I just installed the new Daymaker 5 3/4" headlight on my 03 Deuce.
Ive read here around the forum, some guys have had fitment issues with the LED light being loose and apperently Ive got the same prob. Can someone expand on how they shimmed or sucured the light in the housing. Ive heard some have used high temp tubing?

Thanks

 

Did you use the rubber gasket it came with?

 

+1 .. theRubber gasket is very important !

 

Funny...I got the rubber ring gasket with mine but I didn't use it on my Blackline. I guess I didn't need it and it's not loose either. And...I didn't see a way to install it with the light.

 

Yup, I used the gasket. It's pretty sloppy still.

 

Just to mention, I did also order the rubber vibration thing called a "snubber". Turns out its for the stock housing. I'm running the Harley billet housing. I can't see the housing being the issue as the stock light was locked in perfect.

 

Read on another forum about reversing the inner ring that sits behind the headlight unit inside the housing.. Tried it but couldnt get the outter ring clip to seat as now its to far forward to grab the grooved notch. I figure Ill get it sorted sooner or later but was hoping to fast track it with another members experience with this.

Cheers

 

Harley is doing some different things with headlight mounting recently. My own 2014 Breakout is a good example that I personally wrestled with when changing from the stock headlight to the Daymaker.

The installation of headlights is now very different for different models. Here is one example: Look in the Softail service manual under headlight removal and installation, and you will see that the parts, and the order in which the parts are installed, now varies dramatically by model. If you compare the "generic" softail model headlight exploded diagram in the service manual to the Breakout, you will see this.

On the Breakout, I was flat amazed. You have the basic headlight shell into which everything fits. The headlight wiring harness connector is inside it. A metal trim ring with all manner of notches in it comes next. Then, the headlight assembly. NO gasket on the Breakout model (check the diagram). There IS a vibration snubber at the bottom of the shell (check the diagram). There is an outer chrome trim ring. There is a bolt with self-locking nut that secures the chrome trim ring. And that is ALL there is TOTAL on the breakout (but other Softail models are different)/

Here is how you install the headlight into the Breakout (no kidding):

First, cover the damn fender with a thick cloth or you ay later be very sorry.

You FIRST install a thin metal ring with multiple notches in it. The notches MUST be perfectly aligned with matching protrusions and slots on the headlight shell! You will struggle to get that plate both (a) aligned so all notches etc do align, and (b) the outer circumference of the plate is "inside" the shell an equal distance all the way around! This equal distance thing is CRITICAL. if the distance is NOT equal all the way around, you will either be unable to secure the headlight, or equally bad, once you are done3, the headlight will be pointing off in some direction other than straight ahead. Trust me on this.

Then, while taking care not to disturb that metal ring, you will connect up the wiring harness connector to the headlight connector. This is a bit hard since the connector pins are pretty resistant to FULLY plugging in.

Then, you must PRE-prepare the outer chrome metal "trim ring", its bolt, and its self-locking nut, by having all 3 VERY nearby so that you can reach them and lift them later into position WITH ONLY ONE HAND AVAILABLE TO USE. Also have the correct size Philips screwdriver within reach too.

Now, CAREFULLY slip the headlight into position into the metal notched ring, being very careful to (a) have the headlight truly vertical, (b) have the notches in the headlight housing align with the notches in the metal ring, and (c) slowly push the headlight in until it is snug but do NOT push hard enough to "move" the damn metal notched ring out of position (it will want to move)!

Now, hold the whole ridiculous assembly perfectly STILL while simultaneously slipping the chrome outer metal trim ring around the headlight and rim of the headlight shell without scratching the headlight shell OR moving anything in the assembly you are holding perfectly aligned.

Still holding the whole assembly with one had, use your other hand to slip the outer trim ring BOLT into position, to bridge between the 2 lower end of the split outer chrome trim ring! It will try to ride UP instead of into the trim ring, but you will curse and be (im)patient until you get it into position.

Now, you take the TINY self-locking nut and try to place it into position onto the end of the bolt. This is impossible because its mounting point is RECESSED into the trim ring, so all you can do is hold it with your left hand roughly in position, while you simultaneously let go completely of the headlight assembly (the chrome trim ring will hold everything in place despite not yet being tightened, IF you do not disturb it). Now, while holding the self-locking nut in place roughly with left hand, use your right hand with the screwdriver to turn the bolt until it engages with the bolt and then tighten just a BIT so that the nut won't fall off if you let it go.

Check the alignment of the chrome trim ring with the headlight shell. If you see either of the "dimples" in the headlight shell near the circumference of the chrome trim ring, you have "moved" the headlight and chrome trim ring, and will need to start all over to realign everything. That of course requires removing the self-locking nut and bolt so you can do so, but don't drop the nut, the bolt, or the headlight assembly while doing so!

If the alignment is perfect, slowly tighten the bolt into the self locking nut. Do NOT OVERTIGHTEN!! This is a TINY bolt and nut, and has a nylon self-locker in it, so only very low torque is required. if you apply too much torque, you will STRETCH and BEND the chrome trim ring so that it will never hold properly and will never look right, so cool it on the torque!

Now, place the bike 25 feet away from a SHADED wall, or at night, facing the wall precisely (bike is 90 degrees to the wall EXACTLY). Turn on the ignition key. Turn on the HIGH beam. The bright center of the light should be exactly aligned with the centerline of the bike. if it is not, you have mounted the entire headlight assembly slightly askew and will need to repeat the entire process. Do NOT try to eliminate the "skew" by merely using the headlight shell mounting bolts to "align" the headlight. That is NOT the problem. The problem si that you have incorrectly assembled the assembly, and you do need to redo it. (Ask me how I know ).

Here is what I think: this new mounting arrangement uses way fewer parts than the older arrangements, and is probably easy and fast to do on an assembly line by an HD worker who does it all day every day. But, it is NOT easy for anyone else, who does it maybe a few times in their LIFE.

I would not laugh at anyone who chooses to have their local Harley dealership do this entire headlight swap, or bulb swap, especially since the risk include LOSS of the headlight assembly while on the road, and serious damage to the front fender and maybe other portions of the bike if you don't do the installation correctly. Let the Harley shop take that risk, not you, unless you are patient enough to handle this process.

Jim G

p.s. The rubber gasket is NOT used on the Breakout when installing the Daymaker, but IS used on some other models "where there is an existing gasket", in which case you replace that existing gasket with the one that comes with the Daymaker!

 

Thanks for the reply Jim. Looks like my assembley seems to be fairly different than the Breakouts but Im going to try a few of your points and see if I can get this sorted. Ive been pulled away from the project recently but I will have a go at it today.

Cheers

 

So, the fix...
Being that it was a tolerance issue, I ended up just tracing the inner locating ring onto a sheet or rubber and made a new gasket. The gasket is about 3X thicker than the one provided with the headlight. Seems pretty solid now.
Like I said in a previous post, I have the Harley Davidson billet headlight shell #67704-03 so it would seem that the available "snubber" only works on the stock shell.
Hope this helps anyone who also runs into this issue.

Thanks