AJS & Matchless Owners Club

56G80S 6v.

I haven't yet fitted the 12 volt spotlight onto the mudguard in the front hole for the front numberplate.

Being inadequate with electricity I had thought I'd need to run a separate "system" to switch and run the step up transformer from a direct connection on the battery.

I now realise that I should simply fit the transformer between the switch and the light! Plenty of room in the headlight shell as I have the Avon handlebar fairing fitted. Now the real question.

If I take a spur off the connection for the headlight pilot light and one off the dip beam side of the main headlight I guess that when I put on the pilot light the dip beam will come on as well; and vice versa!

Is there an easy way to have the spotlight on with the pilot bulb and then switch to the spotlight on with the dip beam?

Or do I just buy another step up transformer (they don't cost that much) and have one transformer for daylight running the spotlight with the pilot light and the other transformer for night time spotlight with the dip beam?

This will be much cheaper than replacing all the Matchless indicator, trailer lights and other LEDs and cutting the wire to run a 12v system. With hindsight, maybe that's what I should've done but I've made my bed and now................

Groily - help!

Johnny B

If I read it right, sounds as if you want the spotlight on with everything except main beam - but you don't want the dip beam on with the pilot light (and vice-versa) as a result of the common single wire at the input side of the step-up.

Others will have far better ideas than me, that's for certain sure! I'm sure that a set-up using relays (and a fair bit more electrical spaghetti!) would do all that you want, with some effort - but is it worth it??!

Being lazy, I'd probably just wire the spot and its step-up independently of all the other lights, using a small on/off switch with a lever or push-button placed adjacent to the dipswitch and 'pegged' to it - so positioned that it was mechanically pushed to 'off' whenever you went to main beam (assuming you wanted it off then, that is) and came back 'on' with 'dip'. That would give you every lighting combination you now have including 'spot only' for daytime running, (but no spot option with lights on main beam), and would be quite easy to do quite neatly (I think, says he!).

Thanks, you summed it up!

I will probably settle for pilot on its own and dip with spot. It's really that when I dip I want to clearly see the side of the road.

I did get a separate switch when I got the rest of the kit but my handlebars are a bit crowded what with the indicator switching and the brackets for the fairing. The LED pilot is quite bright for daytime running.

Cheers

Johnny B

I wonder what would happen if the bike needed an M o T. If you were asked to turn the spot lamp off, you would have no dip. I was asked to turn spot lamps off, on my car a few years ago. I guess I would have been asked to do the same if I was on a bike. The policeman said, the spot lights may only be used in adverse weather conditions.

The law only recognises Front fog lamps: Only to be used in poor visibility.

Dip beam: two maximum.

Main beam: no limit on numbers and spot lamps are classed with main beam.

So legally the spot would have to go out simultaneously with main beam with one action of the dip switch.

To get it to do what you want I would put a double connector of both the main and dip beam leads going to the headlamp bulb.
Take a tap off the dip beam lead to your transformer and wire the transformer straight to the spot lamp.

At MoT time take the headlamp out and switch the feed wire to the main beam wire so its now legal.

But don't mention my name

Cheers Harry

I seem to remember probably wrong but I thought you could only use a transformer on a/c electrics

Tested the transformer and runs the lights fine.

In terms of the lights themselves I had thought to have them on during the day as visibility for the SMIDSY avoidance (!).

Loads of motorcycles around with these.

Are they all illegal?

I do have a problem with current tendency of car drivers having auxillary lights on with side lights.

To be honest, I'll settle for being seen and seeing and cross the legality bridge when I come to it.

I will have these well angled down as I just want to see the edge of the road.

But I will set up so I can switch off if requested.


Johnny B

Hi

As your lights are technically designed for use at night there should be no issue with you using them during the day too. Daytime running lights as fitted to a lot of newer vehicles fall under different legislation - see link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... lights.pdf

Regards Mick

Mick

That's a really useful link, thanks.

Johnny B