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Thanks to everyone who has helped me get my 450 going. It's my first bike and your support has been great. I hope I can give something back. I have a cracked headlight lens. After ordering a 7" from JC Whitney ($17), I found 2 things. 1) It is NOT rated for Motorcycle use, and 2) my headlight is somewhere between 6 3/4 and 6 1/2. OK, the solution: Candlepower Inc. makes a 162mm replacement lens that takes a standard H4 bulb. The part number is 8022-LR (lens replacement?). I was able to order it from them direct (301-340-0224) for 31.00. (I don't know if there is shipping or not, and I didn't care- just happy to get the new lens.) There will be several mounting tabs on the new lens. You can ingore most of them as they are not in the way, except the bottom one. I CAREFULLY cut it off with a dremel and the retaining clip fits again. Good luck to all those 450 owners out there.
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Cool - My 400 also has that odd sized headlight - I think it's the same 6 5/8 as you have. I've never been able to find an H4 version for it. The stock one works fine, but I'd like a little more light. I'll check them out when I get home this weekend.
Thanks -
What model 450 do you have?
I have a 1982 450GA and it has a black plastic headlight housing. I know that some other models have a chrome headlight housing that looks a little smaller. It uses a different headlamp and mounting hardware than the other models. I know that the 450L for 1982 had this chrome housing.
I just ordered the jcwhitney 7 inch lamp for my 450, now I am worried it won't fit.
Hopefully we have different headlamp assemblies and it will fit...
MattComment
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headlight
i have a 1982 GS450LZ (chrome headlight bucket) it uses a 5 3/4"
suzuki part# 35121-44250
bike bandit part# 493548-001 $23.57
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i gave up on that old headlight crap, and got a new 7" bucket, lens, and h4 bulb. Its something like 6x brighter, you have no idea how much the stock headlight sucksComment
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Candlepower Inc. odd size replacement lens
PTM- You will have to call the company. Their website is useless in this area. I spoke directly to a man named GIL. I read him the number off my cracked lens and he confirmed it was their item, knew it was an odd size and knew it fit smaller metric bikes. He let me order one over the phone I should have it Aug. 29 or 30. I'll let you know the final details if you like, total cost, etc. It's nice because the old one fit right into the retaining ring using the 3 old clips. I'll try and get pic for everyone to see.
As for the model I have, 1982 GS450 T(Z). Has a black plastic housing.Comment
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I have a 80 GS550e that needs a headlight. Would i be better off doing like you did? I don't have the stalk-style front turn signals so the brackets look weird with holes on each side, so I may get some universal 7" brackets and run a better headlight.Originally posted by spots25Comment
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I would love to see a pic when you get it all set up
MattComment
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I had the same problem with a '80 Kawasaki 440LTD: 35/50 watt undersized headlight. I picked up a chrome (matched the chrome front fender) headlight bucket and lens assembly from an older naked Gold Wing (remember those?) off eBay. I had to spread the "ears" a bit and deepen a "dent" at the rear of the bucket, but it worked great. Gave me a standard 7" headlight that took standard H4 bulbs.
Check local M/C salvage yards and/or eBay to see what you can find. You can always keep your old bucket if you ever want to return everything to stock. Sure is cheaper than buying new aftermarket parts.Comment
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new aftermarket- approx 54 bucks for a new chrome bucket and trim ring. 20 bucks ( maybe 25) for a new lens that accepts an H4 bulb, and 5.50 for a bulb rated at something like 35w-65w.
all new from a dealer. autopal made the lens. emgo made the bucket I think. came outta the KK book. I wanted to find a good used assembly, but everything was incomplete, or more expensive, or ratty looking. 75 bucks or so will get you brand new, either the 7 inch light or the smaller variety.Comment
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Aardvark, did you get the new headlight yet? Let us know your results. I'm trying to replace mine as well.
MattComment
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get this one, its the one i got, and its amazing. I had to get new headlight brackets tooComment
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I just got the Candlepower H4 upgrade, and it works awesome. I actually feel confident driving at night. I highly recommend you call them and get the replacement, as it is well-designed and powerful...
MattComment
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BigMattyD-
Sorry for the silence, life once again caught up with me and it's been crazy. As for the headlight, yep, I got mine installed and am good to go. Did you order the 162mm from Candlepower? If so, isn't it great? Awesome light, and no fiddling around with replacing buckets and trim rings. I do have pictures of the before and after shots of the headlight when I cut off the tabs. Did you do the same? I removed all of mine to give a little extra room in the bucket.Comment
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I got the 162mm replacement lens that you suggested. I did not cut off any of the metal tabs for this reason:
My new headlamp fits very tight when using the mounting hardware that I originally had on my bike. The old headlamp used three metal clips that sit under the retaining ring, and snap into position to hold the lamp in place.
One of the brackets on the new lamp is in the spot where one of the clips should go, but I left that clip out. The new lamp is more bulbous on the back side, and the retaining clips didn't fit properly. I had to cut them shorter to fit, and even then, it was a very tight fit. In the future, I will probably take the brackets off the lamp and modify the retaining clips a little more so that it fits a little more perfectly.
The light output and beam pattern are amazing. They sold me an H4 bulb that was a bit more powerful that stock, and it is great.
MattComment
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