Hi, has anyone with a 3aj or any other bike using a BA20 type bulb, replaced them with the bosch fitting halogen/xenon bulbs. Did they make much difference to the 3aj's crappy headlights?

Cheers Fish.

Why all the work when you can just get the right bulbs for it? I've bought some crappy chinese xenon bulbs to put on my 90' xt600e and the difference is humongous...

Have fun

Vando

Hi,

I also have a 3AJ Tenere with two 35W bulbs that I want to improve on once I have got the reflector aim sorted out.

My previous 3AJ had two 50/55W halogen bulbs fitted by a previous owner. I think the wiring sockets that the bulbs fit into had been forced to accept this size of bulb (H4). I was happy with the headlight on that bike but if I did a lot of stop start riding around town it could run the battery down, possibly because the alternator was only designed to cope with 2 X 35W, not 2 X 50W. I considered fitting a switch in the 0V line of one of the bulbs but never got round to it. I had the alternator windings fail (the coil that provides power to the CDI, but this lives amongst the other coils), and after I changed them I didn't have a run down battery again, but possibly I wasn't doing those stop start across town journeys any more.

With my new (to me) 3AJ I intend to verify that P43t H4 bulbs fit its reflectors, and if they do I will see how the wiring socket fits the back of the bulb. I expect that I will have to change the sockets. I will then fit 60% brighter Xenon H4 bulbs such as those available from Brighter car headlights, but also available in most car accessory shops and if they run the battery down I will try replacing the rear lights with LED's. If that doesn't help enough I may fit that switch in the 0V line to one of the bulbs.

I may also try running the bulbs through relays to remove voltage drops through the tired old wiring.

It will be a lot cheaper than HID and when I fitted one of these bulbs to my wife's XT600E I was more than happy with the headlight.

Hope this helps

Mark

The bulbs I'm talking about are the same fitting as the normal crappy Bosch bulbs but with a halogen bulb on the end so there is nothing to change on the bike. There're also 35w/35w the same as standard, I seem to remember hearing problems on the HUBB with the electrics when the bulbs are replaced with more powerful ones. I also remember hearing that the standard wiring isn't up to taking more power.

Cheers Fish.

Picture at: Headlight Bulb BA20D Bosch Fitting Halogen 12V 35/35W

Cheers Fish.