Gen 3 headlight bulb question

According to the parts house, my 1993 should have H4 bulbs in the headlight sockets. PO had one H4 (with tabs folded under) and one "something else" with tabs folded under. I bought new H4 bulbs but the tabs are not even close to lining up! WTF? Anyone offer a suggestion as to which bulb this bike uses?

Oh, BTW, I am still plugging in "words" to the search function, so I may eventually stumble onto the answer to my question.

 

PAFirefighter post from 2010!!! I may have the answer but bending tabs don't work worth a chit!

 

I BELIEVE the 93 had H4 bulbs, with no folding necessary.

H7 are stock Honda bulbs and require an adapter. But they're about $10 only.

Larry

 

The 93 does use Honda specific type H4 (only available from Honda dealers I believe for ridiculous money) bulbs with positioning tabs that are almost equally spaced around the bulb perimeter. The regular automotive style H4 bulb has the tabs in a different position so you just need to bend or snip the two lower tabs off and insert the bulb into the socket as usual.

The Honda specific H4 is also a 45w/45w (high/low) whereas the standard automotive bulb is 60w/55w as I recall.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I can verify that "standard" H4 bulb tabs will not fit the '93. Bending the two small tabs out of the way allows the bulb to be inserted but it's position relative to the reflector will vary each time it is placed in the receptacle. Makes adjusting the beam a royal bitch! I ordered a set of those "adapter rings" off FleaBay.

 

Those shims were just "talked" aboot. Bending or snipping off the tabs throws the lamps off plumb. I have been running the shims for years on my 91.. Found them after being told at my local friendly dealer that the Honda parts were then 40+ pesos a pop and the "regular" lamps were at the time aboot seven pesos and change. The local friendly dealer was in Seattle and was the original Honda franchise holder, New owners ran it right into the ground in aboot two years, University Honda..

 

You pegged it BadBilly. I just went out to check the beam alignment (just got dark here) after re-installing the bent-tab H4s. Left side lighting a spot about 5' in front of the bike, right side pointing about 30-degrees above horizontal and 30-degrees to the right. Impossible to correct using the adjusters. Useless at night and probably doesn't provide much safety in daylight. Hope my "rings" work.

 

At least Honda dropped that particular "feature" on the VFRs and STs. The shims work just fine. Just be careful with them. They are stainless steel but really thin and sort of fragile. Not to be installed with the now famous HD Torquehammer..

 

No problem. I have a HarborFraught TorqueHammer that is calibrated in inch-gallons that should provide adequate delicacy of adjustment.