Gonna put better bulbs in my 08 RK but am seriously confused about the choices available. I know about HID but think it too expensive for my needs.What is the difference between Plasma GT-X and Super Plasma? Also Extreme white and Extreme white plus? How about Zenon? Is the bulb number for the passing lights 862? Can't find the bulbs with the special L shaped connector needed for the passing lights. Whom have you purchased from?

 

Curious too... So, Bump!

 

The best place to research lighting is www.danielsternlighting.com/. If you read everything there, all your questions will be answered.

 

I have an '08 RK as well and am using the extreme white bulb in my headlight. Made a big difference. The guys I ride with say that they can even see a big difference during the day. Not a bad investment at all.

 

CHECK OUT THE STUFF ON BULBS AND LIGHTING AT,, www.waltersworkshop.com

 

Daniel Stern gives good info but is selling and pushing Cibie lights, which are double the price of some other high-quality lighting on the market. He claims that Cibie has a better pattern than other brands but I haven't been able to verify this claim. Having experience with Hella OEM Euro-code (E-code) headlights on two sport sedans I purchased a 7" E-code headlight from Susquehanna Motorsports, re-using the H4 80/100w bulb I installed in the HD lamp the day I bought the bike.

The difference was even greater than I expected, with the familiar E-code low-beam pattern that provides a sharp cut-off down the road which puts the light where needed without blinding oncoming drivers. The high-beam gives much more "seeing distance" than the non-fluted HD headlights made by North American Lighting. These e-code lights have no bling effect and look like any other fluted automotive headlight, but they do work well, and at $33 are the best bang-for-the-buck available IMO. They are not legal for use in the U.S., but I'd bet nobody will have trouble as long as they are aimed properly. You can buy Hella 80/100w H4 bulbs from the same outfit (here) for $8 plus shipping.

There have been other threads here on the pros and cons of using 80/100w bulbs, the main concern being the amp draw on low-beam using passing lamps. Adding 2A to this circuit probably won't cause problems, although the current may stunt some of the effect of the higher-wattage bulbs on low-beam. I doubt it since the 16-gauge wire should be good for that load. The high-beam circuit can handle 100w for certain as long as no other load is added to it.

In any case, a relay could always be used to negate problems on either circuit. I installed a standard automotive relay on the passing lamps (37.5w each) of my old RK, which otherwise would trip the breaker too often when the passing lamps were running with an 80/100 or 90/100w bulb (I used both). A bike without passing lamps (like the SG) could get away with 100/100w bulbs if you could find them. They do make 100/130w bulbs, but I would go more conservative unless you want to install dual relays.

 

cliff notes version of best lights please...lol

 

Great response but I do wonder if you could give us all that info in bullet form?

 

When using high wattage bulbs like 100w you may need to run extra wiring to cope with the power drain. The original wiring may not be man enough for the job.

I fitted one some years ago to a bike and didn't get the gains I expected, because the wires couldn't supply the power - they got pretty hot too!

To answer the question about the latest type of bulbs, look at the temperature equivilent of the element. The higher the temperature (say 4,000deg or even 6,000) the brighter the light. These bulbs do not necessarily take higher power.

I have just bought Osram 'Night Breaker' bulbs for my Buell, at 55w each.

 

Does the Road Glide have two H4's or are they a different bulb?