KTM Duke 390 Forum banner

Headlight Mask

23K views 43 replies 12 participants last post by  Tan333 
#1 ·
So, I got a really good deal on a headlight assembly. I was wondering if anyone else has bought and installed one. It states there are no instructions but it is easy to install. I'm looking at all the hardware and I find that hard to swallow. Got it for a little over $100. I really like the look and personally hate the stock headlight assembly.
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#2 ·
Hey there! I received one of these for Christmas. Mine came with instructions which I was glad for. I know I could have figured it out, but it wouldn't have been real easy. I'd be happy to convert my instructions to pdf and send them to you. I will say... The light output on my powerparts kit is way low compared to stock. For that I actually modified some parts from the original headlight so that I could install the original factory h4 bulb in the new mask. It is WAY brighter now. I admit I have only been able to test it down the street a few houses and back on a 20°F night, and no ride time on the bulb that came with the new mask, but it's much better. It did take some creative work to get the job done, but it installs, fits, seals, and attaches like factory. I'll include a picture. The bulb in the picture is an upgrade through rockymountainatv.com for like $6.00USD.
 

Attachments

#4 ·
watch out as the higher wattage bulbs tend to burn/blister the silver coat on the reflector. thats for the original KTM headlight. No idea about the chinesse copies, but I believe they will fare much better, they even include H4 bulb adapter so you dont have to make your own.
 
#5 ·
I am a little concerned about that. I had a clear protective film over the headlight lens, and it wanted to blister off, so I took it off. Wondered the same about the inside of the housing. So... Not sure what to do if that happens. I haven't had any remotely decent weather to ride lately, so it hasn't been tested again recently. I wish there was an adequate LED replacement that also gave enough clearance behind the mask. The powerparts mask is nice because it's so low profile, but that low profile leaves no room behind for the heat sink on an led bulb. Any thoughts?
 
#9 ·
Adjin, I'll have to look into it... Mine is holding up right now, but WOW, the headlight lens gets super hot with my homemade h4 conversion. You helped remind me that my clearance issue is with my h4, not the powerparts/similar lamp. I'll see if I can get a hold of an led. Has anyone tried that in one of these masks? I know there's talk of factory reflectors not being optimal for an led, and other talk that the led is so bright that it doesn't matter much.
Sorry for not posting pictures as requested, I lost track of this thread.
 
#10 ·
Hey guys, any updates on this? I've just installed my headlight mask and the lighting is dismal at best...if I run the highbeams at the moment, they are less effective than my low beams with the original OEM headlights.

Really looking for a way to either chuck an LED in there, or alter things so a Phillips Xtreme vision H4 will fit. The housing looks like it will fit it, its just a matter of the connectors on the back. They look a little different to the OEM headlight.
 
#11 ·
#12 ·
When I get a chance I'm going to play with fitting an led. I've now ridden my bike about 45 minutes and can tell the h4 I put in my powerparts mask is starting to burn the reflector inside the housing. Well, what I thought was a great idea has turned into a not-so-great... Live and learn! I'll let you know what I come up with when I get something done.
 
#15 ·
This is not based on any personal experience, but I've been told the ones without the cooling fan are a lower output that doesn't make up for the odd direction of light output that is common for an led inside a reflector housing, therefore leaving something to be desired. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has had experience. I'm about to put in an order on Amazon for one... About $55 and a lot of higher reviews.
 
#17 ·
Yes, like the ones you posted above. May be a different brand, but same description.

So I had some trouble, as i posted above, with clearance behind the h4 bulb, leading me to wonder if I had enough room for the cooling fan of an led bulb, but I pulled the headlight off the bike today and realized I had done a funky job of tucking in the wiring behind the light. I reworked it and, also mentioned above by another member, there is gobs of space back there. I have zero worries of fitment problems. Again, I'll keep y'all posted on the end result when the bulb arrives Tuesday. I really hope it works because the inside reflector was quite a bit more burned than I realized. I hope this helps others who are interested in this retrofit. I haven't been able to find any conclusive info on installing an led in the powerparts mask specifically.
 
#18 ·
So the H4 bulb had burnt the inside reflector? Seems to be quite the theme, I'm really hoping that the LED you install in cool enough to not burn the reflector. I imagine it would be, although I don't exactly know of the heat output difference between the two. Although I believe the LED bulbs literally emit heat from their heatsinks as opposed to from the 'bulb'. So that should take quite a bit of heat away from the reflector.

