• A few people have been scammed on the site, Only use paypal to pay for items for sale by other members. If they will not use paypal, its likely a scam NEVER SEND E-TRANSFERS OF ANY KIND.

Clear lenses for switchback LED's

Klap

Active Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
Messages
219
Reaction score
155
Points
43
Location
Canton, GA
Visit site
I saw that Superbrightleds.com was having a sale, and I was kinda waiting for it, so I got LEDS for all the turn signals on my 2013 NC700X. At the same time, I ordered smoked clear lenses for both front and rear from eBay...pretty reasonable at 16.99 for all 4- or so I thought .

The LED flasher I ordered ( listed as compatible for the NC) was not compatible. I had waited a month for it, and when it finally came, It was not a plug and play unit, so I elected to do the "pin 7 " mod to the existing flasher. I cut the case of the relay open, and cut the number 7 pin, to eliminate the hyperflash. Yes, it works, but it caused another problem- the back LEDS will not work- I had to switch back to the incendescents, 'til I can trouble shoot it.

Back to the smokedclear lenses. I had not really looked at them, except in passing, since I did not have the LED flasher to install. After installing the front LED's, I was anxious to put the new lenses on to see how they looked...OOPS......not even a close match. I looked on eBay on my phone, and sure enough, they are listed for the NC700X, and there is no way they will fit. I am posting a picture of both the lenses, one new one, and one old one. The seller claims it will fit, but I just don't see it happening. Any ideas? Am I overlooking something?

Thanks for your comments!
IMG_2373.JPG
 
Those lenses obviously won’t fit. Open a case with the eBay seller and get a refund.

There are Honda part numbers for clear lenses from another bike that fit the NC (with only a slight modification), but they will cost more than those eBay lenses.
 
Already started a refund, and I did get the proper part numbers from one of your posts, 670cc. I see at least 20 listings for this same lens on eBay, and none of them will fit. Are they for a later model?
 
eBay even offers lots of mufflers and gas caps that fit Zero (electric) motorcycles. It’s not surprising your turn signal lenses don’t match.
 
I am astonished so many people buy cheap knock off stuff off ebay. Really. I guess some of it works but I read of so many issues from ebay crap.
 
I am astonished so many people buy cheap knock off stuff off ebay. Really. I guess some of it works but I read of so many issues from ebay crap.
I’ve gotten good and bad stuff from China sellers, and good and bad stuff from US sellers. Country of origin has not necessarily determined quality, in my experience. It’s “buyer beware” in all cases.
 
I agree country of origin is no guarantee, but if you buy name brand stuff, even from an ebay seller, you will in most cases get something that fits/works whereas non name brand stuff is a crap shoot whether it will work or not.

When looking at fender extenders and hand guards I saw really cheap ones on ebay, but for $20 or so, do I take the risk of them mounting up right or do I buy the name brand stuff and KNOW they will mount up right?

Shorty levers for example. My son bought cheapo shorty levers off ebay for his MT-10. Now his cruise control won't work. Put his long levers back on and he has cruise. If he had purchased the name brand shorty levers, sure, he'd have paid more, but his cruise would work with them I would guess.
 
I agree country of origin is no guarantee, but if you buy name brand stuff, even from an ebay seller, you will in most cases get something that fits/works whereas non name brand stuff is a crap shoot whether it will work or not.

When looking at fender extenders and hand guards I saw really cheap ones on ebay, but for $20 or so, do I take the risk of them mounting up right or do I buy the name brand stuff and KNOW they will mount up right?

Shorty levers for example. My son bought cheapo shorty levers off ebay for his MT-10. Now his cruise control won't work. Put his long levers back on and he has cruise. If he had purchased the name brand shorty levers, sure, he'd have paid more, but his cruise would work with them I would guess.
I think for a lot of people it comes down to how functional is the part or item. A lever is a safety item, buy a good one. A mudguard is a piece of formed plastic, buy a cheap one. I don't buy off ebay much anymore other than used items, since you can buy direct from china for a lot less easily. But I have no issue buying cheap parts for some items over name brand. Name brand is no guarantee for quality or proper fit in my opinion. Sure some brands demand quality and are worth paying for but not all brands. Some brands you are most certainly paying for the name and not the product. Also, you can often buy the same product made in the same factory for less under other names.
 
