Higher Wattage Headlights

I have a headlight out on my 5 th gen and while I have all the fairings off replacing the dash lights it seems like a good time to replace the headlights as well with some H4 bulbs like I have read here.

My question is, are there any heat/melting issues with replacing the standard 45/45w stock bulbs with higher wattage 55/60w bulbs like the Sylvania x-tra vision or something similar? I am sure someone out there has been running them and can tell me if there are any heat problems.

Thanks.

 

I have run standard H4 (55/60W) headlight bulbs in my last VFR (97) for over 5 years and in my current bike (2000 VFR) ever since I purchased it 3 years ago (it came with standard H4 bulbs already installed) and have never had a problem with the wires, connectors, or housings getting too hot or melting. The only issue is that the tabs on the standard H4 bulb are in different locations than they are on the Honda bulb so you will have to remove a couple of the tabs so that they fit right. The PO of my bike apparently purchased a set of retainer rings designed to properly fit the VFR's headlight housing so that all I had to do was remove two of the tabs and place the retainer rings on the bulbs and insert them in to the housing. The rings help prevent the bulbs from vibrating in the housing and I think that is why some members have mentioned that the standard H4 bulbs may burn out faster.

When one of the headlights blew just after I bought the bike I replaced them with some Sylvania Silverstars. They were inexpensive and seem to be more than bright enough and since I usually don't ride much at night I did not see the need to upgrade to HID lights as I have seen posted a few times. I tried using PIAA ultra bright (HID look bulbs - 5000k color temp I think) H4 bulbs in my 97 VFR and while they provided a nice bluish white light they seemed to burn out excessively fast and they were a lot more expensive. This was over 6 years ago now and a lot of manufacturers like Sylvania seem to have similar bulbs out now and they are far less money than the PIAA's.

 

Thanks zoom-zoom. I figured someone out there had run higher wattage bulbs for a while.

I saw the retainer rings online to adapt the H4 bulbs to the VFR. Do you still need the retainer rings even after shaving off the two extra tabs on the bulb? I guess I thought that the retainer rings were there so you didn't have to modify the bulb before installation.

These are the rings I am referring to...

H-4 Headlight Bulb Shims (2 pack) - Motorcycle Parts and Accessories for the Sport Touring Enthusiast at California Sport Touring

 

So this is an interesting mod...

http://webpages.charter.net/bpeloquin/H4mod.html

 

Great post - I might also look into buying a used headlight reflector from a salvage bike in the UK or EU...

 

Hey Skifreak

I did this particular mod to the headlight on my 97 VFR750 and it worked really well. The tabs on the standard H4 bulb are what support the bulb while positioned in the housing so when they are removed the bulb will not sit perfectly in the housing and has little if any support for the lower part of the bulb. As a result, the bulb will not necessarily sit properly in the reflector and thus will change the beam pattern. The other thing that may happen is the bulb may vibrate more in the housing and possibly cause the light to burn our faster. The retainer ring is designed so that once you remove the tabs from the H4 bulb the bulb fits in to the retainer ring and then the retainer ring tabs fit in to the slots in the headlight housing so the bulb is positioned properly in the reflector.

I'm sure that there are those that don't worry about the bulb not sitting properly and the change in the beam might be slightly higher I think which likely would not bother you but could send more glare at oncoming traffic. The modification to the headlight housing that you show in the webpage you posted took very little time overall and worked great. I think it took me about 4 hours to do the mod as shown but it is quite messy. Be sure to use a rag or something to plug the hole for the headlight when you use a Dremel style tool to trim the housing or you will get a huge amount of shaving inside the reflector housing. Either that or have a friend hold a vacuum over the hole while you do the trimming so that you suck up the shavings as you do it. Had the retainer rings been more easily available when I did the modifications on my 97 VFR I probably would have gone that route.

I was thinking about doing this mod when I went to replace the first burnt out headlight on my 2000 VFR and when I took the bulbs out I was pleasantly surprised to find the retainer rings already there. With the retainer rings replacing the bulbs is easy peasy. The modification certainly is not hard though and it was a lot of fun, but, of course NO VFR owner likes doing mods to their bike RIGHT??? LOL If you do get shavings inside the headlight housing the best way to get the shavings out is to hold the headlight over the sink (lens facing up) and shoot water at the back side of the lens through the bulb holes and let the water drain out the holes. To dry it out I sat the headlight on the counter and pointed a hair dryer on low heat in through one bulb hole and let the air go out the other. Try not to get the hair dryer to close to the housing or the back pressure on the hair dryer can cause the dryer to overheat and shut down.

 

Can you even buy 45/45 watt bulbs? Honda sucks for doing a propriotory bulb design in their bikes imho! I have been using the standard 55/60 watt bulb with no issues what-so-eva. I had to tune up the little phillips head that holds the retainer spring on one side, after I corrected this, no-prob. Have been doing this for 18 years or so.

I was in Europe a few years ago and one of the few things that I could afford was some Phillips, (german made) H4 bulbs. I used one in my Kawasaki, and it burned out kinda fast. Dont know if it was the bulb or if the back of the plug touched the upper sub-frame, as the connector was burned out, so after soldering in a new connector, I stayed with Walmart H4 bulbs.

When I originally got my viffer it had one yellow bulb installed on one side, kinda like the look, makes you look like a french-riding-euro-trash doode...

 

Have you considered going LED?

 

I have not seen ANY decently bright H4 LED's.

 

I agree. I have not seen any H4 LEDs that match the lumens of a 55w halogen bulb. Also, I am not sure how the reflectivity of the lens would do with the way an LED disperses light. If anyone here has successfully used an H4 LED in the VFR I would love to see before and after pics.