Picture it: it’s a new bike day, and you are sitting at home with your new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. You were able to take it for a test ride before you bought it, and then on the ride home, you became more familiar with it and how it was handled. You kind of want to go out for a ride again now that it’s evening and everything is finally official with the purchase, so you gear up and give your bike another once-over (okay, admit it: you’re ogling it), and turn the key… only to be completely underwhelmed by the amount of light being cast out from the headlamp.
To put it nicely, the factory headlamp on nearly any motorcycle is an area of improvement; it’s hard to find a new bike owner that’s completely satisfied with their halogen headlamp. When it comes to making changes in this area, you can start out small cost-wise and upgrade to a different bulb that emits a brighter light, or you can make the full-fledged investment into LED bulbs. Several years ago, Harley-Davidson realized the impact that LED lights were having on the automotive and motorsport industry and began manufacturing their own Daymaker LED headlamp as a factory replacement option (and upgrade) for the original headlamp on most of their motorcycles. The Daymaker Adaptive LED headlamp took things one step further with its technology; when you lean the motorcycle into a corner, sensors in the headlamp detect the turn and activate additional spotlights to continue illuminating the road ahead of you.
Beyond the adaptive technology, there are a number of reasons why Harley-Davidson owners would look to upgrade their factory headlamp to a LED headlamp option. As discussed earlier, the number of lumens in LED headlamps compared to halogen-bulb setups can help provide additional light and visibility; this can be especially helpful if you find yourself riding at night on a regular basis, or find your vision isn’t nearly as good as it was with night riding. Another reason to upgrade to a Daymaker would be to replace a damaged or defective headlamp housing; in this same thought, Harley-Davidson owners who prefer the look of the Daymaker over the stock headlamp will decide to upgrade too, regardless of the condition of the stock headlamp.
There’s a list of benefits that comes with owning a LED headlamp, too. You have the adaptive technology working for you with the Daymaker Adaptive LEDs, providing brighter and more efficient lighting than a standard halogen housing and bulb can provide. LED lights also draw less current and are not as much of a burden on your motorcycle’s electrical system. LED bulbs have an incredibly long life compared to halogen, and in the case of the Daymaker headlamps, you can pick from either 5” or 7” headlamps depending on which one your motorcycle needs. Worried about the legality of aftermarket parts where you live? No worries there – the Daymaker headlamps are both DOT and ECE compliant.
If you’re thinking about changing the headlight on your Harley-Davison out and replacing it with one of their Daymaker options, here is an overview of everything you’ll need to complete the task, and a checklist of items and tools to have available. (Spoiler alert: you’ll probably be shocked at how easy the headlamp is to replace!)
Note that the installation steps below provide instructions for the removal and replacement of a headlamp as found on a 2014 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special. If your bike is a different year or model, your instructions will probably be slightly different, but the steps below should still give a rough outline of what you’ll need to do to remove the factory headlamp and install your new Daymaker.
List of Parts needed
- New Daymaker LED headlamp
- New wiring harness: if your motorcycle did not come with LED lighting from the factory, you’ll need a new wiring harness from HD that is compatible with Daymaker/LED lights – the wiring harness used with halogen headlamps won’t have the right connectors for LED
- Mounting ring (if your new headlamp did not come with one)
List of Tools Needed
- Needle-nose pliers or fuse puller tool
- Phillips-head screwdriver
- T25 Torx bit
- Latex gloves (optional)
- Safety glasses (optional)
How to change the headlight on your Harley Davidson
Time needed: 30 minutes
Detailed step-by-step guide
- Preparing
Park your bike, and turn it completely off
- Step 2
Remove the main fuse – this step is recommended, but not required. The process to pull the main fuse will be different from one motorcycle to the next, so refer to the service manual for your motorcycle for more info on how to complete this step. In most cases, you’ll locate your primary fuse box, then identify and pull the main fuse from there.
- Step 3
Cover the front fender to prevent scratches in the event you drop something. This is another recommendation, but if you accidentally drop a screw and it scratches the front fender, you might wish you’d done this step. Covering it with a clean, dry towel or microfiber cloth should be sufficient.
