SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550

Headlight reflector

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Skoti:

--- Quote from: Bryanj on May 26, 2024, 07:38:34 PM ---That is a standard car bulb and there is an H4 equvalent, i will see if i can find a number for you cos im bored

--- End quote ---

Bryan,

I first made the mistake of fitting a normal H4 halogen bulb, and found the charging system would not cope well when driving in towns etc.

I have a volt meter fitted and noticed the voltage drop below 11.5 volts when waiting at traffic lights and road junctions.
I switched back to the standard 410 bulb to rectify the problem, but now have an LED which obviously has an even lower power draw.

Volt Meter:-
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GQUC6TZKV9SkJBCh9
 

DomP:
Thanks Bryan, I've got an original style globe type bulb fitted currently

Bryanj:
Back in 76 as a young(er) rider i fitted a h4 unit and with lights on stayed 1 gear lower than in daylight, not forgetting in UK we can switch lights off

McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
Sorry I slightly misunderstood your question.
As has been said the current draw of a modern H4 Quartz Iodine bulb might be a tad high, the other consideration is the dip pattern cut off  might not be good.

I am a fan of fitting an LED bulb as I did originally on my 400. Beware of cheap ones off eBay I had one that stopped working after just a few on & off cycles.
I sent a message to LED classics to find the right bulb as the important heat sink can cause issues of being too long when fitted either inside the light unit or outside. Again as the reflectors were designed for the build design Honda used there will always be a compromise in terms of scatter and dip cut off.
If you search the posts Oddjob did a lot of research on this with photos of the result of using different bulbs. I suspect like moths are attracted to light we are attracted to big Lumen numbers. In the end that's why I fitted a  complete headlight designed from the off for LED only use so the reflector gives a good dip cut off and a nice high beam plus low current draw.

deltarider:
Usually the lens will have 'H4' in the center of the glass, if the reflector is fit for halogen bulbs.
The socalled 'charging shortcoming' of the these bikes is an urban myth. I've had a 55/60 Watts bulb all those years - my model came standard with it! - and never had a problem, not even with 3 Ohms coils and a transistor ignition. Every ride I return to the garage with a better charged battery than I took of with. 44 years of experience here. I recommend Philips. The Extreme Vision Moto H4 and Osram Nightbreaker came out best in tests and that Philips was especially developed for motorcycles and can cope with vibrations up to 10G.

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