Headlight sucks...!

Drumwoulf · Post by **Drumwoulf** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:01 am

Maybe it's because I'm coming from a maxi-scooter/motorcycle previous position, but that 35W headlight bulb really sucks on my 2007 Buddy.
It's adequate I guess, but for me, riding at night means a merely 'adequate' headlight just doesn't do it!!

Soon's I can that 35w is getting replaced with a SilverStar H4st 55/65w bulb!

ThisDude · Post by **ThisDude** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:24 am

Yep that's a good decision, 35 just ain't enough, too much is never enough. Just don't go any higher in wattage. The buddy is pretty much at maximmum capacity at 65.

db · Post by db » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:09 am

Will that fit and if so is this something I can just get at a autozone?

whonozz · Post by **whonozz** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:51 pm

I took my first night time drive last night. I'm changing out mine headlight bulb today. It's down-right dangerous to drive after dark with this stock bulb. I'd be better off riding with a flashlight duct taped to the front of my scooter. I can't believe Genuine would let something so unsafe leave the assembly line. What other "short cuts" have they taken that are not so obvious?

StL_Stadtroller · Post by **StL_Stadtroller** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:03 pm

if y'all want to see a crappy headlight, try riding a battery-less vintage bike once.

The Buddy headlight KICKS BUTT.

You should be thankfull!

polianarchy · Post by **polianarchy** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:49 pm

whonozz wrote:What other "short cuts" have they taken that are not so obvious?

Not as many as the vast majority of modern scooters out on the market today. I LOVE my scooter, though, so who knows. Here, try this kool-aid.

jetboy · Post by **jetboy** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:23 pm

I'm also actually pretty happy with the headlight. Uhh..what flavor was that kool-aid again?

-jetboy

lobsterman · Post by **lobsterman** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:16 pm

Hey Kool-Aid!

I got no problems with the headlight either.

ScooterDave · Post by **ScooterDave** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:39 pm

StL_Stadtroller wrote:if y'all want to see a crappy headlight, try riding a battery-less vintage bike once.

The Buddy headlight KICKS BUTT.

You should be thankfull!

Ahhh.. It is not so bad. My '69 Rally 180 is a no battery bike. Just make sure your flywheel is magnitised. The Rally has a killer headlight.

As far as the Buddy goes, I think the headlight is fine. I have no issues with it.

Dave

whonozz · Post by **whonozz** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:56 pm

You guys/girls must live and ride in the city where there is an abundance of street lights and other ambient light. I live where I'm only two minutes from country backroads where it's great fun to ride, but it's beyond dark after sunset. Trust me, if I'm riding at over 20/25 mph I can't stop within the distance my headlight illuminates and that just doesn't cut it if there's a rut or chuckhole in the road or a friendly groundhog out for an evening stroll. You can keep your cool-aid or whatever else you may be smoking. This headlight bulb is "dangerously weak" if you're riding outside of the city at night. I find nothing funny about the subject.

db · Post by db » Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:33 pm

My headlight didn't reach out that far at first, I felt uncomfortable riding at night too, so I loosened the screw to it and made the light reach out farther, it is much better now but I still would never mind more light

StL_Stadtroller · Post by **StL_Stadtroller** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:56 pm

whonozz wrote:This headlight bulb is "dangerously weak" if you're riding outside of the city at night. I find nothing funny about the subject.

1) wait for eyes to adjust
2) ride slower / cautiously at night
3) take a chill pill dude.

whonozz · Post by **whonozz** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:05 pm

StL_Stadtroller wrote:
whonozz wrote:This headlight bulb is "dangerously weak" if you're riding outside of the city at night. I find nothing funny about the subject.
1) wait for eyes to adjust
2) ride slower / cautiously at night
3) take a chill pill dude.

1) and 2) are always good advice. But 3) "take a chill pill"?

The way I see it anything to do will safe riding and making your bike/scooter a safer machine is a serious matter and is truly relevant to this forum. As for your relevance, I'm not so sure about that.

Drumwoulf · Post by **Drumwoulf** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:49 pm

whonozz wrote:
StL_Stadtroller wrote:
whonozz wrote:This headlight bulb is "dangerously weak" if you're riding outside of the city at night. I find nothing funny about the subject.
1) wait for eyes to adjust
2) ride slower / cautiously at night
3) take a chill pill dude.
1) and 2) are always good advice. But 3) "take a chill pill"?

