Has anyone tried to put a high beam bulb in

[divingtigger]

I was looking at my bulbs yesterday noticing that they look alot like car bulbs. Wondering if anyone has found a true high beam bulb that will fit into the head light, that way when you turn on your high beams you actually get high beams instead of 2 low beams

[camaroz1985]

Its all in the reflector shape. There is no actual difference in bulbs. There is no "true high beam" bulb.

[Ken08Ninja]

You don't have two low beams the high beam side reflector aims the light higher.
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[g21-30]

Also, we don't have the additional circuit required to power the 2nd filament in either or both bulbs.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by g21-30

Also, we don't have the additional circuit required to power the 2nd filament in either or both bulbs.

To be perfectly clear about this, there IS NO second filament in the bulb, and it would AFAIK be impossible to plug that bulb in anyway because the connector is different (I think).

As was stated, there is no such thing as a "true" high beam bulb.

We have two identical bulbs, both with one filament. You want more light out of the high beam, you need to get HIDs or additional driving lights. (WebBikeWorld just did a review of some pretty impressive LED driving lights.)

If you buy the jive about "better" bulbs you can try those, too. I tried Silverstars in my car and burned two out in the space of two months. Never again. Just not worth it.

I do have a special bulb in my low beam... Philips Motovision. But not to get "more" light, even though they claim to provide it. I like it because it has orange highlights that make it stand out and grab attention better. Anything that makes the cagers notice me is a good thing.

[g21-30]

I should have said "our bulbs do not have 2 filaments, much less the additional circuit to power said second filaments."

Dual Filament bulbs are available, if one wishes to convert.

Dual-beam reflector headlamps

Night driving is difficult and dangerous due to the blinding glare of headlights from oncoming traffic. Headlamps that satisfactorily illuminate the road ahead without causing glare have long been sought. The first solutions involved resistance-type dimming circuits, which decreased the intensity of the headlamps. This yielded to tilting reflectors, and later to dual-filament bulbs with a high and a low beam.

In a two-filament headlamp, there can only be one filament exactly at the focal point of the reflector. There are two primary means of producing two different beams from a two-filament bulb in a single reflector.

American system

One filament is located at the focal point of the reflector. The other filament is shifted axially and radially away from the focal point. In most 2-filament sealed beams and in 2-filament replaceable bulbs type 9004, 9007 and H13, the high beam filament is at the focal point and the low beam filament is off focus. For use in right-traffic countries, the low beam filament is positioned slightly upward, forward and leftward of the focal point, so that when it is energised, the light beam is widened and shifted slightly downward and rightward of the headlamp's axis. Transverse-filament bulbs such as 9004 can only be used with the filaments horizontal, but axial-filament bulbs can be rotated or "clocked" by the headlamp designer so as to optimise the beam pattern or to effect the traffic-handedness of the low beam. The latter is accomplished by clocking the low-beam filament in an upward-forward-leftward position to produce a right-traffic low beam, or in an upward-forward-rightward position to produce a left-traffic low beam.

The opposite tactic has also been employed in certain 2-filament sealed beams. Placing the low beam filament at the focal point to maximise light collection by the reflector, and positioning the high beam filament slightly rearward-rightward-downward of the focal point. The relative directional shift between the two beams is the same with either technique—in a right-traffic country, the low beam is slightly downward-rightward and the high beam is slightly upward-leftward, relative to one another—but the lens optics must be matched to the filament placements selected.

European system

The traditional European method of achieving low and high beam from a single bulb involves two filaments along the axis of the reflector. The high beam filament is on the focal point, while the low beam filament is approximately 1 cm forward of the focal point and 3 mm above the axis. Below the low beam filament is a cup-shaped shield (called a "Graves Shield") spanning an arc of 165°. When the low beam filament is illuminated, this shield casts a shadow on the corresponding lower area of the reflector, blocking downward light rays that would otherwise strike the reflector and be cast above the horizon. The bulb is rotated (or "clocked") within the headlamp to position the Graves Shield so as to allow light to strike a 15° wedge of the lower half of the reflector. This is used to create the upsweep or upstep characteristic of ECE low beam light distributions. The bulb's rotative position within the reflector depends on the type of beam pattern to be produced and the traffic directionality of the market for which the headlamp is intended.

