headlight bulb

[deblack]

own a suzuki c50, want to change the headlight bulb to a brighter one with a blue tint. i also want to install a 12v adaptor for my gps. would appreciate some advise. dwight

[peter-reebok]

I have an M50, and one of the first things I did was replace the globe with a brighter bulb. About 300% brighter.
They are a std H4 globe, so $20 will buy you 2, and now you have a spare.
On longer rides, I always take a spare headlight globe - because if you don't........


It takes about 1 minute to do. Just don't touch the globe with oily fingers, or it will die in days.

There is a spare 12v supply under the seat, and can be tapped into, or connected easily. I leave the GPS in the rear bag, and it bluetooths to my ears (speakers) with directions.

[raycogxxx]

Found this in the May Metric Road Bike mag:

Powerlet :: Kits

[deblack]

thanks for the advise on the headlight, but i was hoping to get the 12v adaptor close to the handle bars.dwight

[deblack]

thanks for the info on the 12v power supply to the handle bars. i think ill order me one of them.thanks again.

[dcstrng]

Can’t help you with the GPS (I can barely read a paper map, let alone one of those digital techno-gizmos), but if you’re running an H4 bulb (I assume that’s the same as “globe”) you’ll find a pretty good selection in JCWhitney – look in their online auto catalog, rather than the motorcycle one – the auto one offers more choices... I’ve tried just about all the popular bulbs at one point or another (PIAA, Sylvania, whatever...) and find that the JCWhitney generics give as good a service as any – I do a lot of night running – probably 50-60% of my riding -- and run blue tint (called Xenon Blue), but I’m not sure it does anything special...

If you’re planning to run higher-wattage (not sure what’s legal in your country), watch the wiring... some bikes will eventually begin to melt the socket (and wiring) with sustained use above 90 watts... On both my Kawasaki and Harley I’ve gone to a hi-temp socket because after about 25K miles the stockers were beginning to cave in... You can find these sockets online, and I see JCWhitney has started carrying `em as well...

Two additional things – watch your alternator output... Don’t plan on your total sustained draw being more than about 65-75% of the total wattage available, especially if your usual nighttime run isn’t at highway RPMs... if your scoot is wattage challenged (like in my older Harley), then you might consider something like a 100/55 bulb – standard low-beam wattage, but a pretty aggressive high-beam when you want it... on my Nomad I run a 100/90 bulb because the alternator has more reserve – this is keeping in mind I like plenty of reserve because I also want to run twin 55-H3 spots for longer periods without caving in the battery... And last point – if your headlight reflector is not glass or metal, I’d not go above 100 watts, ever... others have found that some of those pricey custom reflectors will not tolerate too much above the standard 65/55 bulbs without starting to melt the reflector, so I’d check to see what your stocker is...

Final tid-bit, if you’re thinking about serious wattages, then I’d also consider a relay to handle `em... the standard 10amp headlight fuse should be fine for most upgrades, but if you’ve got auxiliary lights (especially spotlights) wired in, then I’d purchase an inexpensive 300watt relay and just use the headlights to trigger the auxiliaries through the relay...

(I’m no electrician, and this is probably more than you wanted to know, but these are easy to do – and keep things from getting dark on long runs after midnight in the rain... did ya ever notice headlights don’t burn out in the afternoon...???)

[deblack]

thanks for the info.