DRL went bust. How to go about it?

hymnz

hymnz

Well-known member
So my bike has a H4 and a H7 lamp, and the H4 went bust last night. I thought it could be a fuse of a loose cable but they checked out.

Questions are:
  1. Should I get a replacement OEM bulb and call it a day?
  2. Should I get an aftermarket one? There are sooooo many options and being a noob I'm clueless. All I know is anything above 5000K temp is bad-- suggestions, please?
  3. Should I convert to the other H7 to H4 using a converter/mod?
I'm also contemplating whether should I do this myself or have it done at a shop--it's an easy 4 hour job given that I have over 50 screws and bolts that need to be removed to access the headlamp housing. 😊
 
hymnz said:
So my bike has a H4 and a H7 lamp, and the H4 went bust last night. I thought it could be a fuse of a loose cable but they checked out.

Questions are:
  1. Should I get a replacement OEM bulb and call it a day?
  2. Should I get an aftermarket one? There are sooooo many options and being a noob I'm clueless. All I know is anything above 5000K temp is bad-- suggestions, please?
  3. Should I convert to the other H7 to H4 using a converter/mod?
I'm also contemplating whether should I do this myself or have it done at a shop--it's an easy 4 hour job given that I have over 50 screws and bolts that need to be removed to access the headlamp housing. 😊
Click to expand...
1. I don't care about oem bulbs. I would get an h4 halogen from a reputable manufacturer.
2. Higher colour temp (within reason) isn't bad. 4000-6500 would all be ok. Are both lights on at the same time or only one? Mismatched colour temps looks like poo imo.
3.why? That will add another ~65 watts to light circuit. Is there that much extra power available?

In general the brighter the bulb (eg higher lumens), the shorter the life. There are some games where higher colour temps get you higher lumens with similar life. Given the hassle with replacing the bulbs, I would not be aiming for the brightest option.
 
hymnz said:
  1. Should I get a replacement OEM bulb and call it a day?
I'm also contemplating whether should I do this myself or have it done at a shop--it's an easy 4 hour job given that I have over 50 screws and bolts that need to be removed to access the headlamp housing. 😊
Click to expand...

If by OEM, you mean Yamaha, no. If you mean the actual OEM, like Hella or Osram, yes.

If you don't have a heated space and are doing it in the cold and removal of any of the panels involved bending or snapping anything apart, then in order of preference:
- invest in a heater to bring the bodywork temp up to at least 15C
- wait for warmer temps
- take it to a shop (although in my experience this has the highest chance of breaking things)
 
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GreyGhost said:
1. I don't care about oem bulbs. I would get an h4 halogen from a reputable manufacturer.
Click to expand...
Relax said:
If by OEM, you mean Yamaha, no. If you mean the actual OEM, like Hella or Osram, yes.
Click to expand...
That's the plan. Non-Yamaha, but from reputable brands.

Relax said:
invest in a heater to bring the bodywork temp up to at least 15C
Click to expand...
I can wait till April to let it get warm. The question is, is it legal in Ontario to ride without a DRL?

Relax said:
take it to a shop (although in my experience this has the highest chance of breaking things)
Click to expand...
I learned this the hard way.
 
hymnz said:
I can wait till April to let it get warm. The question is, is it legal in Ontario to ride without a DRL?
Click to expand...
Just ride with your lights on. That's a good idea anyway. Unless you're a huge dick, I would be shocked if you got hassled or a ticket because a light didn't come on with the key. You couldn't get a safety with broken DRL though. Another option is wiring in a new light or lights to be DRL. They can be LED so they won't draw much and they increase visibility. Still probably doesn't pass safety as OEM DRL doesn't work but as far as actually safe, effective and easy to implement that can work.
 
GreyGhost said:
Just ride with your lights on. That's a good idea anyway. Unless you're a huge dick, I would be shocked if you got hassled or a ticket because a light didn't come on with the key. You couldn't get a safety with broken DRL though. Another option is wiring in a new light or lights to be DRL. They can be LED so they won't draw much and they increase visibility. Still probably doesn't pass safety as OEM DRL doesn't work but as far as actually safe, effective and easy to implement that can work.
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I am assuming it is the low beam not drl what bike is it.

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Scuba Steve said:
I am assuming it is the low beam not drl what bike is it.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
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Yamaha Tmax -- it's the low beam + high beam bulb and the low beam is basically on all the time.

I guess you can call it Automatic Headlight On (AHO) light.
 
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Well well.. it looks like it's the high beam light that went kaput. I'm guessing one of the previous owners connected wrong sockets and installed this light upside down.

Godam!t. Need to dismantle the entire headlight assembly. Good times.
 
hymnz said:
Well well.. it looks like it's the high beam light that went kaput. I'm guessing one of the previous owners connected wrong sockets and installed this light upside down.

Godam!t. Need to dismantle the entire headlight assembly. Good times.
Click to expand...

On my Subaru, the high beam bulbs are used on low power as the DRL's. Maybe it's the same on your bike? Best to check before you assume something's wrong and try to "fix" it.
 
Relax said:
On my Subaru, the high beam bulbs are used on low power as the DRL's. Maybe it's the same on your bike? Best to check before you assume something's wrong and try to "fix" it.
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I checked the service manual. The bulbs are definitely cross-wired (or something weirder).

Either way, it'll be clear once I open it--three poles bulb = low + high; two poles bulb = high
 
Can’t you access from behind, at the bulb socket and unhook the retaining clip that holds the bulb in place? There is usually a rubber cover where the plug come in to the bulb. I am just guessing here but most allow access. The first time doing it is the worst until you figure where that clip is.
 
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