I am thinking of upgrading the headlights on my 2010 Sprint ST 1050, more to increase my visibility to other road users (especially those old and doddery car drivers we seem to have plenty of round here) than for my benefit if riding in the dark, which I rarely do. I've seen various upgrade kits for the Sprint offering higher power bulbs to increase light output, but I'm wary of overloading the electrical circuit as I already have heated grips and a plumbed in sat nav cradle fitted. I expect the other option is to fit auxiliary lights, potentially LED ones, but again I'm wary of overloading the circuit. Has anybody experience of attempting such an upgrade and is it worthwhile?
If you find the power rating of your alternator you'll be able to work out how much "spare" current you have available but personally I'd be wary of fitting higher power halogen filament bulbs in the standard light housings due to the extra heat, even if the wiring was upgraded. Upgrading lighting from halogen filament to LED type almost always results in a decrease in electrical load. Not a Sprint ST I know but I took this route on my Street Scrambler with a H4 LED bulb in the headlight, two additional LED auxiliary lights and the combined electrical load was still less than the OEM 55/60 watt halogen bulb. The two issues with retro fitting LED bulbs are it's not strictly legal (potential MOT fail) and, more importantly, beam scatter can be a big problem making the light worse and even dangerous to oncoming traffic. Fortunately the beam in my SS headlight is virtually the same as with the halogen bulb but I've tried similar upgrades on other bikes/cars and it was rubbish.
Thanks for the response. You've confirmed my suspicion that LED is the way to go, I'll see what needs to be done to replace the current halogen bulbs with LED ones. Failing an easy fix that way, a pair of LED auxiliary lights would be a useful addition. I've also got a Street Scrambler, mine's a 2019, sorry to see one of yours got nicked. I haven't thought of upgrading the lights on the SS, I very rarely ride any distance in the dark so probably won't bother. I have done a few tweaks to it - decatted with a British Customs decat pipe (US made and strictly speaking not for road use), fuel booster plug to improve the fuelling and and K&N air filter to let it breathe more easily. With the standard end cans left in place it's not too loud but it now revs more eagerly when you get over 4,000 rpm. Not a bike for long motorway trips but great round the B roads here in the Scottish Borders. As I never go offroad I also replaced the standard Metzeler Tourance tyres with Michelin Road 6s, they've made a real difference to the handling and it now turns in more like a naked street bike should.
The only mod I had to do to the SS headlamp housing to fit the LED bulb was remove the bulb shroud. Some OEM halogen headlights respond better to LED bulbs than others, plus not all LED bulbs of the same fitting (H1, H7, H4 etc) are the same so it"s a bit of a lottery finding a combination that works. I got lucky with the SS and the first bulb I tried works very well. I bought the SS for general riding round, mostly on local B roads like you and it's great for that. I replaced the Metzelers with Pirelli Rally STR's which are still a rated as a dual sport tyre but I find them much more confidence inspiring in the wet. I fitted progressive fork springs which are a big improvement but the rear shocks are underdamped with the preload on max so they may be the next upgrade.
I might try the LED upgrade to the SS, anything that makes me more visible to other road users is worthwhile. Can you tell me what type of LED bulb you found worked OK?
I can't find the exact item or seller as I bought it in 2020 and purchase history doesn't go back that far but it looks virtually identical to this.. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22548295...jSD6HafHDoQGvEyu1EQ9u1TPI=|tkp:Bk9SR5yq8vWOYg I think it was around £15 at the time.
Not (necessarily) an MOT failure. https://www.gov.uk/topic/mot/manuals Provided that the beam pattern meets the requirement, it will pass. Indeed, the manual explicitly says that "a ‘light source’ means any bulb, LED or other means of emitting light". If you have problems, http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/ sells H4 bulbs that should give the correct beam.
I recently put some LED bulbs in my Sprint GT. Very bright, but the "throw" of the light was awful. I sh*t myself riding home in the dark as couldn't see anything. LEDs are NOT designed for the standard reflector housing. I switched back to Nightbreakers and now superb.
