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How to Install a Driving Light on a Harley Davidson Softail

Harley-Davidson driving lights mount on the front forks of Softails. The driving lights may add slightly to your view of the road at night. They add significantly to the recognition by oncoming drivers that you are there. The pattern formed by a headlight and two driving lights is conspicuous, and driving lightbulbs are often yellow, so even drunks are inclined to slow down when they see you coming. The popular Heritage Softail Classic, styled to look like a mid-60s hog, comes equipped with three lights as standard equipment. If that is the effect you are trying to achieve, numerous aftermarket vendors, including Harley and Kuryakyn, sell driving light kits. These instructions are specific to recent, fuel-injected Softails.

Instructions

Remove Fuel Tank

1

Remove the electrical caddy cover by pulling on it with both hands. Pry the fuel pump fuse out of the electrical caddy with a small, flathead screwdriver.

2

Start the engine in neutral and run the engine until it dies. Run the starter for four more seconds.

3

Disconnect the fuel supply line by pulling up on the chrome sleeve of the fuel tank quick-connect fitting and pulling down on the fuel supply line.

4

Unscrew the bolt that secures the seat tab to the rear fender. Recent Softails use a Phillips screw, which must be removed with a screwdriver. Older Softails use an Allen bolt, which comes off with an Allen wrench.

5

Remove the seat to access the battery compartment. Disconnect the negative battery wire from the negative terminal with an open-end wrench.

6

Remove the instrument panel by loosening and removing the acorn nut on the panel with an Allen wrench and pulling up. Unplug the fuel pump module connector under the instrument panel.

7

Push a 5/16-inch-diameter bolt in one end of a foot long piece of 5/16-inch rubber hose. Tighten a hose clamp around the hose and the bolt with a flathead screwdriver.

8

Cut the hose clamp from one end of the crossover hose with side blade pliers. Very quickly replace the crossover hose on the fuel tank fitting with the open end of the 1-foot hose while directing the flow of gasoline from the free end of the crossover hose into an adequately sized gas can.

9

Clean up spilled gasoline with rags. Carry the rags outside if you are working in a garage.

10

Disconnect the crossover hose and the continuous venting vent line. Remove the front tank mounting bolt, flat washers and acorn nut with an open-end wrench.

11

Remove the rear mounting bolt, flat washers and nut with an open-end wrench. Disconnect the fuel gauge connector under the left side of the fuel tank with your hands.

12

Lift the tank straight up to remove. Set the tank on a well-padded surface in a well-ventilated place.

Install Lights

13

Install the left-hand and right-hand side specific mounting clamps that came with the driving light kit on the right and left fork tubes using the four buttonhead screws that came with the driving light kit. Tighten the screws to between 70 and 80 inch-pounds of torque with an Allen socket and a torque wrench.

14

Route each lamp wire through the hole in each mounting bracket and secure the lamp to each bracket using a clamp block, lock washer and retainer from the kit. Tighten the retainer to 18 foot-pounds of torque with an open-end socket and a torque wrench.

15

Position the inner nesting rings from the kit on each lightbulb. Connect the black wires to the bulb spade terminals next to the bulbs indexing tabs. Install the gray wires on the remaining spade terminals.

16

Attach the bulbs and the inner nesting rings to the outer trim rings with the Phillips screws included in the kit. Slide the conduit tubes from the kit over both lamp wires.

17

Set the light kit wiring harness relay in the seat pan. Route the long leg of the harness along the frame spine under the seat.

18

Plug the white wire connector into the "B+" connector on the lighting kit wiring harness. Loosen and remove the nut on the ground wire stud in the seat pan with a socket wrench and socket.

19

Slip the black, ground wire ring over the ground wire stud. Replace the ground wire stud nut. Secure the driving light kit wire harness to the adjacent wiring harnesses with the cable straps included in the driving light kit.

20

Route the driving light wiring harness past the steering head. Route the lamp switch leg of the harness along the left side of the handlebar to the clutch control.

21

Unscrew the boot from the small lamp switch in the kit. Install the switch into the switch mounting bracket in the kit and replace the boot on the switch.

22

Remove the lower screw and washer from the clutch control clamp with a Torx driver. Position the tab of the driving light switch bracket over the screw hole and replace the Torx screw and washer. Tighten the screw to 70 inch-pounds of torque with a Torx socket and torque wrench.

23

Loosen the headlight trim ring clamp with a Phillips screwdriver. Remove the headlight trim ring.

24

Pull the connector block from the headlight bulb prongs. Remove the rubber boot from the back of the headlight lens.

25

Squeeze the wire retaining clip ends to unhook them from the notches in the headlight assembly. Pivot the wire retaining clip away from the headlight bulb and remove the bulb from the headlight assembly.

26

Route the unconnected wire from the handlebar switch through the grommet into the headlight housing. Splice that wire to the yellow (low-beam) headlight wire using the electrical connector included in the driving light kit.

27

Reinstall the headlight bulb.

28

Slide the heat-shrink tubing included in the kit over the white wire in the driving light wiring harness. Strip the ends of both lamp wires with a wire stripper.

29

Splice the white wire to the lamp wires with the three wire connector included in the kit with a wire crimping tool. Cover the splice with the heat shrink tubing and shrink the tubing with a heat gun.

30

Clip the driving light wires to the lower fork steering bracket using the adhesive-backed clips from the kit.

31

Reinstall the fuel tank. Reconnect the negative battery cable.

32

Reinstall the fuel pump fuse. Replace the electrical caddy cover. Replace the seat.