Decent headlights for out of town riding

[Blackbird]

I’ve just changed headlight bulbs on the Blackbird ready for the Southern Cross ride which starts in a couple of weeks. Up to tonight, I’ve had twin 100W halogen H7 bulbs which are pretty darned good but have just switched to Xenon Xtreme White 100W 3900K bulbs and what a difference! They make the Halogen bulbs look positively yellow by comparison. I've never seen such a white light!

The photos show the difference in whiteness. I can’t show true brightness as the camera kept compensating but I was nearly blinded trying to take them and had multiple images for ages afterwards! :cool:

It shows just how far lighting has come in a short space of time. High intensity discharge systems are even better but they are very expensive (around $600 for a single beam I think) and I don’t do enough out of town riding at night to justify one. However, around $60 for the new bulbs was money well spent :2thumbsup

Geoff

[Zed]

I’ve just changed headlight bulbs on the Blackbird...Yes I must get around to changing my bulbs too Geoff, the stock ones (I presume they havn't been changed by the previous owner) are quite dim at night. Are they 55w? I used to sell Hella bulbs years ago and remember when they introduced their Xenon gas filled range of automotive bulbs, quite a lot whiter than normal halogen.

Hope they light up the sky on the Southern Cross ride. Looking forward to a full report! :niceone:

[bugjuice]

I've given this area some thought myself.. do the bulbs generate much extra heat or load the system up any more than the regular bulbs? I want to get some for my bike, but I don't want the system shorting out.. I've heard some horrors before, but that was with older bikes. Even if the main beam was a regular light and the high beam was the halogen bulb..

[FROSTY]

BJ--you have a halogen bulb in there nalready--its just a different type of hapogen bulb--The old days we had tungsten carbide bulbs -like taiilight and indicator bulbs --and fitted halogen conversions. The only time we had problems was when we used higher wattage bulbs than stock--the old electrics sometimes couldnt handle it

[250learna]

BJ--you have a halogen bulb in there nalready--its just a different type of hapogen bulb--The old days we had tungsten carbide bulbs -like taiilight and indicator bulbs --and fitted halogen conversions. The only time we had problems was when we used higher wattage bulbs than stock--the old electrics sometimes couldnt handle it

wouldnt heat generated by the higher wattage warp the plastic around it... i herd of this happening on some cars

[Blackbird]

Hi Zed - yep the stock ones are either 55 or 65W and because of the shape of the 'bird reflectors, you get a sharp cutoff at night, particularly on twisty roads when you are leaned well over. You still get that with the higher wattage bulbs of course but you get a more powerful beam which throws a lot further.

I'm travelling to Bluff on my own for the start of the event but meeting up with Mangell6 down there and we'll do a joint ride report and piccies!

Bj & 250..... They certainly do run hotter but are still compatible with plastic reflectors. I've used 100W halogens for 3 years now. I had the latest Xenon ones airmailed from the UK (plug: http://www.blackbirdspares.co.uk/) and Pete, the owner has used 100-watters since the 'bird came out in '97. Not a sign of trouble :niceone:

Most modern bikes have plenty of alternator capacity. I run heated grips, Illumiglo dial faces, a radar detector and the high wattage bulbs with no trouble at all.

Geoff

[FROSTY]

wouldnt heat generated by the higher wattage warp the plastic around it... i herd of this happening on some cars
ya heard the phrase --the light that burns twice as bright burns twice as hot?
-i think we're confusing matters here--replceing same wattaf=ge and different bulb i'm refering to

[TonyB]

Posted this elsewhere, but this photo shows the difference between a standard halogen bulb and a zenon bulb of the same wattage. Zenon is on the right- it's a standard colour (no blue tint on the glass). According to the ads Phillips puts out, the ones with the blue tints put out less light.

[bungbung]

According to the ads Phillips puts out, the ones with the blue tints put out less light.

The blue filtering on the bulb cuts out some of the red part of the spectrum = whiter looking light, but less light compared to the same bulb without the blue coating.

[Zed]

Most modern bikes have plenty of alternator capacity. I run heated grips, Illumiglo dial faces, a radar detector and the high wattage bulbs with no trouble at all.Electrifying!! :eek5:

How difficult are those dial faces to fit, and are they very beneficial? I see Jaws advertises them.

[bugjuice]

BJ--you have a halogen bulb in there nalready--its just a different type of hapogen bulb--The old days we had tungsten carbide bulbs -like taiilight and indicator bulbs --and fitted halogen conversions. The only time we had problems was when we used higher wattage bulbs than stock--the old electrics sometimes couldnt handle it
see, now that's just me not thinking ahead and paying attention..
So my system should be fine. What about the wattage then? No idea what in it at the moment, but what would be safe and what diff would that make? I'm going to pop to Repco at lunch and have a nosey around. I'm heading down to Hammy tonight fully loaded (pillion, tankbag, packpack, full tank and me), so wouldn't mind my own artificial daylight, and especially with winter on its way

[Blackbird]

Electrifying!! :eek5:

How difficult are those dial faces to fit, and are they very beneficial? I see Jaws advertises them.


