Multistrada 1200 – Headlight, dual dip / high beam modification

Multistrada 1200 – Headlight, dual dip / high beam modification

See also: MTS1200 HID Conversion

See also: MTS1200 HID Conversion (2)

See also: Multistrada 1200 / MTS1200 Headlight Adjustment

A simple modification to the wiring for the Multistrada 1200 headlights so that the Dip beam remains on when switching to High / Main beam. This modification is especially relevant (essential?) for Multistrada 1200 owners who have HID headlights where the few moments delay for HID bulbs to power up could prove decisive!
For those running with a standard lighting setup the additional ‘closer range’ illumination of the road ahead when on high / main beam is nice to have.
 

Enabling headlight dip with main beam on an MTS1200
By John W (www.ducatiforum.co.uk and www.ducatisportingclub.com)

NB: As a safety precaution, disconnect the bike’s battery before you start! (care, custom suspension, DES and DTC settings may be lost and require re entering;-)

Introduction
The following documents the method which I used to fit a small additional ‘enable dip with main beam’ wiring loom to my Multistrada 1200’s lighting electrical system.

The details are provided as is, for other owners to use for information purposes. These are not detailed instructions, and no liability will be accepted if you choose to follow them and in doing so damage your bike or equipment.

Photos are shown where required to help indicate what is being described in this document for reference.

Tools and parts needed

  • Allen keys to remove panel (2 sizes needed)
  • Small ‘Jewelers’ screwdriver (or similar)
  • The loom kit (Made by myself, I can supply them if required)

….how the loom is wired:

NB: There is an electronics component soldered between the yellow/white wire and the red wire without which dip/lo and main/hi beams will remain on together all the time regardless of the hi/lo beam selector switch position! 😉

Preparation
Before you start, be clear on what you are attempting to do. None of the following requires any permanent alterations to the bike, and is fully reversible.

You need to allow in the order of 20 minutes to perform this modification. Exactly how long it will take you will depend on how anal you are about wiring placement and extraction of the crimps from the relay socket etc. There isn’t much required to do this, but ensure you have all the parts and tools to hand before you start.

Lets get on with it
The first step is to remove the left top fairing cover / fuse panel cover (4 Allen bolts, the one under the flap is a larger size).

You should now be able to see the fuse holder and three relays. Sliding the fuse block up will remove it off of its mounting. The rear most relay is the main beam, and the centre one is the dip beam. Remove both of these from the rubber mount, and unplug the relays from their bases.

Using the slack in the loom you should be able to turn the relay bases over to see the wires. You need to extract the switched feed wire from each of them. For the main beam supply the wire is coloured Yellow/Grey and for the dip beam supply it is Yellow/White.

The method I used to remove the crimps is to push the jewelers screwdriver (mini flat bladed screwdriver) into the relevant hole from the relay side of the base, in an attempt to press in the lockin ramp and release it. It is tricky to describe or show with pictures, so look at the accessory loom to see the ramp that you are trying to compress to unlock/release the connector.

Once you have extracted both crimps from the relay bases, you can plug in the modification accessory loom. The socket on the Red wire plugs into the main beam relay base and the socket on the Yellow/White wire plugs into the dip beam relay base.

Now you can plug the other spade connectors on the accessory loom into the sockets you removed from the relay bases. Again, the Red goes to the Yellow/Grey, and the Yellow/White goes to the Yellow/White. These pair of connections need to be insulated from each other (and in general). There should be two pieces of pvc sleeving to slip over the wiring prior to plugging them together. If not a bit of PVC tape will do the job too. [AndyW – self amalgamating tape is brilliant for this sort of job, the adhesive on electricians PVC insulation tape degrades with time;-) ]

If you find the sockets don’t grip the spades, this is probably as a result of the connector being deformed when removed. You may need to use a pair of small nosed pliers to squash the rolled ends a bit, so they grip the spade correctly.

At this point you can plug the relays back in and try the lights.

If all is well, refit the relays back into the rubber mount, place the accessory loom in a convenient place (I pushed mine down next to the main loom below the fuse block).

Finally, slide the fuse block back onto its mount, and refit the top fairing cover/fuse panel cover.

You are now finished.
That’s it!

Comments:

[AndyW] I remember reading a while back of this mod not being recommended on some bikes due to the additional heat generated by both Dip and High beam bulbs being on together ‘melting’ the plastic headlight cover/lens?!

[JohnW] No issues with overheating for both lights on as far as I can tell. The lights are fed from relays, so its only the live feed to the fuse and on to the relays that would be an issue. If it starts to look a bit iffy I will run an extra cable back to the battery.
Not seen a problem with the light housing / lens so far either but will keep an eye on it now. Having said that I’ve not ridden for prolonged periods (i.e. hours at a time) with the high beam on.

  • MATTHEW COLEMAN says:

    You mention an “Electronics Component” that is to be soldered into place. Can you tell us what this is and where to buy it?

  • John W says:

    An update, for those still looking here.
    10 years on from the original post, and I have not be told about a single failure of either the mod or the OE loom or light.
    Thank you Andy W for still hosting this information.

  • Russell Briggs says:

    I have a 2015 Ducati Multistrada 1200 that I am having lighting issues with. The dims are great, but the high beams suck. I tried switching to LED bulbs, but that didn’t help. If the dims stayed on when I turned the high beams on I believe that would solve my problem. Could you help me solve this problem?

  • Tim Bolus says:

    Hi, could I have a schematic of the loom, please? I’m guessing it’s a diode in there, but what type? which way round.

  • Neil irvine says:

    Hi would u mind supplying a wiring loom please? I can drop you an email. Thank u

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