KiwiCBR Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Hi all, Got the Bird out to head to work this morning and no low beam working . High beam still working fine so im guessing at this stage that the bulb has blown. Now i know i should do the HID conversion but funds are tight so that has to wait. I use my bike to get to and from work everyday and lots of night trips in the weekends so i need some decent lights. My question is what is the best replacement bulb for the bird? The Haynes manual i have says the bird has a 55/55 W bulb, How high can i go before it starts creating havoc with the electrical system. I was thinking about replacing it with a 80/100 bulbs. Anyone else done this? Any reason why not to do this? Cheers Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RXX Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Get a part time job for a weekend or two and buy at least one HID. Since you ride at night, you would think it worth it the very first time! The illumination is on the order of triple that of filament bulbs. I have read many people on the board have gone up to 100W....be sure to use dielectric grease on the contacts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcticflipper Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 I'm running 100W dim's with no side effects yet, Don'tk now if you guys get the same globes down there, but stay away from the Cool Blue bulbs. They are brighter but the spread of light really sucks bigtime. I saw better with the OEM bulbs than with those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVLXX Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Sylvania Silver-Stars.... same wattage... nice and bright white. I think they are like $25 each.... but they are much brighter. http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/A...nce/Silverstar/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MileHi Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Sylvania Silver-Stars.... same wattage... nice and bright white. I think they are like $25 each.... but they are much brighter. http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/A...nce/Silverstar/ What he said... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
testrider Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 I recently replaced my stock bulbs with Philips Vision Plus. See some before/after pics here and decide for yourself: http://www.pbase.com/motorcyclist/lightnings -mike- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomek Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Sylvania Silver-Stars.... same wattage... nice and bright white. I think they are like $25 each.... but they are much brighter. http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/A...nce/Silverstar/ I might have had some bad lock,but two Silvanias silver stars failed on my XX in a period of 5 weeks.I even wiped out my trusty multimeter to check out WTF was wrong with my bike.Nothing,went with Philips,so far so good. BTW replacing bulbes on XX is a such PITA,dude how designed that section of the bike should be subject to severe ass kicking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiCBR Posted August 1, 2006 Author Share Posted August 1, 2006 Thanks for the response guys, Phillips 100 watts sounds the go. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wr0ngway Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 ... BTW replacing bulbes on XX is a such PITA,dude how designed that section of the bike should be subject to severe ass kicking. The explanation in the manual sucks. actually, its a very easy, one-handed operation, no tools required, you just have to squeeze the retaining clip and open it up, like a door. best to do it by feel and not try to get your eyeballs down in there. don't unscrew the clip hinge, it will take weeks to get it back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2equis Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Phillips 100 watts sounds the go. Remember.... extra "watts" = extra heat and your headlight assembly is made of plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 I ran 100w bulbs high and low for 30k miles with zero issues. As was said earlier, male sure your contacts are good, the only failures I've heard of related to this were at the plug adapter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rockmeupto125 Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 I ran 100w bulbs high and low for 30k miles with zero issues. As was said earlier, male sure your contacts are good, the only failures I've heard of related to this were at the plug adapter. No problem with the extra draw on the stator? :icon_wave: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbird Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 I ran 100w bulbs high and low for 30k miles with zero issues. As was said earlier, male sure your contacts are good, the only failures I've heard of related to this were at the plug adapter. No problem with the extra draw on the stator? :icon_wave: I was responding mainly to Terry's concerns over melting plastic assemblies and such. Yes, my stator went at 40k. Yes, the overwattage bulbs (bulb, actually, I rarely ran the high) probably contributed to that, along with a heated vest and other electrical doo-dads I'm fond of running. Am I sure of that? No. It's not like Honda charging systems are known for their bullet-proof nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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