How do you change the headlight on 2002 Honda Rebel?

Answer 1

The Rebel has a single headlight case with a lens in front and a dual filament bulb. When you look a the headlight housing, you will see two holes with Phillips head screws inside recessed tunnels. Don't mess with these screws. They control the "up and down" and "side to side" "aim" of the headlight. If you start messing with these tiny screws, you will throw the beam adjustment out of wack. And you may loosen the internal housing for the entire lens. I speak from personal experience on this. What you need to do is locate the two chrome hex bolt heads that are on the lower part of the headlight housing. On my 2005 Rebel, they are located a the five and seven o'clock positions. With a 5/16" box wrench, unscrew the hex heads. Try to avoid the temptation to use an adjustable wrench. Such wrenches have the disgusting habit of lurching off the bolt heads at the most inappropriate times. The adjustable wrench then leaves a long scratch mark on your chrome. If you don't have a 5/16" box wrench, go buy one. They aren't expensive, and your chrome will thank you. After you remove the bolts, lay each one on the side of the front tire corresponding to the side it goes back in. Then gently worry the outer housing off. Be gentle because you don't want to break the wiring from the bulb to the bike itself. When you have the headlight loosened, firmly pull the wire "plug" from the center of the headlight assembly. Next, remove the rubber cover that surrounds the area where the bulb is. Once the rubber is removed, you can access the bulb itself. There is a wire stay that holds the bulb in place. Looking at the sub assembly, you will see that the wire is a wiggly "c" shape. The middle of the wire rotates under a Phillips head screw on the left. One end of the wire is fixed and the other is held in place by tension and friction. Put on that end, and rotate this retaining wire away from the bulb. Remove the old bulb. Take out the new bulb. I advise ou to keep your fingers off the glass of the bulb because the oils on your fighter may shorten the life of the bulb. This is just my theory, but it is based on experience with quartz halogen bulbs in outdoor lighting. The bulb assembly has three tabs that neatly fit into three slots on the housing. This system makes it impossible to put the bulb in upside down. Once the bulb is in the housing, pivot the retaining wire back down over everything. Next, reattach the rubber cover. Note that the word "top" appears on the section of the rubber cover that needs to go on the "top." To determine which end is the top, look at the writing on the outside of the lens. That will allow you to orient the "top." Reconnect the plug to the bulb and you are almost done. Replace the housing in the headlight frame and retighten the two chrome hex heads. With luck, the headlight is still aimed at the proper distance ahead of the bike. Check this out in a darkened garage.