EDIT: looks like this has already been done
http://www.stromtrooper.com/v-strom-mod ... 65140.html with better photos too!
So, I'm always frustrated by the
fantastic stock indicators on the strom. A bare bulb in a black plastic housing... I can't think of many ways to do it worse
I tried the foil trick and was less than impressed. Time to do it properly
Purchase a pair of Halfords Finest bulbs (BA15s). Wattage doesn't matter. Smash the glass, and clean out the base. Also (try to) drill a small hole through the base contact. If the contact spins out, no big deal.
Also get hold of a couple of these. Note the wattage and voltage - this is important.
Here's the bulb itself (try not to touch the glass - gloves are a good idea here)
Now the interesting bit. Crimp a wire to each terminal as so:
and heatshrink the upright wire:
Stuff the bulb into the base, making sure the upright wire fits through the hole you made:
Bend the bottom wire up, and apply solder to both. A big soldering iron here helps, as you have to heat the base too.
Once the solder is cool, file away the base contact to match the original.
Results: Stock (with foil) on the right, new on the left.
The new bulb lights up quicker:
and are brighter at peak:
I performed this mod a few weeks ago. No bulb failures so far (early days though) despite a good hammering over rough roads/off road.
Total cost:
2x bulbs from halfords: £2.61 (if you're confident, use the stock bulbs)
2x halogen MR11 bulbs (ebay): £2.40
2x ring terminals (for the crimps): £0.01??
Heatshrink/solder/etc: £piss all
Total cost for 2x indicators: £5.02
There is an alternative method, which involves the bigger MR16 bulbs and replacing the bulb mounts inside the indicator housing, but the bulbs are slightly too big, and the orange lenses don't fit quite properly.
