SSR Pacifica 150 headlight bulb question By dannytroy (Read 3,338 times)

[dannytroy]

OK, my new SSR Pacifica arrived yesterday and it arrived in perfect condition.  This is the second order from Powerrideoutlet.com (bought a Roketa 54B from them last Spring).  That order went without a hitch also.

I had ordered two Xenon headlight bulbs and just in time to be installed on the new bike, they arrived from China today.   The problem is I don't know if they can be used on this bike.  The Pacifica has a low beam on one side and a high beam on the other side.  I have no idea of the bulb type, so if I could mod the wiring, I probably won't have the correct socket for the BA20D.  Any ideas?

[jerryscript]

I just got my new SSR Pacifica last week too, also order from Power Ride Outlet. I ordered my MCO the next day, still waiting, in your experience are they good at getting the MCO out?

I haven't pulled the lights to see what type they are. Here is a link to a thread by someone who did a very throrough PDI last year, including upgrading his lights. You might try PM'ing him for more details on what he did. Lot's of good tips on this particular scooter in this posting!
ZN150T-18 Scooter Tips Mods

Since I don't have the MCO yet, I've only ridden mine around the neighborhood a few times, still has less than 25 miles on it. I'm loving the 16" wheels, so much smoother, I'm not afraid of manhole covers anymore! Feels much closer to riding a motorcycle in terms of handling, not as quick and nimble as my 50cc, but just feels right.

I originally wanted the burgundy, but they were out, so I went with dark blue metallic and it's beautiful! Which color did you go with?

I took my carb off today to pull the plug on the a/f mixture screw. Turns out the screw itself has no slot, so it's non-adjustable. Means I'll be replacing it asap, at which time I'll probably remove most of the emissions crap as well. I also plan on switching to sliders, I've found Dr Pulley sliders in 20x15, probably keep the same weight as the rollers for now, should give me just a bit more bottom end torque. Not planning on a BBK anytime soon, but might go with the 61mm NCY bolt on come summer time, as long as the head bolts are the correct spacing. Any plans for mods other than the headlights on yours?

[cyborg]

if the original bulbs are single filament and you bought twin filament bulbs with high and low beam in the same bulb the sockets would be different

[dannytroy]

Jerryscript,   I bought two other scooters in the last few years from other vendors, and none were as good as Powerrideoutlet.  The trucking company they use, Visionexpress in my case, does a good job of getting it to you undamaged.  My Roketa 54b was also delivered by Visionexpress.  Funny, on the Roketa delivery they used a tractor-trailer.  I live on a dead end street and the driver had to park on the next block and wheel the scoot to my house on a pallet dolly.

As far as the MCO, I actually got mine before the scoot arrived.  I had changed color from dark blue, to black/silver, so I think that held up the delivery a bit.  I was surprised I was able to make that color change, since I already got the email saying it was crated awaiting the trucking company.  Funny, on the paperwork attached to the crate used by the trucking company, still had the dark blue color written on it.  I was half-expecting to get the wrong color, but I got what I wanted.  I really wanted all silver, like my Roketa, but it seems no one has the Pacifica in a solid silver color.

I don't know exactly what mods I'll be doing, but so far I have rebuilt the seats on my last three scooters, adding gel pads, and I think I may be doing the same on this one.  It feels very hard to me, but since I only put gas in it tonight for the first time, and since the weather is in the 20's, I won't be taking it for a test ride for a few days.  Oh, plus the fact that I haven't registered it yet.  I can throw on the plate from the 50cc scoot I just sold, just for a quick test ride.  I may try to get a slightly larger windshield.  I haven't installed the SSR windshield yet, but it looks a little too low for my taste.

BTW, I had already read through that post you linked to, and I agree, he did a very thorough job describing the mods.  I think I will email him to ask about the lights.  Let me know how well you think the lighting is, after doing some night riding.

Cyborg, I'm pretty sure you are right, about it not fitting.  I can't imagine them using a double contact socket, since it's a single filament bulb.  Those Zenon's would have been sweet though!

