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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> this headlite thingy... /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1151722400 Message started by starmom on 06/30/06 at 19:53:20 |
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Title: this headlite thingy... Post by starmom on 06/30/06 at 19:53:20 i went out for the xenon bulb and the autozone guys sold me a sylvania silverstar buld 60/55 watt. this thing looks funny a plug like thing on one end and a small 2 inch long long round bulb. is this correct? how to install? i was thinking this was gonna be a bulb like the size of the origional..... im confused...... ??? |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by thumperclone on 07/01/06 at 07:19:35 my o6 uses an"H4" style bulb..unscrew the ring around the headlamp cover you fender so not to scratch it.. the bulb installs from the rear of the reflector..the wire just plugs in to the bulb..easy mod once you get headlamp open all should be obvious good luck!! 8) |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by starmom on 07/01/06 at 07:24:15 does the H 4 refer to there being four prongs that plug in? the silvania has only 3 prongs? im just wondering if this is the right one? is yours the xenon bulb that you put in? where was it purchased |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by thumperclone on 07/01/06 at 09:07:42 h4 i believe is the type /size of bulb ..3 prongs high beam,low beam, common..once you get your headlamp open it should be apparent how it goes together.. yes its a xenon ,dont remember the brand,got it @ jc whitney i think.... if you know which end of what screwdriver to use you can do this..dive in the waters fine!!!! 8) |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by diesel on 07/01/06 at 22:55:45 H4 --- 9003, same thing, interchangeable, Wally World |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by starmom on 07/02/06 at 17:12:13 What can I say................Im a chick.......... figured I would check with all my "esteemed" fellow bikers with all your hands on knowledge.......... Thanks! ;) sue |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by thumperclone on 07/02/06 at 21:04:08 did you swap it out ?? wasnt trying to be gender specific :-[ hope was able to help..only stupid question is the one you dont ask!!!(im not lost i dont need to ask directions) ;D |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by starmom on 07/03/06 at 02:36:48 havent had the chance.......maybe wed.......when im not workin..... sue |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by slavy on 07/03/06 at 08:27:50 Why don't You take the bike to AutoZone, bring a Philips screw driver with You and ask the person at the counter to pull the bulb and give You the correct one? |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Jim_R on 07/04/06 at 06:25:35 remember not to touch the glass bulb with ur bare fingers. Ur oil from ur skin can seriously decrease the life of the bulb. I bought a rainbow strobe for my savage once. Its a small colored glass cage that fits over the bulb and projects different colors(even when not lit). http://www.mklsportster.com/strobe.jpg |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Island_Biker on 07/04/06 at 06:33:31 Let us know how bright it is. My light is Jute Halogen - the whole bucket only cost me $55 CDN which was less than replacing the stock bulb alone. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Steve530 on 07/04/06 at 07:53:54 Sue, Let know how that SilverStar works for you. It's supposed to be a brighter, whiter light. SHould be somewhat of an upgrade. BTW, as far as I know, these are not Xenon lights. They might use xenon gas, but they certainly are not the HID lights you find on some cars. Those require transformers. Steve |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by smokey02 on 07/04/06 at 08:45:32 I got a Nokya H4 Hyper Yellow. http://automotivelightingusa.com/ click on Halogen, then H4 - $23 for 2 bulbs 70/80W 2500K seems just as bright as the white or blue ones, but less glary, especially in fog. Seems to attract just a little more attention, makes me feel a little less invisible. update March07: I got a German-made Narva Rangepower+50 bulb ($17/ea) with a re-usable selective yellow clip-on balloon ($9/ea). It's WAY better that the Nokya, got it from http://DanielSternLighting.com |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by smokey02 on 07/04/06 at 08:51:38 And ditto on not touching the glass bulb, oil on your fingers could cause it to shatter. Read the warnings. Clean it with alcohol/laquer thinner if you do touch it. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by riptide_fl on 07/04/06 at 10:59:29 I put the Xenon bulb in my S40,, much brighter !!!.. Ride about 25 miles every night and really notice the difference !!... A worthwhile upgrade and you can carry the old one fpr a spare ! ;)...John |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Savage_Rob on 07/04/06 at 16:00:42 I agree. I've been using the xenon bulb for over a year and it does make a difference. Every little bit of added visibility counts. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Oldfeller2 on 07/04/06 at 16:25:12 I just put in a Sylvania Silverstar and it is significantly brighter on low beam and MUCH brighter on high beam compared to the stock halogen bulb. Mine was an H-4 Silverstar bulb intended for MOTORCYCLE USE ONLY and it dropped right in like it was ment to be there. This was a no sweat swap. Amp draw is identical to the original bulb and the xenon gas supposedly runs cooler than the halogen gas, so this is "no downside" extra light for safer night running. Sylvania is concerned over a rep the Xenon gas halogen replacement bulbs from any/all vendors are getting from the xenon gas charged (non HID) bulbs blowing out way too fast once installed. Lots of net chatter about less than 2 month service life on whatever brand you are talking about (and lots of talk about people touching bulbs contaminating them with skin oils which is causing early failures). Sylvania is putting their money where their mouth is. Go to the Slyvania web page and they have a warranty form for a one year no questions asked replacement policy (requires receipt, dead bulb and packaging). Next best warranty in the industry is for 6 months on a japanese bulb that costs over twice as much. Sylvania bulbs cost $18 - $20 bucks for a single motorcycle bulb from Advanced Auto. Ask for the single packed H-4 Silverstar bulb for MOTORCYCLE USE ONLY. Go get the Sylvania warranty form from here: http://www.sylvania.com/content/display.scfx?id=003680349 Safer riding for you, Oldfeller |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Jim_R on 07/04/06 at 21:21:36 buy them off ebay. u usually can get a pair for 20.00 rather than getiing ripped at ur local autozone .. ect. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Steve530 on 07/04/06 at 22:15:24 Oldfeller, Thanks for the info about the Sylvania/Osram policy. I've read on automobile forums that there are a lot of cheap, high performance bulbs for sell. The reports are that the cheap bulbs seem to last about 2 months, sometimes less. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by starmom on 07/05/06 at 12:40:51 did the bulb replacement, not a huge big deal at all. in the garage seems pretty bright, was very careful not to touch the bulb at all...... will see how good it works on my way home tonite....... from previous posts are you all saying that these bulbs do not last very long? |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Steve530 on 07/05/06 at 15:19:56 Sue, You should be fine with the SilverStars. I think the cheap "knock-offs" tend to go out much earlier than expected. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by starmom on 07/05/06 at 19:20:03 Thanks..... instead of taking both bikes out tonite to bike nite and to meet up with my club, we took my hubbys sportster out, it was fun! I was actually able to have "a beer" cause I wasnt gonna be driving..... Hung out at the river, good company, good food, tons of LOUD bikes and pretty customs.......... thanks for clarifying about the silverstar, wasnt sure if that was considered a "cheap bulb" or not......thats why i was checking......... sue |
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Title: Staving off the Prince of Darkness .... Post by Oldfeller2 on 07/07/06 at 03:46:16 Going back to the good old filiment bulb days, bulbs on an old 450 duck did burn out fairly regularly due to the bike's vibration attacking the white hot filiments. I can clearly remember the first timer's visual shock of losing your bulb on a dark night -- going 60 on a back country road and suddenly the lights go out and you are whistling down the road in the DARK. Auuuugh! Slowed down and stopped right quickly, I did. Pucker factor was real high as I remember. It happens to us all eventually. However, a quick fix that may save the day for you is --- switch over to the high beam setting. That high beam filiment wasn't running at all (no white heat to help it to fatigue in two) and it may be in just dandy fine condition with very few hours on it. I did this trick more'n once as I remember. Now, I still see lots of filiments and other radio tube looking stuff inside these fancy new super bulbs (they sure do look like an old style radio or TV tube, don't they?) so the old "switch over to high beam" trick might still work for you. I'd try it before riding home in the dark .... Oldfeller |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Steve530 on 07/08/06 at 08:47:04 Sue, The Silverstars are the "good stuff". I don't think you buy better. Steve |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Oldfeller2 on 07/08/06 at 20:43:09 I