headlight replacement
Road Captain
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 545
Likes: 5
From: California
I would stay away from the LED lights by H-D if you ever drive at night in the hills. I have a set on my RKC and I am veru disappointed. They have a horizontal line at the top of the beam that gives you a black curtain. When you lean into the turns you loose illumination on the road where you are going.
The system is great on the straight road. But in the mountain turns you have to slow WAY down.
There are threads on the subject. Such as;
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/other...ng-system.html
I would think that you can get better light with a higher watt bulb in a stock light. Or, buy a Cibie or other similar aftermarket light with higher watt bulbs.
I suspect that you could get a wide spread light for one passing light and a pencil beam for the other.
The system is great on the straight road. But in the mountain turns you have to slow WAY down.
There are threads on the subject. Such as;
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/other...ng-system.html
I would think that you can get better light with a higher watt bulb in a stock light. Or, buy a Cibie or other similar aftermarket light with higher watt bulbs.
I suspect that you could get a wide spread light for one passing light and a pencil beam for the other.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 974
Likes: 13
From: Chesapeake Virginia
Leadman
The Silverstars are way better than stock. Very white (not F#*&ing blue) and a nice wide beam. I have them in all of my vehicles. They are a little expensive over stock and I originally thought I would not get good life from them but I have yet to replace a bulb in my autos (01 and 04). I wanted the standard 9003 Sylverstars for the bike that usually run about $10 to $15 bucks at Wallyworld but they were out and I was there so I bought the Ultra Silverstars. When I was changing the bulbs out I noticed how heavy the glass structure supporting the filament was inside the stock harley bulb so I checked the standard Silverstar bulbs I had in my bulb drawer and they were no where near as heavy. When I compared the stock bulb to the Ultra Silverstar they looked like they were made by the same company so maybe the Ultra will hold up like the stock HD bulb and be worth the extra $13 each. (heard some complaints of the standard Silverstars not lasting more than a year. This is a great cheap, easy, affective and replaceable on the road upgrade.
The Silverstars are way better than stock. Very white (not F#*&ing blue) and a nice wide beam. I have them in all of my vehicles. They are a little expensive over stock and I originally thought I would not get good life from them but I have yet to replace a bulb in my autos (01 and 04). I wanted the standard 9003 Sylverstars for the bike that usually run about $10 to $15 bucks at Wallyworld but they were out and I was there so I bought the Ultra Silverstars. When I was changing the bulbs out I noticed how heavy the glass structure supporting the filament was inside the stock harley bulb so I checked the standard Silverstar bulbs I had in my bulb drawer and they were no where near as heavy. When I compared the stock bulb to the Ultra Silverstar they looked like they were made by the same company so maybe the Ultra will hold up like the stock HD bulb and be worth the extra $13 each. (heard some complaints of the standard Silverstars not lasting more than a year. This is a great cheap, easy, affective and replaceable on the road upgrade.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,488
Likes: 30
From: Maryland near DC
Does anyone know the amp draw on the silverstars compared to stock bulbs...if they are brighter you would think that they draw more power and that could (in the long run) cause problems with wires/switches etc...
I would like to know this also.
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 610
Likes: 1
From: Oregon Ohio
Leadman
The Silverstars are way better than stock. Very white (not F#*&ing blue) and a nice wide beam. I have them in all of my vehicles. They are a little expensive over stock and I originally thought I would not get good life from them but I have yet to replace a bulb in my autos (01 and 04). I wanted the standard 9003 Sylverstars for the bike that usually run about $10 to $15 bucks at Wallyworld but they were out and I was there so I bought the Ultra Silverstars. When I was changing the bulbs out I noticed how heavy the glass structure supporting the filament was inside the stock harley bulb so I checked the standard Silverstar bulbs I had in my bulb drawer and they were no where near as heavy. When I compared the stock bulb to the Ultra Silverstar they looked like they were made by the same company so maybe the Ultra will hold up like the stock HD bulb and be worth the extra $13 each. (heard some complaints of the standard Silverstars not lasting more than a year. This is a great cheap, easy, affective and replaceable on the road upgrade.
The Silverstars are way better than stock. Very white (not F#*&ing blue) and a nice wide beam. I have them in all of my vehicles. They are a little expensive over stock and I originally thought I would not get good life from them but I have yet to replace a bulb in my autos (01 and 04). I wanted the standard 9003 Sylverstars for the bike that usually run about $10 to $15 bucks at Wallyworld but they were out and I was there so I bought the Ultra Silverstars. When I was changing the bulbs out I noticed how heavy the glass structure supporting the filament was inside the stock harley bulb so I checked the standard Silverstar bulbs I had in my bulb drawer and they were no where near as heavy. When I compared the stock bulb to the Ultra Silverstar they looked like they were made by the same company so maybe the Ultra will hold up like the stock HD bulb and be worth the extra $13 each. (heard some complaints of the standard Silverstars not lasting more than a year. This is a great cheap, easy, affective and replaceable on the road upgrade.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 412
Likes: 1
Here is a previous post of mine with what I did. I am still very happy with the results with what I did.
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...eadlights.html
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...eadlights.html
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,470
Likes: 679
From: Vancouver Island B.C.
They can cause the connector to melt. It helps to splice in an extra ground wire. I just ran it back to the steering head.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,570
Likes: 57,127
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
Be careful using higher wattage bulbs .... 55/60 is the stock bulb .... I used a 90/100 watt in my FLHTCU and fried the connector and cooked some of the insulation off of the harness. If you want to run wattage that high you NEED to wire in a relay that will handle the extra load. I now have an Osram 65/70 watt that does a fine job and according to them ( the folks at Osrams web site ) will work fine with the stock connectors and wiring. So far so good !!