What was the problem with them, Dale?
Several things about these lamps.....
First off, they do not have the common D2S bulb that we commonly fine in the PHIDs, Hella's, etc.
Secondly, the reflector housing is not the "Free Form" design that concentrates and focuses the beamcast like the Hella does, rather, it's an unusual pattern that, for lack of a better term, is "soft", and fails to provide good contrast.
The color temp of the bulb is just... weird. It gives off a green-ish/blue hue. Very odd.
There is no downrange punch. At all. The "Low-Beam Only" McCullough HIDs in our H4 housings throw light further down the road than these do.
I have my reasons for not wanting to go with those huge-ass Solteks, and I had great hopes for these lamps, so it's a bummer. These SC4's are the *correct* size for the intended application, and are self-contained like the Solteks, but are a fraction of their cost and weight, and fit on existing bracketry. But until the reflector housing is redesigned and the color temp is brought down to a true 4300K, these just aren't going to cut the mustard.
Below is the beamcast of these lamps (only, no other light) against the garage door ~ 20 ft away. Note the odd green hue. The lamps give off a perfectly "round" beamcast..... unfortunately, all light at the top of the 2nd garage door panel and higher is simply "wasted" for LD Riding purposes... a significantly flatter, more oval-shape beamcast is needed. The light is certainly uniform and smooth, but again, is too "soft" for LD work:
Below we see the HID "Low Beam Only" lamps projected out on a completely unlit, relatively flat prairie field. Note the rock formations in the distance; there are several more rock formations, just like that one, further out in the darkness:
Same identical shot, with SC4's lit off..... no real projection beyond the rock formations. Enhancements (for the most part) are only immediately in front of the bike, and even that is unimpressive compared to PHIDs, Hellas, etc. Note strong hints of blue-green light cast.... color temperature is obviously too high; needs to be brought down to 4300K:
Bottom line is that I can not in good conscious recommend these lamps for serious LD night work. The biggest objection is the lack of downrange projection, closely followed by an inappropriate color temperature. As they stand now, I would only consider them applicable for lower-speed, tight mountain twisties, and, truly, the color temperature needs to be changed to 4300K.
All that having been said, those of you living east of the Mississippi who really can't make use of the uber-powerful Aux Lamps might find these SC4s useful.
