Hooking accessories direct to the battery = unswitched IF they don't have a relay. I don't know of any devices that don't have an on/off switch. But let's say for argument sake that you have one--like for instance an alarm system that has a blinking LED light--well then yeah, the only way to turn them off would be to disconnect them from the battery OR disconnect them from the Ground. In other words, simply break the circuit anywhere and that LED will go dark.
AAhhhh.. think I follow now. The HID lights are only the doodads sticking out the sides then, which light up the area of the road closer to the bike. And the H4 is just an alternate bulb. Cool. I wrote Martin Fab but I think they misunderstood my question because I was confused myself. :) I think I'll start off with the pure blue then and see where that gets me. An HID set can wait for now. Thanks again for the info. I think you have all saved me months of research! Paul G
Yup. Yes, the HIDS are the round black doodads attached to the sides of the headlight but what they do is TURN NIGHT INTO DAY! They are very bright and illuminate a wide swath way out farther than the headlight.
DRONE, what exactly did you have done to the seat? Is this a modified OEM XCountry seat? Either way, is it more comfortable than the OEM seat? Paul
It's the OEM seat with custom foam and a custom cover done by Ron Erwin of Erwins Custom Interiors . Comfort has not been an issue for me with ANY seat so I'm not sure if others would find it more comfortable. The foam is harder than the OEM foam so my seat is firmer. If I wanted softer foam, I can get it. Hard is fine for me. By eliminating the "hump" I sit back farther when street riding but can still ride forward on the dirt. Also, in my "street" position the seat height is about 2" higher than OEM and since I'm farther back it gives my old arthritic knees some relief.
Quote: Originally Posted by paul_g This the product in question? http://www.luminicsusa.com/detail.as...-H04SF&Type=H4 Yup. DRONE, just put in an order for the true blue bulb, but the system wants to sell me a heavy duty wire harness with it. Did you pick that up with the bulb or will the stock wire harness do? Thanks Paul
Your link didn't work so I'm not sure which bulb you're talking about. Luminics sells two different "pure blue" H4 bulbs. One is the traditional bulb--part no. LB-H04SF--this is the one I have and it's a simple swap out/swap in bulb. Two bulbs for $35. I've got 6000 miles on mine now including a lot of dirt and gravel. I still recommend it. The other is the Krypton bulb--part no. LKB-H04SF. I think maybe this is the one you're talking about. It generates a lot more heat than a regular H4 bulb. Also, the diameter of the bulb is wider than stock even though it's mounted on an H4 base so I'm not even sure it will fit in our housing. This is the one they suggest using a heavy duty plug for because of the extra heat it produces. I can't vouch for this bulb. The extra heat might be too much for our headlight housing and lens even if you get the upgraded wiring, and it might not fit anyway.
Thanks DRONE. It's the LB-H04SF for sure... but on the checkout page they still list the optional wiring for it. Not required, but made me wonder if I needed it. Sounds like it's safe to skip the wiring for this bulb. This will be the beginning of beefing up safety as my first series of mods. Just got done adding some reflective tape to my dark graphite helmet. Cheers Paul
Just bought my G650 (a bit late in the season up here) but I am already looking at kitting it out for some touring. Drone, your post was very informative, thank you for sharing that info.
Winter is a great time to get your mods done. I got my bike last November and it spent the next 4 months in my garage! Make sure you check out these other threads. Just click on the underlined title and you will go right to it. Let's See Your XCountry! (this is the major XCountry thread) G650X Thread Index (all the valuable info in this thread is on the first page) G650X Threadfest XChallenge Accessories and Farkles
Well, Geoffster, the guy's from Manitoba which I think is just a bit north of the O.C.! But to get technical about it--you're right!
Installed my new Wunderlich windscreen today but unfortunately the screen will not fit around my custom HID ballast bracket that was mounted to the lower fork clamp, so some lucky FF will be buying my HID setup in the Fleamarket, including lights, wiring, ballasts, custom mounting bracket, bolts, and the cool button switch. Here's what the HID lights looked like before today-- Total install required 4 hours--three hours messing around with my HID's, then finally removing them, and re-doing all my careful wiring mods behind and under my instrument panel. One hour for the screen. Here's a pic of the wire tie trash when I was finished-- The screen bracket comes in 3 pieces--the main bracket and two "legs" that attach the main bracket to the lower fork clamp. Here's a pic of the fully assembled bracket-- Bracket mounted to the upper and lower fork clamps-- Then you mount the turn signals to the Wunderlich bracket. This adds an extra inch or more of distance for the wiring to reach the bulbs. Make sure there is enough slack in your turn signal wires before you reattach the turn signal stems. See the next pic. Then you attach the screen, re-install your headlight, and VOILA! -- The screen is smaller than I saw it in my mind's eye. It's really quite small. I'll be interested to see if I start getting better gas mileage now that my frontal sail area will be a bit more slippery. More pics-- (Note the empty Garmin cradle. Some a-hole broke into my car and stole my Zumo last week!) The bracket feels quite stiff and I'm not expecting any flexing at all even at highway speeds. If the shield was twice as big, maybe a little. Note: I have 1" bar risers on my bike so if you are judging the height of the screen based on the height of the mirrors, well, subtract an inch because my mirrors are 1" taller than yours.
Installed these 1" bar risers from Wunderlich last week. Gives me one more inch of comfort when I'm up on the pegs. I'm surprised but that extra inch really does make it easier on my old crampy knees. Note that these pics were taken before I installed my new windscreen--
In case anybody's still following this thread, my HID lights are now for sale in the Flea Market. LINK *** SOLD ***
Hey Drone, I've tried a couple different handguard sets on my xmoto with limited success, due to the abs plumbing near the front brake. Any issues in that area with those great looking guards and risers you have... ie, hose binding, limited lever placement, etc. ? Thanks
I looked at the XMoto thread to see if the ABS plumbing on the XMoto was the same as on the XCountry but I couldn't see any clear pics. Speaking just for the XCountry then, I can say with no hesitation that the HDB guards don't interfere with any of my controls or cabling in any way, with or without the risers.
I hope you don't mind if I ask a few questions about the XCountry (and XMoto) motorcycles, as I've just recently become interested in these bikes. I have been told that of the three "X" bikes, only the XCountry is still being imported into the US, and that the XMoto has been dropped from the BMW lineup-does that sound correct? Is it true that these bikes use the same 650cc water cooled thumper motor as the F650 and Dacar models? I know someone with an older F650 that is well over 45,000 miles and still going down the road with few problems. A dealer has an '07 Xmoto "service loaner" with just over 2000 miles that they are asking $6000 for.I wonder if, since it is discontinued, maybe they could be talked down? How are these bikes to get parts for? The small gas tank is often mentioned, but I have heard that these fule injected engine get very good gas mileage-even for a 650cc thumper. Can I ask what you are getting from your XCountry? Thanks, Jon
