Replace the sealed beam with...?

[Guest]

Alright so here is the problem. I have an eye issue. Seeing at night can be hairy, sometimes even in my car. Seeing at night on my cycle, with the 450's sealed beam POS is very hairy. I have night classes coming up this semester.

I saw a few threads on converting the sealed beam to H4, but wanted to see what y'all thought before going for it. Buying a new sealed beam is basically out of the question because they are expensive! I can do the conversion and get about 2 h4 bulbs for that cost .

I know the easy solution is "don't ride at night you silly person". But if i don't ride, I drive. If I don't drive, well then somebody needs to drive me. So unless one of y'all volunteers, I need to do it myself .

[chuck hahn]

H4 Halogen.

[Steve]

Going for better lighting will take you down one of two paths:
1. Get a headlamp assembly (lens, reflector, bulb) from any "L" that is 1980 or newer, and 550cc or larger, install it in your bucket.
Note that this is a smaller, somewhat unique 6" light that you will not find in any auto parts store.
2. Get a complete headlamp assembly and mounting ears from about any non-"L" or non-"T" bike that has a standard 7" light.

The "L" lights that will fit your bucket will give you better light, but it's still rather miserable.
The 7" lights (for a motorcycle) are a bit better, but it is easier to find some "E-Code" lights (that's "European Code") that will almost make you think you are riding around with portable daylight.

.

[robertbarr]

And one mod I've recommended since I installed one is an Eastern Beaver (or equivalent) headlight relay hookup. It made a dramatic improvement on my aged GS1000 with my aging eyesight. I wouldn't ride it at night before I installed this.

[pete]

I'll give a +1 to the 7" conversion with a H4 bulb, it's a huge improvement over our dodgy stock lights! And I'm just running the standard 55/60w H4 bulb too.

[salty_monk]

http://www.z1enterprises.com/

Have a decent steel bucket 7". Had one on my skunk for a while.....

I have a plastic Vetter 7" one that you could have cheap but the bucket doesn't have a lot of room in the back for wiring...

[hannibal]

http://www.z1enterprises.com/

Have a decent steel bucket 7". Had one on my skunk for a while.....

I have a plastic Vetter 7" one that you could have cheap but the bucket doesn't have a lot of room in the back for wiring...

Mr. Monk, where did you find a steel headlight bucket??

[argonsagas]

If you really need the additional light, and it appears that you do, then you might consider a xenon-type bulb in place of the basic halogen type..

You buy the H-4 fitment and just click it into the socket.

I noticed a significant difference in light output between them and the standard halogen bulbs, (I have used them for more than ten years, on bikes and car,) especially if you go for the version that offers between 5000k and 6000k. That range gives a much whiter light output than the standard halogen is capable of producing: 5500k is approximately the same as daylight.

Here is one option, and a very inexpensive one, at that. A bonus is that you can probably depend on it being fairly good quality, as it comes from an e-bay seller who has a top reputation, 99% with over 170,000 sales.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-H4-55W-Halogen-Light-Bright-White-Car-Headlight-Bulbs-Bulb-Lamp-12V-5000K-/400831769050?hash=item5d536f69da

[Grimly]

I recommend them - the Osram Silver Stars, and others of that type. Definitely produced as much light out of a decent reflecter as the conventional tech, but 100W filament that I'd been using before, with much less heat and charging system strain.

[kdo58]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2nzhvIXP0g

i went from sealed beam to h4 than to hid, there is no comparison

[Grimly]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2nzhvIXP0g

i went from sealed beam to h4 than to hid, there is no comparison

Depends on your circumstances. If you're in an area of long wild roads with hardly any other traffic, then run what you like and best of luck. Nearer, and in, towns, you have be conscious of the dazzle that's endemic to putting HIDs in lamp bodies that were designed for filaments - very few of them work correctly for that.