I agree with the space as well, once the cables are all tucked and tied neatly away, I think there is ample room for a heatsink of an LED. They don't look to be too big. Would love for you to take some pictures of the process. My biggest interest lies in the cabling as the stock bulb housing is semi-screwin. It takes a bulb that 'half turns' into place and then the connectors on the back match up. I would imagine we'd just get rid of that housing altogether and use the OEM cables from the stock headlight mask or just plug them directly into the bikes loom. Its all guess work for me at this point though!

I'm sure you'll have some more in-depth answers for us on Tuesday! :)
 
#19 ·
Lessthen3ee, I forgot to mention any details on my conversion from the mask's 1/4 turn style bulb holder to using the h4 style holder and wiring... Yes, I used the wiring connectors out of the stock headlight assembly, and just plug/play. Seems like I did have to/chose to cut one wire to get it out of the stock housing, soldered it and then covered with heat shrink. Can't remember exactly why I needed to cut a wire, except I wanted a completely stock electrical hookup and if memory serves, that was necessary to get it out of the rubber seal it passed through. As far as the installation of an h4 style bulb into the powerparts mask, I modified the holder ring that houses the 1/4 turn style incandescent bulb that came with the mask. It was easy, but a fair amount of cutting with a dremel. I'll take some pictures of the ring when I get home from work. It is now a basic flat ring, enlarged center hole, that the h4 goes through and then bulb placed into the reflector housing (fits perfectly with no modification to the headlight housing), then the ring locks it into place, holding the h4 into the reflector housing just as the incandescent bulb was held. Now, I've read/heard that the aftermarket mask often comes with a conversion holder to allow an h4, however mine didn't and there was no mention of it on my instructions.

As far as heat... I have to be honest that I really have no clue as to the heat generation of the led, I'm taking a gamble that the led will only produce it's heat in the rear. After all, as far as I've known, the led itself is supposed to be a very low heat generator. Must be something in the electrical connection side. I know home use led bulbs are cool as can be, and my super bright auxiliary led spot/fog lights I installed on my pickup are very cool to the touch as well. I'm sure hoping! I'll let y'all know.
 
#20 ·
Sweet! Can't wait for the full write up once you get your LED in the mail! :)


Now, I've read/heard that the aftermarket mask often comes with a conversion holder to allow an h4, however mine didn't and there was no mention of it on my instructions.
And yeah, I believe the people who get the conversion kit are buy the cheaper Chinese copy of the powerparts kit! I didn't get a conversion kit, or any mention of it in my instructions either and I bought the genuine powerparts mask. I believe that the Chinese one also doesn't come with instructions at all. Hence why you'll also probably see posts asking for instructions off others who have them :)

Thanks for keeping us up-to-date!!
 
#21 ·
Alright, it's done! VERY happy with the construction, look, and install of this LED bulb into my powerparts mask. I forgot to mention in my earlier posts that the metal retaining ring on the base of an h4 style bulb must be filed ever so slightly on both sides to make it narrower so as to fit down into the reflector housing where it seats/mounts, but that is really no big deal at all. I've tried to include pictures of my install, hope they help.
I think I only used about 15,000 zip ties to loom up all the wiring so it's a clean non-cluttered install. The way I chose to hold the wiring works really well, has nothing in the way, and allows turning of the bars from lock to lock with no binding or unnecessary rubbing. Maybe my pictures will show some of that method. The bulb has gobs of room for the cooling fan/fins. By the way, on this particular brand of bulb, the cooling fan is so quiet you can't hear it at all (yes it's working, I held it up to my ear). It's also electronically/automatically variable speed controlled based on load/temperature.
That brings me to temperature... The bulb and headlight housing are officially cool as can be. I allowed it to idle to full warm up and the front of the lens was literally cold to the touch! I also felt the bulb fan housing/heat sink, and it was only lightly warm.
Light output... EXTREMELY BRIGHT and brilliant white light. Only thing I can't report on yet is a night ride report (the whole purpose of a headlight and my modification, I know), but it is so bright I think it'll work fantastic. I'll definitely give a report on that after it gets dark. The LED chips are CREE and have an additional bulbous clear resin lens built over each LED chip, so that really helps disperse the light before it even his the inside of the mask reflector housing.
So... I'm super stoked. I think I just spent the best $60 I have in awhile. Please feel free to ask any questions, and I'll do my best to answer. Not sure why my pictures loaded sideways
 

