Can anyone help me understand headlight bulbs?

P

pleaseohplease5555

New member
I posted earlier that I was looking for an upgrade to my headlight and passing lamps, but needed something simple (plug and play). Many of the responses have been great suggestions but over my head. I don't know anything about bulbs, wattage, amps, what a HID is, what different colors do, all I know is that I want my headlight and passing lamps brighter so that my bike will be more noticeable on the road and I'll have better nighttime visibility.

Can anyone please help me understand bulbs, and walk me through what I need to purchase to achieve my desired effect (brighter lights). Simply stating "buy SilverStars" does not help me. I don't know what size, color, wattage, etc. I am assuming that the same bulb will not work in the main headlight as the passing lamps...

I don't mean to sound like an idiot, but I recognize that I am new to this topic and am trying to learn.

Thank for the help!
 
The E-code headlight 18BKLR linked is a simple replacement, and the bulb just clips into the back of the headlight assembly. Your manual shows how to remove and replace the headlight and bulb. The bulb can be found here:

Susquehanna (100/80W H4)

Amazon (There are a bit cheaper)

Hint: These bulbs also work in stock headlights, so get together with some friends and order several, including a spare or two for yourself. I find that these last for several years.
 
And the passing lamp bulbs that go with this headlight bulb are PIAA part number PIAA18880 which is the extreme white bulb with the proper base to fit the HD passing lamp socket. You will have to do minor surgery to the plastic connection for it to fit properly, at least I did on a "07 Ultra.
 
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Telephone: 1-800-525-7422, 503-489-6666
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Ampere
(A or Amp) The unit of measure for electrical current. Basic formula for finding Amp draw (Amps = watts
 
Here's the deal on your standard 7" headlight bulb.
The H4 bulb is a standard size/type/base so it is what it is.
The stock bulb is a 55/60 which is a 55 watt low beam and 60 watt high beam.
I run an Osram 70/65 high efficacy H4 bulb in mine.
This is a 70 watt low beam 65 watt high beam highly efficient German element bulb.
As the wattage goes up and lumens go up , the lifespan (hours) go down almost in direct proportion.
Stay away from "blue" type bulbs as the human eye doesn't respond well to the blue color and looks blinding to oncoming traffic , which ticks people off.
I also run an optically superior headlamp housing , the glass is fluted (and leaded) and the reflector is higher quality and more accurate than the standard DOT spec junk out there.
This is a Cibie E-Code 7" headlamp housing from http://www.danielsternlighting.com/.
Your passing lamps are a standard 881 angle base 27 watt clear bulb , the base is a PGJ13 type.
You can use a bunch of different bulbs in place of it if you want to.
Here's a comparison of bulbs
# 862 37.5 watt 1100 hour clear
# 881 27 watt 300 hour clear/black tip
# 886 50 watt 200 hour clear
# 894 37.5 watt 200 hour clear
# 898 37.5 watt 1100 hour clear/black tip
These will all fit in your housings without modification.
Beware that wattage over 37.5 will be really close to max for your wiring.
I use wagner 4415A sealed beam 37.5 watt Amber fog lamps in my passing beams.
These require modification to the wiring ends , but I like the color and the beam spread as it's really wide
and catches animals eyes well at night , and look odd during the day for oncoming traffic.
Lots of possibilities and choices......
Good luck
Mick
 
I don't know much about light either, but have been told that some bulbs will get too hot for your standard setup. Let us know what you pick and how it works out for you.
 
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