just had my first protracted night ride with the Sylvania Silverstar bulb. It is brighter & whiter..... and different. The original halogen bulb had a fuzzy low beam that spread a yellow white circular (sideways oblong?) pattern of light on the low beam setting. The silverstar is a rectangular bar of light that is 1) 20-30% brighter 2) much whiter and 3) wider. The new Sylvania Silverstar low beam now has a clearly defined 'top edge' which is probably intended to keep it out of the eyes of the oncoming drivers. The new low beam setting is about as bright as an old style bulb-type scooter's high beam used to be, so clearly limiting the xenon/halogen's top edge of the low beam light field probably isn't a bad idea. This new "fat rectangular bar of bright light" is most noticeable when cornering, the old weaker fuzzy circle of light would light up most of the front of the bike when cornering (with some offset of course) but this new rectangular bar of light looks very clearly defined on the top end as you sweep around the corners. Since you can clearly see the top of the light field (and it is so bright) you naturally want to extend it some so you can see yet further out using that very bright fat wide low beam setting. I kept wanting to pull my headlight up a bit, but I quickly realized I wasn't going to be able to do that while rolling as the Savage's light isn't mounted on a center pivot point as my previous bikes had all been mounted. It is hard mounted from the bottom and isn't adjustable in any fashion while rolling. I will tweek my two aiming screws some to raise the low beam a bit to get more use out of the new greater amount of low beam light that is available. Sorry, it is a temptation I won't be able to resist. High beam is a flood of very white light that is so bright and wide that the DOT reflective type road signs come off as mildly dazzling since they reflect so much light back at you. This amount of light would be bad to be facing if you were the other driver, so you may want to dim your high beam a bit furher out in consideration for the oncoming drivers. My bike will easily pull up to 70 mph before its speed ramp up slows down and I found myself riding up in the 65 to 70 range on roads that I normally night ride 55-60 because I couldn't comfortably see any "faster" than that. I noticed this higher speed after the fact -- the new light is that much better. I now also realize that I never really checked my speedometer at night before, ever. I was limited by what I could see by so much it wasn't needed -- I simply couldn't go any faster anyway. You can literally see 350-400+ yards out clearly now. There is no meaningful "outside the beam" distance anymore when on high beam -- you can see the both road and the surroundings out as far as country roads extend between the curves. You can see all the way down the longest straight away I've got in rural NC and that includes the pot holes and the sand patches that are coming up. You can actually see some colors in the stronger whiter light now -- and this is a good thing. Currently you actually judge the far distances by the lights of the oncoming drivers and by the white reflector strips on the two sides of the road for as far as you can see them. This is what you actually really do now. You can't see the road conditions for much until you are right up on them, not really. That's why you go slower at night -- you can't see what's coming up for road conditions so fear and natural self-preservation make you go slower. Consider putting in a super bulb and simply be able to SEE ALL OF IT on the heavy beam setting. You will ride safer at night. (but beware, them nasty bright flying bugs may be a' hitting your face bone a good bit harder and you might stand a increased chance of getting yourself a speeding ticket at night). Now, if you wanted to be more noticeable to them forward oozing side road soccer moms during daylight riding, just tilt over towards them a bit and flash them new heavy hi-beams at them during the day. They'll see you all right ..... from between their fingers. <g> Oldfeller |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by starmom on 07/26/06 at 19:08:07 Well Hi Y'all; Sorry Ive been away, was on vacation and just plain busy! finally got out in the "dark" with my bike and got a chance to see how this better bulb fared... I must say there was a measurable difference in the amout of light...my night vision is not the best and it made me feet a bit more confident once the sun was completely down. thanks for all the advice I had received about changing it! sue |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by azjay on 07/27/06 at 06:38:26 welcome back, it is always nice when we make changes that have a positive effect. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Island_Biker on 07/27/06 at 06:43:50 A good light makes all the difference in night driving. |
