Instrument lights

Hi, my KZ440 is in bits but I decided against simply reassembling it, and want to fabricate a few custom parts. One relatively safe area to consider is the instruments panel, I was thinking. 
Does anyone know the wattage of the incandescent bulbs used for the oil, signal and neutral idiot lights? Think I wanna replace 'em with a smaller (also incandescent) set, in a steel housing. Just because. lol
Thanks

I think they are 3.5 watts, but they should have it marked on the bulbs.

It's been a while, but for the speedo & tach I installed heavy duty Eiko bulbs from the auto parts store (#1891).
The 1891 bulbs are longer than the stock bulbs but fit fine & also fit in the center cluster.

Alternatively, LEDs should be readily available. some searches here on KZR should help.

 

There may be two different wattages in the cluster. From memory the ones that illuminate the dials are 5 watts. The dummy lights get less wattage. 3.5 sounds right.

As for LED's.. The contact points on the base are not the same as the incandescent lamps and while LED's can give you nice color options, especially a green LED, but by my experience, they will work for a short while but after a couple of months you’re going to have a flashing disco scene going in front of your eyes. Not noticeable in daylight but at night it drives you crazy. I would never use them on a dummy light fearing a bad connection when you need it most.
I’ll be changing back to incandescent lamps unless someone can recommend an LED lamp with improved contacts.

wrote:

As for LED's.. The contact points on the base are not the same as the incandescent lamps and while LED's can give you nice color options, especially a green LED, but by my experience, they will work for a short while but after a couple of months you’re going to have a flashing disco scene going in front of your eyes. Not noticeable in daylight but at night it drives you crazy. I would never use them on a dummy light fearing a bad connection when you need it most.
I’ll be changing back to incandescent lamps unless someone can recommend an LED lamp with improved contacts.

 

I agree 100%. There are some small 5w incandi lights and sockets on Ebay, and I think I'll go for those.
Electrics just aren't the fun part of bikes. LEDs can work but they can also fail and be a headache unless done properly. I know a motorcycle mechanic who's well up to speed on electrics, and he could do something like. But messing around with metal is more fun. Plus, normal bulbs work and there's nothing wrong with them. A good LED headlight might be a worthwhile upgrade though.

Michi, I used green LED's to illuminate the tach and speedo numbers and the green numbers and lines popped right out beautifully. I was well pleased. Then the disco started.

Beware which LED headlight you use. Some flicker at low rpm then burn out. It happened to my brother. The second one he bought didn’t flicker. They both threw much more light than the incandescent and were more visible to oncoming drivers but he just installed it so no telling how long it’ll last.

I don’t know exactly which model you have, but it looks like all but the high beam indicator are 3.4 watt. The high beam indicator is listed as 1.7 on the model I looked at.

www.kzrider.com/modules/ServiceManuals/7...chablefullmanual.pdf

Check this post, I put a post at the bottom about the result of upgrading to LED lights. On your KZ440 the dash panel should be similar.

kzrider.com/forum/4-electrical/494986-le...ghts?start=12#865552