High-beam out, replace bulb? Model?

[goldfox]

When I turn on my high-beam, I get the blue light on the dash, but the light turns off completely. Low-beams work perfect. I just wanted to check here whether that's the bulb that needs replacing, or something else.

The replacement procedure is easy enough, but I was curious what bulb model(s) I can use to replace it. I assume I can pick up something fairly common from the auto parts store?

[Snake]

It uses an H4 bulb, which has 2 filaments; one for low, one for high. It only runs one filament at a time, either low or high. So basically, your high beam filament is burnt out. It can be found at any auto parts store.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by goldfox

......... The replacement procedure is easy enough, but I was curious what bulb model(s) I can use to replace it. I assume I can pick up something fairly common from the auto parts store?

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/What_ab..._headlights%3F

[goldfox]

Thanks, Snake & Motofool!

I went and bought a standard Sylvania Silverstar Ultra 9003/H4. I decided to spring for the Ultra model, in hopes that it'll be a bit brighter than the bulb that came with the bike when I got it from a third party. I'll get it installed and test out the visibility with it tonight!

[Motofool]

You are welcome

[Ghostt]

Good call on the ultra silver star, you'll be very happy, also take the time to properly aim the headlight to optimize it.

[goldfox]

Loved the new bulb, while it worked...

It's been exactly one month (and only 150 miles), and the high beam is out again (low beam still working) on the brand new bulb. Is there a reason this could happen?

[Ghostt]

A number of reasons, bad bulb, did you touch the bulb, bad connections, excessive vibration.

[goldfox]

I definitely know I didn't touch the bulb, but it seems like there wouldn't be any more vibrations than there were previously. Wouldn't the low beam go out as well if it were vibrations causing the filament to fail? Is there any tests I should run before installing another bulb? I'd hate to just waste another one for a few miles of high beams.

[Ghostt]

You can check the connector at the bulb, also check the grounds, and the hi/lo switch, your looking for either a bad connection, or corrosion.

I assume you purchased a Sylvania ultra silver star, be warned they don't last as long as regular halogen bulbs,


From Sylvania website, https://www.sylvania.com/en-us/innov...ages/FAQs.aspx

Q) How long do the headlights last?

A) The life of any halogen bulb varies based on vehicle type, vehicle voltage, amount of time the bulb is on, road conditions, proper installation, and correct application. The average life of SilverStar® headlights is approximately one year. With our SYLVANIA SilverStar® products, the primary goal is to offer the brightest, whitest light. Research has shown SilverStar® headlights improve driver visibility and reaction time. However, since our SilverStar® headlights are up to 35% brighter and our SilverStar® ULTRA headlights are up to 50% brighter than standard halogen, they may have a shorter life span compared to our other products. We offer a wide variety of products to satisfy customer needs including brightness, durability, color options and increased visibility. We recommend evaluating your headlights annually as part of your regular vehicle maintenance.

Another interesting article from consumer reports,
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/m...ulbs/index.htm

Another option is going LED, or HID, but no matter what you choose, you'll still be limited to the OEM fluted lens, and reflector of the headlight.

A much brighter bulb like an HID will not be nice and crisp compared to one in a projector setup, but will offer much better light then a halogen bulb, but it will bleed so to speak of the light.

I have HID DDM TUNING 55watt/5k H4 hi/lo set up, it's extremely bright, and it lights up the road, and once it's aimed correctly I've had no issues with oncoming traffic.

[rubber side down]

That light should last much longer than that, like years upon years.

Has the wiring been hacked or modified?? Is your high low switch not working properly causing it issues.

I don't believe vibration unless something about the mount has been modified.

Although rereading your post, some of the problem could be the bulb itself. Sylvania brand regardless of weather its in your bike or house is junk. just my take on Sylvania brand. I do realize that they have a large market in the lighting sections but there are other better brands.

[goldfox]

No modifications of any kind to the electrical system aside from moving the turn signals to the tail light pods (I used the original hardware and wiring, though).

I do not have a way to test voltage currently, though that might be a good thing to check out at some point. I don't think there is a problem with the hi/lo switch, but I wouldn't know what to look for aside from obvious damage to the switch or wiring - neither of which I can tell by looking at it.

What brand do you suggest?

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by goldfox

No modifications of any kind to the electrical system aside from moving the turn signals to the tail light pods (I used the original hardware and wiring, though).

