Dual Headlight Upgrade COMPLETED

[AlbatrossCafe]

BEFORE: http://i.imgur.com/MuGBGZk.jpg http://i.imgur.com/ohQKoY9.jpg
 
MIDDLE: http://i.imgur.com/SFpcI1v.jpg
 
AFTER: http://i.imgur.com/p2rUJkw.jpg http://i.imgur.com/kaOp7n9.jpg http://i.imgur.com/K0i6mEn.jpg
 
**UPDATE** http://i.imgur.com/1rwkt6i.jpg http://i.imgur.com/5r5DWwB.jpg

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Final Components:
[ul type=disc][*]Headlights: http://www.amazon.com/Krator%C2%AE-Headlight-Motorcycle-Fighter-Dominator/dp/B00O7TMTBI?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00[*]**UPDATED** Headlights: http://exomotive.com/store/dominator-2-0-headlight/
[*]Wiring Relay: http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Wiring_Kits/H4_Kits/h4_kits.html#h4dual[*]Mounts: http://www.amazon.com/Speedmotoco-Headlight-Bracket-Aluminum-Streetfighter/dp/B014KB2J1M?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
[*]Male H4 Adapter X2: http://www.amazon.com/Lighting-Wire-Adapter-Plug-Headlight/dp/B00REU036A?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00[*]A couple of black 8mm bolts & about 8 washers[/ul]
How it Turned Out:
One of my least favorite things about the FZ has always been the headlight. I really liked the "more aggressive" look of the dual headlights in my head, so I figured I would give this modification a try. I have only seen one other FZ with this setup in 2 or 3 pics so I also assumed that I would be on my own here. Luckily a single headlight --> dual headlight conversion has been done plenty of times before so I was able to get a lot of advice from custom/streetfighter bike sites. I think it turned out decently enough.
 
But it was more of an endeavor than I was expecting... I spent around 20 hours of work, research, soldering, wiring, etc. trying to figure out how to do this. If I knew what I was doing I probably could have cut that in half. TBH overall, I am not sure how I like the look now that I am done LOL ;-|
The wiring & mounts are good quality, but these headlights leave something to be desired (they were only $45 after all). The bulbs that came with them are weak and the pattern is questionable. I am glad that I waited for longer daylight hours before mounting these, because unless you are under city lights at night I would almost say these are for "daytime use only". The good news is that since my electrical is solid in the future if I find a better daul headlight assembly I can very easily just swap them out.
 
Concerns:[ul type=disc][*]Cheap headlights have poor bulbs and weird beam pattern (maybe I will try to look for something better in the future)
[*]The rubber "pouch" under the headlight housing that holds the bundle of wires is in kind of a weird location (just kind of sitting awkwardly off the ignition above the lights) - I need to figure out where to put it and how to waterproof it
[*]I can't 100% full clock turn as the mounts hit the front point of the side fairing with the mesh in it. I can get about 94% of the turn. I am pretty sure I have an easy solution for this (flipping the mounts over)[/ul]
I took plenty of pictures of the internals along the way so if you guys want anymore pics or want to know how I did something feel free to ask!
Update 6/26/2016:Replaced the cheap dominators that I originally bought and got "Dominators 2.0. Even though they appear to be built by the same company, they so far seem to be much better build quality (and almost 5x the price). They are dual projectors but use H7 halogen bulbs. So my dual H4 wiring that I setup will not be utilized and only 1 light is on at a time (one for hi-beam and one for low). I am going to see how these bulbs operate for a bit. I want to eventually swap them out with dual h4 bulbs so I can have both lights on at the same time if I can find a way to do it without blinding other drivers. Even better would be to get dual H4 LED bulbs in there. We'll see how it goes, but I like the look of them much better already. It better fits the more "modern" styling of this bike IMHO.
 

[cassecou]

They look really cool, but they need some eyelashes
 
Or you need to paint the bike yellow and blue
 

 

[jeffkisthename]

You need a windscreen for it badly to complete the badassery. Like on this Yamaha FZ6:
 

 

[rowdy]

I agree with @jeffkisthename. I think a properly fitted flyscreen would make it look a little more integrated.

[AlbatrossCafe]

You need a windscreen for it badly to complete the badassery. Like on this Yamaha FZ6: 

I really do. I just rode with it and the mounts are solid, but I didn't realize how much wind that stock light actually blocked. Me & my speedo gauge were getting destroyed. I was fine without a windscreen before. Above 65mph it starts to get noticeable, and above 80mph you are pretty much getting the full brunt of all wind. 
Not sure what screen I would get or where/how it would mount. I already spent much more than I was expecting trying to get the right parts... ;-|
 

[jeffkisthename]

You need a windscreen for it badly to complete the badassery. Like on this Yamaha FZ6: 

I really do. I just rode with it and the mounts are solid, but I didn't realize how much wind that stock light actually blocked. Me & my speedo gauge were getting destroyed. I was fine without a windscreen before. Above 65mph it starts to get noticeable, and above 80mph you are pretty much getting the full brunt of all wind. 
Not sure what screen I would get or where/how it would mount. I already spent much more than I was expecting trying to get the right parts... ;-|

It's always more expensive when you are experimenting. Not all bikes are the same, so you can only take others work as a grain of salt unless it's on the same bike/setup. The price you pay to be different.

[Allan]

Those headlights look right at home on this bike. It's just a shame they don't work well at night. Excellent job! Maybe you can do a dual projector setup for your next iteration.

[AlbatrossCafe]

Those headlights look right at home on this bike. It's just a shame they don't work well at night. Excellent job! Maybe you can do a dual projector setup for your next iteration.

Yeah... there weren't very many options for a dual headlight setup like this that I found. The same company makes these dual projectors but $250, really? And they are still halogen bulbs? lol. Given the fact that the headlights I got already have some quality control issues and there was not 1 review I could find on the projectors, I decided to stay away from them. 
Ideally I'd like to have a dual LED headlight setup since I think the whitish-blue color temp works better with the blurple bike. Maybe I would even try something vertical like this:
 
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/sHQAAOSwT4lWSpg6/s-l1600.jpg
 

[Tyler Jane]

@albatrosscafe Honestly, I think they look pretty great. Were you not able to keep the flat wedge piece from the stock setup (the part that goes above the headlight, that the windscreens attach to)?
 
That guy from instagram that I pointed out still had that piece above the headlight. I think it looks a bit better with it there and it might also help with wind deflection like you mentioned.
 

 
But I definitely applaud you for getting it installed so cleanly. Looks like it was a lot of work! Do you think you'll replace the bulbs, or is that even possible with these?

[AlbatrossCafe]

@albatrosscafe Honestly, I think they look pretty great. Were you not able to keep the flat wedge piece from the stock setup (the part that goes above the headlight, that the windscreens attach to)? 
That guy from instagram that I pointed out still had that piece above the headlight. I think it looks a bit better with it there and it might also help with wind deflection like you mentioned.
 
But I definitely applaud you for getting it installed so cleanly. Looks like it was a lot of work! Do you think you'll replace the bulbs, or is that even possible with these?

That "flag wedge piece" is not actually flat at all. It is an upside-down U-shape that fits around the stock assembly that  is about 8 inches tall. Idk how that guy fit his on there - he must have cut it, especially because his lights look closer to the body of the bike than mine. I didn't want to ruin my stock setup just yet. It's too bad because it is the perfect cover for that area. I think it definitely needs some kind of cover/screen though to appear more "integrated" with the bike.
 
These lights are a piece of work... I had to file down some of the outside "shell" that was in the way so I could get the mounting bolts to fit in the threads that were predrilled. I took the lens of the light off to see how easy a bulb replacement would be (something like LED or HID) and the things were falling apart. Since it is currently spring and soon to be summer and I have plenty of daylight I think I will just not mess with what is in there until I have to change them. Although the pattern is weird at night the brights are still plenty for other cars to see during the day. I am afraid the next time I try to open them up I won't be able to get them back together again lol
 

[Tyler Jane]

@albatrosscafe Damn, sounds like a whole lotta work. I'm glad you opted to be the guinea pig for everyone and test them out Still definitely seems like it could be doable with enough work, but I'm probably not going to grab them any time soon. I wouldn't be able to handle all that...

[Mr.Puss]

Looks super cool albatross! All I can envision fot it now is a custom fabricated double humped windscreen to hug up close to the shape of the lights. Snazzy ride!

[twowheeladdict]

Everyone is going to think you are on a triumph.

[AlbatrossCafe]

Everyone is going to think you are on a triumph.

lol I even thought about procuring an old set of triumph lights to use for this, but they I think were 5 inches in diameter which looked too big (these are only 4"). Hopefully they will hear the sweet sound of my exhaust and realize their mistake. 

[AlbatrossCafe]

The high-beam on the supplied bulb in the left light is already out in the left headlight... lol. Didn't even make it a month!
 
I'm gonna throw in a pair of Osram Night Racers and hopefully the lights are a little bit brighter and last longer than 3 weeks. The night vision on these aren't as bad as I was expecting, even with the garbage bulbs. The pattern is weird but not terrible. No other problems with the lights so far.
 

[mitdr774]

You need a windscreen for it badly to complete the badassery. Like on this Yamaha FZ6:

 
 
 
That looks a lot like a Buell XB flyscreen and head lights.  I put a set on my Blast since the single head lamp drove me nuts.
 