The way I see it anything to do will safe riding and making your bike/scooter a safer machine is a serious matter and is truly relevant to this forum. As for your relevance, I'm not so sure about that.

I didn't really see any neccessity for a flame war when I started this thread, y'know?

If you like the headlight on yer Buddy, then fine, leave it alone...
And those of us who are used to better lighting when riding bikes at night, well, we'll prolly do something to improve our headlights!

No biggie AFAIC.. TEHO..! (Criticizing a scooter's defects is not like criticizing your mother's, y'know?) -Sheeesh!!

whonozz · Post by **whonozz** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 11:19 pm

Drumwoulf's right and I'll chill as best I can in this 10th day of a 100+ degree heatwave. But I did find a SilverStar H4st 55/65w bulb and installed it today. I'm going to give it a try tonight to see what a difference it makes. Sorry StL_Stadtroller. Us MO dudes should see eye to eye, even in dim light.

ThisDude · Post by **ThisDude** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:29 am

If you got the motorcycle specific bulbs they'll drop right in, make sure to aim your light properly though. If you got the car version h4's then there will be a couple of locater tabs you'll need to smash flat. But compared to an '06 buddy the 35 watt halogen is way better, yet there still is some room for improvement in the '07's namely the h4 upgrade.

BlueMark · Post by **BlueMark** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:39 am

Hmmm ... I thought the lighting on the '07 Buddy was vastly improved, it is certainly bigger. Sure we aren't talking about an '06 Buddy? There are still a lot of '06s in stock. You can tell by the size of the light (if you have both to compare). Oh - only the '07 has the 12v accessory plug.

-Mark

ScooterDave · Post by **ScooterDave** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:39 am

StL_Stadtroller wrote:1) wait for eyes to adjust
2) ride slower / cautiously at night
3) take a chill pill dude.

I prefer:

1) Wear a tinted visor
2) Ride fast / Take chances
3) Drink beer as the liver is evil and it must be punished

But, this is just how I roll.....

Dave

StL_Stadtroller · Post by **StL_Stadtroller** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 1:23 am

whonozz wrote:Drumwoulf's right and I'll chill as best I can in this 10th day of a 100+ degree heatwave. But I did find a SilverStar H4st 55/65w bulb and installed it today. I'm going to give it a try tonight to see what a difference it makes. Sorry StL_Stadtroller. Us MO dudes should see eye to eye, even in dim light.

No kidding mate! no need for apologies. Perhaps we'll be rolling together in the not so distant future - I'm wanting to get a "missouri meetup" going for next April (late april) around Bagnell Dam. Not a rally mind you, just a meeting of the KC, STL, and Springfield scooter clubs.

As for improving the lighting - I advise caution. In looking at the wife's '06, the headlight seems to be largely plastic. A modern Halogen H4 style bulb may MELT some stuff in there. I think even a few ModernVespa peeps have melted / almost torched their headset playing around with bigger bulbs.

But having just come back from dinner and trading off bikes on the way home, I gotta say - yeah, that Buddy headlight is awesome!

even with the basket catching some of it!

whonozz · Post by **whonozz** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:32 am

Big difference in illumination tonight. Low beam still is not what I'd like, but I think I need to adjust the lamp up a bit. But the high beam really is much better. I'm able to see much farther ahead and it seems to illuminate the edges of the road better too. All in all it was worth the 20 bucks.

StL_Stadtroller wrote: I'm wanting to get a "missouri meetup" going for next April (late april) around Bagnell Dam. Not a rally mind you, just a meeting of the KC, STL, and Springfield scooter clubs.

That would be fun. April would be great because not many of the lake "crazies" will be there yet. Count me in....

JeremyZ · Post by **JeremyZ** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 8:20 pm

Well whonazz, I'm with you on this one. The Buddy headlight (mine's an '06 125) is inadequate. Do I need to chill? Read on, then let me know what you think.

At the end of May, I was out for a nighttime ride. I was on a road like whonazz describes; darker than dark. I was cruising along happily at 45 mph. Headlight set to high beam.