Attachments

#22 ·
Ok, I am officially extremely happy with my headlight. I truly believe that it is better than the factory/stock mask, and that's exciting for me because I got the looks of the simplistic/clean/streetfighter powerparts mask with the brilliance of a cool white 6000k light and visibility is better than stock in my opinion. There IS a bit of a void right in the center on low beam, but high beam fills that completely in and can probably be used all the time if I feel the need. I know that the low beam was adequate for low beam situations with the stock/factory mask, but high beam changed nothing with that setup. Never could tell it was even on high. This is definitely a big difference with high beam. The pictures below are taken purposely before it's fully dark out and I left the house lights on to add ambient light interference so you can see how truly bright this is. Sorry I don't have a street view with the high beam on, my phone died... but the high beam completely fills in the center with brilliant light. Now... As you can see by the pattern it throws on the garage door that some may not like the void in the center. (By the way, that's about 50-60 feet away) I think with time, I'll learn to not let it bother me at all, and don't think it bothers me much now (looks like it must be projecting an image of my guardian angel's wings!) I believe that pattern is simply unavoidable with the powerparts mask. It's by design/shape of the reflector, not the LED, and if the incandescent bulb the mask came with were bright enough, I think it would be the same pattern. With the high beam on, you can see it's all filled in. Hope this info provides you with assistance and options if you are looking into doing the same. I'm a cool burning LED happy camper!
 

Attachments

#23 ·
Looks muchhhhh better man! Well done on the project! And to be completely honest, the void in the middle isn't so bad. I'd much prefer a void in the middle than the outsides. After all, you're trying to say on the road, and that is much easier to do when you can clearly see the lines/edges of it! Not to mention, here in Australia, my biggest concern is either people randomly walking out from the sidewalk or animals jumping out from the bushes, so light on the sides is perfect! Plus as you said, can always just run with the highbeam on constantly!

Nevertheless, could you link which bulb you bought exactly, and did you also change the parking light to a T10 LED whilst you were at it? I'm not sure if the parking light stays on once you actually fire up the bike, but perhaps that is part of the reason for that central void of light. If your parking bulb is still stock, there is no way it will be projecting light onto that garage door 50-60 feet away. Perhaps that could be an option (assuming you haven't changed it. Perhaps you have and I'm just babbling!). Will definitely be doing this myself soon, looks great!! :)
 
#24 ·
Yeah, here's the link for the LED I purchased...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WVJR0D8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_3E85ybSFP7FYV

Yes I changed the park light to a Phillips brand LED. It is way brighter than stock for sure and does appear to be lit when the headlight is on. It's really hard to tell since the headlight is so bright.

So yes, I agree on the throw pattern of the light. I had the same reasons for not worrying about the center, which is completely filled on high beam anyway.
I had a chance to ride last night through very dark country roads. I had absolutely no want for more light. The coverage is excellent, and I love the brilliant white light. I did adjust the aim point up just a little, and will test that as soon as the storm system rolls out of here. However, the throw, pattern, brightness, and usability are all superior to the factory headlight mask with an intense h4 halogen upgrade bulb which was in that. So... I would have settled for very slightly worse light compared to factory high beam (comparing high beam to high beam), but I achieved much better in both low and high, all with the clean looking powerparts mask! Keep me posted on your results, either doing this or something else.
 
#29 ·
Looks good man! But that bulb won't be a straight fit for the powerparts headlight mask (there is different connections/slot for the bulb to sit for some reason). Plus it may burn the inside of the mask depending how hot it gets. But certainly a good option! I had something very similar in my stock headlight mask before installing the powerparts mask and it was a huge improvement over stock lighting! :)
 
#31 ·
So sorry for the late response... Yeah the retaining ring is just as you described. Ithe mask doesn't have locating notches for the three tabs on an h4, but doesn't need it. The h4 sits flush in the opening, and no mod at all to the mask or housing. The only mod was the retaining ring and then very slightly filing two opposing edges of the metal ring (with the three tabs) on the h4 so it fits down into the opening. The tabs on the housing that lock the modded retaining ring in are just slightly too close together to let the h4 drop in. Feel free to let me know if you need more info.
 
#41 ·
So I got some LEDs from a guy in Perth Australia. They are also on eBay but the postage times are ridiculous.
For the powerparts light you need H6 BA20D bulbs. I don't know what the numbers mean but those are a straight fit. I placed them on and I'm quite happy. Better than the stock bulb that comes with the powerparts headlight and won't melt the housing like the slightly more powerful ones I tried earlier. Plug and play all the way! I doubt they are as good as the H4 bulbs but I'm happy.
Pics below (pic 2 shows another bulb I purchased with the wrong base...That one could actually be brighter...I'm gonna track it down with the correct base and see how it goes).
Also need to track down a small led for the ignition light...Any ideas?
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top