F'ing Headlight Replacement

[NoLmtz]

Well, leave it to BRP to make the most mundane diy maintenance items to be the most complicated, time consuming task!

I had a headlight burn out and needed to replace the bulb (both to be safe). Well, what I thought would be a 1 hr or less job turned into 3-4 hrs. What BS. Not only do you have to remove the upper panels on both sides, but you have to remove the side mirrors, speedometer dash coverings, the covering under the windshield and THEN you are able to remove the entire headlight assembly. There is no way to simply replace the bulbs without removing the headlight assembly.

What a pain in the ass! And I thought replacing the air filter a couple of months ago was ridiculous. It's like a contest to see what simple replacement is the most complicated!!!

Well, it's done and I hope they last years. Done with my rant - love my machine but hate the maintenance!!

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

YEA....BUT

.....I hope you switched to LED's .......Mike :thumbup:

 

[Chupaca]

You missed.....

The point of having dealers ready to help you with those simple tasks for some astronomical prices. Seems the wear and tear items are the costliest to deal with. Glad you got it done and know it will be a breeze the next time.:banghead:

 

[Flamewinger]

All you should have to remove are the upper and lower dash panels and then the speedo/tach. You can then reach in and access the bulbs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[cptjam]

PIA

Horribly complicated on an RT! We had to do it in a mud parking lot in the Yukon Territory! The engineers should be forced to do it at night, in the cold, with rain and Grizzly bears! Awful!

 

[JKMSPYDER]

I agree with Flamewinger. I replaced both bulbs on my ST-S last summer by removing the dash plates above and below the dash cluster. Removed the cluster and could then access the bulbs. Instructions were in the owner's manual.

 

[billybovine]

I also changed mine out through the cluster opening. Did not have to remove all the panels described. The only trouble I had was that I could not get the left spring latch to unhook for about a 1/2 hour.

 

[Flamewinger]

I installed LED bulbs and the cable and heat sink ribbon made it difficult to get in place and locking the spring clip was a pain!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Susie - 2013 Spyder ST-Ltd
Flame Red '04 GL1800
'97 GL1500
'95 GL1500
'89 GL1500
'83 GL1100

 

[NoLmtz]

Lesson learned in that I need to download the shop manual. I was going off some comments online and common sense as I dug deeper into the project. Honestly, with as tight as the dust boots were I don't know I could have managed it with that and my big hands without removing the assembly.

Never the less, BRP made an amazing machine that requires a lot of compactness, but let's be honest - several wear and tear maintenance items could have been accomplished with a bit more user experience in mind. I didn't even talk about the fact that the tool kit doesn't contain all the tools necessary. Doing this I found two different sized torx bolts (only 1 from the tool kit works and luckily I had the other), experienced hex bolts holding the mirror brackets, and then a Phillips bolt. Lots of different sizes and formats.

So, could I have done it quicker - probably. All I can say is I'll be downloading the manual and I urge everyone to be active on providing tips on this forum as it's very valuable. I did a search and there was little about replacing the headlights or air filter on an ST - so, without the manual, it was discovery!!

 

[billybovine]

There are somethings that BRP could have done better. My pet peeve is the upper side panels. Three fasteners and each requires a different tool. :dontknow:

 

[JKMSPYDER]

Shop Manual

A shop manual is good to have but instructions for replacing the headlight bulbs are in the owner's manual.

 

[Spyder in La.]

Where did you find te LED bulbs? Are the LEDS brighter?

 

[NoLmtz]

I didn't go with LED's... I ended up getting mine at OReillys. The weekend I wanted to replace the bulbs was coming too fast to order the LEDs.

 

[Flamewinger]

I got 2 of these. They put out quite a bit more and they're whiter.
http://www.xenondepot.com/H4-LED-motorcycle-headlight-kit-p/h4-led-mhl.htm

It's a tight fit and it would be great if you had a small pair of hands. The clips are stiffer than the ones on my 04 Goldwing. With the extra cable it makes it fun to get the clip back on and then the rubber boot.

Whet they look like installed

Comparison to the OEM

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ThreeWheels]

I think the access to the bulbs is different for the RS, ST, F3 and RT.
The RT being the most difficult. I'm pretty sure you can't get access to the bulbs from the dash on an RT.

 

[Flamewinger]

From what I understand, it does take removing more panels and more work to get to them. Since my bike is an ST, I posted on the ST Shoptalk.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk