Headlight sockets?

[wcgreen]

Ok... prob a stupid question, but freaking out a bit.  Just got my second 2012 C14 on Saturday.. Drove it home.  It has those HORRID HID blubs and one is blown.. You cannot drive it at night its so bad.. horrible light... he said just change the bulbs.. So I go to dealer and get two OEM bulbs.. try to put them in before I go to rehearsal.. won't go in the sockets!  Great.. risking my damn life just going to school and work at night now and I have no other transport but this bike.  What does it need to go back to OEM and what will dealer charge cause I have no time.. I am a slave and indentured servant in grad school with ZERO time for this foolishness... So, I need to be at the dealer at 8am and beg them to get this fixed immediately.. what might I be looking at?  Dude should have fixed this or warned me before I showed up to drive it home 500 miles away. Im seriously pissed right now

[Derek]

When the lights are changed to HID's they is a ballast that goes inline between the stock wire socket and the new HID bulbs.  from the back of the HID's just follow the wiring back to the stock plug and unplug that part.  Plug factory plug into back of the stock bulb.

Factoy set up will also have a rubber boot that covers the back of the light housing but that might have been modified or removed when the HID's were put in.  The rubber boot could be left off to get you rolling but should be installed soon as it seals the light housing.

[wcgreen]

Gotcha! I see that- like a patch chord- will tackle it after rehearsal- thanks!

[maxtog]

Derek is right, at least for all the HID kits I have seen, you can simply remove the adapter and plug the halogen back lights back into the factory harness without modifying or changing anything.  My kit also did not modify the rubber boots at all.

Not all HID conversion kits work the same, some really have horrible light output, throwing light all over the place but where you need it most.  Some work OK, but from what I can tell none are ideal (they all increase glare).  Sounds like you probably got stuck with a poorer quality one and/or one that the bulbs were installed upside down.... (yep, that can happen).

[wcgreen]

Well, just spent 2 hours trying to just screw one bulb into the headlamp... no luck.. its either the wrong bulb, or I am a freaking idiot with big hands and cannot do it in those cramped quarters.. I sat there for 2 hours and never could get the blulb to go in far enough to lock into the socket...so gonna pray the dealer will do it immediatly when they open so I don't have to drive to 2 hours to Memphis in the dark tomorrow night.

[maxtog]

Well, just spent 2 hours trying to just screw one bulb into the headlamp... no luck.. its either the wrong bulb, or I am a freaking idiot with big hands and cannot do it in those cramped quarters.. I sat there for 2 hours and never could get the blulb to go in far enough to lock into the socket...so gonna pray the dealer will do it immediatly when they open so I don't have to drive to 2 hours to Memphis in the dark tomorrow night.

There are HID adapters that are inserted into the headlamp reflector housings and held there with just some little metal wire hook/spring/clamps (A) in photo 1.  I have to assume you removed those before you tried to insert the halogen bulbs, right?  The halogen bulbs are much larger than the HID bulbs and you will not be able to insert the halogen one through the hole of the adapter.

There is really no "screwing" the halogen bulbs at all... they are simply inserted in the correct orientation (photo 2) and then the wire hook/spring/clamps (A) in photo 1 are strapped across the back side that keeps them in place.

It is pretty simple stuff, just a little hard to get to and see what you are doing.  Remember, NEVER touch the bulb glass with your hand... if you do, it will have to be cleaned with alcohol.

[Conrad]

Well, just spent 2 hours trying to just screw one bulb into the headlamp... no luck.. its either the wrong bulb, or I am a freaking idiot with big hands and cannot do it in those cramped quarters.. I sat there for 2 hours and never could get the blulb to go in far enough to lock into the socket...so gonna pray the dealer will do it immediatly when they open so I don't have to drive to 2 hours to Memphis in the dark tomorrow night.

What bulbs did the dealer supply you with? There's no screwing (easy boys) involved with these bulbs and if you turn the handlebars one way or the other you'll find that you have more room to get your hands down in there to make the change.

[B.D.F.]

I think perhaps that the headlight sockets are stock and you are just having trouble installing the bulb? This is not an insult at all, they are indeed a PIA and they have a learning curve, plus the fact that you can look at them and you can easily get one hand on them but not both at once.

There is a bent wire retainer that holds the lamp in the socket: the end of that needs to be pushed down a little bit and it will release and swing toward the back of the bike. Once that happens, the bulb is completely loose and can just be picked up. Bulb goes back in the same way but note that it is 'timed' so that it is rotated in a specific position and will only go in that one point of rotation. Rotate the wire back so it is against the bulb and then press it in and down (it is really a spring so you have to load it a little bit) and latch the end. All done with the mechanical install.

The electrical side: the HIDs will have a ballast for each lamp or 'burner', and they should have one harness that plugs into the bikes' original headlamp connector. Now there are two connectors for the headlights so one is either taped or clipped out of the way or more likely, just dangling under there (Easy Boys!). Find both original connectors and plug one on each of the new bulbs and all should be well; you can just leave the ballasts under the fairing as long as you anchor the harness ends so they do not dangle down too far (Boys!) and hang outside the fairing or interfere with the bikes' steering.

A competent dealer should be able to do this in a few minutes as long as the mechanic understands that the ballasts and harness have been added to a stock bike and to just ignore them.

Best of luck.
Brian

Well, just spent 2 hours trying to just screw one bulb into the headlamp... no luck.. its either the wrong bulb, or I am a freaking idiot with big hands and cannot do it in those cramped quarters.. I sat there for 2 hours and never could get the blulb to go in far enough to lock into the socket...so gonna pray the dealer will do it immediatly when they open so I don't have to drive to 2 hours to Memphis in the dark tomorrow night.

[wcgreen]

Thanks folks... Dealer showed me there were some kind of adaptors in there for the LEDs that had to be removed first... put them in for no charge.  Sorry for the delay in getting back here... got some bad news my ex has leukemia so been focused on that the past day.

[maxtog]

Thanks folks... Dealer showed me there were some kind of adaptors in there for the LEDs that had to be removed first...

I win!

put them in for no charge.  Sorry for the delay in getting back here...

Kewl

got some bad news my ex has leukemia so been focused on that the past day.

[Conrad]

Thanks folks... Dealer showed me there were some kind of adaptors in there for the LEDs that had to be removed first... put them in for no charge.  Sorry for the delay in getting back here... got some bad news my ex has leukemia so been focused on that the past day.

Sorry to hear about your ex-wife, I hope that the prognosis is positive?