 

[yamobethere]

Looks good dude, I agree with the wind screen suggestion. Maybe something like this: http://www.rizoma.com/street/yamaha/yamaha-mt-07-mt-07-2014-16/en

[AlbatrossCafe]

I like that windscreen, but how does it mount? The problem is I don't have the top part of the stock headlight which it looks like the Rizoma one attaches to (I don't want to cut my stock one up to make it fit) so I would need a windscreen that mounts to like the handlebars or maybe to the forks or something.
 
The Rizoma one looks sweet. I am not a fan of huge or even medium-sized windscreens on this bike, so I would have to find something comparable to Rizoma that I could mount easily...

[pattybags]

Looks like Johnny 5.

[yamobethere]

I think the rizoma does bolt into the top thingy (technical term), so you would have to get creative. Looking at your pics a second time I'm thinking even the rizoma might be too big for the amount of space you have.
 
Do you think you could create a support bracket that slips between the headlight support bolts on the side?

[AlbatrossCafe]

Do you think you could create a support bracket that slips between the headlight support bolts on the side?

I wish I had that kind of fabrication skill/equipment. 
What I think I will do is go here: http://www.yamahapartshouse.com/oemparts/a/yam/53a99b09f8700220a4415852/headlight
 
And order parts #11 (left), #13 (right), and #19 ("top thingy" cover). I will end up cutting the bottom parts off of #11 & #13. This should allow me to mount that cover, and I can leave my stock headlight assembly intact.
 
This way I can put my signals in the stock piece as opposed to right in the headlight bracket next to the lights as they are now, which I am not a huge fan of. This will also cover my electronics bundle that is currently exposed and should allow me more flexibility with a windscreen.
 

[yamobethere]

Your plan sounds good, found a pic for the screen mounting (fz09 but it should be the same): http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-k0WhnRnUS_4/U6rv0VMQ6JI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/8ud3oweh1iQ/s1600/photo+2-1.JPG
 
Keep us posted on your progress!

[AlbatrossCafe]

So I tried to trim the original headlight assembly like I mentioned, but the space was very limited up there with the big duals. It didn't really fit. And then a day after, this happened when a piece of rubber flew off a car and hit them:
 
http://i.imgur.com/w0nyyP4.jpg
 
Kind of a blessing in disguise as I didn't really like these headlights anyway because their quality blew. They were essentially "one-time use only" in terms of taking them apart and messing around. I bought the "Dominator 2.0" as replacement. Even though they appear to be built by the same company, they so far seem to be much better build quality (and almost 5x the price). They are dual projectors but use H7 halogen bulbs. So my dual H4 wiring harness that I setup will not be utilized and is tucked away inside the bike for now.
 
http://i.imgur.com/6eqrFFC.jpg http://i.imgur.com/EIdcKYz.jpg
 
http://i.imgur.com/4VsLsPn.jpg
 
http://i.imgur.com/5r5DWwB.jpg http://i.imgur.com/1rwkt6i.jpg
 
Only 1 light is on at a time (one for hi-beam and one for low). I am going to see how these bulbs operate for a bit. I want to eventually swap them out with dual H4 bulbs so I can have both lights on at the same time if I can find a way to do it without blinding other drivers. Even better would be to get dual H4 LED bulbs in there. We'll see how it goes, but I like the look of them much better already. It better fits the more "modern" styling of this bike IMHO and they don't look as big or bulky. It was a little awkward to fit them on there at first and the wiring is a cluster F behind it lol but I think it will hold up (note: in the pics they are not plugged in yet, so ignore whatever is hanging)
 
We'll see how their performance is at night, but they already look much brighter as far as daytime lights goes. My favorite part is the projector bulb glass/housing is reflective and you can't see the bulb or filament inside which is pretty cool.
 

[Beemer]

I think you did a good job and the bike definitely takes on a whole different character although I'm more a fan of the vertical, twin light setup on bikes, like on the Sachs Mad-ass 125. It doesn't take on the appearance of having eyes that way.
 
[attachment id=1841" thumbnail="1] 

[AlbatrossCafe]

I think you did a good job and the bike definitely takes on a whole different character although I'm more a fan of the vertical, twin light setup on bikes, like on the Sachs Mad-ass 125. It doesn't take on the appearance of having eyes that way. 
 

I don't mind the eyes. I think it's funny, but still looks mean. lol. I just like to be unique at all costs. 
http://pixar-animation.weebly.com/uploads/8/7/6/3/8763219/3481980_orig.png
 
And believe me, I actually looked for a vertical bracket like that for a LONG time. There were only 2 options that I kept seeing. Both of them got reviews along the lines of "even if this was free, it would still be a waste of money" (and they were like $85). A lot of the aftermarket "streetfighter" parts I find online are really sh*tty and cheap looking and generally fall along these same lines - not sure why.
 
I guess the good guys custom fab most of their stuff. I don't have the skill/tools to fab my own brackets or mounts so these will satisfy me for now...