The EB kit is specifically made for the correct build motorcycle. The one you linked to is for a car and would have to be heavily modified anyway to work. The distance between the H4 connectors looks like four feet or so. The -/+ wires are way to short and I personally don’t like having the relays in the faring. The EB relays are in the fairing also but appear more robust than the ones shown. The only thing I didn’t really like about the EB was that it uses the original ground. I ended up making my own set up.

 

Realizing this is an older thread, so don't know if I'll get a reply, but - what's wrong with the EB headlight relay harness using the bike's existing ground?

Maybe EB changed how they were building them, but the one I got for my 2004 only uses the original headlamp power and ground for activating the relays. Return current through OEM ground is greatly reduced, as a side effect of no longer routing headlight power through the handlebar switch.

All the headlight current comes out and returns through big wires, connected to battery terminals.

 

The Amazon kit was not available in the past. Make your own or get EB were the options.

I would look for the switch part on eBay rather than fussing with making it.

 

I built my own using a kit similar to the one in the link, the only thing will be the length of the wires, you will want to shorten some of them up.

I put the relays in a waterproof box secured in the right side front of the fairing on my Wee.

 

The EB kit is beautifully made with the best quality, authentic materials and parts, like name brand (Panasonic) Japanese relays and headlight connectors.

It's a lot cheaper and easier than getting the materials and tooling together on your own.

That Amazon kit, well... I've learned the hard way that no-name Chinese relays are strictly no bueno, and you still have to rework it because the wire lengths are suited for cars, not motorcycles.

 

I'm with bwringer on this one.

I do a lot of fabricating of motorcycle stuff, and I've gone down the rabbit hole of "I can make it cheaper than that" multiple times. Often I can, sometimes I can't, and sometimes even when I could, I probably shouldn't have. And I'm not above using no name Chinese materials, depending on the importance of its application. Like, I'd be fine using some cheap knockoff PIAA lights, since their failure wouldn't be critical. For headlight relays, I'd lean away from unknown quality imported stuff, since the unexpected failure of your headlights could be kinda disconcerting. And if you do use better components, even when it's the kind of stuff you can get at NAPA or O'Reilly Auto, you very rapidly start approaching the cost of the EB unit, unless you already have wire, connectors, shrink tubing, etc laying around from other projects.

 

In more cases than less every time I did a DIY vs buying premade it only cost me 3 times as much and took 4 or 5 times longer to make than waiting for it to ship in.

But for whatever reason I still like to make my own stuff. Currently working on bettering the HF motorcycle tire machine wheel adapter to be used with a custom duckbill mount/dismount bar. Crazy thing is I already have a NoMar so I don;t need another tire machine. Even crazier is I bought 3 of these HF units to modify because they were on clearance.

 

I make a lot of my own stuff because the thing I want is either overpriced for what it is and I can make it cheaper, or else the thing I'm making is being made to fit a specific design that I want. In the former case, it's been mostly successful with a couple glaring missteps (like a set of hard panniers I tried to build many years ago). In the case of my homemade top racks, I'll put mine up against an Altrider plate any day, and mine were about a fifth of their cost in materials. And yes, I have time invested in them, but my time is my own to spend how I choose, and making stuff is one of my hobbies. In the case of some custom built items, like my square tool tube, I built that to be able to maximize the storage space for the stuff I carry while still being able to fit into the confined space behind the pannier rack. There were no commercial items available that fit the bill, so whatever I paid to make mine was acceptable.

I went down the same road as the OP once, though mine was over the Eastern Beaver PC8 and not the headlight relay. I looked at it on line, and the price, and thought "hey, I bet I could make just as good a device as that for a lot less". Once I priced out the relay, fuse panel, wiring, connectors, etc, the price was close enough to the EB unit to not make it worth the trouble. Whatever I was going to make wouldn't have been as nice as the PC8 as far as fit and finish goes, and it wouldn't have been as compact. That idea got scratched off the design table.

 

I made my own from a kit made up for cars similar to what the OP posted. In fact I made two sets and added Blue Sea fuse blocks to each bike at the same time. I installed relays for the fuse blocks as well. I already had tools and equipment for doing automotive electrical work and I like doing it, so going the less expensive route was a no brainer for me.

 

To be clear, I already have a lot of money invested in supplies and tooling to build stuff like this and more, and I've ordered supplies and OEM connectors from EB many times. So personally, I would (and have) build my own.

But if you don't already have much of what you need on hand, then the cost to order the premade harness from EB really does make sense given the great quality.

That said, it's a V-Strom, not a space shuttle. So somewhere in the middle is fine, too.

