I want better headlight BULB

[jasonm.]

WOW...lots of helpful info here. Guess it's either Sylvania ULTRA or PIA Extreme white anti-vibe. Just to do a price compare. I believe the Sylvanias are discounted all the time at Autozone , Advance Auto, and similar places. Thanks Guys

[RandyR]

The PIAA number for the 130/125....60/55 is 70476....super plasma...

MY BAD

 

I saw those too. Is anyone reading this thread using super plasmas?

 

I'm not sure I want a purple headlight though?

 

It appears they are brighter still for the same wattage consumed.

[jasonm.]

Also one more thing I need confirmation on. OUR H4 bulbs are the same as the automotive 9004...YES?..... ALso , what is this I read on the Sylvania's site. Bulbs dim 20% over time??? How much time? I have never really noticed a change in brightness in my 6 year old car's lights also same type H4 my Venture has w/original bulbs. They still blind me when the wife drives up the driveway. ...Maybe "cheap" bulbs dim over time.

Edited December 7, 2011 by jasonm.

[RandyR]

I think that 9004's are 60/45 watts, whereas our headlights use 60/55 watt H4's. and different bases.

 

A couple of members posts in this thread have said that bulbs dimm over time. And I thought it was just my eyes going bad...

 

9004 1st, H4 2nd

[RandyR]

Guess I didn't have anything else to do after waking up at 4:30am, so just ordered one of the PIAA 70476 H4 SUPER PLASMA GT-X ANTI VIBRATION bulbs also.

 

It appears to give off 25% more light for the same wattage as the PIAA 70456.

 

My biggest concern is that the write-up on this bulb states that it gives off light which reflects better. Normally one would want that. The downside might be that it is impossible rather than just difficult to see in one of the frequent light fogs we get here in the Georgia mountains.

 

I've been thinking about putting yellow bulbs in my passing lights to help in the fog, so that may be a good combination.

[Rick Haywood]

A couple of things that really brightened up the road for me were

 

First I took off my sun glasses at night

 

Second I went with 50 watt aircraft landing lights in both my passing lights. Talk about lighting up the road. WOW. Only problem is every now and then in the day time I get people telling me that I am number one.

[pickinfred]

Guess I didn't have anything else to do after waking up at 4:30am, so just ordered one of the PIAA 70476 H4 SUPER PLASMA GT-X ANTI VIBRATION bulbs also.

 

 

Finding the pond monster first is for a fact.......Gettin Serious!

[jasonm.]

I think that 9004's are 60/45 watts, whereas our headlights use 60/55 watt H4's. and different bases.

 

A couple of members posts in this thread have said that bulbs dimm over time. And I thought it was just my eyes going bad...

 

9004 1st, H4 2nd

 

I just triple checked...automotive 9003 is the same as OUR H4 bulbs. ALSO many car guys have had the silverstar ultras die quickly aka less than 6mos.. So that makes me lean towards PIA ext.wht. anti-vibe

[pickinfred]

Guess I didn't have anything else to do after waking up at 4:30am, so just ordered one of the PIAA 70476 H4 SUPER PLASMA GT-X ANTI VIBRATION bulbs also.

 

Randy, whats your opinion of the ...super plasma?

my bike has not been out since the install.. but ....it sure looks good out the garage door at night.

[Carbon_One]

I've been running the Piaa extra white anti-vibe bulbs since last spring. For me they've been the best bulb so far. Previously I was using the Sylvania Ultras and while they were good the Piaa's light the road better IMHO.

Normal use for me is 95% of the time I'll be in low beam along with the OEM spot lights which also have the Piaa's in them. Both sets of lights are on at all times.

Larry

[pickinfred]

I've been running the Piaa extra white anti-vibe bulbs since last spring. For me they've been the best bulb so far. Previously I was using the Sylvania Ultras and while they were good the Piaa's light the road better IMHO.

Normal use for me is 95% of the time I'll be in low beam along with the OEM spot lights which also have the Piaa's in them. Both sets of lights are on at all times.

Larry

 

Larry, what number piaa's do you have in the OEM's?

I too like both sets always on.

 

I hope the super plasma's won't cause problems with LEO's. I'm sure they are not as bright as HID's but I havn't been on the road yet, only out of the garage.

[Chaharly]

I changed my 91 vr and the wifes 97 shadow to the syvania silerstar. Great difference but I think it had quite a bit more wattage usage. It was a simple change and was really noticed on the wifes bike. Plus when I changed the bulb it let me find out I needed a new headlight plug on the wifes bike as the original had dhorted and burned badly. New plug and buld and all was well

 

 

David

 

So if you put a bulb that pulls more wattage in, does the bike just give it that much more wattage? Or do you have to put an amp or something like that on?

