Headlight recommendation please for 6th Gen

Hey folks. Just so I can stop researching for my 2006.... dollar for dollar, best recommendation for H4 and H7 bulb replacement? I dont need crazy light, or modifications, or to risk draining my system - just a good bulb.

Thanks.

Oh, and if anyone has a better method for under seat tool storage, that'd be appreciated too... ;-)

 

Hi Hans

Does this enquiry mean you had enough with the 99 electrical gremlins and are looking to move on to a VFR with more reliable electrics?

In which case you might not realise that despite the upgraded electrical system installed on the 2006 on models, they did not totally fix the problem. My 2007 suffered a stator melt down and drained battery after a long high speed run on the Autobahns across Europe (700 miles) on a really hot day, and others have encountered issues with connectors. As of the new 2014 800's I guess it will be a few years before we find out how reliable they are.

As for replacing the light bulbs on a 6th Gen, is this due to concern about power drain or do you really need better light output?

I must say that once I spent time to read the manual and properly adjust the headlight alignment on my VFR I have never felt a need to upgrade the headlights despite often covering many miles at night on unlit roads. The stock 6th Gen Headlights are certainly among the best I have ever encountered. However my bike is a European model, so fitted with 4 x H7 bulbs - and I think US spec bikes have a different bulb set up so we may not be comparing like with like.

By comparison the lights on my Street Triple have never been as good as those on the VFR but the Triumph uses H4 bulbs - which always entail a compromise in terms of the precise positioning of the lit filament within the reflector housing. So on the Triumph I replaced the stock bulbs with Osram Night-Breakers which are very popular over in Europe and definitely provide more light output, although they don't seem to last as long as conventional bulbs.

http://www.powerbulbs.com/eu/blog/2013/04/philips-xtreme-vision-vs-osram-nightbreaker-plus-car-headlight-bulb-review

If your concern is more about power drain - then before making changes you might want to read post #48 in the following thread.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/showthread.php/39277-How-to-fix-common-regulator-Stator-failures/page2

Just my 2p




Skimad

 

I really appriciate the thoughtful reply Skimad. I've read a bit about and considered switching to 4x H7, but my thinking is simply not to mess with the system (cause it hasn't messed with me yet.... other than melting the female connector to one of the h4 bulbs after which i switched both to ceramic).

I'm just looking for a recommended brand and and maybe a sight that might have them the cheapest.

You're recommending: http://www.powerbulbs.com/us/product/night-breaker-unlimited-h4 (what is the difference between Twin vs. Twin Blister)

 

IMO, A good straight swap would be the Sylvania SilverStar Ultra. I have installed these on every vehicle I've owned in past 10 years. I don't have them on the VFR yet as I normally wait until I have a bulb failure before replacing all of the lights. With my 07 VFR, that would mean 4 bulbs (two 9003's and two H7's). If you don't replace all of your front lights, there is a color and brightness difference. They are cheaper if you order on-line through eBay or Amazon, but they normally stock these at AutoZone, O'Reilly's and other automotive supply stores. These lights put out a "white light". It looks pure and not yellowish or blue.

I have a friend that installed these on his 2002 CBR and he's constantly getting comments from other riders that they thought he was on a new bike when he approached...the "white light" is fresh.

I looked a the PowerBulb link above and am guessing the bulbs they have are the same as the SilverStars, just a different manufacturer. If that's the case and from the reviews, they're pricing is better than the SilverStars. Good luck in your decision and let us know how it works out.

 

Those bulbs look very similar to the packaging on the bulbs sold here in Europe - so assuming its just the same bulbs in different packaging they will make a significant difference in the available light. As for twin v twin blister - it looks like you are paying almost double the price for better packaging - the bulbs appear to be the same, so I would go with the cheaper option.

Hope that helps



SkiMad

 

Even though the Silverstar Ultra is a good bulb, they don't last long on a motorcycle and they're very expensive. I found that the regular Silverstars lasted about twice as long on my 6th gen (about 1 year), but still not cheap. The cheapest option that would probably last even longer would be the Sylvania XtraVision. They're less than $20/pr on Amazon, but they're still brighter and better than a basic parts store bulb. Whichever bulb you choose, make sure you know how to get the factory connector off the bulbs...it's a real PITA. Hint: it doesn't just pull straight off, you have to squeeze both sides to get it to let go of the tabs on the bulb (mine never did let go and I destroyed the bulb and eventually the connector).

 

I changed all mine to HID. I am sorry for doing this. Like Skimad said, the OEM on the 6th gen are not a poor light by any stretch of the imagination. But me being the way I am, I wanted more light for dark commuted home in the rain at night. When you are surrounded by mountains, it is really darker at night than say, the prairie provinces or states of Canada and USA. One problem with the HID is that they draw one hell of a lot of powner until they are warmed up which takes about 14 seconds. If you happened to have had your high beams on when you shut down, and forgot to turn them off, you will blow the fuse when you make your next cold start. Then you have no lights.

I put them on my truck too. On the truck, the low beams extingush when you turn on the high beams so you are drivng blind for a few seconds. Now think about this, you are merrily driving along the highway in the rain at night with your highs on and can see everything around you. Then an on coming car shows up and you extingush you lows. Suddenly you have no light, are being blinded by the on coming car, on a dark wet road. Any light that requires a warm up period should be discounted for safety reasons.

I have not tried the others mentioned here. But I have seen and heard good things about Piass lights. But they too are quite expensive. Zoom-zoom did a thread on LED lights and showed a comparrison. They appear to be very good to, but again, there is a price attached to these.

 

Just to satisfy our curiosity, photos comparing your present bulbs at night time vs the new ones you put on would be appreciated by many here. Zoom-zoom did a great side by side comparrison and posted it for all to see. He showed what you would see from the riding postion on the bike. Great visual.

 

PIAA bulbs
Or
Projector retrofit
Thread/