Headlight upgrade

[Apex]

I have been enjoying this site for some time, and would like to tap the collective wisdom of its members regarding a headlight upgrade. One of the headlights on my '03 FJR just burned out, and I would like to replace the bulb with something a little brighter and whiter. I do not ride at night that often, so I am not interested in the HID conversion or adding accessory lights. However, if there is a simple "bolt in" upgrade, I might as well go for it.

Does the PIAA extreme white provide significantly more visibility? Is there anything else reccomended? Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[rdfrantz]

No, the PIAAs don't seem to allow the rider to see more.

Sylvania and Phillips bulbs get the nod.

Use the Search facility, guy. There are already threads with good info you can use to make and informed decision. Otherwise, you are simply buying "What 'Joe' likes".

Best wishes.

 

[Ignacio]

I went through this a year ago and did a write-up on my experiences by clicking here. There are a couple of choices for bulbs that don't consume more watts, but may produce more lumens.

Going to higher wattage bulbs and you're into an area that fewer agree on. Eating into watt reserve, whether the stock reflectors can take the extra heat over the long haul, whether one can get reliable bulbs with all the boy-racer knock-offs out there etc.

 

[Bounce]

I went with the Philips Vision +50% about 20,000 miles ago and they are a significant improvement. I just had one low beam go out, so I replaced them as a set... again with the PV+50%. I kept the (old) good one as a spare.

Murph's has them.

 

[FJRMGM]

Sylvania SilverStar 9003 ST's are $34 a pair at Wally World and fit right in the FJR.

Been running them since early this year and they are significant improvement in light quality and beam.

Get some.

 

[Apex]

Thank you all for your suggestions regarding H4 bulbs. I'll do a little more checking and make a decision. Thanks again.

 

[JimV]

No, the PIAAs don't seem to allow the rider to see more.
Sylvania and Phillips bulbs get the nod.

I'm not sure who's giving the nod here.

I don't think that the PIAA's are any better in terms of light output than the Phillips or the Sylvania Silverstars. However, I don't think they're any worse either.

I have two of the PIAA Extreme White Plus Anti-Vibration bulbs (Part #70456, Model # H-292E). They're more expensive than the Silverstars but they do seem to last longer. I've previously used Silverstars and had a failure in less than one season of riding which is why I bought the PIAA's that are supposedly beefed up to resist failure due to vibration (I got them at the Hardley dealer which should tell you something).

I personally will never put Silverstars on my bike again but others seem to like them, YMMV. That said, there's a body of data that says that these whiter halogens are even worse than the stock bulbs. When I have a PIAA faulure, I'm going to read it and decide what to do then. Look around for other threads here and on the other board, this is right behind an oil thread in terms of repetition.

At any rate, the only nod the Sylvanias got from me was a nod of satisfaction as I pitched them into the trash. And in fairness, they probably cost half of what the PIAA's did. But again, YMMV.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Bounce]

Several years ago the PIAA Superwhites were getting lots of good press within the endurance riding community. Reports started coming in about shorter-than-expected longevity. They mostly dropped off the map after a couple of years of those reports; probably as a function of longevity and higher price.

 

[yamahlr]

I have the Silverstars in the FJR, GPZ and the VStar 1100 I formerly owned. I think the proof was when riding w/ a buddy w/ the same type of bike and having them comment on the difference in the light my bike threw out. Happened w/ both the FJR and VStar. Can't find anyone w/ a GPZ to ride with around here,hence no comparison with that bike.

 

[JimV]

Several years ago the PIAA Superwhites were getting lots of good press within the endurance riding community. Reports started coming in about shorter-than-expected longevity. They mostly dropped off the map after a couple of years of those reports; probably as a function of longevity and higher price.

I've always ASSumed that the problems I had with the Silverstar bulbs were caused by vibration but I've no way to prove it empirically. However, this theory was what led me to the Anti-Vibration version of the PIAA bulb. Perhaps it was created in response to bad press over the failures with the Super Whites you mentioned. I have no reason to think that the actual output in lumens of the Silverstar bulb is greater or less than the PIAA. They do look cooler (meaning "hip" not color temp) than the stock bulbs but I'm not sure either one are that much better. For the moment, I am convinced that the beefier guts inside the PIAA are superior to the Silverstar. However, since they cost twice as much, I may be better off just carrying a spare Silverstar around.

PIAA Extreme White Anti-Vibration H4

But, that's a bridge (along with the bixenon kit in my garage) I'll have to cross later.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Reg# 43897]

Been using the Silverstars in the FJR for over seventeen months now. They have performed flawlessly. Lots of comments on how effective they are. I sure appreciate them...

John.