All of a sudden a doe's eyes are lit up by the Buddy's low beam, but she's way to close for me to stop or slow down safely. Scared to death, I grab the brakes. It didn't feel like I grabbed them hard, but I must have, thanks to adreneline. The front tire locked up, the bike washed out from under me, and I was hurtling through the night air at 45 mph. Tumble-tumble-tumble-tumble. Bike's smashed up, I'm smashed up, deer's nowhere in sight. The screeching tires scared her off.

Just Saturday, I got my Buddy back from the shop. It took them 3 months to get all the parts and get it buttoned back up. Most of the wait was for something in the instrument cluster from Taiwan.

My road rash is mostly healed now; all red scars. My right thumb is still stiff, and I'm going to physical therapy for it. First appointment is tomorrow, and I'm taking the Buddy.

I am an experienced motorcyclist, with over 50,000 miles under my belt, on bikes from 50cc to 1300cc. I was spoiled by the headlight on my Yamaha FJR1300, and didn't realize I was over-driving my Buddy's headlight going only 45. The deer didn't "come out of nowhere." She was just hanging out in the middle of the road. I just didn't see her in time, because the damn headlight is aimed about 12' in front of the bike. It's weak too, but that is a secondary problem.

I found this thread because I was searching for a headlight mod. I don't see an adjusting screw. Is there such a thing, or do I have to open up the front of the bike and shim something to get it aimed right? The '07 Buddys' halogen headlamp should be an imrpovement, because it is brighter. The housing is also bigger, as Bluemark pointed out. But if there is no good way to aim it, it is all for naught. The Japanese & Germans still rule the roost for headlight design in my humble experience.

I've had a few close calls with deer on the FJR, but no crashes, thanks to the outstanding headlights and ABS.

I'm not looking to disagree with anyone who thinks the headlight is OK. Just looking to bring it up to my standards, so I don't have to think about getting rid of this overall great bike on account of an Achilles Heel. With the days getting shorter, the headlight becomes increasingly more important and more frequently needed.

cowgirl helmet · Post by **cowgirl helmet** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 9:53 pm

Could the people who've done headlight mods please post pics, or at least an explanation of how you changed the bulb/loosened (or tightened) the relevant screw/whatever it was? I have almost no mechanical experience, and upgrading the headlight sounds like an excellent idea.

whonozz · Post by **whonozz** » Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:32 pm

cowgirl helmet wrote:Could the people who've done headlight mods please post pics, or at least an explanation of how you changed the bulb/loosened (or tightened) the relevant screw/whatever it was? I have almost no mechanical experience, and upgrading the headlight sounds like an excellent idea.

I picked up a SilverStar H4st 55/65w bulb at my local auto parts store and just took it over to my dealer. I didn't watch how it was done, but it only took him 10 minutes and only cost me $10 labor.

I did the adjustment myself though. On my '07 Si there is a small 9mm screw head right on the underneath side of the headlight housing. I just loosened it and pulled it forward about half way down the slot and then tightened it back up. Made a huge improvement in the distance I can now see ahead.

JeremyZ, sorry to read about your tumble brought on by an unseen deer. I was worried about finding myself in that very situation. Glad to hear that you're up and about ready to ride again. Hope this info helps you out.

ThisDude · Post by **ThisDude** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:22 am

You can search for the headlamp replacement on this site. It's for an '06 but everything is pretty much the same to replace it except the bulb part which is a different part. You'll know about the tabs when you get to them because the bulb will not lay flat in the holder with the tabs. But the illumination is vastly better with the silverstars, when you re-aim the light you'll definitely be able to see further and high beam is just as bright and well lit as a car's high beams.

ScooterDave · Post by **ScooterDave** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:59 am

JeremyZ wrote:Headlight set to high beam.

All of a sudden a doe's eyes are lit up by the Buddy's low beam,

I am confused.. Was it the high beam or was it the low beam?

Dave

JeremyZ · Post by **JeremyZ** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 2:46 am

ScooterDave wrote:
JeremyZ wrote:Headlight set to high beam.

All of a sudden a doe's eyes are lit up by the Buddy's low beam,
I am confused.. Was it the high beam or was it the low beam?

Dave

High beam! sorry!

For those who are just thinking of doing this, I just found the adjustment screw under the headlight housing. You'll need an 8mm wrench. I have a nice thin one from Ace Hardware, and the box end was perfect. It is directly under the headlight, the screw faces the ground, not the front.