This system was first used with the tungsten incandescent Bilux/Duplo R2 bulb of 1954, and later with the halogen H4 bulb of 1971. In 1992, U.S. regulations were amended to permit the use of H4 bulbs redesignated HB2 and 9003, and with slightly different production tolerances stipulated. These are physically and electrically interchangeable with H4 bulbs. Similar optical techniques are used, but with different reflector and/or lens optics to create a US beam pattern rather than a European one.

Each system has its advantages and disadvantages. The American system historically permitted a greater overall amount of light within the low beam, since the entire reflector and lens area is used, but at the same time, the American system has traditionally offered much less control over upward light that causes glare, and for that reason has been largely rejected outside the US. In addition, the American system makes it difficult to create markedly different low and high beam light distributions. The high beam is usually a rough copy of the low beam, shifted slightly upward and leftward. The European system traditionally produced low beams containing less overall light, because only 60% of the reflector's surface area is used to create the low beam. However, low beam focus and glare control are easier to achieve. In addition, the lower 40% of the reflector and lens are reserved for high beam formation, which facilitates the optimisation of both low and high beams.

Recent developments

Complex-reflector technology in combination with new bulb designs such as H13 is enabling the creation of European-type low and high beam patterns without the use of a Graves Shield, while the 1992 US approval of the H4 bulb has made traditionally European 60% / 40% optical area divisions for low and high beam common in the US. Therefore, the difference in active optical area and overall beam light content no longer necessarily exists between US and ECE beams. Dual-beam HID headlamps employing reflector technology have been made using adaptations of both techniques.

In this system a filament is located at one focus of an ellipsoidal reflector and has a condenser lens at the front of the lamp. A shade is located at the image plane, between the reflector and lens, and the projection of the top edge of this shade provides the low-beam cutoff. The shape of the shade edge, and its exact position in the optical system, determines the shape and sharpness of the cutoff. The shade may have a solenoid actuated pivot to provide both low and high beam — the shade is removed from the light path to create high beam, and placed in the light path to create low beam, and such optics are known as BiXenon or BiHalogen projectors, depending on the light source used. If there is no such arrangement, the cutoff shade is fixed in the light path, in which case separate high-beam lamps are required. The condenser lens may have slight fresnel rings or other surface treatments to reduce cutoff sharpness. Recent condenser lenses incorporate optical features specifically designed to direct some light upward towards the locations of retroreflective overhead road signs..............

[kkim]

Originally Posted by g21-30

Dual Filament bulbs are available, if one wishes to convert.

why?

[karlosdajackal]

Originally Posted by kkim

why?

You could have both lights on with a normal beam then when you switch on high beam the 2nd part of each light in each housing would come on. So you had 2 dip and high beam bulbs.

My Peugeot took those dual filament H4's just because the designers wanted to keep the headlight assemblies small. Which meant changing bulbs was a pain. But otherwise they worked quite well. Would solve the odd headlight problem and also give you some redundancy against a bulb failure. If one dip/full beam failed you'd still have the other one to get you home

The headlight assembly is a running light on the outside corner, the H4 with main and dip beam, indicator on the inside.


...
Think the ninja uses a h7 as does my newer car, which is a single and a lot shorter, when I get home I can take a pic of a H7 and H4 beside each other if you like so you can get an idea of the sizes involved. Still might not work with the reflector housing but could be worth a shot.

