How the #$*&%@ do i get the little bulbs out?!?

[UncleMike]

Replacing the bulbs in my gauge cluster on the 1150. How do I get the bulbs out? They're housed in rubber plugs that are in the actual dash and the bulbs themselves are fully surrounded by the plugs.

Some of the plastic was cracked in mine so one of the plugs was loose, otherwise I'm not sure how I'd get it out without breaking something.

The bulb that's in there is so tight, I'm worried I'll break the glass before it comes out of the plug!

 

[Clone]

The rubber gets baked by the bulbs, you need to actually move the bulb back and forth a little to break it away from the rubber, you can buy those bulbs for cheap at auto parts stores, they are the same bulbs as dash lights on some newer cars.

 

[Guest]

I loosened my up by spraying it with contact cleaner/WD40, bothe round the bulb edge & up into the connections in the back where the buld pushed into...

Once I got them all out, I sprayed the inside of the rubber socket with WD40 & freed up leads on the inside.

 

[UncleMike]

I've been worrying the damn thing back and forth and twisting it for two #@*#%ing hours!

 

[Guest]

You want to push the bulb into the plug, then turn it...

 

[UncleMike]

Okay, finally got them.

Annnnnd of course Autozone doesn't have the appropriate replacement bulbs. The big ones blew so I can't even read what they're supposed to be.

Suggestions? Bikebandit uses its own numbers, so that doesn't help.

 

[smokienutz]

replace them w/ L.E.D.s. they relatively cheap caompared to the hours you will get from them. and they come in cool colors.

 

[koolaid_kid]

I'd probably try Z1. Those bulbs have two specs, the size format and the wattage. Get the wattage wrong and you won't be happy with the results.
Personally, I'd try a local bike shop and pay the premium.