bramfrank
BramFrank
So, last year my reflector started cracking and my dealer got me a replacement assembly that he was going to install under warranty.
No problem, says I. I will install it myself. I want to go in and install driving lights anyway, so I have to do a teardown of the nose cone to bury the ballasts, so I'll pull the reflector at the same time.
Simple? NOT!!!
First of all, there are a lot of screws to remove & plugs to unplug to remove the front end. It doesn't help that I have an alarm, a headlight modulator, a navigator, an Autocom, a relay controlled BlueSeas fuse box and more and some of that wiring runs through the front end. At least I never installed the GMRS radio and I don't have an XM receiver to deal with.
Secondly, I have the auto-down connector unplugged. And therein lay my first mistake . . . .
To remove the reflector you need to get the windshield control system out and the instrumentation . . . if the windshield is up, it ain't fun, I must say . . . because the windshield was full up and I have no way of getting the mechanism down without plugging it all back together . . . I DID get it out after fussing with it for a long while. I hope it goes back in better.
Now I have the old reflector out and I crack open the box containing the new one and . . . . it is NOT a North American reflector. This one is obviously European, because it has the small bulbs in the corners - I hope that it isn't the British/Aussie version, because the edge will rise to the left instead of to the right, blinding oncoming traffic!!!
Well, it is getting dark - so I have to call it a night. I hope that I can figure out which screws go where when I start the reassembly process tomorrow.
But the 'NOT' is that I suspect that I will not be able to find a spot on the right side of the bike for that ballast for my driving lights!!! This is serious. I have a set of Hella Micro DE Xenon's to put in with Garauld's brackets . . . if I can't find a place for the ballasts I am not going to be able to use these lights (I had a set of them on the old Concours, and while they can be pricey I got them for a steal and and they ROCK!!!!). But the problem is we set out on a 11,000 km ride starting on July 10 and I do NOT find the stock lighting to be adequate - not to mention that I have no idea yet whether the reflector will be suitable to North American roads!!
I will say that if the reflector is wrong, the dealer can swap it out!!!
More, as I embark on the reassembly process in the morning . . .
No problem, says I. I will install it myself. I want to go in and install driving lights anyway, so I have to do a teardown of the nose cone to bury the ballasts, so I'll pull the reflector at the same time.
Simple? NOT!!!
First of all, there are a lot of screws to remove & plugs to unplug to remove the front end. It doesn't help that I have an alarm, a headlight modulator, a navigator, an Autocom, a relay controlled BlueSeas fuse box and more and some of that wiring runs through the front end. At least I never installed the GMRS radio and I don't have an XM receiver to deal with.
Secondly, I have the auto-down connector unplugged. And therein lay my first mistake . . . .
To remove the reflector you need to get the windshield control system out and the instrumentation . . . if the windshield is up, it ain't fun, I must say . . . because the windshield was full up and I have no way of getting the mechanism down without plugging it all back together . . . I DID get it out after fussing with it for a long while. I hope it goes back in better.
Now I have the old reflector out and I crack open the box containing the new one and . . . . it is NOT a North American reflector. This one is obviously European, because it has the small bulbs in the corners - I hope that it isn't the British/Aussie version, because the edge will rise to the left instead of to the right, blinding oncoming traffic!!!
Well, it is getting dark - so I have to call it a night. I hope that I can figure out which screws go where when I start the reassembly process tomorrow.
But the 'NOT' is that I suspect that I will not be able to find a spot on the right side of the bike for that ballast for my driving lights!!! This is serious. I have a set of Hella Micro DE Xenon's to put in with Garauld's brackets . . . if I can't find a place for the ballasts I am not going to be able to use these lights (I had a set of them on the old Concours, and while they can be pricey I got them for a steal and and they ROCK!!!!). But the problem is we set out on a 11,000 km ride starting on July 10 and I do NOT find the stock lighting to be adequate - not to mention that I have no idea yet whether the reflector will be suitable to North American roads!!
I will say that if the reflector is wrong, the dealer can swap it out!!!
More, as I embark on the reassembly process in the morning . . .
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