- Step 4
Put on your safety gear. In this case, put on your safety glasses and latex gloves.
- Step 5
Remove the outer trim ring. You can accomplish this by removing the screw on the bottom of the trim ring, and then once the screw is removed, turn the whole ring counterclockwise around the headlamp. It should click and come loose after about a quarter turn. Be sure to keep the gasket once the ring is removed, and set the ring, gasket, and screw to the side.
- Step 6
Remove the headlamp retaining ring by unscrewing the Phillips-head screws that are holding the retaining ring in place. These screws may be a different size than the single screw you removed to get the outer trim ring off; make sure you don’t mix these up! Once all have been unscrewed, set the screws and retaining ring somewhere safe, and keep it separate from the outer trim ring.
- Step 7
At this point, the headlamp should be removable. Gently pull the headlamp out, including the retaining ring that you just took all of the screws out of; this retaining ring is around the headlamp housing.
- Step 8
Disconnect the old halogen wiring harness from your motorcycle. If you are hoping to re-use the halogen bulbs, you can remove them in this step by gently un-twisting and pulling the bulb from the headlamp housing. Careful to not touch the halogen bulbs in case you wish to re-use them at any point in the future.
- Step 9
Take the new LED-compatible wiring harness, and plug it in where you just un-clipped the old one from your motorcycle. Tuck the harness somewhere out of the way for the next couple of steps.
- Step 10
Remove the old mounting ring assembly. Use your T25 Torx bit to undo all of the mounting screws around the diameter of the mounting ring, and once all have been removed, gently pull the old ring out. (Gentle reminder here to not mix up the screws, although thankfully, you can visually tell these apart from the Phillips-head screws should a mix-up occur.)
- Step 11
Install the new mounting ring. To accomplish this, you’re basically going to reverse the process from removing the old one. Take the new mounting ring and line it up where the old one was installed, then take the Torx screws that you just removed, and use them to install the new ring.
- Step 12
Take your new headlight and clip the wiring harness into the back. There shouldn’t be any additional wiring needed here if you use a LED harness; it should be plug and play.
- Step 13
Notch the headlamp back into place on your motorcycle. The headlamp should only fit in one way on the mounting ring; if it’s upside-down, you won’t be able to screw everything back together in the later steps.
- Step 14
Replace the retaining ring around the headlamp that you removed in Step 6, and screw the ring into place using the Phillips-head screws that were previously removed.
- Step 15
Take the trim ring, and make sure the gasket is seated in place correctly on the trim ring. Place the trim ring and gasket around the headlight, and then gently rotate it clockwise until you hear it click. If you have to fiddle with the ring to get it around the headlamp, and/or if you turn it but don’t hear or feel a click, double-check that the gasket is seated correctly.
- Step 16
Screw the trim ring back in, using the Phillips-head screw you removed in Step 5.
- Step 17
If you removed the main fuse back in Step 2, you’ll need to put it back for this step. BIG IMPORTANT REMINDER HERE: YOUR BIKE SHOULD BE COMPLETELY OFF WHEN YOU PUT THE FUSE BACK. Unless you don’t mind your neighbors watching you weep openly in your driveway once you realize your electrical system is fried, make absolutely sure the key for your motorcycle is in the “Off” position. Once you’ve verified the bike is completely shut off, replace the fuse back into its place in the fuse box.
- Step 18
Now, it’s time to go check the headlight! Turn the ignition to On, and verify both the high and low beams are working.
- Step 19
Go ride, and enjoy your new Daymaker! You are awesome:)
Most motorcycle owners that make the jump from halogen to LED headlamps are happy with the upgrade. The added light is always helpful with night riding, and the brighter illumination helps to be seen in traffic during both daytime and nighttime hours as well. With warmer weather happening soon for most of us in the Northern hemisphere, the upgrade to a Daymaker headlamp will be appreciated the most by those who live for the evening rides on warm summer nights. Regardless of the weather and season, moving to a Daymaker LED is a worthy upgrade and wise investment for you and your motorcycle.