I think for a lot of people it comes down to how functional is the part or item. A lever is a safety item, buy a good one. A mudguard is a piece of formed plastic, buy a cheap one. I don't buy off ebay much anymore other than used items, since you can buy direct from china for a lot less easily. But I have no issue buying cheap parts for some items over name brand. Name brand is no guarantee for quality or proper fit in my opinion. Sure some brands demand quality and are worth paying for but not all brands. Some brands you are most certainly paying for the name and not the product. Also, you can often buy the same product made in the same factory for less under other names.
Good point about the safety item vs a cosmetic item. Still the OP is out $16.99 and was aggravated due to buying cheap stuff off ebay. Not sure about his flasher but cutting into and modifying wiring is always a bad idea IMO. A lot of times it's like I modified this and now X won't work. What could be wrong?
 
Good point about the safety item vs a cosmetic item. Still the OP is out $16.99 and was aggravated due to buying cheap stuff off ebay. Not sure about his flasher but cutting into and modifying wiring is always a bad idea IMO. A lot of times it's like I modified this and now X won't work. What could be wrong?
Just as an information point, when buying a questionable or unknown brand/ no brand item, I always make sure there is a reliable return procedure in place, and I use a credit card, which adds an extra level of safety.
In this instance, it was eBay, which required me to package it up, print a return label, and drop it in the mail. No cost to me to return it. All of 5 minutes work.
As far as cutting wires and modding my bike, I’ve been doing mods on bikes for over 50 years- and yes, some of my mods don’t work the first time- but one must fail over and over to learn, correct?
I must respectfully disagree with your opinion about modifying wiring - it can always be improved. Keep in mind that wiring on your bike is designed for easy assembly and durability, not for maximum utility.
Like parachutes, minds work best when open.
 
Good point about the safety item vs a cosmetic item. Still the OP is out $16.99 and was aggravated due to buying cheap stuff off ebay. Not sure about his flasher but cutting into and modifying wiring is always a bad idea IMO. A lot of times it's like I modified this and now X won't work. What could be wrong?
I have never failed to win a case or get a refund from a faulty or misrepresented eBay item. I expect the OP is not automatically out the $16.99.
 
I have never failed to win a case or get a refund from a faulty or misrepresented eBay item. I expect the OP is not automatically out the $16.99.
Like I said, it took 5 minutes to print a mailing label ( free postage from eBay) and pack them up. No problems, as you say, 670cc.
 
I had a flakey ignition coil on my 77 Goldwing. You can't get the original coil from Honda anymore and I didn't want to take a chance on a 40 year old used coil.

I looked on Ebay and found a vendor who advertised coils for most Japanese bikes. The website prompted me for the year, brand and model. Once I input that information into the vendors website, it indicated that they have a replacement coil for that model for $25. I know that there are top notch coils from Dynatek and others for as much as $150 from local vendors. They get good reviews but I thought for $25, why not take a chance.

Once the coil arrived I discovered that it was a generic coil that would require some massaging to make it work. The mounting hole centers were different so I had to make a bracket to mount it. The primary coil wires were different colors and the original primary wires had bullet connectors so I cut the old coil primary wires off and soldered them to the new coil I used heat shrink over the connections. This new coil measured 5 ohms and my original measured 3 ohms so it was going to produce a slightly lower energy spark. The coil ignition wires were a smaller diameter so they were loose in the spark plug grommets.

I made all the changes and took the bike out for a test ride. It solved my problem.

The vendor asked me for a review so I honestly documented that the coil was not a direct fit but rather a generic coil that could be made to fit a lot of bikes with enough modifications. The vendor hounded me every day for about a month after I posted the review. They wanted me to return the coil and they would refund my money and they would pay return shipping. They offered me several other deals if I would change my review.