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Title: this headlite thingy... Post by georgekathe on 07/27/06 at 18:19:05 Hi - bit late on bandwagon for this one, but just put bulb in my/wife's Samurai - bought a 2 bulb "Xenon Quartz" pack from Cyber White at Walmart - $16.83 the pair + tax. Be interested in seeing how long they hold up - will report on same, Not a bad price when an inferior OEM Halogen bulb from Bikebandit costs $7.64 (or more from a stealer, I'm sure, of course!) Mine is a '96, but looking at other entries seems all Savages use H-4 60/55 bulbs - don't shoot me if I'm wrong - just take your bulb into the store with you to match them. Same as my other make of bike uses. That one was a bit more expensive _ PIAAA brand - bulb bought out of a catalog for about $40! - before I wised up!) Like others have recommended - don't touch the bulb - I adivse not even with a cloth. Getting it in & out just holding onto the metal base is a breeze. I read of someone on the site having trouble with a fuse blowing after they had changed the bulb, so watch those wires! There is plenty of room to get them all back tidy. I must say when I turned on my lights I almost damaged the paint on my neighbor's car the other side of the street (just kidding, but they really do make a difference and are so much more noticeable). I would not expect to (though one could) ride faster at night in the country as a result, but feel safer (even in the day) with the increased light living in a town with poor drivers. George |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Zenon vs Halogen Post by Mr 650 on 03/13/07 at 23:08:46 I searched back on "Halogen' and "Xenon" and was looking for a thread on bulb upgrades. It has been awhile since I did my research, as I recall the sports car and tuner folk have discussed this in several driving forums. HID= High Intensity Discharge -These lights are the true Xenon high dollar HID bulbs that come in high-end luxury type vehicles like Mercedes etc. The output color is given a "k"value Kelvin as I recall, but this is color, NOT temperature. The HIDs are upwards of 4000K are blue/white and halogens are typically below 4000K and more yellow/white output color. Xenon is the gas used in the HID arc type lamps. Halogen is another gas used in filament type bulbs like our Savage/40s use. Now the rub; some companies are using partial xenon to alter the color of the output light of their halogen bulbs. don't confuse them w/ HID bulbs, no free lunch there. Late model (if not all) Savage/40s use the H4 aka 9003 bulb. The EU bulb makers offer +30 ,+50 and now +80s. Here's what I read and confirmed, the excellent European Osram Silverstar (+50) H4s are high output bulbs preferred by most of the cager groups I read. Sylvania purchased Osram fairly recently. The EU made (German?) Silverstar bulbs are transparent. USA made Silverstar bulbs are/were tinted a light blue. The EU SSs have a more normal halogen output color, and higher output as per EU rules. The US made SSs are, it was speculated, were tinted to give them a. the Blue/white HID-like output color and b. REDUCE the output to US specs. Now I can confirm this; "the light bulb came on", (sorry for the pun) because I was going to order some more Osrams SSs for my 1999 GMC. When I pulled one out,the previous owner already had the US blue tinted SSs in it, so I left them in. It also explains why on several occaisions while driving home thru the Tennessee river valley in rain & fog, I found that the whiter output bulbs tend to obscure vision. Yup they look great, but they don't work as well. ??? Remember fog lamps are yellow? I had read some complaints about the blue tinted halogens doing this, the high "k" tinted halogen light reflects back off the precip, where the more yellow normal bulbs will like transmit further out in fog/bad weather. Fog is the worst and this explained why I was so blinded in the fog that night. ::) I would agree w/ those comments made that ANY tinting on the bulb would have to reduce the output, even if the whiter light tricks your eyes that it is "brighter", it couldn't be. Also there must be a trade off in bulb life to get higher outputs. I think I read some 80+ users were only getting a year in their cages... and they have 2 of them. From Powerbulbs UK; http://www.powerbulbs.co.uk/ "The flagship bulb in Osram's range, the Silverstar's 75m figure was only a fraction better than that of arch-rival Philips (right), but it performed significantly better at 50m. Add a price advantage, and the Osram's plus 50 per cent competitor is our Best Buy." - 5 star award." |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by KenGLong on 03/14/07 at 08:36:00 I've been on a never-ending quest for the perfect headlight. Spent my hard-earned dollars on a lot of junk (Sylvania SilverStars for instance). On my morning commute I ride about 12 miles down an old country road with woods on my left and a