Headlight Bulb and being seen better

[paulbaker1954]

I like to be seen by all those dreamers in cars 😀😀

So am thinking of upgrading front bulb to a Halogen unit

Can anyone tell me any recommendations in terms of wattage, I know std spec is 40/50W but  anyone gone brighter also is halogen brighter at same wattage as incandescent.

I was thinking of a 60/55 Halogen but will the alternator output cope with this ok if lights are on all the time as I like

Any assistance appreciated

[K2-K6]

Another poster on here has converted to led I believe so you may get a update of that to consider.

From my experience I've seen many of these bikes run with halogen conversion with no problems, I know they are close to capacity and it can depend on your type of usage as to how well the charging system copes with keeping the battery up to scratch so with that in mind it's workable.

As you've suggested, 12v 60/55 watts is the most common rating which I wouldn't exceed. I've been trying out (in an old car with same size 7inch round halogen units)  some "Phillips whitevision H4" bulbs, labelled "intense white xenon effect" to try and get closer to some of the current type of vehicle light range is use. I'm deeply sceptical of all sort of spurious claims for this sort of thing but these easily exceed any performance I thought I'd get get, they have a really clean output with a very precise beam pattern so work well for night vision and don't get lost amongst the led running lights for daylight visibility which is your concern.

They only cost £11.97 for a pair also.

[Bryanj]

If you run with the headlight on all the time and in town traffic you will need to charge the battery regularly, something like an optimate with a permanently attached lead to plug into

[deltarider]

Stayaway from cheap halogens. They won't live long or will offer reduced light soon. From what I've seen, Philips offers the best halogens. In practically every test they come out first (Osram is also good). You have the Philips X-treme Vision Moto that was specially designed for motorcycles. If you don't want your halogen to draw more amps than the conventional 40/45Watts bulb, there's the specially designed Philips Ecovision H4 that draws 20% less than the ordinary halogen. I would not go Led before you have seen independent test results that suggest it's better in every aspect.

I like to be seen by all those dreamers in cars 😀😀

Here's a warning. In Europe there are documented cases of accidents where a driver, irritated by the headlight of an oncoming vehicle, steered close to teach the other a lesson and occasionaly steered too close... I'd avoid headlights that irritate others and prefer to stay legal.
From 1980 on, when I bought my CB500, I've continued using the 55/60 Watts H4 halogen it came with and never had any charging problems. Every ride I returned with a better charged battery than I took of with. I don't like to ride in cities. If your model reflector is fitted with a Ba9s position light - and I believe the UK model is - you may consider changing that for a powerful Led (it's Lumens what counts) and use that as a daylight. With a good modern H4 halogen that will offer you a good beam at night you'd have the best of two worlds.
When you install a halogen bulb, avoid touching it with your fingers.

[K2-K6]

Interesting what you say about quality deltarider,  I've worked with halogens on industrial photographic printers and those two (Phillips and Osram) where the only two suppliers we found that could meet the technical spec and performance required from systems that could definitively quantify the output and reliability of the lamps.

I'm running those Phillips in originally fitted Wipac Quadoptic light units which I've always thought of as nothing particularly special but they are hugely better than the bulbs I replaced. I'm still surprised at the improvement.

On the original point of daytime visibility and lamp output, I've recently looked at some 7inch units supplied via a original type mini specialist that used H4 bulbs but also incorporated a ring of leds as a side light option, didn't see them powered but it has the potential of visibility and very low consumption to fit the original question. They were about 40 quid for a pair plus the cost of H4 lamps.

[JustcallmeMrT]

I converted to LED and it works great - nice and bright with low draw, but I had to invest in a decent bulb with a fan and control unit, which wasn't cheap.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

[deltarider]

I converted to LED and it works great - nice and bright with low draw, but I had to invest in a decent bulb with a fan and control unit, which wasn't cheap.

Nice and bright, I believe that but how about the beam pattern at night?
Therefore, seen the costs, I advice a good H4 halogen and there will be little left to be desired.

[Trigger]

I find that a new wick and fresh paraffin improves night vision 

[JustcallmeMrT]

I converted to LED and it works great - nice and bright with low draw, but I had to invest in a decent bulb with a fan and control unit, which wasn't cheap.

Nice and bright, I believe that but how about the beam pattern at night?
Therefore, seen the costs, I advice a good H4 halogen and there will be little left to be desired.

I have to say I've not ridden anything else at night so no point of comparison.  Could well be inferior.

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[K2-K6]

You've got new fangled paraffin in your lamp?

 I still think acetylene offers a most superior illuminant!!

[jimv50]

Just to add another alternative to experimenting with LEDs and their poor focal pattern, I bought a modern H4 bulb with a different colour temperature, plenty of choice out there at reasonable cost.
On the photo you can see the difference between the old and the 'new'

[K2-K6]

The Phillips lamps I've listed above are rated at 4300k colour temp whish is much closer to daylight at about 5000k and they do make a big difference especially when you are around more modern light sources in newer vehicles.

For reference, original halogens tended to be around 2800\3400 k. Basically as a generalisation the lower the k number the more yellow the light source and the higher the k then the more blue the light appears. Bright unfiltered daylight under perfect blue sky can be as high as 10,0000k.