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HOW TO: 04-08 R1 Add 2 Projectors In Each Headlight Housing

29K views 110 replies 41 participants last post by  5litres 
#1 · (Edited)
You don't have to be crazy to do this mod....but it helps.

This is how I put two projector lamps into the one offset headlight, in my endurance style 06 R1.





It's not for the faint hearted...If you're going to do both headlights you'll need 2 complete headlights, and 2 sets of lamps frames and reflectors from inside 2 more. I only did one headlight, so I cannibalised one headlight to make the other...Still with me?....


You'll need a heat gun (I don't like the idea of using an oven, too uncontrollable.)
A phillips head screwdriver.
A 10 mm socket and driver.
A 4mm torx bit.
A dremel tool or die grinder, & cutting blades.
An angle grinder and cutting blade.
A knife.
Patience.

Start by removing the covers and globes.

Then heat up the join between the front and back half of the headlight. Work your way around the join, not staying in one spot too long.

You're softening the gum inside the joint, not melting the plastic. After 2 or 3 minutes the gum should be soft enough to start pulling the headlight apart.

Don't use any tools, the plastic is soft and can be easily damaged. Pull the two halves apart with your hands.

Cut the gum as it stretches, use the heat gun if the join cools too much.



It's not easy this way, but you wont damage anything either.



Now you can remove the lamp frame from the housing, by undoing the level adjustment bolts. There are three 10 mmm bolts, two have a phillips head in them.





Now dismantle the lamps...





Now do the other headlight...or the other three headlights if your making two! You crazy fool.


I made the frame of mine at night, experimenting as I went, so I don't have pictures of all the cut components. Only the offcuts, and the finished part.

Hopefully you can see where I cut which bit.

Keep your wits about you. remember your rights and lefts....double, triple, and quadruple check...before you cut.



I used the long edge of the highbeam side of the frame, to attach the new lowbeam frame to.

I cut the new lowbeam piece completely out of the old frame, and cut the lowbeam shroud out of the centre of it.

This should make this a high beam lamp. Considering that the lo and hi bulbs are both 55 watt.



To figure out where to postion the new half of the frame, you'll have to put the original lowbeam half back into the housing.

So put the reflector back on it and re attach it to the three adjuster bolts.

Now you can position the new piece, and make sure that there is clearance all round it.

I had to do some more trimming of both frames, to make them fit together nicely.

When you're happy that it's going to fit...it's time to join them together.

I used Quicksteel, which is a heat resistant, hard as metal epoxy. You have 2 minutes to work with this stuff, so don't fvck it up!



I mixed up a piece about as big as my thumb, rolled it into a cigarette shape, and stuck it to the side of the new piece.

Then I pushed the new piece into position, against the original lowbeam frame, still screwed into the housing.

I held the new frame level with the other, in both planes, while the epoxy set.

It says on the instructions, that Quicksteel can be drilled and tapped after an hour, so I let it cure for an hour. Then I went around and filled in any areas that needed it, with some more.



I made the mistake of not leaving clearance between the epoxy and the lens clamp.

So I had to groove out the epoxy with the Dremel, to make room.



This might look a bit shit up close, but you can't see it in the end.

I painted it black with case paint and left it overnight.

Then drilled three holes and put 3mm screws through, to hold the two halves together. I don't trust just loctite in hot places, so I put a lock nut on as well.



.

The two halves have to be properly secured to each other.

The projector light is heavier than the hi beam reflector. And all the mounting and adjustment points, are on the lowbeam side.

So it has to be as strong, as if it were made in one piece.

You will of noticed that the new reflector sticks out of the back of the housing, by 25mm or more.

I don't think that there's a clearance issue, but to make the rubber boot fit back on, you'll have to trim the reflector.

I cut 15mm off the back of the reflector, following the original profile.

And cut the mount brackets off, so that it fit inside the housing without touching it.



I used the globe to check the fit as I shaped it.



It doesn't look like much, but it makes a difference at the end.



