Headlight Mod on S2R 1000 (Photos)

[jftoha]

Ok, as promised, below are a few photographs where it is easier to see the headlight.

I know, the photos are bad. But i was in the garage after I did the work and only had my iPhone with me. i promise to post better photos when I have a chance to take them tomorrow.

I know that most people do not like the headlight of the new Monster but I liked it right away when i saw it. I still have issues with the rest of the design of the new bike (specially the entire exhaust system and routing). In any case, I run into a chance to purchase a headlight and jumped on it. i thought "If I don't like it, I put the old one back on". I did the mod today and after some minor modifying, it went right in. I really liked the way it looks and think it actually looks better on the old bike than the new one  [moto]. Below are two photos that sort of show how it looks. Let me know what you think, but be gentle if you don't like it!!










Old photos

[Mike_D]

I have an S2R1K as well and I don't think it looks bad at all. I also agree with you that the headlight seems to go more with the S2R than the new Monster. What modifications did you have to do to get it to fit?  A 3/4 front view would provide better perspective, but from what I see here, I like it. 

[ProTeal55]

Looks good !
Anyone have pics of a V-Rod headlite mounted up to a Monster ?

[NAKID]

Looks better than on the new Monster. I think it has to do with the height of the mounting. It sits too low on the 696 and 1100 and looks "droopy" to me...

[Mduc]

I like that look. Just have it painted black to match the rest of the bike and it will look even better.   

[jftoha]

I have an S2R1K as well and I don't think it looks bad at all. I also agree with you that the headlight seems to go more with the S2R than the new Monster. What modifications did you have to do to get it to fit?  A 3/4 front view would provide better perspective, but from what I see here, I like it. 

Other than the wiring which needed to be altered in a minor way (join Blue cable with yellow with black line, the other three match perfectly), the only thing I had to do was to cut the aluminum bracket at the top. It was very easy because the aluminum was very soft and light. I will post information and a diagram about that soon.

[MonsterMan1036]

That looks great, good job!!!

I wonder how much lighter it is compared to the glass lense headlight?

[jftoha]

That looks great, good job!!!

I wonder how much lighter it is compared to the glass lense headlight?

The new light is slightly lighter than the original but not by much. The original that came with my bike has a plastic lens and case though. I don't know about the older models. What I like the most is that the front is much cleaner. The black plastic trim piece at the top covers most of the wiring behind the light, something that always bothered me of the original design. It does sit higher and further forward than on the new bike. Not by much but enough to make a difference.

I was surprised how much more modern the front looks. The internals of the light and the lens itself have more spark and that makes it look newer. It really updates the front nicely. Also, because the light is designed to slope at a similar angle to the forks, it makes the lines flow better and more aerodynamically (in looks only, i don't think it has an actual effect). I did notice that the light quality is much better. There seems to be more power and coverage.

The more I look at it, the more I like it!!! 

[MonsterMan1036]

Did you try putting the fairing on it?

[jftoha]

I do not use the fairing but a guy who owns a S4Rs Tricolore did a similar conversion and he does use the fairing. He did not use the top black trim piece though. It makes me wonder wether it conflicted with the fairing. Also, because the top of the newer light is set back at an angle a bit further than the original, the fairing seemed to protrude forward further than the light. Not much, but I did noticed the difference.

Did you try putting the fairing on it?

[needtorque]

Looks good.  I dont like the fairing on the monsters so mine is off but with the lines of that light I think a small fairing might look good.  Also the improved lighting would be nice b/c the normal headlight sucks lol.

[jftoha]

Below is a side comparison without and with the fairing. I hope this answers your question. You can berely notice in this photo that the fairing seems to protrude forward a little.

Did you try putting the fairing on it?

[redsky]

The new headlight looks much better on the older Monster. 

I like the clean lines with the headlight, exhaust and tail chop.

I have a black S2R 1000 and I would consider the same headlight mod.

Look forward to the detailed explanation.

Redsky


 

[DarkStaR]

Let me get this straight.

People are putting the old light on the new monster, and the new light on the old monster. 

[OstOgBajer]

I think it's alright... prefer old Monsters with old headlights or new with new. Maybe if you powdercoated the silver part of the headlight black?