Expect the unexpected When buying Parts In Thailand, A Warning!

[menzies233]

My son has an MSX 125, he has been on and on at me that he wants an HID Projector headlight and rear LED light with the turn signals integrated into it.

He did a load of research on the internet, both Thai and English and came up with an online company from Bangkok that promised that they could supply front and rear lights, with all the inverters, ballasts, LED turn signals etc. that were basically a swap out for the Honda.

As a Christmas present I bought him the parts that arrived quickly via EMS and on initial inspection looked quite good, especially the HID front lamp.

Then I got into fitting it, I immediately realised that this was no way a plug and play fit to the stock Honda wiring.

1: We could get the stock rear light working using their fittings, but no brake lights and the turn signal cables had bullet connectors that fitted nothing!

2: The front HID was just not compatible whatsoever with the stock harness.

At this point I gave up and said that this is just not correct and is not going to work.

My son knows a Thai mechanic that has the same bike and some very similar modifications and told me I didn't understand HID (Which to be honest I didn't but I know basic electrics and this junk was wrong!)

Anyway, today he takes the bike to the Thai mechanic who has now spent 8 hours fitting the HID headlight and the rear LED light.

Here is what we ended up with.

1: The wiring harness from the original Honda has been ruined, they had to cut and splice cables to the rear light to get the brake and tail light working - I cannot fault the Tech, he made a nice job of the joints and used heatshrink and not insulating tape. but the original wiring is completely messed up with.

2: The LED tail light still cannot get the indicators to work, we just have unconnected cables that are not clear where to connect - the tech says all of the original rear indicator cables need to be pulled out and re routed, the Butt connectors supplied by the company in Bangkok had to be cut off entirely as they fit into nothing!

The rear light LEDS are sub standard, barely visible in daytime and the brake lights are barely different in illumination from the running light.

3: The fron HID is very bright, however again the wiring harness had to be spliced, a separate switch installed for the off and on of the headlight. The Hi/Lo Beam switch still controls the Hi and Low beam setting but the blue LED indicator on the instrument panel no longer illuminates, it flashes briefly when you select Hi beam then is off all the time.

3500 Baht for this junk.

I just wanted to warn anyone here into bikes that is considering buying add ons from these rip off baXtards to think twice before changing from stock. They lie through their teeth, telling you that everything is a simple swap out! I hope I save even one person the disappointment from wasting their money buying from these scum.

If you are buying this stuff, do not buy online unless you know for sure it works, go and buy from somewhere you can see the samples.

The LED Tail light needs a candle to see if it is even on.

We now have a wrecked wiring loom, spliced and joined all over the place that will probably cost more than all of the lights to repair.

I will try to dig out these baXtards Facebook page and post a link, make sure you avoid like the plague!

[seedy]

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[ttakata]

This is a good reminder about modding anything in this country.

Heatshink; I wouldn't even expect that here.

Most hack jobs I see just twist the bare wiring together and throw tape over it.

I would never replace the original main headlight of any vehicle; it is a high current item and a sudden blackout moving at speed might kill you.

If you jam too hot of a headlight into a lightbin it will melt the housing.

The only LEDs I would trust to last more than a week are from Rizoma or original factory.

All new bikes run on 12V so you can swap any OEM taillight but the challenge is finding one that looks good on your bike.

Cheap LED clusters from China will vibrate causing dead LEDs or the brittle plastic housing discolors or falls apart.

In my years of modding bikes I find adding any new items that require wiring and switches is potentially a pain.

I do all my own work soldering wires together with heatshrink but still a loose connector or bad switch has me chasing down problems with a voltmeter.

Always remember that you need the proper wire gauge for the current load.

Using too small a wire or switch for the amp draw over distance can melt it or block current.

FYI, the red/black speaker wiring from Amorn Electronics is not good for bikes.

I used this wiring on my led underglows and either the copper inside disintegrates or the cheap insulation gets brittle and cracks apart within 2 years.

If I wanted my leds to really last I would resolder silicone wiring onto the LED boards.

In reality its not worth the trouble since the cheap LEDs or plastic will fail anyway.

I just run multiple led strips on my bikes now for redundancy and assume they need to be replaced in a few years.

My Suzuki Raider literally has 9 different rear brake LEDs and 6 rear turn signal strips on it.

I think a brake and turn signal strip failed within the 1st week of install but they were only ~30 baht each so this is to be expected.

Unless you consider dealing with electrical gremlins a hobby like I do; I do not recommend messing with any bike electrically.

More important; I don't trust anyone to mess with my bike mechanically since a loose or missing bolt can kill you.

Anytime I have my bike serviced I watch the work and even then I had an axle slider fall off a bike.

Idiot mechanic put it on but didn't tighten the nut enough.

Edited December 30, 2015 by ttakata

[taninthai]

I think you done well the rear light I have ordered from China hasn't even got the lens glued on to the main frame...and people on this forum tell me Chinese bike parts are ok

Regarding having to cut splice cables that is the norm really and I fully expect to have to do this when changing lights.

Edited December 31, 2015 by taninthai

[taninthai]

Chinese quality control strikes again.

[ttakata]

It will cost a lot more but you should get an older Yamaha R1 taillight.

That's what this Chinese light is copying.

Older R6 or ER6 lights might fit your style too.

[taninthai]

It will cost a lot more but you should get an older Yamaha R1 taillight.

That's what this Chinese light is copying.

Older R6 or ER6 lights might fit your style too.

it's only for a dirt bike bit of super glue and it will be fine,can't complain to much it was 360 bht delivered to my door from Hong Kong.....555

[recom273]

After a year of buying Chinese bike accessories I have come to the conclusion that it's

1) cheaper in the long run to buy original - like the hella H3 halogen lights

Or

2) buy multiples - like 12v outlets or USB charging points - as they will break sooner or later.

No excuse for the guy that sold the OP something that he claimed to be plug n play.