Bulb upgrades - Philips/Osram - any good?
Discussion
Bulbs, eh? Are they worth upgrading?
I've seen that Philips and Osram do brighter bulbs with “Vibration Resistant” technology for bikes. Marketing hype or useful? Has anyone tried 'em?
Osram Night Racer 110 bulbs seem pricier than Philips, but are made in Germany. I can't see where the Philips X-treme Vision Moto are made.
I've seen that Philips and Osram do brighter bulbs with “Vibration Resistant” technology for bikes. Marketing hype or useful? Has anyone tried 'em?
Osram Night Racer 110 bulbs seem pricier than Philips, but are made in Germany. I can't see where the Philips X-treme Vision Moto are made.
qska said:
obscene said:
The Osram Nightbreaker bulbs made a significant different from the standard bulbs on my hornet. Highly recommend them.
+1I tried the H7 in my Mondeo, it was worth it
I've only ridden in the dark a couple of times and frankly I could see st. Might be worth asking Mr OCD what he uses. He followed me a couple of years ago and I could see more off the lights from his bike than from my own.
black-k1 said:
Just fit and HID. Miles better than anything in the conventional bulb line and probably cheaper than the ones being suggested.
Ignore the doom mongers, ensure your light is aligned correctly and enjoy being able to see in the dark like never before.
This. Ignore the doom mongers, ensure your light is aligned correctly and enjoy being able to see in the dark like never before.
www.hids4u.co.uk. Got a 2 x HID kits (low and high beam) for about £60 and it's a plug and play system which took about 90 mins to fit by the time you've taken panels off and worked out how to secure the ballasts). Apparently no issue with this on MoT
theshrew said:
Never changed a bulb on a bike yet but I've fitted these in cars in the past. There not cheap but definitely worth the extra.
I've only ridden in the dark a couple of times and frankly I could see st. Might be worth asking Mr OCD what he uses. He followed me a couple of years ago and I could see more off the lights from his bike than from my own.
OSRAM Nightbreakers I've only ridden in the dark a couple of times and frankly I could see st. Might be worth asking Mr OCD what he uses. He followed me a couple of years ago and I could see more off the lights from his bike than from my own.
I put some Phillips Racing Vision in the sheddy focus... They lasted October to January, and didn't get used everyday.
Stupidly i bought another set after the lhs one went thinking I'd got a duff one, but the other side went a couple of days later.
Put the original motor craft ones in, they're still going strong and I'm pretty sure they're the originals, on a y-reg! We've had the car 6 years and never changed them.
Stupidly i bought another set after the lhs one went thinking I'd got a duff one, but the other side went a couple of days later.
Put the original motor craft ones in, they're still going strong and I'm pretty sure they're the originals, on a y-reg! We've had the car 6 years and never changed them.
tom_e said:
LEDs no messing about with ballasts and different bulb holders, they just drop straight into your lamp
Which LEDs would you recommend? Any particular brands? And what happens at MOT time?Dave. said:
I put some Phillips Racing Vision in the sheddy focus... They lasted October to January, and didn't get used everyday.
Those are car bulbs Philips themselves say they won't last on a bike or truck, because vibration causes headlight failure. Maybe the Focus vibrated like a truck Motorbikists like us are supposed to use Philips' Xtreme Vision Moto or Osram's Night Racer 110. Osram has a groovy video about it on YouTube, so it must be true
anonymous said:
[redacted]
black-k1 said:
Just fit and HID. Miles better than anything in the conventional bulb line and probably cheaper than the ones being suggested.
Ignore the doom mongers, ensure your light is aligned correctly and enjoy being able to see in the dark like never before.
This. Ignore the doom mongers, ensure your light is aligned correctly and enjoy being able to see in the dark like never before.
www.hids4u.co.uk. Got a 2 x HID kits (low and high beam) for about £60 and it's a plug and play system which took about 90 mins to fit by the time you've taken panels off and worked out how to secure the ballasts). Apparently no issue with this on MoT
You might not notice it but there will be others that definitely do. Want HIDs / LED ? Buy a vehicle with them factory fitted / an enclosure / projector / reflector designed for it.
