headlight advice - upgrading to an H4

[shwaz]

i have a '79 gs850. my headlight has a black plastic bucket, but the bucket's cracked. trying to determine whether it's better to replace the bucket or upgrade the light.

looking at an item on ebay (link below) but wondering if it will fit my bike. i suspect this will be too small to fit the mounting ears on my bike. any thoughts?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/82-S...rcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cf8a95e43
looks like this one is a 6" diameter. haven't measured my existing one but if i recall it's 7".

 

[dr_fosg8]

That bucket is smaller than yours. The L models had a smaller diameter headlight for some reason. Yours is most likely a 7 in. headlight.

 

[rustybronco]

Yours is a 7" headlight. I looked for just the bucket and the complete headlight assembly on Ebay, but I didn't see anything 'reasonable' that you could use at this time.

there was a complete assembly for sale earlier today in the parts for sale section. how bad is your bucket? H4 headlight capsules are fairly easy to come by if you can repair yours.

 

[shwaz]

yeah i missed the boat on that assembly; it's sold :/

the bucket's pretty bad and i definitely want to replace it. the light works and all and doesn't seem like it'll come loose or anything, but i'm concerned about riding in the rain with it as is.

i'll keep an eye on ebay and i posted in the wanted section. thanks for the info!

Yours is a 7" headlight. I looked for just the bucket and the complete headlight assembly on Ebay, but I didn't see anything 'reasonable' that you could use at this time.

there was a complete assembly for sale earlier today in the parts for sale section. how bad is your bucket? H4 headlight capsules are fairly easy to come by if you can repair yours.

 

[wkmpt]

If you're willing to try it, might save you some money...

If you're willing to try it, might save you some money...

Hey, for what it's worth, I found this:
7" Replacement lens

Full disclosure, I haven't installed it yet. That said, I also bought 5-3/4" replacement lenses (for my car) from the same company that are essentially the same as the 7" replacement, just smaller. I am really impressed at the increase in light output and how easy they are to install--just replace the lens/bulb assembly just like you would replace the stock sealed beam.

 

[shwaz]

Hey, for what it's worth, I found this:
7" Replacement lens

Full disclosure, I haven't installed it yet. That said, I also bought 5-3/4" replacement lenses (for my car) from the same company that are essentially the same as the 7" replacement, just smaller. I am really impressed at the increase in light output and how easy they are to install--just replace the lens/bulb assembly just like you would replace the stock sealed beam.

that is a good price. to make sure i understand -
this would replace the lens and bulb in my existing setup - then i'd still want to get a replacement bucket for mine, since my bucket's cracked... just another option instead of replacing the entire assembly?

thanks for the link

 

[ChicagoBob]

Any 7" bike headlight and bucket combo would fit. Check Mike's XS, which sells a new, halogen headlight and bucket assembly for $87. http://www.mikesxs.net/products-77.html#products

 

[wkmpt]

that is a good price. to make sure i understand -
this would replace the lens and bulb in my existing setup - then i'd still want to get a replacement bucket for mine, since my bucket's cracked... just another option instead of replacing the entire assembly?

thanks for the link

Exactly. For installation, treat the assembly I linked to as if it were just another OEM headlight bulb. You'd still have to find a replacement for your cracked bucket.