I do not have a way to test voltage currently, though that might be a good thing to check out at some point. I don't think there is a problem with the hi/lo switch, but I wouldn't know what to look for aside from obvious damage to the switch or wiring - neither of which I can tell by looking at it.

What brand do you suggest?

You are looking of corrosion, it should appear green in color, and/or white.

Odds are you might just got a bad bulb, try another one and see, also buy it from Wal-Mart, they exchange anything!!

[goldfox]

Ah, I did get this one at Walmart, but I'll be damned if I have my receipt. It's also been ~30 days. I'm not sure what their exchange window is off hand.

As for any corrosion, rust, or discoloration, I don't have any of that visible, which is a good thing.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by goldfox

.......... I do not have a way to test voltage currently.........

Without that, you can only guess:

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-funct...ter-98025.html

If the voltage regulator is defective, bulbs will get burned more frequently.

High voltage and vibrations are the enemies of incandescent filaments.

[goldfox]

There's no corrosion or anything like that on the connections that I could tell by looking at everything at the battery, regulator/rectifier, and headlight connecter.

I went and bought a GE multimeter at the local Walmart, and took readings. I'm not 100% sure what's necessary to measure and what's not. I did do some looking around online and chose to test the battery off the posts, the stator leads and regulator output, as well as the posts at the headlight socket.

I think everything is pretty normal, though the power for the highbeam is lower than the lowbeam by a small amount.

I bought a new bulb. It's still a Sylvania, but just the cheapest model. I figure it's cheaper to replace if it dies as well. I didn't install it yet, though - I wanted to run the numbers here by you guys to see if I missed anything important.

Battery:
With the engine off (24hrs downtime), 12.90v
Key on, engine still off, 12.55v
Engine on, choke on, 3k RPM, low beam on, 14.75v
Engine on, choke off, 1.2k RPM, low beam on, 13.09-13.26v
Engine on, choke off, 6k RPM, low beam on, 13.98-14.50v

Stator Resistance:
All 3 wires read as 1.20 (I read that anything under 2.0 was fine)

Regulator/Rectifier:
Wire 1 (not sure which is which, this one is brown) 12.00-12.40v
Wire 2 (red) 12.2-14.3v

Headlight connection (numbers stayed the same with higher RPMs):
Lowbeam on: lowbeam wire, 14.1-14.3v - highbeam wire, 0.02v
Highbeam on: lowbeam wire, 0.00v - highbeam wire, 13.85-14.01v

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by goldfox

..........
Engine on, choke off, 6k RPM, low beam on, 13.98-14.50v

For a pre-gen, that reading should be between 13.5v and 13.8v.

At idle rpm's, the max reading should be 14.7v.

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/How_doe...system_work%3F

I would wait and see how long the new bulb lasts.

[goldfox]

So a little high on the battery terminals, but elsewhere, it seems to be under the maximum? Perhaps a sign of the regulator beginning to fail?

I went and tossed the new bulb in and put it back together. It's working, for now. We'll see if it dies quickly like the other one, though.

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by goldfox

So a little high on the battery terminals, but elsewhere, it seems to be under the maximum? Perhaps a sign of the regulator beginning to fail?

I went and tossed the new bulb in and put it back together. It's working, for now. We'll see if it dies quickly like the other one, though.

The R/R of this kind are old school, if they fail they usually just go all at once, which causes the main fuse 30A to blow.

[goldfox]

I'll keep my fingers crossed. I did check the fuses again, and none of them are blown (I'm sure I would have known if it were, but sanity checks aren't bad)

[Ghostt]

Originally Posted by goldfox

I'll keep my fingers crossed. I did check the fuses again, and none of them are blown (I'm sure I would have known if it were, but sanity checks aren't bad)

If the main fuse blows, nothing works, it's the one on top of the starter solenoid..

If the R/R ever dies, upgrade to a mosfet R/R

I've done this many times, always with excellent results.

Full write-up,

Who wants to see a MOSFET R/R upgrade?

[InvisiBill]

Originally Posted by goldfox

Regulator/Rectifier:
Wire 1 (not sure which is which, this one is brown) 12.00-12.40v
Wire 2 (red) 12.2-14.3v

FYI, the brown wire is what the R/R uses to detect the bike's voltage. The red wire (the wiring diagram shows it as white?) is the output of the R/R to the bike.

[goldfox]

Well, it's been a month since I installed the cheap model headlight, and it's still working fine. Maybe it just hates high performance bulbs? Strange.