[tr22shooter]

I installed HID headlight 2 years ago and I will never go back. Really easy to install and not a bad price. They are really helpful with any questions.

 

http://canadiancruisercustomizing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=49&zenid=ut1k0qef6s0kqqnoss0j0o8gl6

[RandyR]

So if you put a bulb that pulls more wattage in, does the bike just give it that much more wattage? Or do you have to put an amp or something like that on?

 

The watts drawn is what is of concern to your bikes electrical system. Or amps (this amp means amperage current flow, not amplifier). watts = amps times volts (always 12volts). so either watts or amps going up means more load on your electrical system.

 

Now to confuse things, many bulb manufacturers state that THEIR 60 watt bulb is equivalent to a regular (what ever type) 90 watt bulb's brightness. Thats not the same thing as saying it actually draws 90 watts from the electrical system. Lumens is the correct measure of light but the marketing guys have to earn their pay by being creative. More lumens aka light is OK though.

 

make sense?

 

also, its not a good idea to exceed the watts or amps drawn of the OEM bulb. because to do so means that more heat will be generated and you're likely to exceed the ability of the socket and reflector (if there is one) to handle the extra heat.

Edited February 8, 2012 by RandyR

[Carbon_One]

Larry, what number piaa's do you have in the OEM's?

I too like both sets always on.

 

I hope the super plasma's won't cause problems with LEO's. I'm sure they are not as bright as HID's but I havn't been on the road yet, only out of the garage.

 

I used the Intense white ones on this link. They offer other versions as well.

http://www.piaa.com/Bulbs/Bulbs-H3.html

Larry

[twigg]

There is a reason that vehicle manufacturers have pretty much always gone for 4300k.

 

Light at that temperature penetrates better, and is more useable by your eyes that hotter ratings. Any lower than 4300 starts to look yellow, great in fog but not so good for everyday driving.

 

Get above 6000k and it really starts to look blue. Expect more attention from LEOs.

 

The Silverlight Ultra is regarded by many as a significant improvement over stock, but they come at a price.

 

HID conversion is vastly brighter than any halogen bulb we can use, it is cheap and will last longer than either Silverlight or PIAA. Plus, it will use quite a bit less power.

 

Kind of a win, win, win really.

[Richie R]

I use hid in 6000k 55 watt and it is awesome. It is hi - low beam and I modfied the shield that covers the buld some and made a huge improvment. It is very bright at night and the on coming cars don't flash me so I must have it aimed pretty good.

http://www.ddmtuning.com/

 

Richie R

[wes0778]

I use hid in 6000k 55 watt and it is awesome. It is hi - low beam and I modfied the shield that covers the buld some and made a huge improvment. It is very bright at night and the on coming cars don't flash me so I must have it aimed pretty good.

http://www.ddmtuning.com/

 

Richie R

 

I'd be interested in pictures of what you did to the shield...

[Richie R]

Oh sure you just want me to take my bike apart again. I took shield off bracket and cut the bottom out of it and left a small strip on each side of the bulb that goes out to the end and covers up the tip of the bulb. It did have dark spot on high beam but I just adjusted it to where it did not affect my night driving.

But when it warms up Iam going to take it apart and drill a hole in the very end to let some light out.

Hope this helps.

Richie R

[djh3]

The HID thing intrigues me. Currently I have a Sylvania 85w100 H4 bulb in mine. It worked great in my Kawasaki previously. The HID deal sure seems nice. One drawback for me is I can run the headlight modulator if I swap. Also I read you have to have like an "on-off" switch something about voltage drops when you start the bike.

[Richie R]

When I installed mine I called DDM Tuning and asked that, they told me if you have a good battery ans since it is connected to the battery I wouldn't have to have a switch. I never had a problem with mine so no switch.

 

Richie R

[longrider805]

I understand that you don't want to change the wattage, but I installed a 100/80 H4 Hella driving light bulb in both my VR and K75 and guess what? Not only can I see better at night, but no one flashes me on low beam at night and I think its capable of melting small animals and large turtles on high beam. I really think that the 80's head light-refractory technology allows me to get away with it. The stock headlamps on both of these bikes just flat stink. I run Marine Beam Led work lamps for driving lights ( 7 watts per light) and after two years I haven't had any problems with the charging system or anything related to it. Might not be your cup of tea, but certainly works for me and the 100/80 cost a 7.00 on Amazon. Just putting that out there for alternative thought.