Headlights

[barnburner180]

Hello All....

Anyone know how to change out the headlamps in the strom? I am going to change over to Silver stars and want to get some advice before I do it?

[WeThereYet]

Haven't done it, but am considering it. I imagine it just unplug and replace. Let us know how you like the change.

[SCraig]

Word of advice, although it's heresay and I haven't verified it myself. I've always been told to never touch the lamps with bare hands since the oil on your hands gets onto the lamp and can cause it to overheat in places and shorten the lamp life. I always clean them with a rag moistened with alcohol after installing and haven't had any problems. Could be that I wouldn't have even had I not cleaned them, but what the heck :mrgreen:

[water warrior]

SCraig, good advice. Also do not use a tissue or cloth that will have a lint factor. Possibly use an eye glass wiper as they are very lint free.

[Heavy]

Just don't touch the bulbs. No need to clean or wipe, take them out of the package, handle only by the base and shove them into the housings. I have the Silverstars in mine and I'm very happy with them. 14,000 kms so far, reasonable price and good performance.

[barnburner180]

Hello all strommers....

I replaced the factory lights with silver stars and I am very happy with the results. It's true that you can see much farther and the silver stars are much brighter than stock. Very easy to install as well. Thanks to all who responded. It's all about the bling-bling.

PS- If any of you live close to an Advance Auto store right now they are having a 25% off sale on the sliver stars as well (Until Nov. 23?). I not only replaced the one in the strom, I replaced the ones in my car as well as my wife's!!

[Heavy]

Personally, I don't think you can go wrong with the Silverstars. Glad you like them as well.

BTW - Fill in your profile so we know where you are from and what you ride.

[sporthog93]

Man, I think the stock headlights work good!!!! Way better than the Harley.




Haven't done it, but am considering it. I imagine it just unplug and replace. Let us know how you like the change.

[kcstrom]

Man, I think the stock headlights work good!!!! Way better than the Harley.

I thought the same thing...but I'm comparing to my Vulcan 800 Classic. I'm looking forward to getting together with barnburner and comparing the two side by side.

I may just have to buy me some SilverStars.

kcstrom

[Criscokid]

What's the price of the Silverstars?

[barnburner180]

$50 regularly, $35 at Advance Auto on sale right now....

[Kawidad]

Wal-mart usually sells them at a good price in a two pack.

As far as changing them out. (From memory) You just reach in and pull back on the rubber cover and then this exposes the metal retainer. Unsnap that and remove the housing, unplug the bulb and reinstall doing the opposite.

I just wore rubber gloves, so no worries about skin oils.

[Pascalg01]

I highly recommend that you install headlight relays. To really get all the lumens you can out of your new bulbs you need to ditch the thin gauge wire feeds that travel all around the harness, through a dinky handle bar switch and into cheapo bulb connectors. I bought a high quality set of relays from Easternbeaver.com and two Osram Silver Stars. I measured the voltage output at the battery at around 14.3 volts. At the headlight connector it was a hair over 12. Huge drop. I installed the silverstars into the stock system and measure their output with a light meter (I do set lighting work on film and tv in Hollywood). Then I installed the relay kit (plug and play, literraly took less than 20 minutes) and remeasured the output. The difference was with the relays the light output, or lumens if you wish, was more than 30% brighter. If you're going to bother installing high quality light bulbs, you might as well feed them all the voltage they are designed to handle.

[Pascalg01]

BTW, I bought mine at CAsporttouring for under $29 bucks

[DLinthe408]

I highly recommend that you install headlight relays. To really get all the lumens you can out of your new bulbs you need to ditch the thin gauge wire feeds that travel all around the harness, through a dinky handle bar switch and into cheapo bulb connectors. I bought a high quality set of relays from Easternbeaver.com and two Osram Silver Stars. I measured the voltage output at the battery at around 14.3 volts. At the headlight connector it was a hair over 12. Huge drop. I installed the silverstars into the stock system and measure their output with a light meter (I do set lighting work on film and tv in Hollywood). Then I installed the relay kit (plug and play, literraly took less than 20 minutes) and remeasured the output. The difference was with the relays the light output, or lumens if you wish, was more than 30% brighter. If you're going to bother installing high quality light bulbs, you might as well feed them all the voltage they are designed to handle.

I understand the logic of what you're saying, but do you recommend second-guessing the bike engineers who probably took into account the overall electrical load on the bike when doling out which parts get what amount of current? Who's to say that a few more amps to the headlights won't cause that battery to prematurely wear, and is the reason the headlight gets the amount of current it currently gets?

[DLinthe408]

BTW, I bought mine at CAsporttouring for under $29 bucks

Count me in! I got these for my Bandit and it made a world of difference. Highly recommended, especially when our visibility rides on it, day or night.

