I put the Sylvania Silverstar in my 06 ultra and really like it. I havethe PIAA in my 89 FLHTC and I can see better with the06.

 

PIAA - nothing better. Don't have 'em on the bike, but have outfitted the car heads (reg & high beams)& fogs with 'em ($160 worth) and they are awesome. Interestingly they all failed within two months of one another at about 4 years old - halogen bulbs burn out very predictably like that. Hit eBay and repurchased 3 new sets - that's how much I like 'em.

Read the current draw closely. On my car I could have chosen much higher output fogs, but it was likely that I'd fry the wiring in the process. There are aftermarket wiring harnesses available for such occasions that offer much greater current carrying capabilities.

 

It isn't the PIAA label making the difference but the wattage, and 85/100W H4's can be purchased for <$10. I used nothing but 100w high-beam lamps (55/100W and 85/100W) on my '96 RK and never had any problems in nine years, except when I was running 85/100's with 37.5W passing lamps. In that case it would trip the 15A breaker, so I rewired it through a relay. No more problems, and high-beams were on at all times during the day.

I'm using 85/100W on my '07 SG, also with no problems, and I don't expect any. Never had a problem with fried connectors or wires.

 

Hey Coyote, thanks for the info and the link.

 

If the lighting circuit has a 15-amp breaker it's good for 180 watts of power. An actual 100-watt headlight draws 8.5 amps. What else is wired through that 15-amp breaker?

 

yes, the formula for figuring out the current draw is , total power(watts) divided by voltage(12 volts) = total current.
if you are using a 110 watt headlight, it is drawing approximately 9 amps, now start adding the passing lamps and anything else hooked up to that circuit. It adds up in a hurry.

 

You talkin' to me? (DeNiro, Taxi Driver)

It would only trip when I was running low beams (85w) and the passing lamps (37.5W x 2) together. That's 160w, plus all the other lighting on the bike that went through that circuit. When I figured it out on paper it was a bit below 180w, but it kept tripping. I put a 20A breaker in its place (I know, bad idea) and still had problems, so I went with a standard automotive relay for the passing-lamp circuit, using the power through the switch to trip and the main power direct from the battery. Worked fine 'til I traded in the bike nine years later. Pity the poor technician trying to figure out my undocumented wiring, though, as that wasn't the only such mod on that bike.

 

My old RK's lighting ran through a 15A breaker, but newer bikes use fuses. What is the capacity on the fuse on that circuit? (Too lazy to look it up in the manual.)

 

Canedog: Your observations about the PIAA H4's brightness are correct; however, Jeepster09's concerns are real; used the PIAA H4 on a 2006 Deuce and toasted the headlight lense. Even though the H4 is listed asthe "correct" replacement bulb, I switched back to the less intense stock HD bulb.

 

I was wondering, can I use a pair of these on a roadglide without melting something?