1980 gs550e - headlight replacement (UK)

[Grimly]

Lucas...
https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/984/category/187

Wipac... these were very, very good back in the day.
https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/986/category/187

Cheap and cheerful Durite - workmanlike lamps that are ok. Not great, but good enough for general use.
https://www.auto-electrical-supplie...mp_unit__dipped_beam_and_sidelight_domed_lens

Just found the Indian maker is Autopal. You can buy them singly on ebay or buy a pair here...
https://www.autoelectricalspares.co.uk/h4-halogen-headlamp-12v-conversion-kit-7-rhd--pilot-239-p.asp

 

[ukjules]

Wow what an answer....
I think you have answered all my and anyone
else questions on headlights forever!

I will take your advice. I can't see how any of
the ones on your links can't be made to fit as you say.

Many thanks for this.
This should be added in some way as a help
item for headlights !!!

thanks, Jules.

 

[Steve]

Nice to see these recommendations:

If it were me, I'd look at a Hella H4 7" reflector/lens (all one unit) and see if it will hook into the standard Suzuki 7" shell. You never know your luck.
If you can't get Hella (cheaply available for excellent design) or Cibie (the best but can be expensive as a lot of classic nuts drool for them) for your shell, then Lucas are quite good (and better than standard), and there's a seller on ebay who was punting out some Indian-made headlights a year or two back, which were direct copies of Cibies, iirc. They were quite highly rated by those who tried them - something like Light Pal. I'm having a look to see if I can find them.

Way back in 1977/78, I had a KZ650 and installed a Cibie light. WONDERFUL improvement. When I traded the bike for a KZ1300 (rectangular light), I put the original light back in and got a matching Cibie to install in my Corolla. I can verify that the Cibie is about as it gets in a 7" H4 light.

In a previous 850 that I had, I installed one of the AutoPal lights. Very decent pattern on the road at a very decent price.

When I put the fairing on my current 850, I installed a Hella rectangular light. Also very good, but it pales in comparison to the TruckLite LED light that is in there now.

As for "best motorcycle light", my 2000 Goldwing is definitely in the running. Speaking with other Goldwingers who have had both, they prefer the lights on their 2001-and-newer bikes to my 2000, but I have not ridden one of those bikes to see the difference.

Jules, it's too bad you want to keep it "affordable". How much do ride at night? You might want to reconsider "affordable" and upgrade to something that is more practical. I don't know if the TruckLite is available in a British pattern, but they are about $150. Once you ride with one at night, you will wonder how you ever managed without one.

.

 

[ukjules]

Not a great deal('re using bike in dark) even on my EU tour.
BUT
As the thread is the one stop headlight shop.....

What light , 7" , fits GS , and obviously looks exactly
the same (not some ghastly modification) is
available in the upper price range? giving superb
brightness ?

Cibie
https://www.europaspares.com/cibie-h4-headlamps-7-inch.html

Trucklite

I'll try and find links to these and any others people add to thread

 

[uk gs nut]

Jules, I have 2 gs bikes with Wipac crystal headlamps. Look for Land Rover upgrade headlamps, with quality bulbs they give a good beam pattern.

 

[ukjules]

Only just bought a new headlight.
Took you guys advice and used "grimly's" url and bought from them - Wipac Quadoptic light with sidelight.

https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/986/category/187

Tesyed this eve and I can see !!! even with low beam. With high beam - superb !
This with a 55/60w halogen bulb too. I also have a 100/80 bulb but no real need for it !

Thanks for advice - much appreciated - it was spot on ! it simply makes the bike totally usable at night.
I advise anyone to get one of these ! comes with all fittings.

 

[cowboyup3371]

Pictures of the light output?

 

[ukjules]

Damn should have took some pics.
Will post when out in the dark again.

But this light will allow me to do some
long journeys with no concern of the night.
and in Europe.
The original is hopeless. This is better than my
Cbr900r (when I had one of those sad bikes years ago)

 

[Grimly]

Only just bought a new headlight.
Took you guys advice and used "grimly's" url and bought from them - Wipac Quadoptic light with sidelight.

https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/986/category/187

Tesyed this eve and I can see !!! even with low beam. With high beam - superb !
This with a 55/60w halogen bulb too. I also have a 100/80 bulb but no real need for it !

Thanks for advice - much appreciated - it was spot on ! it simply makes the bike totally usable at night.
I advise anyone to get one of these ! comes with all fittings.

Glad to see you sorted.
I'd advise against using the 100/80 as it puts a lot of extra load on the switchgear and really eats into the paltry reserve of the alternator output, leaving you with nothing much. I seriously recommend a decent H4 LED bulb with the smallest filament sections you can get, to preserve the output pattern of the light shell and avoid dazzling anyone. Also means you will have about twice the light output you have now (even with the improved lamp unit) and for half the current draw.

<edit>
Like these ones. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232046628787
The LEDs aren't quite as small as I'd like to see, but they're not bad and produce a fairly decently controlled output and beam pattern with a good lamp unit.
The copper braid cooling is a bonus, as you can easily squeeze them into the limited space behind that you have to share with the bundle of bike wiring in the shell.

 

[ukjules]

I will look into that.I can see LED's are the way to go.
Found one like you suggest for 27? with the copper
band cooling (same brand).

But even now I refuse to be put off knowing
I could squeeze more focused light .....
as the difference from.original to what I have now
with halogen 55/60w is probably enough for me.
I can see now.

But i agree when it blows LED it is and no higher than 70ish on the watts.

I no longer fear the night

 

[Grimly]

Here's what I'm using now.
The fairing headlight is a Cibie rectangular which dates (like the fairing) from the early 80s. That light unit was made by Cibie for the French car industry starting in the early 70s and millions of Renaults were fitted with them. Only thing was, back then halogen bulbs were expensive and the majority of penny-pinching owners made do with the miserable 45W tungsten lamps that were fitted as standard. Even so, the lamp units made the most of the puny lighting power available and provided a very good beam and dip, much better than most other cars of the day. I had fitted one of the foresaid Renaults with a pair of halogen bulbs and the difference was incredible - those Cibie lamps were probably always designed for that, but most people who had them never knew how good they could be.
That's currently fitted with one of the imperfect LEDs, that doesn't have the smallest LED light source in it. It's like the one I posted above - small, but not quite small enough to be perfect.

The two auxiliary lights are another pair of proper Hella H4 headlamps with main/dip and using a pair of Nighteye LEDs - those DO have the smallest die size that fairly accurately mimics the position of the original filaments in the halogen bulbs.

The total current demand when all three are on is approx 75W - well inside the limits for the wheezy auld stator and prehistoric charging system we are lumbered with on these bikes. Even bringing them up to date with a new stator and an SH-775 reg/rec, there's a limit to what it will put out.
I'm quite happy with the current draw as it stands; out on the open road there is enough spare capacity to keep the bike systems happy and charge the battery, but if I'm driving in town there's no need for the auxiliaries anyway, so I switch them off and the charging system quite easily keeps up with the single main LED headlamp.

Ps; one thing I should mention, if you decide you'd like to try an LED - I'm not sure if you're still running the stock reg-rec, but if so, you really need to get an SH-775 Series reg-rec to save your stator.