'm considering buying a carb with cable choke, but ended up buying the one below, from eBay, for $23AU delivered, (about $20US).

I checked out a local motorbike shop and they wanted $75 for a Yamaha one and $100 for a Kwaka switch unit. That's when I hit the wreckers and got the Montesa switch, for $5. (By coincidence, I had a 250cc Montesa Enduro, back in the days, and recognised the switch instantly. I think they were also on Bultacos. I had a couple of them too, way back, a 360 Sherpa T and a 250 Pursang.)

For anyone using a similar switch to light one filament for 'low' beam or two filaments for 'high' beam, the following switch wiring with a 'steering' diode might be useful. (Of course, the LED high beam indicator is optional.):-

 

[Flattracker]

and almost bought one

Be glad you didn't. While performing my new builds pre ride checklist, and making adjustments on my chain idler sprocket, my bike almost tipped over. It was against the wall in the picture and only moved a few inches and bumped the wall. Next thing I know there are parts hitting the ground! My brand new CHINESE plastic choke lever was no more So, I installed my new "Spooky Tooth" choke cable that came with the CNS carb kit. Which I must say is worth it for the performance increase.

 

[GearNut]

H4 bulbs are not DOT legal? They have been used in motorcycles for at least 20 years in factory headlight assemblies. I know, I have sold hundreds of bulbs to customers, and installed nearly a hundred servicing motorcycles. My Toyota truck takes H4's.
The bulb I have in my hand right now has etched into it's base "DOT 9003" which is a factory certification of compliance.
Where did you hear that they were illegal?

 

[HseLoMein]

Wikipedia, the US equivalent of an H4 is HB2/9003. It is the exact same plug and socket. just differences in filament placement and internal reflector and differences in wattage and intensity. you are correct tho if you looked at the original bulbs for your toyota truck, i bet it had DOT 9003 on the side.

here is the wiki quote
The first dual-filament halogen bulb (to produce a low and a high beam with only one bulb), the H4, was released in 1971. The U.S. prohibited halogen headlamps until 1978, when halogen sealed beams were released. To this day, the H4 is still not legal for automotive use in the United States. Instead, the Americans created their own very similar standard (HB2/9003). The primary differences are that the HB2 sets more strict requirements on filament positioning, and that the HB2 are required to meet the lower maximum output standards set forth by the United States government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlamp