Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Update: June 2009 I sold my bmw as it was getting on in years. Not one problem with this bulb!
Please check the comments - I might post either pictures or a video of the bike with the bulb installed.
This review focuses on using the Hella H4 bulb in my motorcycle. Basically most of the information in this review applies to any brand of bulb. However, the price on amazon is good and the opportunity to read and write product reviews is probably second to none. The shipping was kind of high in my opinion so I recommend you consider buying two bulbs in different wattages (stay with white uncolored bulbs if your goal is to light up the road at night).
Here's my situation, I have a 1992 BMW K75S with almost 60K miles on it. The alternator was rebuilt a few years ago and upgraded to 600W (Watt) / 46 Amp max output. This is important because many cruiser typ motorcycles only produce 280W max and may not have enough power to run a 100W bulb and add on fog or driving lights.
Recently I had performed a major mechanical renovation including installing some aftermarket products to improve the motorcycle.
Headlight was never very good at night. Especially on Southern California's 4 lane highways where speeds can reach 70 to 80mph at night. I don't like to go that fast but I like to move with the general flow of traffic.
Focus not just power: a few years ago I added incredibly powerful generic "driving lights" from the autostore. These lights were 110W each! The light seemed to go everywhere except the road in front of me. If you buy driving / fog lights take one and run wires from your car's battery to the light at night and hold the light at the height it will mount at on your bike and see if you like the beam pattern. I had the same experience with the last fog? light kit light I bought for my honda shadow. This is why this bulb is such a nice / cheap easy upgrade. Your head light enclousure is designed to focus light in two places near/far low/high. The wattage between hi and low is only 5w's on stock bulbs it is the focus that lets you see farther (at the expense of seeing closer if you have only one bulb / head light and not a dedicated hi only and low only like some cars and motorcycles provide.
First, I bought a sylvania Silver star 60/55W bulb for $20 at autozone. It was virtually no better than stock and so I returned it. Keep in mind there are "plus" bulbs that can be brighter or whiter while using the same wattage but they are expensive ~ 40 to 60 for one bulb! But if they really work and you have a motorcycle that has little or no surplus power to run a more powerful bulb then I recommend it. For everyone else it is much cheaper and easier to throw more power at the road.
I bought two bulbs:
1. "Hella HLA-H83140161: H4 12V 80/70W Yellow Star Bulb Off Road Use"
2. "Hella HLA-H83140171 H4 12V 100/80W Halogen Bulb Off Road Use"
The first bulb 80/70W "Yellow" was aweful - it was noticibly dimmer then the stock 60/55W bulb! I could barely see the road a night as though my head light was off! Not sure what the purpose of that bulb is. I ordered it accidently because I was focused on the wattage and didn't pay attention to the color. If you want to see better order "white" or "clear" etc not yellow, and maybe not even blue.
Next, I installed this bulb and I really liked it. I don't give it 5 stars because it lights better but I still feel I need to add powerful "Driving lights" to see farther. Don't confuse that with "Fog lights" which brighten the low beam area on the pavement and add nothing to distance viewing.
I think the 100/80W is an excellent first step to improving motorcycle lighting. As a bonus I meant to order 100/55W figuring I would use the lower power and heat during the day (motorcycle lights are come on when the ignition is turned on and can't be shut off). But I noticed the biggest improvement in the low beam at night. Super bright beam pattern and that is the advantage of using 80 watts on low.
Also, I have only one light. Other motorcycles have two bulbs so both high and low are on at the same time and this provides much better lighting over single bulb setups like mine.
For motorcycles like a yamaha virago 1100 with weak alternators they should use 100/55W and only use the 100 on the highway when the motor is spinning fast and is closer to its maximum electrical output vs idling at lights which could easily drain the battery. Finally, wires should be in good condition and dielectric grease should be applied to contacts to avoid melting wires from too much power and / or resistance from corroded connections.
Glass vs plastic: my motorcycle and my friend, Joe Monzo's 1993 virago 1100 have glase head lights. If yours is plastic (car or motorcycle) it could melt! So find out from others that own the same thing what is safe to use.
Note: if your headlight is off and someone shines a flash light at the bulb while it is mounted in the headlight and looks at the base the words "off road use only" and 100/55W will be visible. So if questions were to arise don't say how do you know my bulb isn't stock - prepare to honestly explain the upgrade and why. So far no one has flashed high beams at me and I pointed my headlight down as much as possible to avoid blinding people and concentrate the light on the road. It is still not nearly as bright or clear as HID.
Compared to cars with stock oem bulbs on the highway at night and at red lights etc my bulb provides as much and usually more light than most or all cars except those running HID. I would say the HID are lit about 30% or 40% better.
I considered HID but those bulbs use a special ballast to generate 20,000 volts to start the bulb then 85v to run but consume only 35 watts. They take 1 minute to reach full power. The claim to have 3X the light of regular bulbs which is quite possible. And the quality / usability of the lights is much better than hallogen which was first used in europe in the 1970's.
Bulb Life: longetivity is shortned if the bulb gets too hot because the enclosure does not accomadate the extra heat well. Seems to be no problem on my bmw but some riders using other high power bulbs need a new one every year! My friends virago probably has only half the interior volume for the bulb to cool in and might need a "plus" bulb solution. If you monitor your wiring and the switch it costs very little to try the 100/xx W solution and gives you something to compare the "plus" or any other solution(s) too.
I ordered a pair of Hella FF50 "driving lights" from amazon with a concentrated beam pattern of ~ 25 degrees ( not quite "pencil beam" like the fameous but discontinued PIAA 910 driving lights). The enclosures are plastic which won't rust but would probably melt if higher wattage bulbs were used.
I rated 4 not 5 stars NOT because of any failing on part of the product but rather to emphasis that high power bulbs help alot but still may need to be suplemented with driving lights. My goal is to see farther so I still plan to install driving lights. I am fine with stock lights on my car but my life depends on seeing objects at night in the road. I prefere to ride in the day but this time of year it is hard to avoid night riding.
The Future: HID and LED lights. Both use less power. HID driving light kits are probably better for motorcycles and cars rather than trying to retrofit the stock bulbs. HID's have only one filament so they can't provide Hi and low from the same bulb like H4 bulbs do. There are gimics to simulate hi/low but I read that they don't work well. Currently, an HID driving / fog light kits runs about $400 (2007 prices).
Conclusion:
Before buying check your charging systems output (motorcycles only, cars have plenty), wiring & Hi/Low switch, relay(s), glass? head light enclosure (heat). Internet forums for your brand of motorcycle will give you results of other owners. Finally, buy with confidence that this product will deliver much better light at night for your motorcycle.
My TAGS: bmw, k75, k75rt, k75s, H4, 9003, HID, motorcycle, watts, alternator, stator, wires, melt, heat beam, pattern
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