I loosened this up, pulled it most of the way forward, (which swiveled the headlight upwards) and went for a ride around the neighborhood. It is 500% better. Even with the stock, non-halogen bulb. Try this before upgrading bulbs. With the 30W halogen bulb, it would probably be even 10-20% better than that. Still not quite high-end motorcycle good, but plenty good enough to be useful.

This sounds more complicated to do than it is. Just get the 8mm wrench, make sure you know which way is loosen (you can get mixed up, since it's facing down) and have a go. It is quite easy.

If your Buddy is still under warranty and you're really afraid, take it to the stealer and have them do it. It will take them 5 minutes.

I feel kind of silly now for bad-mouthing Bud before really searching for this screw. I didn't see it facing forward, where I thought it would be, and started complaining.

Fixing left-right aim will be much more involved.

Thanks for the tips, all!

StL_Stadtroller · Post by **StL_Stadtroller** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 3:04 am

I wouldn't mind applying this to the wife's '06, however I have to know from folks who've done it how your housing and wiring are holding up over time.
Any melted parts? Smoked wires or connectors? Any discoloration of the lens?

jazdrmr · Post by **jazdrmr** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:03 pm

I tried the suggestion JeremyZ made and ajusted my '07 headlight up. Made a world of difference! Low beam I'm real happy with, hi beam a little questionable. Still not the greatest headlight for riding at night, but far better than how my Buddy was delivered!

JeremyZ · Post by **JeremyZ** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:10 pm

jazdrmr wrote: Low beam I'm real happy with, hi beam a little questionable.

Yeah, aimed maybe a bit too high, once the low is aimed correctly, right? It's a bit of a Bat Signal high beam. However, that animal at the side of the road 100 yards out will have his eyes lit up for you when he looks your way, contemplating walking out there.

Also, I know when driving with the high beam on during the day, that it gets peoples' attention. Not bright enough to be a hazard, but enough that they will see it.

chuckt2 · Post by **chuckt2** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:07 pm

Have had the Silverstars in our two 2007 Buddy's from the night after the first scary night drive. They have been in for over 400 miles now without the first symtom of wire damage or lense discoloration. The install took about a half hour, because I went slow since I had never taken the upper shell apart. (They have all of these plastic tabs you have to be careful of not breaking) The second of our two Buddy's took about 10-15 minutes. The H4ST Silverstar from AutoZone was nearly a drop in. There are two small positioning tabs that don't quite line up, but bending them back to about 45º (they are soft metal) allowed them to drop right in. Adjusting the headlight was also done. The correct adjustment is about the halfway point in the slot. You can be precise and do the correct measurement based on your weight, but the halfway mark is just about spot on. The difference at night is remarkable. No more scary thoughts when driving over 20 mph. You can actually drive at 50 mph and feel comfortable. This is the bulb that should have been in the Buddy from the begining.

kmo2771 · Post by **kmo2771** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:19 am

Can you upgrade the headlight and connect the stock turn signals without a problem on 07 buddy?

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 2:59 am

kmo2771 wrote:Can you upgrade the headlight and connect the stock turn signals without a problem on 07 buddy?

Yep. Headlight is as simple as replacing the bulb. Simple to do, the hardest part is removing the headset, which can be a little fussy.

The stock turn signal rewiring is also pretty simple. Are you planning on connecting them as turn signals or running lights?

kmo2771 · Post by **kmo2771** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:32 am

I was planning on using both sets of front turn signals. The dealer said there were fuse issues when connecting the stock signals. Reading this forum it doesn't seem to be the case. I didn't know if I was pushing the electrical system by connecting the stock signals AND upgrading the headlight.

weaseltamer · Post by **weaseltamer** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:57 am

ScooterDave wrote: 3) Drink beer as the liver is evil and it must be punished

I'm all about drinking, but you shouldn't insult your liver, it may take it out on you later. Livers ROCK!!!

KidDynomite · Post by **KidDynomite** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:18 pm

weaseltamer wrote:
ScooterDave wrote: 3) Drink beer as the liver is evil and it must be punished
I'm all about drinking, but you shouldn't insult your liver, it may take it out on you later. Livers ROCK!!!

Long live the liver!

Modern Buddy

Headlight sucks...!

Headlight sucks...!

Nonsense compounded...