Headlight bulb

[LongRanger_imp]

My F800GT uses a standard H7 bulb for the low beam, which decided to burn out yesterday. The bulb is clipped into the socket with a simple wire bale, which is not unlike a big bobby pin. Most European automobiles use the same method.

The boys over on the F800 forum are adamant this is a failed design. They keep breaking the little plastic tabs which secure the wire bale to the headlight assembly, which renders the assembly useless ($$&#36. Several folks are ready to sue BMW for such a negligent design.

Well, today I went in and changed my bulb without issue. It didn't even take two minutes. Easy peasy. I'm not sure why those guys have such difficulty but it's very straightforward. You simply unclip the bale, swap out the bulb, and clip the new bulb in. Feeling quite proud of my accomplishment and ready to roll the bike back into the garage, I pushed it off the centerstand, only to have it fall away from me and land on its side in the driveway, with the wheels completely off the ground. Hmm, I thought, that's what the nether regions of my bike looks like. I certainly never expected 440 lbs to be so heavy. With my neighbor's assistance, we got the bike back on its feet and inspected for cosmetic damage. There was none. That could have been an expensive headlight bulb. Phew!

 

[the Ferret]

Lol....well that was close. Could have been expensive indeed.

A lot of vehicles use that little bail clip design. The ST did and to change the bulb without taking half the bike apart you had to come up from underneath, behind the fairing, kinda backwards and do that clip blind. It helped to have small hands lol

 

[LongRanger_imp]

This one's blind, too, and it's hard to cram your fingers in there, but it's not rocket science. Just socket science!

I haven't dropped a bike since 1984...

 

[Cormanus]

Happy the bike’s OK, LR, and happier you weren’t on it at the time.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

lol - you took that well LR.

Did you determine the gender of the F800GT while it was down?

 

[Lord Popgun]

LR, the reason that 440lbs seemed heavy is because its more like 540lbs

 

[Ben70_imp]

You know, LR, you didn't have to fess up in front of the entire internet and all of our descendants for as long as cyber records are kept. But it does make some of us hackers feel better in a misery loves company sort of way.
Glad there was no damage.

Ben

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Yeah, it's a boy. At least I think so. I tried not to stare but I noticed a little stubby thing hanging beneath the engine. Not very well endowed, however. Either that, or it was the oil drain plug...

These bikes are 470 lbs wet with bags. Mine didn't have the bags attached, plus it's very low on gas (capacity is 4+ gallons), so I figured about 440 lbs. Regardless, it felt like a metric ton.

 

[Lord Popgun]

According to the service manual the curb weight of the ‘13 is 540lbs. The ‘13 abs is 549. The 2014 std model is 545 and the dlx is 571.

I wish mine was 440.

 

[the Ferret]

Popgun he dropped a BMW not a CB 1100

 

[Lord Popgun]

:blush:

I apologize LR. Reading comprehension. I need some.

At least now everyone knows how much the ‘13-14 CBs weigh...

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

:blush:

I apologize LR. Reading comprehension. I need some.

At least now everyone knows how much the ‘13-14 CBs weigh...

It is quite alright popgun. It is very evident your passion for the CB is overwhelming. Nuttin' wrong with that. :beerchug:

 

[LongRanger_imp]

All good, no apology needed!

I should be the one apologizing for polluting the CB1100 forum with my BMW drivel. Thank goodness for the Other Stuff | Other Bikes category.

 

[Stichill]

One of my riding buddies says about motorcycles, "They're designed to be dropped." I believe that is true.

I was sitting on my month-old F800GT waiting in line at a gas station when a guy slowly backed his mother-in-law's car into my front tire at a gas station, pushing the bike over onto its right side. I was so surprised I didn't have a chance to honk and I definitely didn't have a chance to get out of the way. I had to leap off the bike and do a Captain Kirk-style judo roll. I thought the guy would just pull forward like most normal humans. He jumped out of the car saying, "I didn't see you!" I'm thinking, "You didn't even look, you dolt. I'm wearing a hi-viz helmet and jacket!"

There was surprisingly little damage:
[li]Nicks / slight deformation on the bar-end[/li] [li]Tiny nick on the bottom of the engine casing[/li] [li]Tiny nick on the ball end of the brake lever[/li] [li]Tiny scratch on the mirror[/li] [li]Tiny scratch on turn signal[/li] [li]Fairly deep scratches on the front corner of the pannier
[/li]
Here's a picture of the bail on one of the GT headlights. People who don't use a camera or mirror to inspect and who aren't alert to the chance for damage are breaking off the three little plastic tabs on the right side near the screw.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Stitchil,
So what is the proper way to get that off? Remove the screws?

 

[Stichill]

Popgun, you push down on the ends of the bail on the left and move them inboard. This frees them from the upside-down “U” retainers. Then you pivot the bail outward and toward the right.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Thanks Stichill!

I expanded the pic and can see now how it works.

 

[rboe]

There is a knack to that darn bale. Some times I find it foolishly easy. Other times. Not so much. Curses.