Headlight

6" is the correct (silly) size. Any other size is wrong so why they should 'wrongly' be offered is the usual garbidge information/attitude. The 7" is for the big bikes.

If you chase up somthing from Japan/China about 152mm this can be made to fit.

Maybe it’s 152 mm.

There is one manufacturer of replacement headlamp units - but they dont look right to me - I might have got it from Goff’s or another auto jumbled trader. Or If you can find one, Stanley did one for Japanese bikes, I used them back in the day. 

At Kempton Park back in the summer, I picked up what I believe to be an early Jubilee headlamp shell, complete with the "jellymould" rim that acts as a reducer. The rim is good but dented, the headlamp unit is also there, and fairly sound for its age but for the fact that the reflective backing has unsurprisingly faded and started peeling. These can be re-silvered, although I have no idea of by who or how much, but if it's originality you must have.....

Stanley would be the name I fitted at 153mm....correct.

Hi Michael,

On the NOC website/history/lightweights there is the full development history of the lightweights. In 1960, with the introduction of Navigator 'came larger 6 inch headlights'. Quote .

Picture attached from a 1963 machine.

Putting my 12 inch ruler over this headlight.

The glass showing inside the chrome rim is about 153mm dia. See comments above.

The headlamp shell is about 177mm (7 ins) diameter.

Your headlamp shell is about 6 ins diameter. It had a similar rim, and a light from Wipac and the same as Bantam and other lightweights of the late '50s. As fitted to earliest Jubilee of 1959/1960. 

Your shell would have held a light of 5 or 5 1/4 inches. Just as the light photographed is referred to as 6 or 6 1/4, or even 6 1/2 inches.

I hope this helps you find a light and rim to fit. It does sound like you have an early shell. Could be ex Francis Barnett, common to earliest Jubilee.

Peter 

This is the 6”  or 6.5” one that is readily available, it works well enough but I dont like the oval in the centre! If I find what bikes the Stanley one fits I’ll post if here for future reference.  I assume the 6.5” probably refers to the rim/shell ?

I did have a picture of the Stanley lamp up here. But the ability of this web site to show a picture is very limited. Cary on with your Rulers and Knives.

Stanley? They make tape measures don't they Al.....:-)

And knives apparently!

This might work - https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/20021181045

Hi Dan , being a bit on the old side , i thought they made steam powered cars .

They did that too!!  Busy little company isn’t it!

For the original poster and others, I notice that Paul Goff sells a 6 1/2" headlamp, (glass and reflector) that he says is the same size as many 1970's Japanese bikes, also Vincent Series C and some Velocette's. He also lists a pattern Lucas headlamp in the same size.

See:www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffylighting.htm

No guarantee if it is the size wanted, nor whether 'xanadu' ever made tape measures,  steam cars or knives for that matter, but I'm sure Paul would answer that question if asked.

regards,

George 

Hi George, the ones Paul sells are the same as the one in my pic above, with the elliptical pattern in the glass, I have one on my jubilee and it works well, but I’d prefer one that looks a bit more like the wipac or Stanley ones hence my search! 

Ps the headlight shell is 6.5” and the lens is 6” hence the confusion on sizes!

Dan

Just to clear up a few points....

Wipac Lamp for 1961-on bikes is commonly referred to as 6½". First Jubilee had a headlamp commonly referred to as 5". There was a headlamp rim available at one time (somebody referred to it as a Jellymould above) that allowed you to fit the smaller lamp to the larger rim.

The Paul Goff lamp referred to above is the Lucas 7" unit, as fitted to Dominators & Commando's.

If you are searching for the correct Wipac 6½" unit for 1961-on bikes, then look at the bottom of the glass - it will say SERIES 180/6 UK (and made in England, right at the bottom)

One of my bikes (an Electra) has an alternative headlamp unit fitted, looks better than the Stanley unit with the teardrop shape in the centre. It came to me like it, so at present I have no idea where to procure one. In fact, until just now I has assumed it was original - it looks that good!

At the bottom, it says "SEALED BEAM" - then 'KorTo' (or KonTo) - & then 'Made in Japan'

The Stanley does not have a 'teardrop' in the centre. The 'tear drop' above is a Phoenix! I can supply a picture of the Stanley if needed but the Forum is NOT good at showing jpg.

And  for a small point, what does the Kor To mean by Sealed Beam? In my understanding 'sealed Beam' means the two fillaments are in the reflector unit. Used in our cars and a dam nuisance when one filament fails!! But this lamp looks like it still has a lamp? I suppose it is our understanding of the Japanese English?

All ,

OK, it's not a Jubilee,  but I've just measured a Honda CB400 headlamp. Back in the day, these were stated as having a 6" headlamp, and were you to buy a Cibie conversion, you got a thin extra rim to allow you to fit their lamp in the rim.

This shell has an opening of 153mm, and the area where the light abuts inside is 165mm. 

153mm = 6" in old money. 165mm = 6.5". This shell is as good as 7" across the mounting bosses. This results in a lot of confusion when various sellers don't know how headlamps are sized as it seems many think the size is how wide it is across the mounting bosses. 

A standard "7inch" glass/reflector unit (as Dommi/most Commando) won't fit this shell, nor do the common 5 3/4" ones, but the one Paul sells goes straight in so I feel that this is what would have been described as a 6" light in the past.

For Dan, the Paul Goff lucas replica has the 'lozenge' lens. The one available as a glass and reflector separate has a 'conventional' lens.

Hope this helps anyone,

George. 

Thanks George that means the Honda 400 unit will more than likely fit - and is probably Stanley. 

“And  for a small point, what does the Kor To mean by Sealed Beam? In my understanding 'sealed Beam' means the two fillaments are in the reflector unit. Used in our cars and a dam nuisance when one filament fails!!”

That’s what a sealed beam is in the UK.

I think a headlight reflector with the glass lens bonded to it and meant for a bulb, is sometimes called a sealed beam in America.

Hi Dan,

Are there any markings on front or back of this unit?

Where did you buy/see it?

Al sent me these pictures to post here. This is his unit on the Electra - it looks good! I'm including a reduced shot in this text box - & a larger copy is attached, so you can enlarge it & explore all the markings on it - to track one down if you can.

I have also tried to magnify the writing at the bottom (Could be DCM 2160, or DOM 2160!..hard to tell):

I've had a look at the KoiTo (note new spelling) SEALED BEAM unit, only to discover it genuinly is a Sealed Beam unit - but different to what you might expect. The bulb appears to have been inserted from the front, soldered into place, and the covered and sealed by a glass cover. In this way, the reflector is protected and cannot be damaged or tarnished.

It differs from the Sealed Beam Lucas unit we know, which is effectively a giant bulb.

The 3 fotos below show: (1) the stampings on the rear; (2) the soldered bulb - ignore the wiring...a previous owner was obviously unable to find a plug; and (ttached) my attempt to show you bulb - you may just make out its ghostly shape under the glass.