Baja Designs Dual Sport Kit

[gearbox]

FYI

I just purchased a Baja Designs Kit for my

2004 WR 450f.

Baja Designs

I decided to go with Baja Designs as I know that they've been around for quite a while. Also, I like how you can keep the stock headlight assembly because I am using the Acerbis Dual Sport Rally handguards with the signal lights built in (they are very low profile) Acerbis Handguards

I was always interested in DSing my XR,DR but never got around to it.... 'til now. (with a WR no less! )

Once I paid my deposit at the Yamaha Dealer I ordered my Baja Kit. I found the Baja guys quite helpful. They are very willing to chat with you about whatever tech question you may have.

When I ordered my kit they were being swamped with orders from all the guys in California rushing to D.S. their bikes as the new legislation was coming into effect. I was surprised that I got such good service. Ask to speak to Jeremy in the sales dept or Dan for Tech. info.

They told me it would take 2 weeks to receive my kit I had it in a week and a half. I paid $345 (US) for the WR kit plus $8 for shipping, plus taxes and brokerage into Canada.

I feel it's pricey but it is cheaper than buying TWO bikes right?

I haven't installed the kit yet (it's still way to cold out there and my garage is not heated.) but the parts look well put together. I will not be using the signals that came with the kit. They are massive and although they are DOT lights I don't think that they do the WR justice.... I will be using K&S flushmounts on the rear.

Flushmounts

They are more low profile; they look better and will be less prone to damage. They are not DOT approved and I will take my chances (I won't be commuting to work on this bike )

The only thing that concerns me about the kit, or any of the kits available is that the headlight "may not be as bright as you like" ... is what the Baja guys told me.

By the way, this goes for ANY of the kits not just Baja as I understand it.

Last year Baja Designs was using a higher wattage headlight. I think he said it was a 55 watt. After receiving calls about burnt out regulators the Baja tech dept. decided to use a 35 watt headlight bulb to decrease the load to the regulator. He told me that Yamaha has wired the WR a little "screwy"... the regulator has been designed to put out BOTH AC and DC current which is not a conventional design for this type of bike (besides KTM )

Anyway, They told me that now they use the 35 watt bulb for the headlight and expect no problems. THE 35 WATT BULB STILL MEETS DOT REQUIREMENTS. Regardless of that, I asked what I need to do to use a higher wattage bulb (50/55 watt or more) and was told that they would need to rewind my stator which is a common task for a lot of other bikes. However, they have not done an WR450f yet so he couldn't tell me when or if they could do mine. I guess it takes a bit of electrical engineering.

He said they are going to try to get going on the WR situation soon. (get on the phone guys!)

If they could figure out the KTM's wiring issues they can surely figure out the WR.

So for now, I'll ride with the 35 watt headlight I'm sure it'll be fine.

Don't be wary of Baja Designs though; I researched all of the kits: UFO, Trick Dual Sport, Electrex/Dakar and Eline.

The heart of the issue is the wiring on our WR. It may need a stator rewind. Nothing against Yamaha on this one they built a race bike not a street bike. Also, nothing against the other kits, I just liked the Baja because I didn't want to change my headlight assembly. The Baja Designs tech. (Dan) was the only one who could give me definite answers. I felt that he was quite honest with me while the other kits that i inquired about came with "you SHOULDN'T have any problems!"

I will let everyone how my install goes and how it performs soon. ?

I still can't believe that I'll soon have a

street legal WR??????

This all may be old news to some but I haven't noticed any posts with detailed Dual Sport info for a while.

Maybe this will help other new guys.

I checked this site religiously to help me decide which bike to buy. This site has a wealth of knowledge.

Hope this helps other riders

Any questions?

[5spoke]

The stock bulb on the WR450F is a 60/55W. I don't know why they told the stock light bulb is 35W. They probably want to sell you some more stuff you don't need. You can buy these bulbs at Autozone. Autozone also has the same wattage, but brighter something or other type of bulb, that gives off more light. Unless you are going with a larger capacity headlight (more than 60/55) or running some other elec's on the bike, don't let them talk you into a larger stator. Yours has the capacity to put out 120W of power at 5000rpm, thats 10A at 12V. You can also buy the 3 prong socket plug that goes in the back of the headlight bulb at Autozone.

