...the higher the +XX, the shorter the lamp life. Which may be more of an issue on a vehicle with the low beam on anytime the vehicle is running. Am I off base?
You're absolutely correct, but as -Virgil- points out, you're not just a vulnerable road user, but an extremely vulnerable one. Bulbs are cheap, scooters and medical bills and funerals aren't.
Buy at least three now, carry a spare and put the other in the garage, and remember you can switch to high beam in a low beam failure emergency to get safely off the road to do a bulb swap when needed. With luck, the bulb will fail at first lighting, rather than while already burning on the road, but be prepared nonetheless. Don't forget to then move the garage one to the active carry position and order another to replenish the garage.
Also, wearing a safety vest, even if not required by law, or at least
carrying one so you can put it on before doing your bulb swap, would be a good idea. Carrying a small LED headlamp with you so you can light up your bulb swap hands-free is also advised. A cheap LED one is better than none. Put lithium cells in it so you can count on it.
In the excitement, remember to let the headlamp assembly cool before changing so you don't burn your fingers, and of course carefully handle the new bulb. You don't want it exploding later on from finger oils.
If this scooter has 4-way flashers, be sure to use them doing this activity. If not, I'd suggest leaving the left turn signal on so approaching vehicles will exercise caution or potentially move over, thinking you'll be about to pull back onto the road. In either case, leave the parking lamps on so other drivers can more easily identify the vehicle type. (Also, there's a simple mod to add 4-way functionality by means of a jumper and a switch; I'll look for the Popular Science/Mechanix Illustrated article about it. It's for cars, but can be done on that scooter easily enough, probably.)
I can't tell if that's a glass lens or plastic; obviously lens condition is important and a 12+year old plastic lens might be in poor condition.
Finally: That thing looks awesome (looked at a few pics on images.google.com and eBay). Nice retrofuturistic look.
