Better Lights and side lamps

[yamyam]

Hey all,

Has anyone changed their headlight bulb at all? I am looking for a whiter light, kind of xenon but not boy racer type, the real deal.

Has anyone tried different bulbs?


Also what type are the sidelight bulbs, and are you able to change them out for a brighter type?


Thanks in advance guys,

Cheers


YamYam

[Roadrunner]

I'm sure N3RDY's changed his & a few others have, shouldn't be long before you get an answer... 

[ozGSR]

I have replaced my globe with a Phillips Crystal Vision http://www.philipslighting.com.au/CV.htm
It is a much whiter light that reflects off road signs and markings better.  The beam length is not as long with these globes but I still find them better than a standard globe.  I removed the 2 parker globes as they were reflecting on my screen and were annoying me.  The 2 parker globes are a small wedge globe and are 5w.  The headlight  globe is H4.  I was looking at a xenon kit at one stage but do not do any night riding these days and it would be hard to find a spot to put the balast.

[N3RDY]

Sorry Yamyam, I missed this thread somehow.

I have a Halfords Super Brilliance 60/55 (£15) in the headlamp and I've aimed it at the road and not tree tops. Its a vast improvement and Im much more comfortable riding at night now. The Position lamps are white Prism LED's, also from Halfords and I think they were about £10.00 for a pack of 2.
The part number on the pack is LED501W (12V T10 Wedge). The pack states that they are for off road use only but I've had no problems with the local boys in blue.

The Headlamp isn't HID quality and doesn't have the cool blue/white appearance, but its much more useable.

[Chad!]

Evenin guys,

  I fitted HID to mine, but haven't actually been out on it yet to test it out. It look s damn good in the shed though, and bright. Had to match it up with some nice LED's for the sidelights too.  Should help me see and be seen I hope.

Chad.

[yamyam]

Hey Chad

do you have a link to the stuff you used?


cheers


YamYam

[Chad!]

Hey Chad

do you have a link to the stuff you used?


cheers


YamYam

They were all off ebay mate. Bargain prices.

Strange LED's that were these from this person I think:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2pcs-501-W5W-High-Power-LED-White-Dash-Wedge-Bulbs_W0QQitemZ200204021735QQihZ010QQcategoryZ72233QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And the HID were these from here:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BI-XENON-HID-CONVERSION-KIT-H4-3-For-Motorcycle-Bike_W0QQitemZ300203896616QQihZ020QQcategoryZ32628QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'll post a couple of pics where and how things fit.


Chad

[Chad!]

A few pics for you to browse:

To fit the HID bulb you need to cut the rubber cup on the back of the headlight as the HID bulb is longer due to the solenoid etc inside it. I used a cap off a bottle to cover it and then a bit of clear silicone bathroom sealant to seal it up.



Ballast location was my next problem with it being a naked bike. I decided on the left side indicator housing. With some jiggling about it just about fits nice and snug.



What the LED's look like when switched off:



And finally wired and fired up!




I hope this has all helped.

Chad.

[yamyam]

BLOODY HELL!!!

That is amazing. THAT is the kind of thing I am looking for!

The "ballast" thing, what is that all about? Are the LED's and HID suitable for the housing in our bikes i.e. it wont melt anything because they get hot or whatever?

Are you in the UK?

[Chad!]

BLOODY HELL!!!

That is amazing. THAT is the kind of thing I am looking for!

The "ballast" thing, what is that all about? Are the LED's and HID suitable for the housing in our bikes i.e. it wont melt anything because they get hot or whatever?

Are you in the UK?

The ballst is what runs the actual HID bulb. I'm sure there's a thread on here somewhere that explains it well. It's a little bit like a transformer. The LED's and the HID bulb actually run cooler than a normal bulb. The HID is a bit like a flourescent tube so it stays relatively cool. The ballast is the only thing that will get hot. But hopefully with it being at the front it'll get plenty of air flow to cool it. We'll see when I've used it a bit.  And yes I am in the UK, Midlands ish.

Chad.

[Goshdarnit]

Good God that's bright!

[Bulldog]

If anyone wants bright lights then check out this website www.piaa.co.uk i may invest in a platnium bulb 80/80w=150/150w now thats what i call power, not road legal but who cares coz it wont be
shining in my eyes!!!

[yamyam]

the HID are road legal, so I think I might stick with them. Plus PIAA are expensive for what you get.

[Bulldog]

The way i look at it is that you get what you pay for, PIAA are british made and if you look at
PIAA HID kits your looking at hundreds of pounds. The HID kit that Chad got comes from Hong Kong,
and if you look at that ebay seller he has alot of negative feedback with alot of disapointed buyers
who's products have malfuctioned in a very short time. They give you an 18 month warranty but
you are responsable for postage which could turn out very expensive if they go wrong, thats if
you can get any responce from the seller which is some of the negative feedback!!!

[yamyam]

You are 100% right. But I can't afford PIAA, especially as the HID kits are ~£300. That's a PC3 or a set of cans, or a new helmet or leathers or....

For £30 I get a HID light setup and should it break, whatever, it's only £30. I'll investigate some bulbs then, instead of a full HID kit.

I will also keep a keen eye out for Chad's trials with the non PIAA kit and see how he get's on. If he still has them in a few months feck it, I'm buying one.

However, in saying all of this...you could have a searchlight taped to the front of your bike, but if it's covered in winter road sh*t, you won't get any light anyway I don't know how many times I have to clean my headlight through the week before I give it the weekend clean. Pain in the a r s e.


Cheers for the info though.

YY