1200 Low Dim Headlight

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Sep 2, 2012 | 08:52 PM

Donna Smith

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Stage II

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1200 Low Dim Headlight

Can barely see my headlight during the day, and no one flashes me when I run with brights at night. I want to switch it up but J&P Cycles says to check local laws for max brightness levels. I can't find my local law (Iowa). Any ideas? Is there such a thing as max bright laws? I was thinking 60/85 or something, since I'm not switching out the reflector and don't want to melt the plastic. This seems to be a common issue for multiple years and models of Sportsters.

Sep 3, 2012 | 12:54 AM

R Eggler

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From: Brunswick, Ohio

I bought a pair of Sylvania zXe bulbs. They are amazing, such a white light, the bright light is incredible when I've used the brights. I would say on low, I can see more then the factory bulb on high beams. My auto parts store only sold them in pairs, but I only needed 1. They were $60ish for the pair, well worth it! If I had a camera that worked well enough, I'd take a pic of it at night.

Sep 3, 2012 | 02:22 AM

Zenmervolt

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From: Seattle, WA

First step should always be to aim the headlight. That can make a huge difference in your ability to see at night.

Maximum brightness is governed by Federal (not state) standards and has to do with beam pattern, so you cannot just go by the bulb's output level. Technically, it's not legal to use any bulb other than the one specified when the housing was certified (though that's pretty much never going to be policed).

Sep 3, 2012 | 10:03 AM

edgeofinsanity

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From: Clinton IA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenmervolt

First step should always be to aim the headlight. That can make a huge difference in your ability to see at night.

I was going to suggest this too, when I got my bike last year I didn't think to check it, and had a real interesting ride home that night on some back roads. It was aimed way too low.
I aimed mine according the owner's manual using my garage door, it was a certain distance back and then aim to a height on the door, really easy to do on my 1200 Custom. Huge difference, my stock headlight is close to the same brightness as my car when going down the road, and when I run the brights, I get flashed by other drivers all the time.

Oh, and welcome to the forum from a fellow Iowa rider.

Sep 3, 2012 | 11:24 AM

cHarley

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From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh

You don't want to go brighter by increasing the wattage of the bulb, the bulb socket isn't designed for the higher current load, the socket and it's wiring will literally melt over time.

You can replace the stock 50/55 bulb with a Sylvania Silverstar or PIAA bulb, either of which puts out more lumens at the same 50/55 watt rating.

Sep 3, 2012 | 11:36 AM

SIDECAR BOB

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From: CENTRAL IL

you also make want to make sure the light is getting a good ground if it is unnaturally dim

Sep 3, 2012 | 01:53 PM

Zenmervolt

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From: Seattle, WA

Quote:

Originally Posted by cHarley

Never seen a 50/55 watt H4 bulb. The stock wattage is 55/60 watts.

My personal preference for headlight bulbs is the Narva Rangepower +50 (55/60 watt bulb with much higher lumen output over stock). These are un-tinted bulbs so all the light gets to the road instead of being absorbed by tinting in order to effect a purely cosmetic color change.

I'd recommend the Narva over the blue-coated PIAA or Silverstar bulbs because blue tinting on the PIAA/Silverstar bulbs is very bad for visual acuity. It looks "bright" but it greatly reduces the eye's ability to distinguish objects and causes substantially more glare, both for the rider and oncoming drivers.