[jerryscript]

Good news! Just checked the mail, and I got the MCO and bill of sale from PRO. VIN matches, and everything appears to be filled out properly. I might be able to get it registered tomorrow and ride this weekend!

[dannytroy]

Nice, they came through for you too.  It is great that they send the paperwork without us having to beg for them.  They seem to be a solid company.  Wish I knew what oil they use when they prep the scoots prior to shipment.  Has to be better than what was originally in it. 

[cyborg]

Jan 15, 2015 21:21:44 GMT -6 jerryscript said:

Good news! Just checked the mail, and I got the MCO and bill of sale from PRO. VIN matches, and everything appears to be filled out properly. I might be able to get it registered tomorrow and ride this weekend!

Great news!!!,,,

[dannytroy]

I don't suppose anyone would know of an exact replacement windshield for this scoot? I just put mine on and it's way too small for my taste. This isn't a knock of SSR (or Zen) because any stock windshield I ever saw, from any manufacturer, was too small for me. On the Roketa 54b (Jonway YY250T) it was easy since it's a Honda clone. I bought a Givi windshield that bolted right on. I'm thinking on this one I might wind up making my own. I watched some Plexiglass bending videos on YouTube, and might give it a try. I'm starting with 6" higher than stock, and cut it down from there. I'll use the stock windshield as a template.

One other mod I'm doing is to discard the washers that hold the rear box on, and replace it with solid steel bars, one 7.5" and the other 9". This will prevent the inevitable cracking of the plastic. Had to do it on the Roketa too, after some cracking.

[jerryscript]

I don't know of any exact replacement windshield, but should be easy to mod most that have the same general curve. Since the mounting holes are covered, you can even get away with sloppy cuts. Use the star light twinkle effect that spray paint artists use to paint the lower edge, hold a piece of cardboard perpendicular yo it and just above it, short sprays on the cardboard mist onto the plastic, then fill in the bottom to look somewhat like stock.

I still haven't put on the trunk, don't like them, but may have to due to no underseat storage.

[dannytroy]

Jan 16, 2015 12:13:12 GMT -6 jerryscript said:

I don't know of any exact replacement windshield, but should be easy to mod most that have the same general curve. Since the mounting holes are covered, you can even get away with sloppy cuts. Use the star light twinkle effect that spray paint artists use to paint the lower edge, hold a piece of cardboard perpendicular yo it and just above it, short sprays on the cardboard mist onto the plastic, then fill in the bottom to look somewhat like stock.

I still haven't put on the trunk, don't like them, but may have to due to no underseat storage.

I was surprised to find the lack of underseat storage.  The one review of it I saw on Youtube was a dealer that really didn't want to mention that deficiency.  He just mentioned the under-seat storage, saying you can store a helmet there, but he never opened the seat.  I will need the cargo area and I'm about to install it after I finish typing this post.  I am using, instead of washers, two 1/8" x 3/4" rods.  As I mentioned in the earlier post, one 7 1/2" and the other 9".

As far as the windshield, I just ordered a 24x24" piece of acrylic, .177" thick, which is the usual thickness for windshields.  I did quite a bit of searching to find it, as most are either too thin or too thick.  I tried 3 local hardware stores, including Home Depot, and they only had 1/8" or 1/4".  Windshields are 3/16".   I'll fabricate it myself, using a heat gun.  With the shipping, the piece of acrylic cost $35.20.  Probably cheaper than buying a ready made windshield, especially if it was a Givi or Slipstreamer.  I'll post a photo of the completed windshield (or windscreen, depending on where you are!)

[jerryscript]

You might want to put a strip of rubber between those metal rods and the plastic case itself. That will prevent rattling and scraping sounds, and help even more to prevent cracking. I have the remnants of an old pair of fishing boots I cut rubber strips off of for just such purposes.

Looking forward to seeing the pics! You are definitely getting it done cheaper than most windshields. The cheapo universal windshield that connects to your rear view mirrors runs $35, and it's 1/8" at best (I have two mounted as one for extra thickness on my 50cc during the winter, they accidentally gave me two of the acrylic pieces when I bought it, lucky me), so you are definitely coming out ahead! Did you purchase a particular type of acrylic made for windshields, any coatings or treatments, or just a standard sheet?

