I've had my 05 640 Adventure for about six months now and love the bike. What a blast to ride and for what I want to do with it it's the best bike for me. The lights do suck however and now that the days are getting shorter I need to do something. I spoke to Trailtech today and they have a new 100w HID light that comes out in a month or so for about $300 a pair and look like they could really work well on my bike. I think I'll get them when they come out but it's a few months away. In the mean time does anyone know if I can run a hot "jump wire" from my Hi Beam side over to the Low Beam side so I can run both at the same time when the Hi's are on? I've done it to my truck and don't know why I could not do the same on my bike? Thanks for any input.
I did this to mine to run high and low http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1866069&postcount=9 in this thread here http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94226
If you carefully take the switch apart and put a middle detent between the hi and lo setting you can make both come on at once. If you fiddle w/ unmodified switch between hi and lo you can get it to do this and see what I mean. Running them both on this way is an improvement - but not a dramatic one. SRG
Thank you both for the reply's. I"ll try the switch mod and see if I can get it to work for me. Thank you again.
I've been wondering about this myself. I've followed the other threads on the topic but no one has mentioned the circuit for the high beam flasher switch. When that switch is toggled the high and low beams work together. Can't the standard Hi/Lo beam toggle switch be wired into the same circuit so that the Hi beam setting operates off of it? Has anyone looked into this?
i know you're waiting for the new trailtech HIDs, but i'm very happy with the existing ones i just put on the big beast: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100201 i was told the new models were coming out 'this month'... back in july. they're great guys, but perhaps a bit ambitious with their timelines
Well, I talked to them again today and they said they already have the lights but are just waiting for some more time on there test lights before they start selling them full borewhich will be on the 15th. of November. FYI the lights draw 35 wats each and put out 100 ea. Should be waaaaay better than the stock set up anyway.
Ya' know, you might consider wiring a direct fused line from the battery up to the headlights and using two Bosch relays to turn each (or both) lights on. The factory wiring in my 620 Adventure (and Duke for that matter) is sorely undersized. If you actually put a voltmeter on the bulbs, you'll see that they're only getting around 9-10V. With a full 13-14V the stockers will really surpise you. I haven't wired mine yet but I did try it with jumper wires straight from the battery and the difference was amazing. Quartz halogen lights are amazingly bright and white when supplied enough voltage. Aftermarket lights aren't going to perform any better without sufficient current to run them. Running both filaments together through the stock harness may overload the wire or the fuse. Also remember that with both 55W bulbs running, you're sucking 110W. Add 5W for the tail light, another 10-15W for the instruments and there's not much left to run the ignition, charge the battery and run the fan if it kicks in.
My 1997 manual says 200W. I don't think the 640 is any different. Hey, on the highway, light load, under 75 degrees F, you should be able to run both filaments. The minute that fan kicks on, all bets are off. As others have mentioned, you can use the 'mid' position on your thumbswitch to run both filaments when you need the extra light. I do the same thing on my ATK off-road (high and low filaments burning in the same bulb). Nothing like a 7" Hella with both filaments burning to light your way
Please go thru the index thread (or at least state that you have). I believe that flanny's post on the precise output of the charging system is in there... somewhere.
I don't know if it's "sorely undersized", but I agree with your concept. My LS fan doesn't run nearly as well as my RS fan which is wired directly off the battery. Hadn't considered wiring the lights direct. Good idea. I'm asking Santa for a pair of the small TT HIDs. If I'm a bad boy and all I get is coal, direct wiring may be a good alternative.
Thank you all for the rely's and help. As for the "Index Tread" comment,,,, it takes just as much time to BICTH about my qustion as it does answer it. Of course I did a search regarding the topic. I wouldn't have asked if I had an answer. Sorry for the bother I'm sure it put a crimp in you internet day. Relax a bit. Thank you again.
It would take me as much time to go and fetch the link for you as it would for you to do it yourself. Plus, then you would know where much of the information on your bike is catalogued. It wasn't a harsh comment, just an FYI. Plus I still don't know if you checked the index... But just so you don't think I'm a jerk, here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82712 Now go spend some time in the index please.
I don't run the high beam light cause it sucks camel turds, I just have the 2 driving lights wired in to the high beam switch. Draws 110W, so I'm comfy with that. Live out in the woods, so those lights plus our cooler weather has me using the heated grips at the same time. Never had any issues. Been like that for a couple of seasons now.
Yeah and once those things get in around the bulb, the light turns to 'crap' I understand and agree. The high beam has that crappy spotlight pattern that's focused about two miles away in a single point of light--no dispersion. Has anybody tried to mount a second low-beam in the other position, then aim it higher for 'high beam' function?
There are some lighting threads but I was always looking for solutions that were better protected. That type of solution should be easy to rig eh?
So you have a solution. I didn't actually realize how vunerable those in the pic were. Where else can you mount them?
I know of at least one Aussie rider - don't remember his name - just saw his post in a HID discussion thread. Easily done just a bit $$$$. I am currently running two 35watt HID units in my 640 Adventure. Have wired the relay for the low beam to my parking light -this stops the light cutting out upon starting the bike and both beams stay on when I flick the switch to high. I will soon be installing a 50watt HID into my high beam. Will let you all know how this performs.
