SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550
Maybe last opportunity to get best H4
deltarider:
Brightness in itself is not a quality. Too bright and reflective road signs will hinder your eyes adapting again after you have passed them. Xenon lamps are known to cause irritation with oncomers and can even trigger epileptic attacks, reason why the automotive industry has abonded them altogether.
Although led is promising in specially designed lamps - Mercedes-Benz in particular is making good progress - aftermarket kits that will be fit in standard projectors, is not a good idea. Specially designed LED projectors may offer good results however. So far I have not seen independent tests (by ANWB or ADAC for example) that substantiate promises made in advertisements.
Looks. Personally I prefer the looks of the original flat face Bosch H4 projector* over the sully, alien looking LED projectors, but that's a matter of taste ofcourse. Even with the now 30 year old Philips Vision Plus, I never felt the need for extra light. I've bought the X-treme Vision to put to a comparative test and do some readings (amps drawn and all that). Heat by halogen is not a known problem.
Extra lamps. The Goldwing GL1100D Interstate I had in Canada and the US, had two extra big lamps mounted at the crashbars. Strangely enough they added nothing but distraction. The area that counted, proved already well lit by the headlamp. I never used them.
*Cibié, Marshal and Hella also have good ones.
Sesman:
Are we confusing luminous intensity of the source with lux level at the task point (road)?
It used be the saying that LED is good to be seen, but not good to see with. I suspect however that most modern LED automotive LED sources produce a higher lumen output and better qualify light (CRI colour rendering index) than most conventional lamps.
deltarider:
Personally I don't make decisions on suspicions, let alone reviews, unless the source of the latter is a known reliable one like ANWB or ADAC, that have a repuation to loose.
In practice there's so much that can play a role. Which light is overall better, meaning in all conditions, including rain and/or hazy conditions and which light will give annoying reflections? Which light will produce distracting shadows? All this is to be tested in practice. In Holland ANWB and in Germany ADAC are bodies capable to carry out such tests.
A sidestep, if you will allow me. Lots of people are tempted to fit a gel instead of a conventional battery these days. Actually I am one of them. But... just five minutes ago, I checked what's on offer. Mailorder company Louis is an honest exception: they clearly state 14,35 is the max. voltage gel batteries can handle without a risk. My bike sees 14,5 V routinely. A friend of mine had a gel battery fitted in his CB350F and had problems. This model sees routinely 15V. No, nothing wrong with the charging system; it was designed so by Honda...
Most suppliers of gel batteries, unlike Louis, choose to remain silent about this.
Sesman:
Yes, indeed. In the context of ‘suspect’ I meant the seemingly overwhelming evidence provided on Oddjobs LED report.
Interesting notes on the gel battery voltage.
Sesman:
Thanks Oddjob. Nice to know we have a viable alternative to the H4.
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