[Pascalg01]

I've used relays for headlights, auxiliary lights and horns for 25+ years withhout ever suffering negative effects, quite the opposite. The reality is that they lighten the load by reducing current transmission restrictions caused by thin gauge wiring, cheap connectors and miles of wire travelling through wire harnesses.

[DLinthe408]

I've used relays for headlights, auxiliary lights and horns for 25+ years withhout ever suffering negative effects, quite the opposite. The reality is that they lighten the load by reducing current transmission restrictions caused by thin gauge wiring, cheap connectors and miles of wire travelling through wire harnesses.

Wouldn't Ohm's Law indicate that decreasing impedance (thicker gauge wiring) increases current?

My litmus test is: If the mod is better than the way it came from the factory, then why didn't it come from the factory that way?

(I'm not harping on you, I'm just being the DA!)

[djg]

I just had to register to reply to the relay doubter. Go to easternbeaver.com to get the info on relays. They sell very high quality ready made relay harnesses for motorcycles, and have a very good explanation of why you want a headlight relay.

[water warrior]

If the factory did relays and such for max efficiency we would have much more costly bikes with added complexity. The designers do what is necessary to make everything work with a bottom line cost. If it works as is I won't fix it but will use relays for add-ons such as driving lites and horns etc.

[Pascalg01]

Wouldn't Ohm's Law indicate that decreasing impedance (thicker gauge wiring) increases current?

My litmus test is: If the mod is better than the way it came from the factory, then why didn't it come from the factory that way?

(I'm not harping on you, I'm just being the DA!)
Easy answer. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Why does a similar performing BMW cost twice the price?

[afmeyer]

Then I installed the relay kit (plug and play, literraly took less than 20 minutes) and remeasured the output. The difference was with the relays the light output, or lumens if you wish, was more than 30% brighter. If you're going to bother installing high quality light bulbs, you might as well feed them all the voltage they are designed to handle.

There is no doubt that with less resistance in the wires leading to the bulbs, either by using a relay system or heavier wiring all around, the voltage that reaches the bulbs will be higher and thus the bulbs will burn hotter and brighter. But, the question is whether this will shorten the life of the bulbs. What is the design voltage for the bulbs? Are the stock bulbs designed for the voltage arriving with the stock wiring to give a good illumination and good bulb life? You can probably get this info on the manufacturers website. Some of the manufacturers of "brighter bulbs" put in finer filaments to get more light output but the bulbs don't last as long.
So you have to decide whether the stock system is adequate or you need more light but, at an increased cost initially and also by virtue of shorter bulb life.

[barnburner180]

Changing my lightbulbs lead to quite a discussion. Needless to say I am happy with my Silver Stars and stock wiring and going to keep it that way until something happens to it. Then I will look into a better wiring harness, but not right now. I enjoy riding too much.

[Heavy-H]

I am pleased with my stock lights but then I did come from a KLR. Is there a part # for these lights. I just did a night ride though elk country last night and it was like driving my truck. The lights cover quite a path.

[afmeyer]

Q) How long do SilverStar headlights last?
A) The life of any halogen bulb will depend upon your vehicle type and how much you drive. However, all halogen headlights dim over time. That’s why we recommend replacing headlights in pairs about once a year, before they burn out.
SilverStar is a high performance halogen headlight that produces a whiter light that research has shown can improve driver visibility and reaction time. The benefits of increased light output and improved color quality can result in a shorter life for high performance headlights, compared to standard bulbs.



Q) What’s the difference between European and North American SilverStar?
A) The Sylvania North American SilverStar bulbs have a high tech amethyst blue coating to help give the whiter light appearance. The European SilverStar does not have a coating for the whiter light, making it more like the SYLVANIA (US) XtraVision product line. Both bulbs offer greater luminance (increased brightness).

Q) Do you have product specifications on your website?
A) We have updated our product catalog, which provides specifications for all of our products including voltage, amperage, wattage, lumens and etc. Learn more

The stuff above comes from the Sylvania website. To sum it up, the bulbs burn hotter and don't last as long. They use a coating to change the color, which is bs.
At night, I drive slower because of the numerous deer where I live. As a result, I never outdrive the stock headlights. IMO, the "brighter" bulbs are a waste of money. Also, when I clicked on the specs, the server was not found.

[DLinthe408]

Yes, we should definitely end this trivial thread on light bulbs. We should switch over to a more meaningful topic worthy of debate:

Regular air or nitrogen in my tires.

DISCUSS!

[DLinthe408]

Easy answer. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Why does a similar performing BMW cost twice the price?

'Cause it's a Big Money Waste?

