Cheap alternative to expensive headlight bulbs

[FROSTY:Me]

Recently Ive been reminded just how expensive som bike headlight bulbs can be -cbr250 bulbs genuine $75 each --and ya need two of the buggers.
FZR400 bulbs $45 each and again ya need 2
The cheap alternative is to go to repco and buy a pair of H4 bulbs of the same wattage and trim the mountng tabs so the bulbs mount up
In one case I migged a tab on in the right place.
as long as the tags are there they will be fine and seem to last just as long as standard.

[bugjuice]

ta I know now...

[Midnight 82]

:spudwave: Will keep that in mind thanks

[Motu]

Bulbs are matched to a reflector/lens to give a desired pattern,if they sit in the wrong place,your pattern will be stuffed.If you do this it might pay to have it put on a beam setter to see how it looks....(got one here)

[Milky]

How about $120 for a headlight bulb heard a guy ask for one in at Colemans - didnt catch what bike he was riding though.

[Hoon]

The cheap alternative is to go to repco and buy a pair of H4 bulbs of the same wattage and trim the mountng tabs so the bulbs mount up
In one case I migged a tab on in the right place.
as long as the tags are there they will be fine and seem to last just as long as standard.

Yep thats all I did....$19.90 each from repco. Picked it up on the way to the testing station to get my WOF - went to fit them but didn't realise the tabs were different so went back into repco, grabbed a side cutters off the shelf and snip snip

[Sniper]

Thanks for the great info.

[FROSTY:Me]

Bulbs are matched to a reflector/lens to give a desired pattern,if they sit in the wrong place,your pattern will be stuffed.If you do this it might pay to have it put on a beam setter to see how it looks....(got one here)

The ones Ive modified sat wiithin 5 degrees of bang on motu. You usually use the same tags--Ya just trim em

[Kwaka-Kid]

i get my Arctic blue style ones H4 pattern for $25 a pair or something like that!

way the best way, and yeah for all those bikes u just cut bottom tabs off and leave top locating one in- for some bikes u have to make the top one a little thiner.

shit i didnt know people bought the genuine ones?.. it is sad really, shoot Mr Honda etc i say. criminal.

[BugSplat]

Save the trimming get an 02/03 R1 & the standard H4 bulb fits right in

[ManDownUnder]

Top Man Frosty... Mine went pop this morning... time to arrange that replacement!

Cheers!
MDU

[Biff]

Great bit of advice

[FlyingDutchMan]

Recently Ive been reminded just how expensive som bike headlight bulbs can be -cbr250 bulbs genuine $75 each --and ya need two of the buggers.
FZR400 bulbs $45 each and again ya need 2
The cheap alternative is to go to repco and buy a pair of H4 bulbs of the same wattage and trim the mountng tabs so the bulbs mount up
In one case I migged a tab on in the right place.
as long as the tags are there they will be fine and seem to last just as long as standard.

Theres a slightly better way for getting a H4 to fit in a H4R socket. Get a piece of short #8 wire, bend the blubs two small tabs over it towards the connector on the back of the bulb, and trim the ends of wire. The wire now fits where the small tabs of the H4R bulb goes.