Mounting a headlight on a girder
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 1:22 pm
This is a write up I was allowed to do under the banner of: The Chopper Builders Handbook Facebook page.
I took it as a great honor!
Mounting a headlight on a girder is not hard. There is two different ways of doing it and the second one is the better way but, we will show both.
Many of the older girders used a method where they welded to the lower link spacers in the girder legs. These like to rotate because only held in place by force of the shaft and also because they are fixed with the girder legs tend to shorten the life of headlight bulbs from excessive vibrations. Because they move with the girder forks when in motion.
It is the simplest way to mount but also the worse way to mount a headlight on a girder. All you do is to weld support bracing off the spacers so you can adjust the headlight.
[ Figure 1]
The better way to do it is to make support brackets either off your lower or upper tree/yoke so the headlight does not see as much vibrations from the force of the road. These can be bent in any shape you want and out of any type material as long as strong enough. It is up to your imagination here. the one in the pictures is made by using 1/2 in solid bar bent to shapes needed.
[Figure 2]
This one is bolted on using the steering stops to hold the support bracket in place.
[Figure 3] [Figure 4]
You can see the bars are bent so when the girder rotates upward it can not be hit by the lower link pin and spacers. It also is adjustable to be adjusted up and down and side to side with the linkage made for it.
[Figure 5]
In this picture is just shown another way to make this adjustment linkage.
[Figure 6]
The support bars do not need to be bolted to the the trees/yokes in this girder they were welded to the lower tree.
[Figure 7]
This picture just shows how the support braces go over the girder link rotation and how you can be creative in making a mount for your headlight. You can mount either top or lower tree and also have headlight down low or up high. All what you want it to be and how you would like your bike to look.
[Figure 8]
I took it as a great honor!
Mounting a headlight on a girder is not hard. There is two different ways of doing it and the second one is the better way but, we will show both.
Many of the older girders used a method where they welded to the lower link spacers in the girder legs. These like to rotate because only held in place by force of the shaft and also because they are fixed with the girder legs tend to shorten the life of headlight bulbs from excessive vibrations. Because they move with the girder forks when in motion.
It is the simplest way to mount but also the worse way to mount a headlight on a girder. All you do is to weld support bracing off the spacers so you can adjust the headlight.
[ Figure 1]
The better way to do it is to make support brackets either off your lower or upper tree/yoke so the headlight does not see as much vibrations from the force of the road. These can be bent in any shape you want and out of any type material as long as strong enough. It is up to your imagination here. the one in the pictures is made by using 1/2 in solid bar bent to shapes needed.
[Figure 2]
This one is bolted on using the steering stops to hold the support bracket in place.
[Figure 3] [Figure 4]
You can see the bars are bent so when the girder rotates upward it can not be hit by the lower link pin and spacers. It also is adjustable to be adjusted up and down and side to side with the linkage made for it.
[Figure 5]
In this picture is just shown another way to make this adjustment linkage.
[Figure 6]
The support bars do not need to be bolted to the the trees/yokes in this girder they were welded to the lower tree.
[Figure 7]
This picture just shows how the support braces go over the girder link rotation and how you can be creative in making a mount for your headlight. You can mount either top or lower tree and also have headlight down low or up high. All what you want it to be and how you would like your bike to look.
[Figure 8]