Any 7" or larger sidemount is an upgrade, especially high mounted. The stock light looks a bit like an "oh schit, we forgot a headlight" piece to me.

Easy bottom mount donors for same size or larger: any 805cc Suzuki, any 805cc or 1500cc Kawasaki. Kawis and at least the 1500 Marauder (rebadged 1500 Mean Streak with a funny headlight ring) should have metal headlight shells. Not sure on the old LC1500 Suzi.

I wrote a long message....but it was just too wordy and I deleted it.  Long story short is I bought some Slyvania Exravision bulbs for $19.95 a pair and put them in my Pontiac Vibe as the low beams have always been a little bit weak.  I did not want to buy the Silverstars as the life is noticealbly shorter and they are almost $ 40 a pair...the light output is much whiter with the Silverstars - but I am not sure how much farther you can actually see with them.

The bottom line is the manufacturers claim a 20-50% higher output - but when you read the package it says the claim is made when compared to a used bulb that has lost 20% of the output due to filament erosion and a build up of deposit on the bulb interior.

I put a new Extravision bulb in the right headlight and went for a drive.  The Extravision light had a slightly whiter light than stock, and there was no noticable increase in the vision down the road or to the side.  I bought the Extravision as several reviews were posted by people that liked them and that they last much longer than the Silverstars....and they got tired of buying new Silvestars every year.

So.....it appears the Extravison is a good replacement for stock but not much more.  If you need more light you should get a better/bigger headlight that is more efficient and has a better light pattern - or spend lots of money for the Silerstar or Silverstar Ultra or a similar bulb from a different manufacturer....and be ready to replace them more often.  (I don't consider HID as an option as they are not made for our headlights and the light control is not good and I don't want to shine too much light in the faces of other drivers/riders).

Gyrobob wrote on 03/25/13 at 05:45:21:


Gyrobob.....There aren't enough 8" headlights to go around, and although I like the looks it may not be a universal opinion!

I guess with the current technology for filament light bulbs....we have to choose a nearly stock bulb that will last a long time - or some superwhite bulb that has a limited life.  There are however some much better options than the stock head light for not a whole lot of money.  Some of them from other cruiser......and some from aftermarket sources.

That be me.
I have HID lo beam and Halogen hi beam.
I bought it a couple of years ago when the moving shutter beams were just coming out.
Now I don't see replacement bulbs for them in very many places.
probably should buy one  

I did have a problem with the shield, not very strong and it broke off.
lucky my welder fixed it for me.

Cavi Mike wrote on 03/22/13 at 09:19:28:

Silverstars have a rep for a short life...  Google Silverstar vs Xtravision for more...

But the XtraVision is quite a bit brighter than stock with a good white light.

If you do not see a big difference, get some spray contact cleaner for the connectors, and some spray dielectric grease for after cleaning.  You will be nothing short of amazed at the difference, even without change bulbs.  Those connectors corrode badly over time, and we never notice until you fix it.

Dave wrote on 03/26/13 at 11:32:08:

I guess it depends on the "stock."    I have never bought a bike new, so all of mine probably had the cheapest thing AutoZone carried.