Hicap starting upgrade worthwhile?+ other upgrades

[benlawlor85]

Hi guys,
After being convinced to keep her on the road im looking at other 'upgrades' to make.
I came across this i wonder what people think, good idea or a waste of cash?

http://www.motorworks.co.uk/vlive/Shop/Parts.php?T=5&NU=15&M=20&Ct=IA&SbCt=BA_15_20_IA_15

I already have LED rear light and might be looking to tidy the rear end up with LED indicators mounted from the seat cowl and raising the rear light pod up and forward and fiber glassing it into the seat cowl, to neaten that odd gap up thats between them. The only thing then would be front LED indicators... which could be more difficult.

Any other upgrades that people have done that seem worthwhile?

Ben

[Bob_Roller]

Waste of cash !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like the statement, that it improves starting, as long as you have a good starter and battery !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[benlawlor85]

Fair enough! thinking about it you can prob buy a few meters of 99% oxygen free copper for a few £ and make your own version.... might just try that!

[Barry]

Sounds like a spin off from the HiFi industry to me. The difference in conductivity between ordinary copper cables and oxygen free copper is marginal at best. Ensure all cables are adequately sized with clean connections by all means but OFC cables are a waste of money in this application.  They'll be selling silver cables next for the 7% improvement in conductivity.

Lighting upgrades are much more worthwhile. We are fortunate in having separate tail and stop light bulbs so the first almost zero cost thing everyone should consider is an upgrade of the 5W tail light bulb that puts out something like 35 - 40 lumens to a 10W bulb which will give you 125 lumens. That's a 3 fold improvement and you needn't worry about loss of contrast with the stop lamp because stop lamp elements are always overrun so they put out in excess of  400 lumens.

I'm a fan of LEDs I've even made my own lamps but they are something of a gamble when it comes to light output particularly for the stop lamp. The best ones are good but if the lumen output is not specified I wouldn't touch them. In the UK good LED lamps are still very expensive. Maybe that will change in time. I think one of the reasons for the high cost is that the best ones contain an internal driver circuit. Not just a series resistor but a active current limiting circuit. There are other issues as well like light distribution in all directions which is why they are not actually legal for use in automotive applications as after market substitutes for filament lamps. Not preaching here because I would happily use LED lamps that perform well. You'd be very unlucky to be pulled by the Police but they could be ammunition for a mean spirited insurance company (is that all of them) in the event of an accident.

I believe purpose designed LED headlights are now available but even if bright enough I don't see LED's ever being easily available as substitute headlight bulbs because headlight bulbs need the element very accurately positioned and oriented in relation to the reflector in order to produce the correct beam pattern. That just can't be replicated with current LED technology.

[nhmaf]

That looks like alot of cash for simply new battery cabling - it is alot of whitewash, use your money on other things, such as cleaning/refurbishing your starter, etc. If you are indeed seeing corrosion on your cables, replacing them with correct sized 'normal' cabling will net you the same benefit for less cash.

[benlawlor85]

Looks like its a big no! Just a thought. my rear LED unit that i bought when i first got the bike from motorworks is great! would never have an airhead without one. just pops in the original housing and works great. much brighter and no risk of having a bulb go on you.
Think i might buy some normal spec battery cables as mine look pretty old and ropey!

Ben

[Bob_Roller]

Braided stainless brake line(s), is an improvement over old OEM line(s) .

I remember a member here stating that he got new battery cables from a chain type auto parts store for auto use, they came in different lengths and found two that were the correct length .

Don't know if there are any restrictions on what you can use in the way of headlight bulbs, but I went to PIAA superwhite H4 55/60w bulbs, a great improvement over standard bulbs .

[tvrla]

I totally agree - those cables are completely unnecessary! There's very little loss in our cables and even in the coldest weather, the bikes start up just fine. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

If the cash is burning a hole in your pocket - upgrade the brakes, or...hell, I don't know - buy some pretty enamel roundels...

[suecanada]

So Bob R. there is absolutely no concern changing to a PIAA Superwhite H4 55/60W headlight bulb?...no worries about inadequate wiring or old wiring etc.

I think my best upgrade was the euromotoelectrics 400 W alternator upgrade. Rick Jones' upgrade at Motoelectriks would be equally good. I need to have my heating goodies!!!

[Bob_Roller]

Sue, the PIAA bulbs use no more power than a stock bulb they are 55/60 watts .

I've been using them about 10 years now .

[Barry]

The other thing about high output headlight bulbs is they do not put out more heat than a standard one of the same wattage so no concerns about heat damage. In fact they put out a little less heat as a little more of those watts get turned into light. Probably a bit out of date now as there are better ones but I've used Osram silverstar +50% bulbs in both the bike and car for years. Another essential low cost upgrade in my book.

There can be significant variation in output from different makes. Brand names are nearly always best. Here's a review of H4 bulbs though some of the prices seem steep. I got mine for under £10 a pair.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/258424/headlamp_bulbs_tested.html