ditch on my right. Perfect conditions for wandering animals. I see the remains of many skunks and raccoons that didn't quite get out of the way fast enough. Once, I even saw a deer flash across the road about 50 yards in front of me. I need good frontal lighting. The best I've found so far is a standard H4 halogen in a 90/100 wattage rating with a clear lens. It throws some serious light and seems to last a full season. It has two drawbacks. The life is shorter than standard 55/60 bulbs and sometimes the cagers think my high beam is on and don't dim theirs. I also adjust my headlight so the low beam will light the road enough so I can safely run on low beam at about 55 mph. I gotta do this because I'm going opposite the normal commuter traffic and there's quite a few cars coming at me at o-dark-thirty. Can't run my high-beam all the time. It's a compromise and my search for the perfect lighting continues. Ken |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Dr_Jim on 03/14/07 at 10:49:03 - |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Mr 650 on 03/14/07 at 21:52:23 Junk? Were they the Sylvania light blue tinted ones. ??? Or the imported Osram transparent ones? 8) Now we need some brand names too. KenGLong wrote:
Have you ever had your headlight(s) go out like at 70mph about 2am 100 miles out of town? Not fun. As we get older night vision is not as good. I don't have a problem w/ running those high output, short life, EU Off-Road/Rally/Marked-Not for Highway Use/ bulbs, however I have had a cop turn around and give lecture on blinding oncoming traffic once. :D At least you know they can see you! I considered the higher watt/output bulbs and they are OK in a car, but compromising bulb life for output and w/ only one bulb might not be a good idea. I figured since the Osram (not Sylvania) were prefered in multiple forums that was the way to go. Quote:
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Savage_Rob on 03/15/07 at 05:55:44 Personally, I want to keep the power at 55/60 watts since that's what the bike was designed to support and the charging system on this bike is not the most robust. If that means I have to slow down to avoid outrunning my light, that's okay. I would still take a SilverStar type pseudo-xenon over a standard halogen any day. It is a noticeable improvement. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by KenGLong on 03/15/07 at 06:17:29 Mr 650 wrote:
I also heard good things about the Sylvania SilverStars so I paid my $25 and got one. I could see no improvement in frontal lighting at all compared to the stock lamp. That's when I got the 90/100 lamp. It cost a whopping $7.95. That's another clue to the true nature of headlight bulbs. The real stuff is priced normally, the smoke and mirrors stuff is priced outrageously...just like audiophile equipment. There are only two ways to get more light from an H4 halogen bulb. You can focus the light beam so you don't waste light on the clouds or you can up the wattage. Everything else is smoke and mirrors. I did have a 90/100 go out on me on the way to work one morning as I was switching to high beam. I just switched back to low beam and kept on going then changed the bulb when I got to work. Ken in Albuquerque |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by KenGLong on 03/15/07 at 06:21:18 Dr_Jim wrote:
I have a bar on the workbench but I'm having trouble finding lights for it. The ones I want are hundreds of dollars but the ones I can afford are all junk. Still looking... Ken |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Savage_Rob on 03/15/07 at 06:50:56 Seems like the 55/60 xenons I bought were about $10 or $11 each. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Steve530 on 03/15/07 at 20:59:22 KenGLong wrote:
Ken, There is another way to get more light out of any bulb. That is to insure that the wiring going to that bulb is large enough to carry the current with the minimum voltage drop. I had a 83 Porsche 944. It came with sealed Halogen beams. Pretty good at the time, but over the years I added Hella e-code reflector assemblies with seperate bulbs. This was an improvement. Then I bought a wiring harness made with 00 gauge wire that had special grounds and supplied power through a relay directly from the alternator. Those were the best lights I ever had on any vehicle until I got a car with HID lights. |
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Title: Re: this headlite thingy... Post by Mr 650 on 03/18/07 at 12:19:02 That would be the blue tinted ones like I have in my truck. The tint soaks up part of the output. I got the transparent ones from eBay a guy mailed them from the UK. Also, the bulb makers can get more light by changing the filament. They won't last as long, but you get a little more light or they can put in a little more filament and it will last longer. KenGLong wrote:
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