I didn't have much luck with Baja and ended up canceling my small order I had with them. I made my own DS kit for about a 1/4 that price and believe it is a lot better quality than the Baja. I only had 4 wires running from the battery area to the headlight, 2 of which were a + and – from the battery, so a wiring is a breeze. Dual sporting this bike is a piece of cake that should cost no more than a $100. I have turn signals, horn, brake, tail, license plate lt., mirrors, multi-sw. etc.

'04 WR450 Dual Sport

There are reasons for having both AC and DC on these bikes. I won’t go into details, but lets say it’s a lot more efficient usage of available power. I think that for the price these guys charge for the kits, installation should be included. ?

[dominator426]

My 2002 426 uses BD's rechargeable battery and I have no problems using a 60/55 watt bulb. The regulator and battery can actually be overloaded if riding with lights off(daytime runing light).

I now use a "Max" 13-LED '1157' tail light bulb. It's highly durable, and with its much reduced power draw, my headlight and flashers don't dim under braking.

I am also upgrading to a Ni-MH battery. I found a good site to get flat top AA cells with tabs and assemble one myself: The Battery Station

I need 10 instead of 8 as they are 1.2 volt cells, but they have a better MAH rating of 1700 instead of 1200.

[gearbox]

5spoke,

After I install the Baja Designs kit, can I still use the stock headlight bulb with this setup?

I am concerned about damaging the electrical system ie. regulator/rectifier.

Maybe they did want to sell me a stator rewind.????

Are you sure of this?

I was surprised to hear them recomend only a 35 watt bulb for the headlight.... and that's what they sent me.

Could it be because of the way that Baja has done their wiring? I think Dan (tech) was being pretty straight with me. Some things he explained I understood , some I didn't.

.... so, can I still use the 55/60 watt?

I'm sure there is a reason for his advise.?

I still have not installed my kit.

[5spoke]

Quote: After I install the Baja Designs kit, can I still use the stock headlight bulb with this setup?

I'm not sure how they wire their kits. Do they supply you with an extra battery to run the lights?

Pull out your headlight bulb and it say's 60/55w on it. Take it down to the local auto store and you will see tons of them on the shelf. It’s a standard type bulb.

If they have sent you an extra battery to run the kit, you could use it to run the other lights and keep the headlight separate, but then you have to charge it and that kind of defeats the purpose. Does the handlebar multi function switch, they sent you, have the capability for different inputs for different circuits. The one I got (Multi Switch) has separate inputs for the headlight, T-signals, horn etc. I'm not sure why these guys are using an extra battery in their kit when the new WR's have a huge starter bat. already. I think they are selling you a kit designed for an YZ or other bikes without taillights, headlights and batteries. The WR has most of what you need to convert it already. The WR's overseas come standard with all the lights on them, that's why all the wiring connectors have extra slots that are not used in the US, but are overseas.

Basically all you need for the conversion is a multi function handle bar sw, like the one I put on my bike. It's a little big, but really good quality. The rest of the stuff you can buy at local auto and mcycle stores.

?

[gearbox]

5spoke,

No there is NO extra battery that comes with the Baja Designs kit.

The wiring on the kit uses the existing electrical system (battery, stator, regulator) ...No extra parts

..except for the lights horn and switch.

My question is: Can my bike support the original stock headlight wattage (60/55 watt) after the kit has been installed? There is no extra battery.

I can't see why it wouldn't, the only other thing drawing power on the kit is the signal lights. Right?

Why would they tell me to run a 35/35 watt bulb with the kit? There must be a a reason.

[5spoke]

5spoke,

No there is NO extra battery that comes with the Baja Designs kit.

The wiring on the kit uses the existing electrical system (battery, stator, regulator) ...No extra parts

..except for the lights horn and switch.

My question is: Can my bike support the original stock headlight wattage (60/55 watt) after the kit has been installed? There is no extra battery.