[WeThereYet]

Yes, we should definitely end this trivial thread on light bulbs. We should switch over to a more meaningful topic worthy of debate:

Regular air or nitrogen in my tires.

DISCUSS!

Seems like a good time for another oil thread. :twisted:

[DLinthe408]

Seems like a good time for another oil thread. :twisted:

I used Castrol Actevo on my '98 Bandit. I think I'll stick with it for my DL1K?

[MWValley]

The thread is Headlights! Go start another oil thread if you like.

Keep the Silverstars if you like 'em. If you want a better bulb install PIAA 70456 Extreme White Plus H4. Available at a discounted price in a two-pack part number 70856.

Based on my personal testing over the last two years these bulb are significantly superior to the Sylvania product. (And every other bulb I have tried so far.) These PIAA bulbs draw only stock current yet make OEM bulbs look might weak. Don't believe it? Replace just one of your Strom lights and see what you get.

Because of this personal research. I actually get paid to do this by the way...
I now run PIAA headlights in both of my bikes, my wife's car, my son's car, my daughter's car...you get the picture.

If you use any non-OEM style bulb, just be sure it's only drawing stock current, unless you like rolling the wire fire dice, and if it's got a coating on the glass envelope it's probably going to LOSE a fair amount of light to that coating. Many so-called high performance bulbs produce LESS light than an 8 dollar stock bulb.

Ride well illuminated!


MWValley

[Big B]

Keep the Silverstars if you like 'em. If you want a better bulb install PIAA 70456 Extreme White Plus H4. Available at a discounted price in a two-pack part number 70856.


So.....where can I get them. I am VERY pleased with my stockers, but I am always hip to try new things, especially if they might be better.

[boomslanger]

I'm having the dickens of a time trying to price a pair of Osram Silverstar H4's at the moment here in Australia. I have a bid going on eBay Australia for a pair but haven't a clue how high to go and what's a fair price for them.

Please, would it be possible for those who have bought them or who have access to retail prices to post it here so I can do a conversion and get a rough idea, thanks.

Those with access to Australian retail prices would be appreciated even more.

[barnburner180]

I'm having the dickens of a time trying to price a pair of Osram Silverstar H4's at the moment here in Australia. I have a bid going on eBay Australia for a pair but haven't a clue how high to go and what's a fair price for them.

Please, would it be possible for those who have bought them or who have access to retail prices to post it here so I can do a conversion and get a rough idea, thanks.

Those with access to Australian retail prices would be appreciated even more.

I bought a pair (2) for $29.99 US dollars, but this was on sale. They normally run about $50 for a pair.

[boomslanger]

Thanks, that sounds good. The US is normally cheaper in hardware than us (much bigger market) and so far have a bid of US$25.00 for a pair including US$5.00 postage. It has held for a day with two days left of bidding.

I was planning to go no higher than US$30 but might now up that to $40.00.

[Wayne]

Got my H4's. To answer your question installation is easy.
Pull plug off lamp inside your fairing? (Why do they call it a fairing?)
Remove rubber gasket.
Unclip the clip that holds the lamp in.
Pull lamp out.
Install new. Don't touch!
Make sure lamp is in like the others were.
Replace clip.
Replace rubber gasket. Make sure they seat correctly.
Replace plug.
Go for a ride!

ICBIRAR
ISYHTRAH

[PeteW]

Philips +50's, or in Oz, Narva +50's (same thing but less $$$) are about as good as it gets for a reasonable price. Don't get me wrong there are better bulbs, but the cost starts getting up there and it's probably not worth it. Avoid the clever tinted bulbs - they don't help.

With the +50's I'm slightly beyond the "sane amount of light" point, on windy roads I keep mistaking roadside reflectors for car brake or head lights and the roo's just "duck and cover" rather than running around. (Excellent).

Changing is easy, it's a good idea to wear disposable gloves, sweat on the glass can weaken it and make it crack under temperature cycling.

Unlock the ignition, move the steering to one side, reach in the other side, change bulb, swing steering to the other side - do the remaining bulb. Very easy compared with most bikes.

And FWIW, it pays to make sure the lights are aligned, they are so bright that you ARE blinding oncoming drivers unless you do that.

Cheers
Pete

[boomslanger]

OK things have progressed and I wish I could withdraw my eBay bid.

Whilst researching I came across the Repco website. It turns out Repco are agents for Osram (and Narva). Even though I live in a small country town we have a Repco dealer, so I dropped in this morning and not only did he have tons of Narva +50's for around 5 bucks each ($3.95 US) but had one Osram Silverstar H4 for $8.50 ($6.70 US). He's now ordered a whole bunch and will have then in stock early next week.

So if a small country dealer can sell them for $8.50 I wouldn't be paying more than that anywhere.

[barnburner180]

Just shows, it pays to shop around.