79 kdx400 head light tail light issue

[hippie_steve]

hey everyone i've been riding a 79 400 for a 5 months now and ever since i've had it i've had an issue with the lights, when ever i replace a bulb it shines really bright for about a day or two then burns out, it seems like its burning out because its getting to many amps but i'm not sure whats causing it, has anyone else had this problem

[Julien D]

Hello, Steve, welcome! Congrats on being our 6,000th member!

For your lighting issue, it sounds as though your bike is lacking a voltage regulator. You should be able to acquire one for a later model KDX and wire it into your bike between the lighting coil and the light wiring. I have no clue if a 79 would have included a VR stock, but I kind of doubt it.

[david]

I think you are right, Julien, that they didn't have voltage regulators from the factory. If one bulb pops, the other will become overloaded and pop too. I always thought that adding a VR would be an easy solution and you can get them real cheap from eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-pin-Voltage-R ... 82&vxp=mtr

But the factory bulbs are 6V, so I don't know how that factors into a 12V bulb/regulator conversion.