Yamaha Starbike Forum banner

Headlight mod?

6K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  BP03 
#1 ·

I was coming home in the dark and rain and found that the stock headlight was not doing the job. Can I upgrade to a XENON type light? They are very popular in Mexico for cars but have never seen a bike with one. They are and extremly white light that might help in th rain and dark.
 
#2 ·
Some thoughts

I see people talking about the Slyvania Silvestar bulbs. I tried them years ago when they first came out, wasn't really impressed. I see other say they are a big improvement.

I adjusted my low beam so the top of the spot was just about to come off the ground. To get it out as far as I could with out being in peoples eyes. Then installed passing lamps. The two thirty Watt bulbs made me just about equal to a car's two head lights. I adjusted the passing lamps to be maybe a little higher than the low beams but not as high as the high beam. The passing lamps also light up the side of the road a little better.

Dave
 
#4 ·
you can use whatever bulb you want as long as the wattage is the same. you don't have to go with xenon to get brighter light. i have a PIAA halogen Xtreme white bulb. the first mod i ever did on my bike. it made a big difference. a lot brighter than stock. i highly recommend it, or any of the PIAA replacement bulbs.
 
#5 ·
Pass on the silverstars, they suck. I got a set for my bike, like an idiot, and regret it again. I always bought them for my cars, because I thought HIDs were too complicated to install.......Well they really arn't lol.

The only reason im not running an HID set up on my bike is because Im not too familiar with the wiring yet...That will be another winter project, lol
 
#6 ·
Take a look at Kuryakyn's 7" Diamond Cut Ice lens. They have 3 different cuts. You still run your OEM bulb but it reflects the light much better. About $60. Great reviews.
I'm hoping Mrs. Clause will be good to me.
 
#7 ·
AS always you guys have given me lots of good info. I will let you know what I am going to do. The rainy season is really gone now and I don´t ride at night because of the lighting. I will choose some method to mod the bike and then get pics and all on the foum.
Thanks everyone.
 
#8 ·
I put this on almost every motorcycle i have ever owned. 55 watt low beam is stock wattage so going through town/passing is stock but when you go to high beam your not much shy of double the power. I also have passing lamps and i have those set of to come on with the highbeams and put 55 watt bulbs in them. When i flip the switch it's 210 watts of power. More than tripple stock light bulb and i still within the output of the generator safely. My dealer said stock generator output at cruising speeds is 275 watts


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hella-H8314...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item5ae39e05d2
 
#10 ·
Federal DOT requires that road/fog lamps go OFF when high beams come on. That's why when you have the additional lighting from the factory they only come on with the low beams (cars, trucks & motorcycles).

As for your 210 watts of power being within the 275 watt output of the charging system my question is what about all the other accessories that are on such as the tail/running lights, stop light, speedometer light, engine running requirements, etc? Just adding passing lamps will put you at or near border line with the charging system without adding additional load. Installing LED lamps in all the other positions can give you more leeway but when using the directionals the load balancers (resisters) will kick in making the usage the same as incadescent bulbs. Not to mention the heat generated within the headlight housing and the probably undersized wiring. Just sayin.


:)
 
#9 ·
Heat

I bought a higher power bulb a few years back when I had a V Star. I was afraid the heat would damage the light so I never installed it. There's a lot of heat in a 100 Watt bulb. Heck there's a lot of heat from a 55 Watt bulb. I went with passing lamps instead.

Dave
 
#11 ·
Whatever bulb you choose bring a spare. Brighter and much brighter light is a trade off for shorter lifespan in most all bulbs which is fine, just remember to have a spare with you.
Your stock bulb will always shine longer at the expense of not being as bright.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Interesting topic. I was doing some reseach for my old corvette and was refered to this site. Provides lots of education on the science of lighting which helps to make an informed decision. It's written for car lighting but may provide some insight that can carry over to motorcycles as well.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/
 
#15 ·
I just ordered a HID kit for my V-STAR.......got mine from ddmtuning, as thats where I have the 4 sets that I have on my car...

I got the hi/lo kit..Installation looks easy, for the bulb it's just plug and play into the existing setup....Then you have to run two wires under the fuel tank and along the frame, to the battery, not a huge deal to do...Everything should fit inside the 7 inch headlamp...Stepdad has a 5.75 headlamp, Not sure if it would all fit..

If you get just a lowbeam kit, im pretty sure you don't have to do the wiring to the battery, not positive though.

Not sure when it will get here...Haven't found any info on HID installation on a v-star, so I will document the process and post it up.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top