SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550

Headlight Bulb and being seen better

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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.

--- Quote --- I like to be seen by all those dreamers in cars 😀😀
--- End quote ---
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.

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