For example, you don't have to spend $10 each for super-premium Panasonic relays. I've used $5 sealed Tyco relays from an auto parts store many times with no failures; if you stick with a decent name brand relay instead of a no-name, they're much more reliable. Same for terminals, wire, heat shrink, tools, etc. - don't buy the crap from Harbor Freight or the no-name Chinese kits on Amazon and you'll have much better results.

Some of the Chinese crimp tools and connector kits on Amazon are actually pretty OK, but many are not. It can take time and some failures to figure this out.

I kinda hate doing wiring, so I generally make damn sure I'll only need to do it once... overkill is just about right.

 

One of the guys on a machinist forum that I visit has the following tag line:

"For just a little bit more, you can make it yourself."

I go about 60/40. 60% "build it yourself ". There is no slam-dunk right answer to this.

Most of the time, I do it myself so I can get exactly what I want and they don't make that commercially.

I like getting the name brand if it's not prohibitively expensive. There is also the problem that some things that are "Made in the USA" turn out to be assembled in the USA from imported components. Not cool. If I pay the premium price, I don't want to get the cheaper chinese product with a red white and blue label.

 

The Amazon kit is cheap, if it sometime, somehow, goes out it looks like you can plug the original plugs back into the lights and be good.

Reading up on some of these, it looks like the wiring is pretty thin and badly crimped, might need some solder.

 

I enjoy thinking up projects and then applying them to my bikes that is a big reason I own mostly jap bikes, I doubt I would enjoy drilling holes in a late model BMW or Ducati & I know I would hate sending them to a stranger to get it worked on.

Quality relays can be found in wrecked cars and remember if your low beam relay fails it can be swapped for the high beam one.

 

Color me clueless here, but what problem do these headlight / relay setups solve?

 

Every time the start button is pushed the headlights are turned off, with the twin headlight models that is a big load on a tiny switch, over time that switch will fail and the headlights will not work or the bike will not start.

On the left side above the radiator there is a big electrical plug that can also get hot, melt and loose contact, the relays also bypass that plug.

The relays takes the load off the switch, the switch now only powers the relays not the lights and you now get full power to the globes, all good things.


These have not been a big problem since they changed to a single headlight.

 

Full power running through the switches. 1st one to go is the starter switch. Additionally, when -/+ are routed from the battery, headlights are brighter. I did not connect my volt meter to the battery but to the original headlight wiring. It is pretty close to the battery voltage unless charging after a start.

 

Necromancy on this thread!

I actually installed a very similar headlight relay kit from Amazon (as a preventative measure, and to up the voltage to headlights)

It is as others have said, dying for a bit of tweaking.

The h4 connectors are super fragile, like an airy ceramic material. They work, but repeated put on and take offs of the connector will wreck them in short order (I'd reckon)

the relays, when functional, are so far so good (approx 2k miles, all weather) but sometimes, don't let the headlights come on- first noticed at the MOT (annual roadworthiness test in the UK, nearly failed!), required repeated quick flicks to high beams to make the regular headlights activate.

Brightness overall, a great increase.

Passing/flashing highbeam button responds much more quickly and definitely - not a huge thing but nice to have.

I did do cutting and soldering on the cables where required and installed on my gen 1 wee in the cowl just below the speed clock. It is a tight enough fit with the size of those relays.

Haven't checked power through the starter switch, but it hasn't affected starting characteristics as far as I can tell.

Sent from my M2102J20SG using Tapatalk

 

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the big reason why not Amazon headlight relays.

Just had total headlight failure on a rideout on Sunday.

Pulled apart the big multiplug behind left fairing, no obvious burns or ugliness, so time to check headlight plugs with a multimeter.

Factory headlight plugs ok- voltage showing as expected, can hear (I soon found out only 1) the headlight relays clicking, bulb tests ok, fuses fine.

So pulled off the relay headlight plug- no voltage anywhere.

Dig out the relay pair and......


Tucked away, nice and dry, dielectric grease on pins, and burnt all to hell.

And of course a stripping match to get at.

Shiny side up!
View attachment 320081

 

You pay your money and you take your chances.
Sometimes the expensive relays fail too. We would hope much less often.
Your setup still worked though. It was the relay that failed, not the "dealer only" Suzuki start switch assembly.

 

This is true.

And to replace 2 relays at £5 each (Halfords pricing!! UK ones will know) is a small price to pay, and reasonably feasible at the roadside in an emergency.

Indeed, pay your money, take your chance!

Shiny side up!

 

I just installed the eastern beaver kit and their PC8 as well. Lovely stuff and I know it will work for a long time.