I'll definitely be interested in what you work up, as you said, the stock one is a bit too short to provide much benefit, and I'm spoiled having the larger one on my 50cc during the winter.

One thing I'm thinking about modding is the under seat bucket. I don't like having to remove the battery to work on the engine. Once I replace the carb and stock air filter, and remove the emissions crap freeing up room, I think I'll cut the seat bucket just a bit behind the battery box, using the battery box screws to hold down the rear cut off portion. This way I can remove the rear 4/5 of the seat bucket without removing the seat or battery. This only makes a difference after removing the stock air filter and emissions crap, otherwise there still wouldn't be enough room to do anything, and even with this it will only make adjusting the carb easier.

[dannytroy]

I answered your post last night, but somehow got "lost in cyberspace"!

I had used the rubber gasket method on at least one other scooter, and I will monitor the shaking on the Pacifica to see if I need it. If you mount the box you will find that a couple of the bolt holes don't match, and require a bit of drilling. No biggie, as it only took a few seconds. The front were OK, but the back two needed adjustment.

I'll definitely post a photo of the finished windshield. It really doesn't look like it will be all that hard. I'll use the original as a basic template and increase the height and width. I'll start with 6" higher than stock and whittle it down from there. You can always take away, but you can't add to a too small size, so I like to start larger than needed.

I like your idea of modding the under-seat area. I did a similar mod on a 50cc TaoTao CY-50b. It was way too hard to disassemble the shell, so I basically permanently attached the parts, so the shell lifts out as one piece, and in half the time.

[dannytroy]

Well, I don't' think I will be able to use any other bulbs other than what is in there now, or at least not the Xenon bulbs I have on hand.  I took it apart today and found that they use different type bulbs, with different connectors on each.  Even more confusing is the fact that the right is fed over 14 volts when on and the left shows less than 14.  I'm leaving the bulbs as is and possibly wire it so both bulbs are on at all times, and adjust the high beam downward.   I will have to check the voltage to see if this will be too much of a drain on the battery.  I can remove the DRL bulbs in the front, and convert the rear to LED, to save a little voltage there.  Too cold and rainy to do any more work on it today.

While apart I added a nice digital voltmeter on instrument panel area.  I like to know how my battery in the scoot is doing at all times.

[jerryscript]

Strange that the left side has lower voltage, might want to check the resistance on the wires.

I pulled the front off mine to tighten the stem bearings, had a slight knock when hitting the front brake hard, and noticed there are adjusting screws for the headlights accessible inside the upper corners of the glove box. I dialed mine in to be sure I'm getting the best use of high and low without blinding on-coming traffic.

Many people have modified their headlight mounts to accept other bulbs, I just read a thread here in the tips section showing how to modify HID bi-xenon bulbs to fit a standard H4 socket by cutting and bending small slots in the HID bulb's collar. You may be able to do something similar with other bulb types as well.

scooterdoc.proboards.com/thread/6739/cfmoto-charm-hid-conversion

[dannytroy]

Ah, I gave up on the whole upgraded headlight idea and will stay with the stock setup.

I do like the idea of the momentary switch that turns the high beam on.  I guess they figured instead of switching to the high-beam, you can have the low-beam on and get some additional illumination with the high-beam when you need it.  Or for signalling on-coming traffic???

While I had it apart I did install the digital voltmeter, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

There was also a part that seemed to be installed incorrectly at the factory.  The cover below the engine was installed what looked like too low on one side.  The welded bracket may have been installed in the wrong spot, but they bolted the plastic mount on the shell to this wrongly positioned bracket.  I re-drilled the plastic mount so all the parts meet correctly.

Hey, thanks for the heads-up on the location of the headlight adjusters.  I had the thing apart and didn't even see that.  While I was putting it back together I was scratching my head as to why they wouldn't give you access to the rear of the adjusters.  I'll check that out tomorrow.