Broken headlight? Headlight protector?

[Swoop]

Have you suffered a broken headlight? Not the bulb, but the outer glass/plastic casing.

Looking at the amount of bikes with/without an aftermarket protector, I am beginning to wonder what the rate is of getting clobbered with a stone and the lens failing.

Yes, another poll.

[Blackshear]

Have you suffered a broken headlight? Not the bulb, but the outer glass/plastic casing.

Looking at the amount of bikes with/without an aftermarket protector, I am beginning to wonder what the rate is of getting clobbered with a stone and the lens failing.

Yes, another poll.
EDIT: Uh oh. Mods. I made a booboo and cannot add a poll. Help please!

Haven't had anything substantial enough hit my headlight yet.
Then again, it is ten foot thick glass.

Also, everyone should buy one of the brighter arctic white or similar lamps, very good upgrade :hug:

[Blackshear]

Have you suffered a broken headlight? Not the bulb, but the outer glass/plastic casing.

Looking at the amount of bikes with/without an aftermarket protector, I am beginning to wonder what the rate is of getting clobbered with a stone and the lens failing.

Yes, another poll.

Whoops, there's two threads!
No I haven't had one broken, glass is quite thick :pinch:

Also, when I bought my bike around a year ago, it had a disgusting lame brown headlight beam. Bought one of those arctic white lamps and to this day still think the best upgrade an older bike can have :hug:

[vifferman]

I've had one headlight fail a WOF because the glass lens had a stone hit it, leaving a "bullseye" crack in the glass.
The last two or three bikes have had polycarbonate headlights, which are more resistant to impact damage. The last two have also had polycarbonate headlight protectors as well.

[Swoop]

Whoops, there's two threads!
Yeah. Decided to make life easier for a mod by just getting them to hit the big "delete thread" button rather than trying to fix my cockup.

[ManDownUnder]

Yay another poll - and this one's actually motorcycling related... very rare!

And now... on topic... yes - one broken lens ... in about .. 250,000km ridden (at a guess?). Cost a f'n fortune to fix too because it's not like a windscreen where smith and smith replace it for free.

I guess it'd be 1/2 the rate of a car headlight being smashed... given there's only one light (on NORMAL bikes)...

[Swoop]

Cost a f'n fortune to fix too because it's not like a windscreen where smith and smith replace it for free.
Hmm. I thought there was a "glass" policy, where any glass on a car was covered e.g. headlights, windows?

[BOGAR]

I use the plastic that covers the headlight. Doesn't seem to reduce the amount of light much but if you by the cheaper type you get a cheaper product.

[Mully]

Hmm. I thought there was a "glass" policy, where any glass on a car was covered e.g. headlights, windows?

Their epoxy stuff might destroy the aim, though.....

I would imagine you could make an insurance claim anyway. Knowing bikes, it's probably an expensive exercise to replace them.

[Swoop]

Their epoxy stuff might destroy the aim, though.....

I would imagine you could make an insurance claim anyway. Knowing bikes, it's probably an expensive exercise to replace them.
I would have thought they would have just replaced the light unit? Simple to do. Expensive, but simple.

[ManDownUnder]

Their epoxy stuff might destroy the aim, though.....

I would imagine you could make an insurance claim anyway. Knowing bikes, it's probably an expensive exercise to replace them.

I had one on my RF (God rest her soul) for years - worked a treat, and no probs with light re[flection|fraction|direction]

[sunhuntin]

ive never had a broken headlight... hope to never have one either. lol.

[The Stranger]

The "glass" lenses on all my recent bikes have been polycarbonate. If a stone brakes one of those I think I will have bigger problems.

That said, I got headlight protectors on the Fazer as the dealer had purchased them and wanted to move them. One protector now has a large crack through it so stopped something large hitting the lens and no doubt chipping it.

[ynot slow]

No headlight breakage,and have a ventura protector on to ensure it stays that way.

[pete376403]

as per previous post. The KLR has the same headlight as one of the 600 sport kawis( ZX6R?), and a replacement light is very expensive, but the guard was around $30 IIRC

[PaddyFZ1]

I broke the headlight on my NC21.
As it was the same light used on all the VFRs of that age cost me $560 plus a 7 week wait for it to come from japan.
Rode around with gladwrap and cellotape over the light till it turned up.

[pritch]

I had a rock break the headlight glass on my K100RS. The price of a replacement was scary - I think it was $650 and that was twenty years ago.

On that basis you could probably spend a grand on some headlight glasses these days. The Ventura protector seems a cheap option.

[buellbabe]

Yep I had a rock/stone leave a hole the size of an old 50c piece in the headlight glass.

$400 to replace.

Cursed when I got a headlight protector after the fact and it was only a measly $45...

[Kflasher]

Yeah and it had 3mm protector on it.

Mind you the towbar that went through it may have been a little persuasive:eek5:

[Frodo]

Anyone here made their own headlight protector out of 3mm acrylic?

Seems that you can soften the acrylic in an oven at 180'C and then form it over the existing headlight. If you cover the headlight with felt, it should protect the headlight from any heat.
A friend just came back on an F700 over the Lewis and cracked a headlight. My Aprilia Shiver has quite a large headlight relatively low so would be more vulnerable. I hv a trip planned that way in a week or two.
Ventura make good headlight protectors but special order for my bike.

Thanks