1977 GS750 H4/H5/HID headlight conversions???

[Chuck78]

My low beam burnt out on my 77 GS750, so I went to the Rice Paddy, our local vintage japanese motorcycle salvage and parts yard, and found an H5 headlight that was laying on the ground next to a totalled 81-83 GS. Although the lens was almost flat as opposed to curved out (I like the curved aesthetic better), it has the removable Halogen bulb. I swapped it into my bike and it fit perfect!
Before going there I looked up headlight conversions on here and noticed that most people mention either H4 or HID conversions. I just watched a YouTube vid of 5K 35W halogen to 35W HID night driving in a Silverado. The HID were MUCH brighter at the same power! Wow.

Now that I can just remove the bulb from the housing, what other bulbs should I be looking into in order to get more visibility? I'm more concerned about being seen by motorists, but my added visibility is a bonus. What is the difference between an H4 and H5, and then to an HID, and can I just stick HID bulbs into my new used lens???



Moderators, I tried searching here but the search feature aggravates me with not being able to search two or three digit words/#'s - "H5 conversion" search results bring up only "conversion" and no threads in the top results with H5 in them!!! Is this something that can be changed?

[Steve]

I had never heard of an H5 bulb, until you mentioned it.

Did a quick search on Google, apparently the H5 was a special lamp assembly made for Porsches.

Stick with the H4 bulb in the stock 55/60 watt rating, you will see well and be seen just fine.

.

[Chuck78]

So do the HID style require a ballast to operate? Or are they just different bulbs? I saw a kit which included a ballast, so I wondered.

[Steve]

One problem with using an HID kit in a reflector designed for a halogen bulb is that the light is not being produced in the same location, so will be off-focus, possibly distorting the pattern projected on the road.

The filament in a halogen bulb is supported between two wires and basically is a straight line between them. The HID bulbs use an arc of ionized gas between two terminals to provide the light. The arc is not a straight line, like the filament, so the light that is produced is not in the focal spot for the reflector.

Sure, you might be able to see a lot better because it is a better source, but with the out-of-focus beam, you might also be glaring into the eyes of oncoming traffic. There are lights available (but they are not cheap) that use proper reflectors for the HID bulbs. I don't think they are very easy to install in our bikes, though.

.

[Chuck78]

I had never heard of an H5 bulb, until you mentioned it.
Did a quick search on Google, apparently the H5 was a special lamp assembly made for Porsches.
.

I just went out to look at the lens, and it says on it:

6
H
5

on the left, vertically like that, and on the right, Motor Cycle Halogen. The brand name logo in the center is Koito.

ebay and another few internet sources say it was from 2000-ish Suzuki VZ800 Marauder

Like I said, I found it sitting right next to a wrecked 81-83 GS650G in the junkyard, appearing to have come off of that bike. I would speculate that it was an upgrade that the previous owner had done.

[OldVet66]

H5 has a low flat pattern that is not at all optimal for a motorcycle. The H4 has a superior pattern that extends ahead as well as low.

[Chuck78]

Well, darnit... That was the only lens I could find used there that took the seperate halogen bulbs... The lenses sell for $45+ on ebay, and I have a working headlight now for $25, so it wasn't too bad of a deal

[OldVet66]

It might be fine for the kind of riding you do and inspections, but here in deer dodging country it would be dangerous if not possibly fatal. The more light the better.

[Steve]

H5 has a low flat pattern that is not at all optimal for a motorcycle. The H4 has a superior pattern that extends ahead as well as low.

Still have not seen an example of an H5, but "H4" is the designation for the BULB, not the reflector, and the bulb does not determine the pattern.

.

[OldVet66]

My low beam burnt out on my 77 GS750, so I went to the Rice Paddy, our local vintage japanese motorcycle salvage and parts yard, and found an H5 headlight that was laying on the ground

From what he said I got the impression he was using a H5 reflector.

[Chuck78]

Yes, no idea what bulb is but it works! Not nearly as bright as my buddy's 82 KZ650CSR side by side thpugh.
The reflector lens assembly says 6H5 molded into the glass. Can I still put in an H4 bulb?

From what I gather, an HID bulb conversion in my H5 lens will appear very bright to me when riding, but the focus pattern will be off & scatter light all over, blinding oncoming traffic & deer??

I looked up my $25 lens & bucket assy., & see it on ebay for $45, but sounds like an h4 or hid-specific reflector would be best. Maybe i'll just start with a bulb upgrade

[Chuck78]

Maybe this 6H5 lens was very common on many years Suzuki's as I found one on ebay off of a much newer Suzuki mentioned above, and was not an ugrade to the GS650G as I thought? I had thought that the 650 was exclusively shaft drive, but apparently there exist some rare GS650E chain drive models. Found one on ebay, noticed the reflector lens was the same as I found laying in the junkyard next to a GS650G

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/261104557106