Better H4 for my motorcycle?

[Sid Post]

I own a Kawasaki KLX-250S with the stock H4 bulb. I want to get a better bulb for use at night and I have gotten mixed reviews on the expensive PIAA options. While searching I saw some Osram NightBreaker and various Phillips bulbs all out of Europe that all seemed to get generally favorable reviews.

Are there any good recommendations on H4 bubs and where to buy them that I missed in my searches here? Or, does this site have recommended dealers out of Europe to buy these bulbs?

TIA,
Sid

 

[FsTop]

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/

Daniel Stern is the only guy with actual lightbulb expertise, and the only place that won't give you impossible BS about wildly high-output at low wattage.

Call him.

 

[iced_theater]

+1 on Daniel Stern

 

[Sid Post]

Thanks guys! I sent him an email to see what my best options are.

It looks like I might be able to use one of those Euro-spec headlights in a retrofit to my motorcycle. After reading his site some, I also got interested in an upgrade in my car wiring and bulbs to fix my dim car headlights. With 80MPH average speeds on our highways, it's way too easy to overrun the headlights on my car.

 

[Changchung]

This kind of bulb is a good option...

Hella 9006 HB4 Optilux 80-Watt Auxiliary Light Bulbs

Hella Optilux XB 9004 Xenon Bulbs

But in H4, just for reference...

 

[Nell]

I am running h4 Osram Nightbreakers and they are brighter than the Silverstars. Tremendous difference, no, but brighter and improved.

 

[-Virgil-]

This kind of bulb is a good option...

Hella 9006 HB4 Optilux 80-Watt Auxiliary Light Bulbs

Hella Optilux XB 9004 Xenon Bulbs

Um...no. These bulbs are colored-glass junk made in the third world. Colored bulbs are never better than clear-glass bulbs. And the higher-than-spec wattage of the 80w item you recommend is a terrific way to do costly and severe damage to the headlamp wiring and switches, sockets, possibly the reflector if it's made out of thermoplastic, etc.

 

[2000xlt]

I can vouge for that, in my ranger i had 3 years ago before i got my ram, I had the nokya bulbs, "Artic white" After a while one night i went to leave a place and i had no head lights. I had to have a friend follow infront of me to my house, I took off work the next day to replace the wiring harness which i HAD the whole time!!!. Out came the headlights assymblies, opened up the headlight loom and cut off the plugs about 6 inches back, spliced om the heavy guage plugs and taped and replaced the plastic loom, The stuff melted, The plastic around the pins on the bulbs base was melted, the holes in the socket of the harness melted. This did not happen over night, mabey over the corse of 5-8 months.

 

[Elton]

im using a basic 55w-100w bulb on my bike works good

 

[MichaelW]

+5 for D.S.

I bet the response you'd get: upgrade wiring/relays & H4+30

 

[-Virgil-]

I bet the response he'd get would be to put in the Osram 70/65w H4 and possibly upgrade the wiring depending on how adequate or lacking it might be in stock configuration.

 

[goose]

I know im not showing up on the forum offten. But im a bike rider most of the time. I had the Orsam light on my 05 SVn. Which was much better. But i wanted more so installed an HID light and WOW. We run the canyon at night here in CA. I would say go HID and be done with it..

 

[-Virgil-]

"HID kits" in halogen-bulb headlamps do not work safely or effectively, which is why they are illegal. See here.

 

[Changchung]

I am using a pair of HID in my motorcycle but I put them in a pair of projectors, that way is safe to other drivers. I have too a H4 60/55 (made in the third world)

Paintied of blue and the light is too much better than a normal H4. Is like a 4500k. NOT ILLEGAL

I replace too the headlamp for a clear version

When I use the HID I dont use the halogen, maybe is too much current to the bike...

This is the projectors what I am using for the HID...

PD, If you put a pair of any halogen 100/130 or 90/100 or whatever you have to replace the original connectors for a ceramic ones and put a pair of relay.

"HID kits" in halogen-bulb headlamps do not work safely or effectively, which is why they are illegal. See here.

 

[goose]

The main thing to do is make sure you adj the head lights properly. Park the bike behind of a passanger car sit on it and adj the light to the beam wont go above the trunk of the car. I been using HID on my bike for 2 years now and love it. I followed friends and asked them if the light blinds them and followed cops no one complained. Proper adj is the key. it also might make a diffrence as i got an 05 bike so maybe the very old head light are not as good.

 

[-Virgil-]

Yay, here we go again. "No, no, these blue bulbs and kleer litez don't suck like all the others! Check out my kelvin rating! HID kits are fine as long as you aim the light".

Same old ignorant noise, new thread.

 

[MichaelW]

I don't see how motorcycles are allowed to have HID headlights legally, like the BMW K1200LT without some sort of leveling system that compensates for the motorcycle leaning into the corner (not that a K12 is probably ever going to go past 30 degrees)

Didn't Honda speculatively patent two systems for motorcycle hid headlights?

 

[Changchung]

Good nights...

 

[goose]

I find it intresting that someone can call others ignorant. Without even knowing them. Just cause they dont agree with someone... Well it works for me and about 14 other people that installed it in the group.. but hey what can i say i dont any better. Ignorant is as ignorant does :thinking: .

 

[MichaelW]

He did not call you ignorant.

He said the argument that you can successfully/satisfactorily and legally install an arc discharge light source into a motorcycle is fully bebunked.
If the objective is to get maximum seeing distance, and then you install a light source that is 2-3x as bright, and then you lower the aim. You have just screwed yourself because your pupils will constrict and you have no distance vision.
Sure single track vehicles are legally allowed to have ECE headlights, but if you put an HID where an H4 is supposed to go, that is just an incredibly asinine move, it doesn't matter if group think wants to believe that it isn't.


Motorcycle really shouldn't have HID headlights. Motorcycles have a terrible sprung to unsprung weight ratio. The wheelbase of most motorcycles is usually less than five feet.
How many motorcycles have dynamic auto leveling headlights? (or self leveling suspension)
How many motorcycle projector headlights have the cutoff mounted on a gimbal, so that if you really lean into a corner, say at 45 degrees, the cutoff maintains a neutral horizon?

Motorcycles should be required to have redundancy in their low beams.
http://www.triumph.co.uk/images/Sprint_gallery_pop_1_2008.jpg (3x H7)
http://www.sportrider.com/bikes/146_0204_2002_honda_vrf800_interceptor/photo_07.html
2 lows & 2 highs. (h4 low, H7 high. Yeah it is Honda, that explains why they don't have 4xH7s)

and I still don't condone motorcycle highbeam headlight modulators.