I've now come to the conclusion that trying to upgrade the headlights on my Sprint, not to LEDs anyway, needs more thought. If I'm going to do anything I'll see if I can fit a couple of auxiliary LED lights. Thanks for your feedback.
just found this - the website was referenced on here regarding valve service, but also has section on HID upgrade. http://www.bowl-of-mice.co.uk/HID.html
Thanks Aidan. I've bought stuff from SquareDeals before and yes, they sell good stuff at a reasonable price. However the HID kit referred to on the Bowl of Mice site is no longer available, all that SquareDeals now sell are replacement HID bulbs. I suspect the article on the Bowl of Mice site is quite old, which would explain the HID kit no longer being available. Thanks anyway for bringing this to my attention.
I replaced my halogen headlights in a 2004 Speed Triple, 2011 Sprint GT1050 and now a 2013 Trophy. All replacements have yielded a huge improvement in lighting as I often ride at night on some dark country (B) roads.
All LEDs. For the Sprint GT, I had to replace the dust cover with one that allowed the cooling fan to be external. The Trophy dust cover had a hole, as the bulb was installed through it. All LEDs paralleled the halogen bulbs (H7, H4 or whatever). I have had good luck with the Alla brand in both bikes and my car. They are a bit more expensive, but tend to be brighter.
I replaced the "cup style" dust cover with this one, that looks like a bellows with a hole in the center to allow the bulb to be inserted and the fan to remain external. The "ribbed" item in the [lousy] photo behind the blue wire cover is the fan of the LED bulb. You can just make out the rubber dust cover around it and conforming to the back of the headlight. I've had these for 5 years now and 17k miles and they work like a champ!
Thanks to all who have given me feedback on this issue. I've not gone ahead with upgrading the lights as unfortunately I'm going to have to sell the Sprint, I've been finding the riding position exacerbates an existing back problem I've had for years. I consulted a physiotherapist to see if they could sort out my back, but it seems old age and general wear and tear have finally caught up with me and my days of riding in anything other than a "sit up and beg" position are over. I did put the Sprint up for sale a few weeks ago but had no positive responses, so now it's tucked up in my garage for the winter and will be going up for sale in Spring next year. But as one door closes, another one opens - I've just bought a rather nice 2011 T100, definitely a "sit up and beg" riding position which even my physio would approve of!
Sorry to hear that you will sell the Sprint. I added 25mm bar risers and modified Buell foot pegs to give me another 23mm drop. I did this as I wanted to be more comfortable on the longer rides. But, I, too, will be selling it in the Spring. Recently, I bought a 2013 Triumph Trophy SE 1200. Not the cruiser riding position, but much more comfortable for the longer ride. Upright riding position (no forward lean), and, with the adjustable seat up about 1-1/2", a perfectly comfy leg position. The techno-wizardry is a boost: It has an electrically adjustable windshield (all the way up, I think that I could smoke a cigar while riding!); Cruise control, electrically adjustable suspension pre-load front and back, bluetooth enabled radio, automatic turn signal shut off, linked ABS brakes and traction control. Finally, it has heated grips and driver's seat, so I should still get some rides this winter (in NJ). I hope that you enjoy the T100. I hear a lot of people talk about them, but I'm not familiar with their features. Care to share?
Hi Rob, the T100 is supposedly the spiritual descendant of the original Bonnie T100 of the 1950's / 60's. The model was introduced in I think 2001 with a 790cc carb-fed engine, then switched to an 865cc lump with fuel injection in 2009. Mine has the later engine which pumps out about 67bhp and 51 ft-lb of torque. It's no sports bike but cruises happily at 80 mph on motorways, and is surprisingly agile and lively on the twisties. I bought mine because I've started to get into the older Hinckley Triumphs, having had several of their newer models. I still have two comparatively modern triumphs, a 2019 Speed Twin 1200 (a real torque meister!) and a 2016 Street Triple 675 (my "naughty days" ride) which share garage space with my 2000 Legend TT and now my T100. And for the time being the Sprint until I can find a buyer for it. I've attached a couple of photos of the T100, taken today in lovely sunshine in the Scottish Borders. Sunny but cold, down to about 0C overnight and still only in single figures. Are you from Scotland originally or do you have Scottish ancestry? I'm only guessing because of your moniker "Rob The Scott".