Now you can put it all back together...



When you put the lens back onto the housing, push the two halves together, as you heat the joint with the heat gun.

Keep pushing and heating until the joint is fully closed. Then keep pushing as it cools.

You're not done yet....

Theres an adapter that pushes onto the pins of the globe, to connect to the high beam plug.



This doesn't fit under the lowbeam wire clip. So I re-bent the wire to where I wanted it.





And the collar of the rubber boot is too long, to fit over that plug adapter, so cut that off.



And there you have it....



Ready for installation...



Now if I could just afford to fix the rest of the bike...








DISCLAIMER !!!

This is a purely cosmetic modification. Any improvement in light strength or especially spread, is completely coincidental and highly unlikely.

I removed one headlight, because I like the endurance race bike look. It completely screwed with the spread of light. It turns out that a fair portion of the peripheral light on the far right, comes from the left headlight. And visa-versa. By chopping out the OEM high beam, as well as getting rid of one headlight, I've made this bike useless at night. But it's not the kind of bike to go for night rides on, if I have to, I use my stock 01...

I DON'T RECOMMEND DOING THIS MOD IF YOU'RE A FREQUENT NIGHT RIDER (nyuk nyuk), ESPECIALLY IF YOU RELY ON HIGH BEAM.
 
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#5 ·
This is what i call "retrofit" at its BEST!
amazing work dude!

i did that to my 01R1 awhile back and it looks AWESOME!. But the headlights now weight a ton :lol thanks to the Infinity FX45 projectors :lol

great site to get ur stuff.
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/
 
#9 ·
Awesome stuff. I'd love to see someone do it on both sides.

I didn't see it mentioned, but did you remove the cutoff plate in what is now the high beam projector?

It would throw that much more light when you clicked on the high beams :)
 
#11 ·
Thanks lads, I wanna see it lit up too, I've got battery trouble and no money though so.. shit!

The low beam shroud is cut out of the high beam projector...not that it ever gets ridden at night anyway. I did it more so that I can bluff my way out of a defect notice!

I thought about halos, but I like the techy look of the silver lens clamps. That and I don't really want any more extra wiring and power drain.
 
#14 ·
glad to see that you at least tried one of the ideas about modifying the low beam projector (now the new high beam) to shine a bit higher. im curious to see if it actually works ok now that you went ahead and tried it :flex:
 
#16 ·
Good luck with it. I'd love to see the result, please post a pic on here if you do both lights. :thumbup
 
#19 ·
If you're running the same setup as me, you can use the leftover headlight projector, to replace the high beam reflector in the headlight you are using. Is that what you're asking?.:dundun: :)
 
#21 · (Edited)
thats what i got out of it. all he did was take the leftover headlight, steal the projector out of it and put in the place of the reflective high beam that was in the bike

oh, and have you fired up the new "high beam" with out the cutoff shield in it yet? im curious on how the beam looks
 
#22 ·
Actually...what I did was take the projector out of the unused headlight, and put it in place of the high beam, in the headlight I was using...:hammer:

Yes...you only need one headlight to cut up, to modify another headlight.:fact

And nope..I don't have a battery yet.
 
#26 ·
awesome post, ive been thinking of doing this for a while and wondered how to do it and now i got the info! thanks for postin that man and props for doing it!
 
#27 · (Edited)
Good News Everybody...

After 2 1/2 months sitting in the shed, after crashing, my R1 still runs great! PHEW!

And here are some pics of the light lit up...







That's a 4300 HID in the low beam, a cool white xenon globe in the high beam, and a cool white led corner light. :jump


DISCLAIMER !!! ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL POST.
 
#29 ·
Fvck off!...I knew you were going to ask that! :hammer:

It's the middle of the day, it looks like they're not on, because the sun is up...:crash
 
#34 ·
No, I cut it out of the high beam side on purpose, to increase the spread of light.

I'll take a night time shot in a few hours and we'll see how it worked...I'm not fussed really, I don't ride it at night. :)
 
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