Headlight bulb?


L

Lefty

New Member
Hey gang,
Just looking for a replacement bulb for my bike since it's getting darker earlier. I saw some posts about people recommending the Silverstar Ultra for the best bang for your buck. But I want to know the best bulb out there regardless of the price. I'm not looking to do a HID kit or anything fancy, I just want a replacement bulb. I also heard good things about PIAA as well.

Any suggestions?

Cheers.
 
R

raybob

New Member
The best thing you can probably do for your light is to upgrade the wires to the bulb. An H4 is an H4 is an H4 (for the most part). The rest is just marketing. I've seen 20% improvement, measuring voltage at the bulb, from a simple replacement of the wire.

Other than that, I've had really good results with a 100/55 bulb (off-road only, mind you).

Bob
 
L

Lefty

New Member
kevin8198 said:
I just got this one. The 3rd one down GT-X
Yamaha FZ6R Accessories, Yamaha FZ6R PIAA® H4 Replacement Headlight Bulbs
I really like it, it's very easy to install, and only $50:thumbup:
I wish I would have done a before and after but I didn't. I can definitely tell a difference though. I used to ride around during the day with my brights on but I don't anymore:)
Click to expand...
I was just looking at the one, the reviews on Amazon are not that great though.

It says purple light on low beam and white light on high beam. How is the purple light in the night on low beams, does it light up the road better than stock?

Cheers.
 
M

mjesenovec

New Member
kevin8198 said:
I just got this one. The 3rd one down GT-X
Yamaha FZ6R Accessories, Yamaha FZ6R PIAA® H4 Replacement Headlight Bulbs
I really like it, it's very easy to install, and only $50:thumbup:
I wish I would have done a before and after but I didn't. I can definitely tell a difference though. I used to ride around during the day with my brights on but I don't anymore:)
Click to expand...
I've used the super plasma GTX before in one of my previous cars. I was very happy with the performance and color of the bulb. The ONLY bad thing about it, is for a few dollars more, you can get a quality slim ballast HID kit, which throws out TONS more light than any halogen you can possibly buy. Sure, there's different strokes for different folks, but for $60/kit, switching to HID in any vehicle I buy is definitely mod #1.
 
L

Lefty

New Member
raybob said:
The best thing you can probably do for your light is to upgrade the wires to the bulb. An H4 is an H4 is an H4 (for the most part). The rest is just marketing. I've seen 20% improvement, measuring voltage at the bulb, from a simple replacement of the wire.

Other than that, I've had really good results with a 100/55 bulb (off-road only, mind you).

Bob
Click to expand...
Thanks Bob, I agree, but I'm just looking for a replacement bulb. I'm not handy when it comes to electrical things.

Ya, I want a 100w or more from the high beam.

Cheers.
 
C

ClickClick5

New Member
Osram Nightbreaker. Hands down. They are also drop in replacements.

So bright and white your soul will be cleansed.

EDIT: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/OSRAM-Night-Breaker-Plus-H4/dp/B004HHPW8C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317684376&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: OSRAM Night Breaker Plus H4: Automotive[/ame]
 
Last edited:
M

mjesenovec

New Member
Also, to actually provide some useful information to the OP, if you are only looking for a replacement bulb, both the silverstar ultras and the SP GTX are fine choices. Those are probably the best 2 halogens you can buy. Having used both, the only bad thing I can say about the silverstars, is they they only lasted 4-7 months the car I had them in. The stock halogens lasted about 2 years, but I was buying a new set of silverstar ultras, on average, every 6 months or so. That's when I decided switching to HID was not only a huge upgrade, but cheaper than spending $50 on bulbs twice a year.
 
L

Lefty

New Member
mjesenovec said:
I've used the super plasma GTX before in one of my previous cars. I was very happy with the performance and color of the bulb. The ONLY bad thing about it, is for a few dollars more, you can get a quality slim ballast HID kit, which throws out TONS more light than any halogen you can possibly buy. Sure, there's different strokes for different folks, but for $60/kit, switching to HID in any vehicle I buy is definitely mod #1.
Click to expand...
OK, you peaked my interest, lol. I thought these HID kits were in the hundreds of dollars (plus labor for someone to install them). Am I wrong? What are some good kits?

I was just planning on going the easy route and buying the best bulb out there.
 
R

raybob

New Member
Lefty said:
Thanks Bob, I agree, but I'm just looking for a replacement bulb. I'm not handy when it comes to electrical things.

Ya, I want a 100w or more from the high beam.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
Here's one at Amazon:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/STANDARD-HALOGEN-REPLACEMENT-HEADLIGHT-MODELS/dp/B002MR2TB2]Amazon.com: STANDARD HALOGEN 12 VOLT 100/55 WATT REPLACEMENT HEADLIGHT BULBS FOR ALL MODELS: Automotive[/ame]

I ran the 1997 Iron Butt Rally using a JC Whitney 100/55 bulb. Carried a spare but didn't need it, no wiring changes, just dropped in the bulb. Lit up the night.

I wouldn't go higher than 100 watts. You stand a real good chance of burning your wires and/or socket.

Bob
 
L

Lefty

New Member
OK, so here's the deal. I work in the city but live out in the country. I drive out to the city to ride around with my co-workers, then I ride home to the country by myself in the dark (about a 45 minute ride home). I want as much light as I can get for the ride home since there's all kinds of critters trying to cross the road in the middle of the night and some of them are BIG (i.e. Moose, bears).

If HID is easy to install and way more light, then maybe that's a better choice, or maybe since I'm in a hurry to buy, I should buy the Silverstar Ultra or Nightbreaker bulbs for now and in the meantime look around at the HID kits.
 
M

mjesenovec

New Member
Lefty said:
OK, you peaked my interest, lol. I thought these HID kits were in the hundreds of dollars (plus labor for someone to install them). Am I wrong? What are some good kits?

I was just planning on going the easy route and buying the best bulb out there.
Click to expand...
OEM HID kits are insanely expensive. If you own a car with oem HID bulbs, they're usually pushing $500/set to replace. Aftermarket ones have really come down in price. Also, HID kits are plug-and-play. Meaning, if you buy an H4 HID kit, you plug your stock bulb harness into a new wire, that goes to the ballast, then there's a new harness/bulb that plugs into your headlight. All you are basically doing is adding 3ft of wire to the already existing headlight wire, with a ballast in the middle of it. The ballast is used to up the amperage of the wiring to fire up the HID bulb. Slim ballasts are about the size of a deck of cards. Hiding something that small, along with 3ft of wiring shouldn't be terribly difficult inside the fairings of a bike.

I currently have 4 kits in my Civic Si from ddmtuning.com.
HID Kits, BMW Aftermarket Bumpers & Lighting, DEPO - DDM Tuning

My brother has recently purchased kits from v-leds.com and has been very happy.
example: V-HIDS 35W SLIM BALLAST XENON LOW BEAM KIT H4H 5K

My bro is definitely installing one of these kits in my 6R when i'm able to get it. I can post up a how-to with pics when it gets done. I was very intimidated by HID's at first, but it's ridiculous how easy it is. Getting a computer on a wireless network is more difficult than plugging in an HID kit. The ONLY challenge you will have is mounting the ballast, which will just require some 3M mounting tape and/or zip ties. You're looking at maybe 30 minutes to install, including removal of the fairings.

Here are the 35W DDM HID kits in my EvoX. All of them are 5000K


Here is my Civic Si with 35W 5000k HID (left) and stock halogen (right). Please ignore the massive amount of diet coke and pepsi.


Here is my genious-mechanic little brother, installing my slim ballasts inside the crash bar of my Si.


And...here is the finished product with my 35W slim ballast HID kits, all installed, in my Si, both low beams and fogs.
 
Last edited:
L

Lefty

New Member
Thanks mjesenovec, I'll check into them.

I did some looking around in other forums and found some useful info. Take it for what it's worth, but it seems to be from a reliable lighting expert named Daniel Stern. Here's the list in order of choice (#1 being the best choice):

1) Philips Xtreme Power (1780 lumens, 340 hours) (Has a slightly better high beam that the Nightbreaker Plus, but it was almost a tie)

2) Osram Nightbreaker Plus (1780 lumens, 340 hours)

3) Silverstar Ultra's (1380 lumens, 250 hours)

I'll go and see what I can find in the city tomorrow.

Cheers.
 
C

ClickClick5

New Member
Lefty said:
Thanks mjesenovec, I'll check into them.

I did some looking around in other forums and found some useful info. Take it for what it's worth, but it seems to be from a reliable lighting expert named Daniel Stern. Here's the list in order of choice (#1 being the best choice):

1) Philips Xtreme Power (1780 lumens, 340 hours) (Has a slightly better high beam that the Nightbreaker Plus, but it was almost a tie)

2) Osram Nightbreaker Plus (1780 lumens, 340 hours)

3) Silverstar Ultra's (1380 lumens, 250 hours)

I'll go and see what I can find in the city tomorrow.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

I have the Osram bulb. Way bright!
 
K

kevin8198

Senior Member
Elite Member
Lefty said:
I was just looking at the one, the reviews on Amazon are not that great though.

It says purple light on low beam and white light on high beam. How is the purple light in the night on low beams, does it light up the road better than stock?

Cheers.
Click to expand...
Sorry it took so long to reply. The purple only shows up at a certain angle looking directly at the light. The light it shines out is white viewed from a riding position. It is definitely better than stock. However I would go with HID set up if you can. I will do that one of these days but most likely not till next year. GLWP:thumbup:
 
M

mjesenovec

New Member
I'm too lazy to see if one exists right now, but I can definitely snap some pics and create a quick how-to when I get my bike in the spring. It's ridiculous how easy installing HID's is. Whenever I get a new vehicle, HID's are usually installed within a week or two, just because I refuse to go without that delicious light. My little bro is a beast with wiring, so I will be sure to snap some pics of his mounting point/method. Hopefully that will clear up a lot of confusion and questions regarding HID kits.

*edit* This whole pic-snapping offer I'm willing to do also holds true for the custom wiring and misc LEDs my brother is going to install for me. He's going to wire up some weather proof LED light strips, which will be switched. Also, I want him to install a tail light modulator, speedohealer, and a 12v DC socket for aux power. I am willing to take some documentation pictures of these as well. Just stinks it will have to wait until I actually get the bike... :/
 
Last edited:
J

jakeaz

New Member
If your going to spend more than $30 might as well upgrade to and $50 hid kit and it will amaze you how much more light you can get and only 20 minute install time.
 
linkgt

linkgt

Member
I would get these if i were you

Luminics USA - Luminics Headlight Bulbs

If you want to try it, PM and ill give you my spare for cheap. I don't even need it since I have an HID kit installed anyway. They are very good and imo the best Xenon's i've tried. They are white and look a lot like HID.
 

SampsonNation

SampsonNation

Member
jakeaz said:
If your going to spend more than $30 might as well upgrade to and $50 hid kit and it will amaze you how much more light you can get and only 20 minute install time.
Click to expand...


I'm in the same situation.. I want more light for safety reasons, but haven't found an HID company that I fully trust.. I heard some mixed reviews from DDM on here and I have them in my car already and they are okay...

What would you guys recommend for an HID kit as far as a company goes?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Top