Troubleshooting Baja Squadron Headlight on Surron Ultra Bee
This article is written for people who have installed a Baja Squadron 2.0 headlight on an Ultra Bee and are having problems with flickering lights or error codes on the display. If your Ultra Bee Squadron headlight is dim and flashing or you are experiencing other electrical issues, this article will describe the problem and solution. Read to the end to avoid a common mistake that many riders make when faced with this problem.
The Problem:
The Baja Squadron 2.0 headlight draws a very large amount of power: up to 65W. At 12V, this works out to 5.4 amps which exceeds the power rating of the stock DC converter. When the DC converter power rating is surpassed, the converter will throttle power and cause the lights to flicker. Unfortunately, the power capacity of the stock DC converter cannot be increased and the only solution is to upgrade the DC converter.
The Solution:
We know that the stock DC converter does not provide enough power, so now we need to find an Ultra Bee DC converter that can supply at least 6 amps to power the Squadron headlight as well as the other 12V accessories such as USB, horn, and display.
This leaves many riders shopping for an upgraded DC converter. But be careful, not all aftermarket DC converters are created equal. Currently, there are 2 different aftermarket DC converter designs available for the Ultra Bee. Both are made by Chinese companies, one being RECHY and the other being VTB. See below for a side-by-side comparison of RECHY and VTB 12V DC converters for the Ultra Bee:
Get your 150W VTB DC Converter for Surron Ultra Bee HERE
Both RECHY and VTB converters are similar in size and have identical connectors for plug and play installation on the Ultra Bee. If you look at the specs for each DC converter, on paper they are similar. Both converters claim to be capable of delivering 150W which works out to about 10 amps. However, through our testing we have found that the RECHY converter routinely underperforms and cannot actually supply 10 amps in a real world setting.
Several of our customers have purchased the RECHY version to use with their Baja Squadron 2.0 headlight and they have the same problem as the stock DC converter; flickering dim lights and error codes on the display. The RECHY DC converter also appears to not properly turn off when overloaded so the display will stay on even when the key is turned off. Because of this, we believe that the RECHY DC converter has some serious design flaws and the 150W power rating is a lie from the manufacturer. We would recommend avoiding the RECHY converter because it is essentially a fancy looking stock DC converter with a fake power rating.
Luckily, all customers who had problems with the RECHY DC converter were able to fix the issue by replacing it with the VTB DC converter. Through our testing, we have found that the VTB branded Ultra Bee DC converter is actually capable of delivering 150W of power and will reliably power a Baja Squadron 2.0 headlight with no problems. The best and easiest solution is to simply purchase the VTB converter instead of RECHY.
Other Limitations of High Power Headlights:
Another consideration when upgrading your Ultra Bee headlight is the wires being used. During our testing process, we noticed something very interesting. There is a limit to how much electrical current can be pushed through the main wiring harness. We found that any headlight that draws more than 6 amps will be throttled by the DC converter, no matter what the converter is capable of. This is because the wires in the Ultra Bee wiring harness are too small and cannot safely carry more than 6 amps of power. When a large electrical current is pushed through small wires, the wires can heat up and melt. To prevent this, the VTB DC converter can detect a high electrical resistance and throttle the power to prevent melted wires.
Although this power throttling effect is a useful safety feature, it can be annoying for riders who want to push the limit of powerful headlights. Currently, the only headlight on the market that can pull more than 6 amps is the Gigigo Gi03 headlight. But it is quite easy to exceed the 6 amp limit of the Ultra Bee wiring harness by adding high power accessory lights or other power hungry 12V accessories.
Just because the wiring harness can't handle more than 6 amps doesn't mean you can't do it. It just means that the wiring harness must be bypassed. On our own shop bike, we were able to use the full 150W capacity of the VTB DC converter by adding our own 18 gauge wire to the DC converter output and routing it directly to the headlight. This does require some rudimentary electrical knowledge such as soldering and use of a multi-meter; however, it is a cheap and easy solution to exceed the 6 amp limit of the stock wiring harness. Simply find the DC converter 12V output and tap into it with a few feet of 2 conductor 18 gauge wire. Make sure you are not completely severing the 12V output to the wiring harness because it is still needed to power the display. Then run the wire up to the headlight switch input (behind the headlight). The original 12V input wire and ground for the headlight switch can be cut and replaced with your custom 18 gauge wire bypass circuit. It is very helpful to use a multi-meter to identify which connector and pin is the headlight switch input. This will bypass the wires in the wiring harness and replaces them with a much larger wire size that is actually rated for 150W. You can also tap into this 18 gauge wire any time you want to add another high-power 12V accessory.
Summary:
If you recently installed a Baja Squadron 2.0 or Gigigo aftermarket headlight on your Ultra Bee and are having power delivery, flickering, or error code problems, this guide describes how to fix it. Simply purchase a 150W VTB DC converter and your problems will go away. Just be weary of underpowered DC converters such as the RECHY DC converter which lie about their power delivery. Save yourself the headache and just buy the VTB Upgraded DC converter for Surron Ultra Bee.
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