Hi Matthew

If you haven't seen it, have a look at this post: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=9702. They're not difficult to fit or wire in but rhere are a few tips which I'm happy to write up for you and take some digital images if you decide to go ahead. You can also get them from Blackbirdspares, which is where mine came from indirectly as a gift. In terms of effectiveness, they're great but when all is said done, the standard ones are fine too. I just happen to think they look cool!

Cheers

Geoff

P.S on the Blackbirdspares website, there are a whole series of exploded parts diagrams which are handy for working on your 'bird.

[Sniper]

That looks alot better, guess what Im heading out to buy today

[Pixie]

It's interesting that someone using 100W bulbs hasn't had trouble with heat.
The reason the Plus 30 and Plus 50 bulbs are marketed is that manufacturers of vehicles with polycarbonate headlight lenses and plastic reflectors don't recommend more than 60W bulbs.The bulbs need to have U.V. Cut marked on the package too as over a period the U.V from halogen bulbs will yellow the polycarbonate.
Halogen bulbs need to have virtually no voltage drop from the wiring to the bulb,e.g. 12 Volts on the bulb terminals to operate correctly,otherwise there is no avantage in using them.The Halogen part of the deal just allows the bulb to operate much hotter than a glass bulb.The bulb itself is quartz.The halogen is involved in a chemical reaction that deposits tungsten that boils of the filament at high temperatures,back onto the filament when it cools down.This makes the filament last longer at the higher temperatures it operates at and stops the bulb getting blackened.
Tungsten Iodide
Quartz Iodide
Tungsten Halide
Tunsten Halogen
Quartz Halogen
These are all names for the same thing.
Tungsten Carbide is a hard material used on saw blades-not a bulb.
Calcium Carbide generates acetylene in the old flame type lanterns coal miners wear.
Union Carbide is a big American company that makes Eveready Batteries-not popular in Bhopal India

[Paul in NZ]

This is how they work..

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question151.htm

Cheers

[Pixie]

This is how they work..

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question151.htm

Cheers
Aaahh, the internet,is there nothing It can't teach us? :2thumbsup

[Pixie]

I looked up Howstuffingworks and got a totally unexpected site-more along the lines of what the police like to view

[Blackbird]

Hi Pixie

The Xenon bulbs I've just fitted are UK-made and on the flashy box they came in, it specifically said that they were compatible with polycarbonate reflectors. Having said that, the 100W halogens I've had in for a couple of years came in unmarked packets but there is no visible damage to the reflectors from them. Incidentally, I'm pretty sure that 100W bulbs are illegal in NZ but that's relatively unenforceable in practical terms. The police office who lives opposite me didn't even know, and said that he had more important things to worry about!

Thanks for the physics and chemistry lesson. Us mechanical engineers tried to avoid that stuff at varsity :msn-wink:

Geoff

[Ixion]

It's interesting that someone using 100W bulbs hasn't had trouble with heat.
..
Halogen bulbs need to have virtually no voltage drop from the wiring to the bulb,e.g. 12 Volts on the bulb terminals to operate correctly,otherwise there is no avantage in using them..


I'm using 130W main beam in the BMW. No problems so far. You need to have a relay to feed the actual bulb (with decently heavy cable) or you will fry the handlebar switch (ie the relay has to go AFTER the main/dipped switch )

[Blackbird]

Whoa! 130W must be good for some serious visibility! Logarithmic if I remember right so ~ 10-15% brighter than 100W?

Agree with relays, had them fitted on my K100 when I upgraded the lighting.

[bungbung]

Whoa! 130W must be good for some serious visibility! Logarithmic if I remember right so ~ 10-15% brighter than 100W?

Agree with relays, had them fitted on my K100 when I upgraded the lighting.

The light output is linear at the bulb, but falls off in an inverse square fashion.

The difference between the bulbs will reduce depending on the distance the light is projected.

[XTC]

I have to say that the XT600 has the best headlight of any bike i've owned including the twin setups on the VFR750 and VF1000R.... And it's just a single 60/55w bulb. High beam gives great penetration and even better spread. To say I was impressed and surprised is an understatement.

[Flyingpony]

What better bulbs can I put in my bike?

It currently has 2x 25w units and they're only good for telling other people that I exist on the road.

One dip has blown so I must do something about it before my next WOF.

On my last WOF, I failed twice due to them being "unfocused" :angry2: . WTF, it's factory! That LTSA dude was a biker and thought I was a European model or such. Didn't believe me when I said it was NZ new and made in Malaysia. Wanted me to sand paper the lens!

2.5yrs back, I nearly hit someone on a rainy night because I didn't see that person with their black clothes etc. Burglar?

[Ixion]

Whoa! 130W must be good for some serious visibility! Logarithmic if I remember right so ~ 10-15% brighter than 100W?

Agree with relays, had them fitted on my K100 when I upgraded the lighting.
Especially when augmented by the twin 100w spot lights

[Coyote]

That looks alot better, guess what Im heading out to buy today
Let me know what ones you get, so I can look out for them :niceone:

[Zapf]

have fitted some Philips Vision Plus H7 and H4 onto my k5 750, a lot brighter than the standard Osram bulbs. They are all 55W's

I won't buy the Niva (spelling) ones again, as I had the blue ones in the cage and they keep burning out....