The factory’s consignment bikes are always at MAX capacity, and we’ve gone way past happy problems into headaches (laughs). Compared to the Tokyo days, the grounds and work space are much better, but there are still physical limits, so I’m reflecting on whether we need to rethink the intake cycle and workflow a bit more.
And just yesterday, I finally took in three hens safely! My personal life now has a ton of fun but labor-intensive “things to do” dumped on it all at once. I was originally planning to get ahead with building the raised beds in the garden first, but you can’t fight the timing and connections that come with living creatures (´ω｀)
How can I fully savor this amazing sense of fulfillment in both work and life? “Someday I want to aim for three days off a week, or even four days off!” With such grand and realistic ambitions in my heart, I’m fighting the good fight day by day out here in rural Chiba ( ｀ー´)ノ
Today’s electrical system and classic visibility upgrade log
Target bike: Honda VFR400R (NC30 / the legendary racer replica with cam gear train V4 and pro-arm suspension)
Star product: Sphere Light motorcycle LED headlight “RIZING 3”
The “two big benefits” of fitting LED to the NC30:
Overwhelming night vision: From the dim halogen dual round headlights of the Showa and early Heisei eras to a dramatic upgrade to pure white clarity and sharp cutoff lines (meeting inspection standards) that surpass even modern vehicles.
Regulator and generator longevity: Dramatically reduced power consumption from the halogen dual lights (about 120W), dramatically easing the heat load on Honda’s V4-specific charging system (stator coil and regulator) which is sensitive to heat!
Decoboco’s NC30 headlight foundation tuning essentials:
Heat sink and wiring layout that navigates the ultra-tight clearance around the cowl stay and meter back with zero interference.
Physical shutout of moisture and rainwater ingress through tight waterproof rubber boot sealing.
Millimeter-level fine-tuning of the elbow point (cutoff line) and peak luminous intensity with a tester.
Shop owner’s comment: The beautiful endurance racer form that everyone admired back then stays the same, but the inside gets updated with the latest light distribution technology. It’s the ultimate refresh—delivering not just peace of mind for night riding, but also a healthy electrical system foundation!
It’s probably the pinnacle of LED headlight bulbs. Compared to NOVSIGHT, it’s about 8 times the price?
The assist high beam inherited from the 2 is excellent. What is the “assist high beam” doing?
The RIZING 3’s assist high beam performs control where, when the switch is set to Hi, it “lights the high beam element while not completely turning off the low beam side (the light illuminating the near field) and lights both simultaneously.”
Far: The high beam element illuminates the distance
Near: The assist light distribution from the low beam side illuminates the road surface at your feet
Because it does this simultaneously within a single bulb, there are no gaps or dark spots in the light from near to far, creating a uniformly bright field of view.
Why couldn’t this be done as standard? (Technical reasons)
It might seem like “just light both,” but with LED bulbs there are the following hurdles:
Heat and durability: Running both systems at full brightness simultaneously doubles the heat load on the heat sink, causing thermal sag and reduced lifespan (the RIZING 3 clears this with a large heat sink and thermal conduction design).
Inspection light distribution standards (elbow point, candela count): Lighting the near field too brightly can adversely affect the tester’s measurement point and cutoff line judgment, so specialized light distribution design is necessary for how the light scatters.
Practical benefits for motorcycle riding
Especially for two-wheelers, the sensation of “the road surface information near the front tire momentarily disappearing the instant you switch to high” is significantly reduced during cornering or uneven night riding. It’s a feature that makes a huge difference in peace of mind when riding on unlit night roads, not just for flashing.
The old model’s lock mechanism—it clicks into a groove (valley) to lock—but the tension releases the moment it locks, which is the weak point.
Even if it’s good when new, as you repeatedly remove and install it and use it, wear progresses and “rattling play” in the installed state keeps increasing. As it sits loose in the groove, the O-ring’s compression (tension) weakens too, creating concerns about sealing and holding power.
But if you design it to be super tight, then every removal becomes a nightmare. “Easy removal” and “long-term rattle-free holding power”—pursuing both is a really head-scratching structural challenge (´ω｀)
Actually, the pin shape being different on front and back is the secret sauce.
The nice relationship between round and oval is here.
The body is smaller too and has more presence.
I reused a bracket I made before to secure it.
I adjusted the headlight beam alignment. I think with this there’s no play and it’s perfect and safe.
It does draw quite a bit of power, but the assist high beam is really convenient.
Oh… the headlight cover rubber is out of stock and we couldn’t get both. For now we’ll keep the current setup.
What happened with the repro generator afterward…
It’s generating power, but we checked to make sure it wasn’t burned.
Honda is well-made so it comes off smoothly (*´ω｀*)
One by one… I really felt how Honda thinks about safety.
With the MOSFET regulator as a set, there was absolutely no concern—it was like brand new. Perfect!
ポチップ