My bikes have passed a number of MoTs with HIDs fitted with not even as much as an advisory.
There are no bikes with factory fitted HIDs so there is no option to buy one!
The fact is most people are unaware that their bike headlight alignment can be adjusted let alone know how to do it. Badly aligned headlights have been causing dazzle to other road users since electric vehicle lights were introduced and is not a feature of HID kits. Fit an HID unit designed for reflector lenses, carefully check the beam alignment and away you go.
High output bulbs are ok - they're definitely whiter than normal bulbs and a bit brighter...but they're not that amazing.
I've tried HID bulbs, but they just swamp the standard projector and send light out all over the place giving a nasty beam pattern.
No - if you want to do it properly, fit a projector unit with a HID bulb. Best thing I've done to my Blackbird. The sharp cutoff also makes a great lean angle indicator!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I've tried HID bulbs, but they just swamp the standard projector and send light out all over the place giving a nasty beam pattern.
No - if you want to do it properly, fit a projector unit with a HID bulb. Best thing I've done to my Blackbird. The sharp cutoff also makes a great lean angle indicator!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
black-k1 said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
black-k1 said:
Just fit and HID. Miles better than anything in the conventional bulb line and probably cheaper than the ones being suggested.
Ignore the doom mongers, ensure your light is aligned correctly and enjoy being able to see in the dark like never before.
This. Ignore the doom mongers, ensure your light is aligned correctly and enjoy being able to see in the dark like never before.
www.hids4u.co.uk. Got a 2 x HID kits (low and high beam) for about £60 and it's a plug and play system which took about 90 mins to fit by the time you've taken panels off and worked out how to secure the ballasts). Apparently no issue with this on MoT
You might not notice it but there will be others that definitely do. Want HIDs / LED ? Buy a vehicle with them factory fitted / an enclosure / projector / reflector designed for it.
Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
High output bulbs are ok - they're definitely whiter than normal bulbs and a bit brighter...but they're not that amazing.
I've tried HID bulbs, but they just swamp the standard projector and send light out all over the place giving a nasty beam pattern.
No - if you want to do it properly, fit a projector unit with a HID bulb. Best thing I've done to my Blackbird. The sharp cutoff also makes a great lean angle indicator!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Any suggestion where to get the projector front end piece from. Looks great in your project.I've tried HID bulbs, but they just swamp the standard projector and send light out all over the place giving a nasty beam pattern.
No - if you want to do it properly, fit a projector unit with a HID bulb. Best thing I've done to my Blackbird. The sharp cutoff also makes a great lean angle indicator!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
SVS said:
Dave. said:
I put some Phillips Racing Vision in the sheddy focus... They lasted October to January, and didn't get used everyday.
Those are car bulbs Philips themselves say they won't last on a bike or truck, because vibration causes headlight failure. Maybe the Focus vibrated like a truck Motorbikists like us are supposed to use Philips' Xtreme Vision Moto or Osram's Night Racer 110. Osram has a groovy video about it on YouTube, so it must be true
mgv8 said:
Other options are brighter but take more than just swapping bulb and are not allowed in some countries.
What about these Philips LED H7 bulbs that are apparently E-marked for road use? (Not cheap, mind you.)E36GUY said:
Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
High output bulbs are ok - they're definitely whiter than normal bulbs and a bit brighter...but they're not that amazing.
I've tried HID bulbs, but they just swamp the standard projector and send light out all over the place giving a nasty beam pattern.
No - if you want to do it properly, fit a projector unit with a HID bulb. Best thing I've done to my Blackbird. The sharp cutoff also makes a great lean angle indicator!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Any suggestion where to get the projector front end piece from. Looks great in your project.I've tried HID bulbs, but they just swamp the standard projector and send light out all over the place giving a nasty beam pattern.
No - if you want to do it properly, fit a projector unit with a HID bulb. Best thing I've done to my Blackbird. The sharp cutoff also makes a great lean angle indicator!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
They're around ten quid - I'm surprised we don't see more bikes with this mod to be honest. It's one of the most simple mods you can do and the results are amazing.
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