Like the title says ....took my first night ride on this bike tonight....and OMG I can't see a damn thing. The stock low beam is terrible. I know there have been a few LED threads on here but I can't afford no $300+ for a headlight...aftermarket auxiliary lights are also too expensive...I'm think of buying these two items:
This is an issue that I clearly don't understand, I have been riding my 2007 1200C home from the Richmond County Fair in Warsaw, Va each night in the dark. It is a distance of 31 miles and my headlight is far better than any cagers lights that I meet, follow or lead on that trip. The light reflecting off of signs along the road is nearly blinding. What's up with the huge difference in perspective.
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Rider of Harley 125 Hummer in 1952 at age 10.
Install a true HID and you'll never go back to a bulb.
I have one of these on my '09 Iron and it's awesome. It requires a little work to get it on, and to hide the wires. I had to remove the stock bulb guard that's inside the housing, that brass looking thing. If your capable of more then just plug and play mods then this is what you need.
Putting an HID bulb in a halogen reflector is guaranteed to blind oncoming traffic.
Yes everyone does it, but its both illegal and really uncool for other riders and drivers.
OP: Your plan sounds good for the reflector only. The HD sportster reflector is garbage, replace it first and then see if a hotter bulb is needed. The hotter wattage bulb has the following problems:
1) You are going to double the current draw through the wiring, this could have very bad effects on your bike.
2) You could melt the reflector, wiring insulation, or the wiring loom, the harley housing was NOT designed to vent twice as much heat as a stock bulb. A 30 second google search turns up a thread on XLforum that has multiple people posting that hotter bulbs DID melt their wiring loom and caused expensive repairs.
Here is a review I found of the reflector you are considering, using the stock bulb:
"Kuryakyn/Adjure Diamond Cut Ice Halogen Headlight Assembly and Bulb: Installed into stock Yamaha Headlight shell (direct fit, piece of cake!). I am blown away by the difference this $70 and 1 hour change has made. The light blazes out as far as any modern car headlight on high beam, and has a flat topped wide and deep pattern on low beam."
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Patriot Guard Rider, Freemason.
"The price of apathy is to be ruled by evil men" - Plato
Last edited by parabellum_9x19; 08-25-2011 at 10:31 AM.
My headlight SUCKS!!!!
