the issue i have is not the amount of light. its the pattern of the existing light. i have dealt with the light issue on several other bikes. HID's, particularly in this area it seams, only attract more attention by the authorities. the actual usable light output is minimal as its the light pattern that i am having trouble with.
i have thought about dissecting the high beams or replacing them with hella floods.... anything to get the pattern wider then the pyramid shape pattern we have now. going in a straight line, the headlights are so good, you can see into the future.... LOL
with the exception of my FZ1, i have added lights to every vehicle i have owned to get light in the places i use it... particularly while turning. (i don't drive like a total bat out of hell, but i don't like to slow down just because its dark, and it works well for me...) then, on the FZ1, i have 100/130 hella h4's. yes, really, and no, i haven't melted the harness or lamps and have ridden over 25k miles with them.
i think as far as the stock headlights go, i am going to upgrade to 65watt bulbs. the draw would go up only a few amps but the lumen output is nearly 170% more then the best silverstar. and they are $25 each. with HID's, if i lost one on the road, i would have to wait to get another one, or buy a new bulb or ballast at nearly $300 retail.... i know, i can get them cheaper, and that is a worst case scenario, but as much time as i spend traveling, i want to be able to just swap out a bulb if i need. (try spending an hour as someone elses headlights because thiers stopped working... down hwy 1. you'll understand my perspective. LOL)
no, i don't tend, as a rule, to over-complicate much, but i do take my light very serious. ;0)
when in doubt, slow down. no one ever hit something by going too slow.