I am new to the site and also a new owner of a 2010 FLHR. I live in Canada and find the stock headlight 55/65 bulb does not seem to throw enough light during my rides home at night to show up the deer crossing the highway or in the ditches. Are there any choices available for an upgrade and will the charging system handle it with the twin running lites on at the same time. Any input would be appreciated.

 

An HID light uses a 1/3 less energy to operate and a 35w HID is three times brighter than a 55w halogen. The HID will last ten times longer than a halogen also.

There was a thread just yesterday that mentioned several HID lighting options with links.

I have had HID lighting on my last two FLH's and even use them on my dirt bikes.

 

there is a better alternative. susquehanna motorsports has the E-code headlights. they're made for the european market and with an h-4 bulb it produces 400% more light. the reason it works so well is because a lot of the light that our d.o.t. bulbs put out, is in the median, towards oncoming traffic and just spread out all over the place. the E-code headlights produce a beam which is directed straight down your lane and a little bit to the right toward the ditch so you can see deer etc. susquehanna motorsports is in fleetwood pa. the single 7" housing, which by the way is glass rather than the cheezy plastic that harley uses for their reflector and case. it's a german made product, hella makes it. you can also try cibie lighting through daniel stern, but for the $38.48 for the hella headlight, it's a great deal. i'm waiting for it to be back in stock again so i can order one. the reflector and housing is far superior to the plastic bucket we currently have on our harleys. all glass. i already replaced the plastic three legged connector with the bakelite one from napa. if you don't know what bakelite is, it's the stuff that distributor caps are made of, and handles heat much better than the soft plastic ones on a stock harley. i would suggest soldering and using heat shrink rather than crimp type connectors though. your headlight needs sufficient amps and any additional resistance in the wires would detract from the goal of having a better headlight. they do not require any goofy ballast or any sort of sophisticated stuff like the h.i.d. either. and they sure don't look dorky like the kuryakyn one does. damm, those look way too goofy to have on a harley. specify the E code headlight, and that will ensure that you're getting the one for germany and france rather than the british one which would light up the wrong side of the road. susquehanna is at 866-480-2159
this mod has become pretty popular with the jeep offroad crowd, as it directs light where you actually need it rather than spreading it all over the place.

 

Thanks for all the information from both of you. This certainly sounds better than what comes stock from KD

 

This topic got a good covering about a month ago, with plenty of useful ideas. Take a search for other threads, the topic comes up every few weeks!

 

Thanks. I will check previous threads. I will be also be checking on a more regular basis. The site is awsome especially for new Harley owners.

 

Checkout danielsternlighting.com,and give him a call.He will point you in the right direction.

 

I have the Hella E-code headlights with Hella 80/100w bulbs and the difference is amazing, especially for the cost. Much-improved low-beam pattern and much better "seeing distance" on high-beam. No problems with the high-powered bulbs used on two bikes in the past 12 years.