changing headlight bulbs

I must be pretty dumb,Iread the threads about how to change a bulb and cant figure it out.
where do you squeeze the clips with the wires attached ? dose it pull straight out ?
feels like it will break !
can get to it easy from top just dont want to damage it
any help would be appreciated

Those side clips on the connector are very subtle.. you barely notice if you are doing it right.. .then, all of a sudden it slips right off like it had oil on it... otherwise, you feel like you're going to rip the whole assembly out ... when you get it right, it will just slide off. Yes, it's a pain and just take your time.

Mellow said:

Those side clips on the connector are very subtle.. you barely notice if you are doing it right.. .then, all of a sudden it slips right off like it had oil on it... otherwise, you feel like you're going to rip the whole assembly out ... when you get it right, it will just slide off. Yes, it's a pain and just take your time.

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Yea, right. I for the life of me, could NOT get the darn bulb out, I even had the side panel off for other work. I tired it upside down, backward rightside up, backwards upside down, turned myself inside out, still couldn't get it. I finally took a long pair of plyers to squeeze the clips and pull straight back, wow, that made it simple. I guess if I need to add the long plyers to my tool kit!

I remember telling a guy on a BMW RS (years ago) that his bulb was burned out, he had it changed in under 30 seconds. Wish my bike would let me do that.

THere were clips? lol

nybryan said:

THere were clips? lol

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This should answer all your questions... I can change the bulb in 30 w/time to spare.

If you feel around the connector you'll feel the sides give a little.. go towards the headlight a little more and you'll feel more of the pins.

I had to change both of my bulbs Friday evening and I tore up the tips of my fat fingers. So I took 2 wooden dowels and made a tool that gets into the rubber boot and releases the plug. I can get a plug off now it about 5 seconds. The only tough part now is the metal clip, I don't think that is a bad as the frickin clips on the back of the plug. If anyone is interested I can post a picture.

Highrider said:

I had to change both of my bulbs Friday evening and I tore up the tips of my fat fingers. So I took 2 wooden dowels and made a tool that gets into the rubber boot and releases the plug. I can get a plug off now it about 5 seconds. The only tough part now is the metal clip, I don't think that is a bad as the frickin clips on the back of the plug. If anyone is interested I can post a picture.

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Sure.. what we need is a cool plastic version that just fits the connector.

I can now do it pretty fast. I used to go in from the top but now it's so much faster from underneath with the wheel turned.

I think I can remove the connector in 3 seconds. This sounds like a new event.

this thread brings up a question that i've wanted to know about...i changed my own last month. i used osram h4 offroad bulbs. 70/65watts. btw i love the increase in light output with these! fitting the new ones weren't as straigh foward as one( or even me) would expect. the top tang was fine, but the two bottom ones were aprox 20degrees away from the indents on the bike's socket! i ended up cutting the bulb's two lower tangs off and seating them that way( st1100 and i used the bulb shims as sold by calsportz)..the question is...if i shun the use of all alcoholic refreshments and drive after dark..will i still wake up in a ditch?

the_gr8t_waldo said:

this thread brings up a question that i've wanted to know about...i changed my own last month. i used osram h4 offroad bulbs. 70/65watts. btw i love the increase in light output with these! fitting the new ones weren't as straigh foward as one( or even me) would expect. the top tang was fine, but the two bottom ones were aprox 20degrees away from the indents on the bike's socket! i ended up cutting the bulb's two lower tangs off and seating them that way( st1100 and i used the bulb shims as sold by calsportz)..the question is...if i shun the use of all alcoholic refreshments and drive after dark..will i still wake up in a ditch?

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The Honda bulbs are the only ones that will fit without cutting off the bottom tabs. Some use the shims and some don't, I don't and haven't noticed any issues so it makes replacing them that much easier. Also, just bending them back is good enough if you are in a bind and don't have something to cut them off with.

And whether you whack, bend, or cut off the bottom tabs, avoid leaving any raised surfaces around the circumference. They only make getting the bulb correctly installed more difficult. On my last replacement, I left them a bit ragged and then wondered why the bulb wouldn't mount flush.