I can't see why it wouldn't, the only other thing drawing power on the kit is the signal lights. Right?

Why would they tell me to run a 35/35 watt bulb with the kit? There must be a a reason.

Yes... you can run the stock headlight. I've been doing it for months and no problems. I have no idea why they would tell you that. Turn signals, brake and horn are on for such a short time it shouldn't make a difference. The only thing I can think of is that they were mixed up and were talking about another bike.

I was thinking of getting a led tail light bulb. I think I saw them at Autozone for around $15. I might try one of those 60/55W headlight Xenon bulbs and see how they work (also Autozone). ?

[gearbox]

5spoke,

You and I think alike. I was also thinking of using LED lights. Please let me know which one you use for your tail light (part #)

I ordered some K&S LED flushmount signals for my bike... they'll work great.

I was also thinking about putting LED's in the Acerbis Dual Sport Rally Handguards (I have the same ones as you).

I pulled one of the K&S flushmounts apart, it won't be hard.

I like LED lights because there is such little draw and they seem a bit brighter. I think i just heard my stator sigh in relief. ?

[5spoke]

5spoke,

You and I think alike. I was also thinking of using LED lights. Please let me know which one you use for your tail light (part #)

I ordered some K&S LED flushmount signals for my bike... they'll work great.

I was also thinking about putting LED's in the Acerbis Dual Sport Rally Handguards (I have the same ones as you).

I pulled one of the K&S flushmounts apart, it won't be hard.

I like LED lights because there is such little draw and they seem a bit brighter. I think i just heard my stator sigh in relief.

I really like the handgaurds. I'm going to take my tail light bulb down with me to see that its the right size. I think they are like $15-20 so I want to make sure it will fit.

I like the K&S stuff. Those flushmounts are sweet. Post a pic for us when you have them in. I think I saw someone else put them on a bike...not sure if it was a WR.

Do the Acerbis light bulbs match the led light bulbs in the flushmounts? The ones in the handgaurds were a tight squeeze to in. I used WD40 to slide them in. The only problem with led's are they usually have a very narrow beam of light. They have improved their brightness alot, but the handgaurds lenses don't have that dispersing effect, so I'm not sure if anyone would see them in daylight. The flashers are on so little that I'm not sure if it's worth it. Let me know what the K&S looks like inside... a pic too if you have one. I bought the K&S Multi function handlebar switch and was impressed with the quality. ?

[dominator426]

Midnight Moose sells all types of bulbs; LED bulbs

For the tail light, you need a #1157 white. They also offer marker bulbs; #194 LED's

[5spoke]

Thanks for the link Dom. I'm going to order the Xenon and the led's. ?

[Indy_WR450]

Those xenon bulbs are going to be cool at night on the trails! ?

[gearbox]

Okay, let me run this one by you guys.

I just got of the phone with Baja Designs.

After some thought last night I had a few questions.

They sent a 35 wat headlight bulb with the kit. I feel that 35 watts in not sufficient. I wondered why that was necessary???? Originally they told me that last year they found that the 55/60 watt bulbs were burning out so now they issue a 35 watt to lessen the load to the regulator. That didn't make sense to me. As you guys have noted the stock bulb is already 55/60w.

Today, I asked them how that would be possible as the stock setup is 55/60w with no problems. Something occured to me.... they are running the headlight on the DC side along with all of the other stuff. When I asked it was confirmed.

He said originally they made the WR kit run AC to the headlight and everything else DC of the battery. He said they changed that setup because guys were complaining of burned out stators because of the load so they quickly redesigned the kit with the headlight also running of the battery. Obviously, this would put a tremendous burden on our already overworked battery. The logical step for them was to now issue a 35watt bulb for the headlight to decrease that burden and make dimming less noticable.

I can't see why running the 55/60w headlight on AC would burn out the stock stator???? The bike comes built that way and I havent heard anyone here complain about burnt out stators on stock bikes.

Why would they tell me this???

