Hitchcocks Forum

Hi Folks,
Just enjoying my new (to me) 2008 Electra X but noticing that the headlight coverage is pretty weedy compared to my previous bike. When riding on country roads at night I kept getting the feeling that corners where jumping up on me, which I didn't get before.
Has anyone got recommendations for headlight upgrade?

Many Thanks,

You could always get one of these...??





Sorry. I'll see myself out....

If Exile's suggestion is a bit too big, you could always have a look at the bottom of page 80 on the online catalogue? Chris

The Electra X has a standard H4 headlight lamp-bulb. The standard Indian factory lamp can simply be substituted for another - higher performance lamp.
I use the Philips Moto-Vision lamp which gives a brighter, whiter light but also an orange tint to the headlight reflector when in operation. Philips say this differentiates it from other headlights in traffic and makes it stand out and so safer. I'm not sure about all that but the light output certainly is greater and they last well too. Well worth it in my opinion.
BTW I term it a lamp - other people may call it a bulb or globe.
The standard Indian headlight lens/reflector unit is perfectly serviceable but our hosts also sell other variants and a Wipac Quadoptic unit works well and gives a 'classic' look to the bike.

I came across some small 12 volt automotive relays in Maplin when looking for something else and bought a couple as they seemed very reasonably priced at the time and tucked them away.
Whilst riding on unlit roads in winter I found that main beam improved using the headlamp flasher. This suggested that not enough current was getting to the bulb. So I used them one winter to rewire the headlight with a direct supply from the battery using thicker wire. This made a real difference on my 2008 Electra X using a decent standard wattage H4 bulb. I wondered where to put the relays and ended up using a cabletie and hanging one on each side of the speedo mounting.
Result is a much better headlamp on dip and mainbeam. The relays carry the current straight from the battery and not through the handlebar switches and their weedy wires. The switches now only have to take enough current for switching the relays so have an easier time of it as well. Not a halfhour job I grant you but it did while a way a few hours in the workshop on winter evenings and the end was well worth it.

I should have added that I was riding on mainbeam and using the headlamp flasher as well improved the output....
hope that makes sense now. All the best Pete

I fitted a Neolite unit from Hitchcocks - certainly better then the Indian one my 2010 EFI classic came with.

a dim headlight was always a problem with a CCm/Harley MT350 I owned , The wiring thickness on the light switch and dip/main caused this. http://www.rexs-speedshop.com/epages/es ... cts/HLB-MT this is a "headlight booster" , or simply put = 2 x relays , a thick power lead is taken from the battery and your switchgearjust does the triggering, you can build one for about £5 , relays from ebay