Good luck!

John

Mellow said:

This should answer all your questions... I can change the bulb in 30 w/time to spare.

If you feel around the connector you'll feel the sides give a little.. go towards the headlight a little more and you'll feel more of the pins.

Click to expand...

Joe, thank you for this info. I was waiting to change my burnt out bulb until it was time to pull the Tupperware. All because I could not figure how to get the socket off the bulb. My other bikes are just tension mount and do not have a locking tab. Also if you have fat hands like I do, taking off the small black plastic bib that covers the brake lines, under the fairing, really does help. Two screws and you have room to access the bulb from underneath. Be careful not to drop the screws as they will fall into the lower faring scoop and rest in the very front of the scoop point. Took about 5 min to figure out were the screw went. Using the "Face the rear of the bike" method, getting a finger grasp on the socket tabs is easy. Don't forget the bulb also has a metel clip that needs to be moved. If you are replacing the bulb for the first time. Getting them out is easy it is putting them in that gets to be a pain in the A**. Practice with the old bulb until you have a method that works for you. Please do not drop the new bulb or get your fingers on it. At 25 bucks a shot, the STock bulb is expensive. Again Joe thanks for the info, this forum does have good tips, even for us old guys that have been riding ST's for a long time.

No problem Chuck. Good tip about practicing the placement with the old bulb, there's not a lot of room to move around and it does help to face the headlight as you can look through it and see when the bulb shows up.

you are the man,that works great,am now proficent in ST bulb changing,your explanation and pics were great,thank you

I changed my bulbs out last night following the advice on this string. I didn't undertand that you turn the wheel TOWARD the light you are taking out. I spent some time trying it the other way and couldn't get a grip on the plug. I tried laying on my back too. That was a mistake! By sitting in front of the front wheel, and facing backwards I was able to do it pretty easily. Thank you all for the excellent help!

I ride with high beams pointed down most of the time. A few months back I lost high on one side. I spent alot of time trying to disconnect the damn connector.
Thanks to this thread and mellow's pic of the connector off, I can finally change a light bulb. I was ready to tear the plastic off cause I couldnt see it and thought it was fastened top and bottom.

Practicing with the old bulb is great advice too. Anything touching the glass will bring oil and shorten the life.

Perfect example off an easy thing seeming hard until you know how to do it.

I was going to try to fab shims, but bending the tabs a little less than right angle, and forcing them flush, seemed a tight enough fit, and the alignment was dead on. We will see.

Thanks all,
J

Someone needs to sticky this thread.

I had the left bulb burn out, and it was a gold plated bitIh to replace without looking at this.

I pressed the tabs all frig&in' day, but the connector wouldn't release from the bulb. I worked it off and finally pulled enough that the bulb came loose from the socket, and then found that the connector tab was still inserted into the socket. It took a pair of pliers to remove the tab from the socket. The rest of the installation went well, with the help of photos that Mellow had linked to.

Steve

steve3b3 said:

Someone needs to sticky this thread.

I had the left bulb burn out, and it was a gold plated bitIh to replace without looking at this.

I pressed the tabs all frig&in' day, but the connector wouldn't release from the bulb. I worked it off and finally pulled enough that the bulb came loose from the socket, and then found that the connector tab was still inserted into the socket. It took a pair of pliers to remove the tab from the socket. The rest of the installation went well, with the help of photos that Mellow had linked to.

Steve

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It's been Sticky'd for quite some time now. Glad the pics helped.

Musta' had a brain fart trying to get that bulb out!

Steve

steve3b3 said:

Musta' had a brain fart trying to get that bulb out!

Steve

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It can be tricky... heck, I didn't remember still having an issue on the '08 because I just didn't remember the 'tabs' and the wing didn't have those, they just slipped in/out.

Mellow, thanks for the picture. I didn't take off the plastic, but couldn't figure out how to get the connector off until your picture indicated where the tabs were located.