New to Harley guy here. Have modified several metric bikes but I finally got an HD!

I have 2000 sporty that I want to put a small custom fairing on. I plan on a light upgrade. I currently have stock light with passing lamps that are wired for with and on off switch and are wired to be on (with off switch option) when the low beam is on. For this fairing I have a 7" HID or thought of eliminating the passing lamps and dual a dual sporty light.

My question is wiring options for the dual set up. I suspect both lights on one circuit would be too much. Any sportster guru's ever do this?

As for the HID, I understand they draw a lot of power on start up. Will the sportster electrical system take it?

 

When adding an accessory, especially a higher power light, use a relay. By doing that the stock bike wiring only switches the circuit on and off, while an additional wire carries the electricity. If you buy a suitable light relay at an auto store it should come with the simple wiring diagram, which can also be found on-line.

 

Dual relay kit ? :

http://www.cycleterminal.com/headlight-kits.html

 

Auto relays are designed to operate two lights, such as fogs or spots, and are perfectly suitable for your application. They are as cheap as chips, you only need one, no need to go to any extra expense. You can buy everything you need for far less than the cost in that link, including wire, crimping tool, etc.

 

Thanks. That makes sense.

I haven't pulled the bike apart yet and will probably wait until winter to do so. I was told the passing lamps were installed at the dealership when bike was purchased and have been there since new in 2000. Assuming they were installed properly, and I believe they are 35w per bulb, if I wanted to run the dual headlight in low beam only, could I not just replace the passing lamps with the second 55w headlight?

What are your thoughts on the HID kits? From what I understand, they can draw up to 18 amps on startup.

 

I have an H-D HID headlamp on my Glide and it is true they use a lot of power on start-up. The HID bulb is actually alternating current, AC, and around 84 volts IIRC, which is used to fire up an arc and sustain it. The light produced is not from a heated wire filament, as in conventional bulbs.

Frankly I suggest you consider alternative types of bulb, such as LED or the latest conventional high temperature bulbs. HID cannot function like a normal light and dip, as it has to fire up every time it is switched off and then back on. That is why they either have a second non-HID bulb for main beam, or are mechanically moved from dip to main beam. I personally think HID has had it's day and intend changing mine.

Your passing lamps have a total of 70 watts, which is probably enough to operate two dual filament lamps, unless you intend to keep all filaments on with main beam, or you want to use higher output bulbs. All being well you should have a relay already for those extra lamps.

It would help to check what you currently have, before finalising exactly what you need to do!

 

Thanks again for the info. I suspect there is a relay, but have been too busy riding to tear into it. Lol.

For the dual option, I was thinking of running both lights on low beam as most of my riding is day time or in town. For high beam I was just going to run a single stock harley light on like now. So essentially, the second single 5" headlight would replace the two passing lamps and would be wired to operate the same. I'll check for the relay before I start.