I finally contacted Ebay and explained that I gave an honest assessment of a product and now I was being e-mailed every day asking to reconsider my review. I asked what reviews are for if not to review the product. I forwarded all the vendor e-mails to them and they were going to contact the vendor. The e-mails from the vendor stopped the next day and I haven't gotten one since.

After confirming that it was a coil problem, I have since bought a two Magna coil set for $100. The Magna's are quality coils and the mounting hole spacing was correct. They didn't have the secondary and ignition wires molded in like the originals.
1624149870124.png

The original setup was a 4 ohm ballast resistor and 3 ohm coils. While the start button is pressed the ballast resistor is shorted and 12 volts is applied directly to the coils. The thought was that while cranking, the battery voltage drops to about 8 volts. Once you release the start button, the ballast is placed in series with the coils to drop the voltage on them. Some people call them 6 volt coils in a 12 volt system. They Magna's also measured 5 ohms but the kit instructed me to eliminate the ballast resistor and power them directly from the battery. The spark was hotter than the original and the circuit was simpler. Simpler is better.
 
I had a flakey ignition coil on my 77 Goldwing. You can't get the original coil from Honda anymore and I didn't want to take a chance on a 40 year old used coil.

I looked on Ebay and found a vendor who advertised coils for most Japanese bikes. The website prompted me for the year, brand and model. Once I input that information into the vendors website, it indicated that they have a replacement coil for that model for $25. I know that there are top notch coils from Dynatek and others for as much as $150 from local vendors. They get good reviews but I thought for $25, why not take a chance.

Once the coil arrived I discovered that it was a generic coil that would require some massaging to make it work. The mounting hole centers were different so I had to make a bracket to mount it. The primary coil wires were different colors and the original primary wires had bullet connectors so I cut the old coil primary wires off and soldered them to the new coil I used heat shrink over the connections. This new coil measured 5 ohms and my original measured 3 ohms so it was going to produce a slightly lower energy spark. The coil ignition wires were a smaller diameter so they were loose in the spark plug grommets.

I made all the changes and took the bike out for a test ride. It solved my problem.

The vendor asked me for a review so I honestly documented that the coil was not a direct fit but rather a generic coil that could be made to fit a lot of bikes with enough modifications. The vendor hounded me every day for about a month after I posted the review. They wanted me to return the coil and they would refund my money and they would pay return shipping. They offered me several other deals if I would change my review.

I finally contacted Ebay and explained that I gave an honest assessment of a product and now I was being e-mailed every day asking to reconsider my review. I asked what reviews are for if not to review the product. I forwarded all the vendor e-mails to them and they were going to contact the vendor. The e-mails from the vendor stopped the next day and I haven't gotten one since.

After confirming that it was a coil problem, I have since bought a two Magna coil set for $100. The Magna's are quality coils and the mounting hole spacing was correct. They didn't have the secondary and ignition wires molded in like the originals.
View attachment 45308

The original setup was a 4 ohm ballast resistor and 3 ohm coils. While the start button is pressed the ballast resistor is shorted and 12 volts is applied directly to the coils. The thought was that while cranking, the battery voltage drops to about 8 volts. Once you release the start button, the ballast is placed in series with the coils to drop the voltage on them. Some people call them 6 volt coils in a 12 volt system. They Magna's also measured 5 ohms but the kit instructed me to eliminate the ballast resistor and power them directly from the battery. The spark was hotter than the original and the circuit was simpler. Simpler is better.
Prime example of reasoning for modifying existing systems, and not being satisfied with mediocre or expensive factory parts.
Despite the fact that Honda’s are really well engineered, they can always be improved upon, whether it is more functionality, or less cost per mile.

Isaac Newton said: “ We stand on the shoulders of giants” , meaning we learn from those who have gone before us, and shown us better ways.

Keep the new ideas coming!
 
Back
Top