I know that to legally Dual sport a bike it has to be able to power the lights without the motor running for about 20 mins(for safety). Is this why they did it? Are they afraid of some sort of legal problems by selling kits that defy the regulations?

Why wouln't they just tell me "we had to run the headlight off the battery because that is what the law requires"???

and not blame this on Yamaha's design.

If the bike will burn out the regulator by running AC from the regulator/stator to the headlight with the Baja kit on it ....then.. wouldn't it burn out the regulator in stock form also? because that is how the bike comes stock right?

Anyone having problems with regulators burning out on '03 WR's. Any headlight burning out issues at all??

I doubt it but maybe... Anyone?

I want to figure this out before installing the kit. I want to set my bike up to get optimal performance. I am prepared to bend the rules a bit (no lights with no motor) because I am not going to run the bike all around town anyway. I could just leave the headlight plugged in to the stock AC part of the harness and just run everything else DC but I want hi/low beams.

Why the hell would I want to run a 35watt headlight bulb at night in the trails???? Not acceptable.

Any of you more experienced guys have any input?

The guy at Baja Designs seems to want to help. He just sent me a fax with a fix.

It is a sketch that includes adding a 5 prong relay.

Glad to fax it to someone with some expertise.

[5spoke]

Quote:

They sent a 35 wat headlight bulb with the kit. I feel that 35 watts in not sufficient. I wondered why that was necessary???? Originally they told me that last year they found that the 55/60 watt bulbs were burning out so now they issue a 35 watt to lessen the load to the regulator. That didn't make sense to me. As you guys have noted the stock bulb is already 55/60w.

Why would the bulb burn out? That doesn’t make sense. Bulbs will eventually go because of vibration.

Dude, they are giving you the run-around. The manual gives you the spec's on all the electrical equipment. If the manual is wrong that's another story. I doubt it. The way I see it is that they haven't looked at the WR manual and are looking at some other bikes one and assume it's the same. I haven't heard anything about burnt out stators here lately. I've done ~350miles on mine and my bat stays fully charged and ligths work. My light dims when the bike is idling and the brake light is on. The brake light draws 2A so that is expected.

You could overload the stator by having too much elec. equipment running off it or if you shorted it out. Shorting it would send the current through the roof . With a fuse you’ll protect against this.

I wonder what extra load they are talking about? The TS lts, brake lt and horn are on for such a short time and they are a small load. There might be a worse case senario when the bat. is dead and you have all your lights and horn on and the engine screaming at full rpm. That would load up the circuit a lot, maybe enough to burn out the windings in the stator. Whether the extra current from these few extra elec. devices would push it over the edge is difficult to say. There is a possibility, but I doubt it would happen. If you used led’s, you would probably use less current than the bike did when it was stock.

I think you should send the kit back and do it yourself. It seems like you know what you are doing. Whether you wire the bike using your wires or theirs, doesn’t make it easier to install or any better. Just protect the circuit like you said and not much can go wrong.

[russmitchell]

5SPOKE

What xenon bulb did you buy? I have a 2001 WR426 and want to brighten up the head light.

[5spoke]

I think I'm going to get the max H4 MAX H4 . The WR450 bulb type is a H4. I'm going to check the auto stores around here to see what they have before I order it.

Once I get them, I'm going to run them side by side to see the diff. I also want to get the LED tail/brake light. The stock brake light sucks 2A out the stator.

Remember dont touch the glass on the bulb. The oils from your hand boil on the surface of the bulb causing it to fail. ?

[dominator426]

Their Luks gold or blue Ion bulbs are also worth considering...

[5spoke]

Their Luks gold or blue Ion bulbs are also worth considering...

Never used them. I can't seem to get any info on them on the site. Are they they better than the Xenon?

[dominator426]

Ion Bulbs / ASK MOOSE Question Archive and a Gold Ion Pic in the Photo Gallery

More info here and here.

[Lowedog]

Strange about the 35 watt bulb with the B.D. kit. I installed one on my 450 last summer and the kit came with a 75/70w xenon bulb to replace the stock one with. I have had no problem with it at all. ?

:cheers:Lowedog