Installing headlamp bulbs

[Grumpy Goat]

Changing the low or high beams on the RS is not a hard job ... just a little fiddly and one that you do largely by touch. Changing a blown parking lamp is an entirely different matter and because of access is very difficult. I did not manage to change my parking lamp bulb in this attempt, and will explain why in the video.

[JWMcDonald]

Might want to add (at the beginning of the video) detail about the removal of the panels to allow easier access to the work area...

Also, I recall (from my recent install of Cyclops product - both their LED Hi/Lo and LED parking bulbs) that it was a matter of wiggling the parking bulb holder left / right (with a long-nose forceps) and pulling. Installation was also problematic in that it never did feel like they seated positively (attribute that to my pudgy fingers) but have not displaced themselves in subsequent riding.

Having LED for all ends up with a nice white overall - don't have the various shades between Hi/Lo and parking bulbs...just my compulsiveness showing, I guess...

[Grumpy Goat]

Might want to add (at the beginning of the video) detail about the removal of the panels to allow easier access to the work area...

Also, I recall (from my recent install of Cyclops product - both their LED Hi/Lo and LED parking bulbs) that it was a matter of wiggling the parking bulb holder left / right (with a long-nose forceps) and pulling. Installation was also problematic in that it never did feel like they seated positively (attribute that to my pudgy fingers) but have not displaced themselves in subsequent riding.

Having LED for all ends up with a nice white overall - don't have the various shades between Hi/Lo and parking bulbs...just my compulsiveness showing, I guess...

No need to remove panels to install the H7 bulbs, but I may have to do that to change the parking lamp bulbs. We'll see ... I'll mention that in the video where I successfully change those.

Agreed on going all LED makes for a nice uniform white light.

Let me ask this ... with your conversion, what happens if the LED lamp fails? Its not like you can to to the Autozone and buy a replacement while on a road trip. That is the one advantage of sticking with standard bulbs, unless you can simply remove the LED lamp and put in a standard H7 to get you by. Can you do that on your setup?

[darrell]

Good video Wayne. I changed out my low beam for the 5th time Sunday as it had blown burned out the day before. It is the first time I found the black plastic cover for the 2 electric terminals falling apart and in multiple pieces. Like you I will need to mark them so I know which one is on the top. When I get back to MN I’ll check and see if my extended warranty will cover that connector.

[Grumpy Goat]

Good video Wayne. I changed out my low beam for the 5th time Sunday as it had blown burned out the day before. It is the first time I found the black plastic cover for the 2 electric terminals falling apart and in multiple pieces. Like you I will need to mark them so I know which one is on the top. When I get back to MN I’ll check and see if my extended warranty will cover that connector.

Looks like we're going through a spate of blown H7s ... first mine last week, then Bob's and now yours. And I am mildly surprised to hear that your connector has fallen apart too. This has to be a known thing or else BMW would not have that $50 repair part (connector with 6" pigtail).

   

Speaking of which, I found a very similar connector online for as low as $5 (Ebay), and in fact I ordered this one off Amazon for $10. Should be arriving today. Rather than cut off the old connectors I will see if I can simply add spade (male) connectors to the new pigtail, and then push those into the females of the existing connector. That way next time it disintegrates I can just unplug and plug in a new one.

[JWMcDonald]

[/quote]
Let me ask this ... with your conversion, what happens if the LED lamp fails? Its not like you can to to the Autozone and buy a replacement while on a road trip. That is the one advantage of sticking with standard bulbs, unless you can simply remove the LED lamp and put in a standard H7 to get you by. Can you do that on your setup?
[/quote]

There is adapter ring with the LED Hi/Lo bulbs that is simply removed to re-install the H7.

The non-LED bulbs (Hi/Lo as well as parking) just go into my "spares pouch" so it is a simple matter to revert in the event of LED failure on a trip.

[Olgry1]

Changing the low or high beams on the RS is not a hard job ... just a little fiddly and one that you do largely by touch. Changing a blown parking lamp is an entirely different matter and because of access is very difficult. I did not manage to change my parking lamp bulb in this attempt, and will explain why in the video.

Nice video Wayne.

[Grumpy Goat]

There is adapter ring with the LED Hi/Lo bulbs that is simply removed to re-install the H7.

The non-LED bulbs (Hi/Lo as well as parking) just go into my "spares pouch" so it is a simple matter to revert in the event of LED failure on a trip.

Oh OK thanks.

