I pulled up the garage door a few days ago and noticed that old familiar smiley face made by the headlights was winking at me. I have one high beam out. I have not checked yet but I imagine it is a burned out bulb. If it was a fuse, I imagine both lights would be out.

Has anyone ever had a headlight burn out on them? I've never heard the topic come up. The bike has 44,000 miles and I keep the high beams on all the time unless i'm in traffic at night which is very infrequently.

Can I replace the bulb or do I need a whole new light?

They are rated by hours. If you have both sets on all the time, the highs will burn out first. Higher wattage burns the elements out faster. Constant heat cycling makes them brittle, cracks, resistance goes up, burns em down. Happens all the time to my car. Most of my driving is done during dusk, night , dawn. Turn the lights on in the morning to go to work, both come on for a hot second, bright flash, there goes one. I just started replacing both at the same time when this happens, because the second one is not far behind, month at most.

Also, if you touch the bulb with your finger, skin oil will get on the glass and cause a hot spot to develop, drastically reducing the life of the bulb. They usually explode when this happens, rather than burn the element.

Can I replace the bulb or do I need a whole new light?

Bulbs. Phillips Extreme vision, or Osram night breaker in that order. Stay away from gimmicks. Tinted glass does not allow more light out, it filters it. Sylvanostars don't last long either.

H9 vs H11
Harder driven filament, no glare cap, higher wattage, shorter life. But significantly higher output.

FMVSS says 70w maximum, 1760-2240lm for H9
versus 59w maximum, 1100-1400lm for H11

Candlelightpowerforum

* Last updated by: fatsix on 5/5/2014 @ 6:48 AM *

Looks like this is going to be more of a learning experience than i reckoned on. It will be a while but I'm going to take the headlights out while the bike is out of commission for the valve clearance check. Then I'll see what I'm working with. I'd like to try some aftermarket bulbs with more candlepower but I'm going to need to track down something that will fit.

Those two brands i posted are the best for halogen. HID's in the 4-6k range are the brightest depending on the bulb.

well then, 4-6K range it shall be. I'll get ahold of ya when I get that light out. I just know this is going to be more complicated than simply looking up a light bulb and ordering it. Thanks, fatsix.

Just add to cart man. 8k and above is the point where the output falls off drastically. I went 8k because the bike is blue.

Just add to cart man.

i actually found exact bulbs at auto store ,,,,sylvania
12... v, 55 watt
65 watt
just have to match connector

there must be different socket sizes that bulbs fit into, isn't there? I guess if I buy from a motorcycle parts supplier, they will show what bulbs fit with what bikes on their site.

Yup, there are different socket types. I dont not know what type you have, Rook.

F6 seems to believe you have an H9 or H11. You should check by taking an old bulb with you to the store, or find an online source you believe.

I'll chime in my .02 here. I like the more yellow-ish of the halogens. I don't like the blue tint of the 6000-8000+ kelvin bulbs. The color temperature has too much "glare" for me. Modern halogens are very bright, at any color. We have *two* bulbs up front. This is a plus for selecting this cycle, in in-town traffic.

Be careful putting in higher wattage bulbs than OEM. The wiring is not rated for it, *and* neither is the lamp housing rated for the additional heat. In any case, *do not* touch any variety bulb with your bare fingers. Like F6 says, skin oil is "bad" for bulb life.

Be careful if selecting "projector" type lamps assemblies from the aftermarket. Also, be careful if selecting LED types. Both of these do not readily focus the light emitting from the element, using the OEM reflector. They *might* appear "dimmer" for that reason (because the beam is not correctly focused).

Lots of folks have done these things to this cycle. It's all in here, in the archives. Find out what they did, and then choose what you like.

I still prefer the halogens. It's low maintenance, bright, cheap, long lasting, and readily available at the corner store.

Thanks, Meb. SUBSCRIBED. I have no highs now. Never ride at night. Might replace but am considering removing stock headlights and placing covers over the holes. Prolly go with one aftermarket light in a city low beam hole to appear legal.

Courious, hi/low relay are the same, how do the bulbs get diff wattage
Yess H 9-H 11 BULBS