# Converting motorcycle fairing to use projection (lots of pictures, help please!)



## numbski (Nov 23, 2009)

Okay, I'll admit it. I've been lurking around here for the last week or so. My motorcycle, a 2006 Buell Blast had a stock 8 inch headlamp with built-in hi/low beams. Wasn't terribly bright. Although there's a generally accepted mod that switches this sealed beam out for an 8 inch projector housing that takes an H4 bulb, I went and made it complicated by getting a hand-me-down front fairing called a "demon" fairing - it's a cheap chinese knockoff of Acerbis' "Diamond" fairing. Typically, these things are not DOT, and certainly aren't very bright.








http://www.acerbis.com/p107_headlight/3001.html

The one I got didn't have any lens at all in the front of it. Just a couple of dual-filament bulbs in the two center projectors, and a couple of amber bulbs in the outer ones. Thinking I'd be all smart, I went and got a halogen projector fog lamp kit to put in the front, figuring that there's nothing particularly complicated about headlights, right? 
















Right?  Uh...yeah. So issues ensued. I scavenged the kit for the plano-convex lens and fitting the H3 bulb into the stock housing, creating heat issues, and a beam patter that is next to useless for practical night driving (although not bad for daytime driving lights - not great, but functional). So here I am. I started trying to do it right, and after lurking here, I'm throwing myself at the mercy of these forums. Is there anything I can do to make this fairing not only servicable but bright enough to be happy with? I know I've got a slew of mistakes here from using an H3 bulb (too squatty of a bulb) to a convex lens that's dispersing my beam into too wide of a pattern to a stock reflector that was never designed for any of this (although in truth, I don't think much thought went into the reflector's design *at all*.











Here's a link to the thread that describes what I've done so far and how I got to where I am now. I don't mind re-purposing the outer reflectors to be headlamps if that would help. I'm also not against scavenging or building a reflector more purposed for proper hi/lo beam pattern use.

http://www.buellforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11148 

Finally, here's the flickr photo group of all of the pictures I took getting to this point - granted I've described most of it here already, some visuals might help: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/numbski/sets/72157622687040879/

I'm kinda thinking that I might still be able to get away with using the fog lamp projector lens if I direct the light onto the lens properly, but I was going to make a trip to a salvage yard to get a look at what a luxury car's projection lens looked like, compare measurements, etc. So...am I screwed? Go easy on the lighting n00b. I *am* doing my homework and trying to learn!  Try not to laugh too hard at me trying to hold a 55w H3 bulb in place using weather stripping and rubber. Lesson learned. 

EDIT: BTW - those center reflector holes are approximately 50mm diameter. I need to get my calipers out on both the outer and inner ones to be sure. Seems to me that if I ditch the reflectors and go with some of the flashlight mods, I might be able to get 900 lumens or better, and if the lens is aspheric, get some decent throw. Am I misunderstanding?


----------



## numbski (Nov 23, 2009)

Okay, now I'm second guessing myself. Is this lens aspheric, or plano-convex? :\


----------



## numbski (Nov 24, 2009)

Well, after much reading and no responses, I guess I'm on my own. 

I've ordered a pair of P7's from Litemania and I'm ordering a hipCC High Power Buck Driver from taskled. I've also ordered a pair of aluminum P7 heat sinks, and looking through DX for an aluminum 50mm reflector. I'm also still trying to decide whether or keep or ditch my lenses.

Hopefully someone speaks up before I hurt myself.


----------



## timothy1238 (Dec 25, 2009)

Cool man, quite an innovative step. i too will try out the same on my Yam. If any issues i will consult you for sure
___________________
Office Chairs


----------



## John_Galt (Jan 5, 2010)

Those are fog lights, so, if the beam pattern is correct because of a proper cut off shield, they will not project far enough to be used for medium/high speed driving/riding. You will literally "outrun" your lights. 
You see, fog lights are designed to send out a low, wide beam pattern ~100 feet in front of the vehicle, while being low output, so as to minimize back scatter from reflecting fog/snow/rain misc. particles in the air. They are meant for standalone use for speeds under 25 mph, under bad weather conditions.
I would say a better idea would be to rip a set of real high/low beam HID projectors out of a car. You would have a truly street legal beam pattern, a real high and low beam, and the beam pattern would be correct for medium/high speed driving/riding.


----------



## Walterk (Jan 30, 2010)

Foglight or not, find out if the fog-light-pattern is generated from the bulb and reflector or from the lens. (It would be hard to produce and align an assymetric aspheric lens, its easier to press the reflector in the required shape. )

Probably the lens itself is just fine, and easy to find out, try with a flashlight, playing around with focal length.

Aspherical or Plano concave doesnt really matter I think, its about its properties, and they can be achieved in more shapes and roads then lead to Rome.


----------



## numbski (Jun 5, 2010)

I'm *really* late to reply to this, but just the same - you're all right on all counts. It's a fog lamp, and I outrun it WAAAAY too easily. I'm in the process of trying to come up with a way to tweak the focal length. I'm using the stock reflectors, the lens that it came with, and well - doesn't work so well. Still tweaking it though.

The beam pattern seems to be from the bulb - it's an H3. So --- if I switched to an H4 I might be good? Hrm. Worth thinking over. I kinda think it's the reflector bowl, as it had a cutoff sheet and an oblong reflector. Look here:






Whole image set is here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/numbski/sets/72157622687040879/

H3 bulbs look like they are purposed *just* for fog lights, so it could be that I'm just using the wrong bulbs. Regardless, my plastic reflectors are melting from the heat. I have a pair of P7's here and the buck drivers, along with aluminum 50mm reflectors from DX and a pair of 50mm aspherics (and euro style aspherics of the same size), but for the life of me I can't figure out a sane way to assemble it all!


----------