[Olgry1]

Good video Wayne. I changed out my low beam for the 5th time Sunday as it had blown burned out the day before. It is the first time I found the black plastic cover for the 2 electric terminals falling apart and in multiple pieces. Like you I will need to mark them so I know which one is on the top. When I get back to MN I’ll check and see if my extended warranty will cover that connector.

Good video Wayne. I changed out my low beam for the 5th time Sunday as it had blown burned out the day before. It is the first time I found the black plastic cover for the 2 electric terminals falling apart and in multiple pieces. Like you I will need to mark them so I know which one is on the top. When I get back to MN I’ll check and see if my extended warranty will cover that connector.

Looks like we're going through a spate of blown H7s ... first mine last week, then Bob's and now yours. And I am mildly surprised to hear that your connector has fallen apart too. This has to be a known thing or else BMW would not have that $50 repair part (connector with 6" pigtail).



Speaking of which, I found a very similar connector online for as low as $5 (Ebay), and in fact I ordered this one off Amazon for $10. Should be arriving today. Rather than cut off the old connectors I will see if I can simply add spade (male) connectors to the new pigtail, and then push those into the females of the existing connector. That way next time it disintegrates I can just unplug and plug in a new one.

I wonder if your black plastic cover degradation for the electrical terminals is related to heat due to the hot Houston climate and in Darrell's case heat over a long period of time (a lot of miles). It is interesting both of you had problems at the same time. I did see a suspicious looking character hanging around your bikes in Helen. lol

[Grumpy Goat]

I wonder if your black plastic cover degradation for the electrical terminals is related to heat due to the hot Houston climate and in Darrell's case heat over a long period of time (a lot of miles). It is interesting both of you had problems at the same time. I did see a suspicious looking character hanging around your bikes in Helen. lol

I am sure that it is the heat cycling that did it in. Thing is there is a big difference between the mileage of Darrell's bike and my bike but the connectors failed at the same exact time.

The good news is I got the replacement connector off Amazon for $9.99 shipped and will be making the installation soon with video of the enhancement to follow.

I just put the spade connectors on and will connect to the existing female connectors that presently connect to the H7 bulb, once the garage is cooler (weekend).

   

[BobAin'tStoppin']

As Grumpy mentioned above, I had the low beam lamp pop while at Helen. Also, just a few weeks ago I had a rear directional go out. In both cases, the blow out occurred when turning on the ignition (pushing the go button).

I wonder if there is some sort of voltage surge at turn on? Did you bulb failures happen that way also?

[darrell]

All 5 of my low beam bulbs I replaced give no indication of not working when I turned the bike off but icon and non functioning bulb showed up when I started the bike. No other bulbs have stopped functioning on my bike.

[Lee]

No need to remove panels to install the H7 bulbs,

I remove the small black trim piece to give me a better view and more room to work.
It's held in place with two fasteners and takes 10to 20 seconds to remove.

[Grumpy Goat]

All 5 of my low beam bulbs I replaced give no indication of not working when I turned the bike off but icon and non functioning bulb showed up when I started the bike. No other bulbs have stopped functioning on my bike.

All same for me, except maybe the count of bulbs. I might be up to 3 blown. Other changes are due to my choice based on desired light colour.

[Grumpy Goat]

I remove the small black trim piece to give me a better view and more room to work.
It's held in place with two fasteners and takes 10to 20 seconds to remove.
[/quote]

I will be removing this trim piece to do 2 things - (1) install the parking lamp with new "forceps" I need to buy, and (2) modify the H7 harness as mentioned.

BTW my 94 cent BMW bulbs came today from Bimmerworld. More than $7 cheaper than the local Motorrad dealer. Shame.

[JWMcDonald]

My bad - I meant the trim pieces, when I said "panels" before...:-)

Also, re the blown H7 bulbs - I had one go relatively early on (when I had [other than Cyclops] LED in hi beam and H7 in low beam) but no issues with any of the LED bulbs. I have to think that the non-filament design of the LED bulbs will mean much longer life.

[Grumpy Goat]

My bad - I meant the trim pieces, when I said "panels" before...:-)

Also, re the blown H7 bulbs - I had one go relatively early on (when I had [other than Cyclops] LED in hi beam and H7 in low beam) but no issues with any of the LED bulbs. I have to think that the non-filament design of the LED bulbs will mean much longer life.

I would certainly hope so. I would hope that its an "install and forget" deal, and that once installed there should not be any failures for the typical life of the bike. But I am an engineer and am skeptical. Besides, while there are claims regarding lifespan there is no actual real-world failure data that I have come across from these various manufacturers (or better yet by end users), and we know they are not created equal anyway.