[divingtigger]

Oh Ok. What I was talking about was that both bulbs have that little painted section on the tip of the bulb. On most automotive bulbs the low beam has the blacked out tip and the high beam doesn't (yes I know there are other differences as well), Good to know that one is aimed higher, I wasn't really carefull when I plugged the wires in so not sure which one is coming on for low beam....gonna have to check that out when I get home

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by karlosdajackal

Would solve the odd headlight problem and also give you some redundancy against a bulb failure. If one dip/full beam failed you'd still have the other one to get you home

What "odd headlight problem?" Having one light off-center is not what I'd call a problem, more of an aesthetic preference.

And we already have redundancy. You lose one bulb, you can either get off the bike and swap the other one over to the low-beam side or just head home using your high beam the way lazy cagers do when they lose a headlight.

[Momaru]

The light housing on the rider's left is the 'low' and the one on the right is the 'high'

FWIW, I'm considering/working up the nerve to do a bi-xenon HID w/ projector retrofit that would make both bulbs hi/low capable, but it's gonna essentially require a custom wiring harness, in addition to all the work on the headlight itself. Hence why I haven't gotten around to it just yet.

[divingtigger]

Found a set of h7 bulbs on ebag for .50 cents and $6 for shipping might pick them up and try to see if they'll fit

[Momaru]

They should, H7 is the stock bulb size

[karlosdajackal]

Originally Posted by adouglas

What "odd headlight problem?" Having one light off-center is not what I'd call a problem, more of an aesthetic preference.

And we already have redundancy. You lose one bulb, you can either get off the bike and swap the other one over to the low-beam side or just head home using your high beam the way lazy cagers do when they lose a headlight.

Both those solutions have flaws, one requires you to stop, and I know a lot of country roads where you don't really want to be stopping to mess around with your headlights and you are still down one of your lights afterward. Leaving high beam on blinds the cagers and pisses them off which is not good either. Might work on a grid system going from junction to junction, or on a freeway with a hard shoulder to stop on, but normal roads???

So you can avoid these issues and have a more aesthetically pleasing look. Some countries outside the USA drive on the other side, so the headlight reflector will have to be different on those bikes, to accommodate that. Definitely having the light face the opposite side, but probably having the dip/high on different sides also. So if you got one of each, cut both in half and put them together again....... well there are a lot of possibilities but a 2 dip reflector would seem to be the way to go then add the longer H4 bulb and your starting to approach a workable system!

Combined lights look good and work well, if you want to see a nice example, check out your brake light assembly

[tapdiggy]

08+ bikes have the same wattage for both headlight bulbs. Any higher-output bulb would not get the little extra juice needed to be more effective than the standard bulbs. So, HIDs or integrate a pre-gen electrical system

[Sailariel]

I have found that the H-7 bulbs in the stock Kawa work well for me. I have added auxiliary lights (Optronics available through J.C Whitney--Part#CCL490430--$24.95) They mount easily on the lower fender brace bolt. You need to get a longer bolt and use some washers to get even with the fender. The last washer is a rubber one. The lights come complete with a switch and wiring. They spread out the beam wide and low and look quite nice. (A pair is shown in my avatar--I have since relocated them to the fender brace--aesthetically nicer and much more efficient)

[ScorpionNinja]

Originally Posted by Sailariel

I have found that the H-7 bulbs in the stock Kawa work well for me. I have added auxiliary lights (Optronics available through J.C Whitney--Part#CCL490430--$24.95) They mount easily on the lower fender brace bolt. You need to get a longer bolt and use some washers to get even with the fender. The last washer is a rubber one. The lights come complete with a switch and wiring. They spread out the beam wide and low and look quite nice. (A pair is shown in my avatar--I have since relocated them to the fender brace--aesthetically nicer and much more efficient)

Hey could you take afew New current Pics of your bike w/ those lights on? Maybe day and night (driveway parked) ones?

Im looking into getting a HID kit, and do both High/Low beams into HIDs, also if possible, a plug and play "running/fog lights" (like in your avatar)