SV650S Headlight Upgrade Opinions

[aesmith]

Hi,

It's heading towards the time of year when every journey will be in the dark. So I'm looking for improvements over the standard Pointy headlights. Really I'm limiting myself to conversions that don't require physical changes, except possibly wiring modifications. Would prefer something MOT friendly, or that could easily be reverted if need be.

So what are the current thoughts on HID conversions, LEDs, vs relays and upgraded wiring, or just better bulbs?

I'm quite tempted by these, but the price is a little high just for an impulse buy, I'd need to be reasonably confident that they'd do the job ..

https://www.classiccarleds.co.uk/col...nversion-9-32v

[Chris_SVS]

Osram Nightbreaker H4/110

[R1ffR4ff]

I'm more than happy with Xenon H4 bulbs.I only have a single headlight but it's not so much that they are brighter it's the quality of light is better at night to me e.g they light up road markings and signs excellently.
I've also rode down unlit country lanes at night and again they are excellent.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUZUKI-SV6...t94W9L6BTJjCcQ

Cheap enough to try

[maviczap]

Bibio upgraded his to LED, check his posts, he has done HID conversions, but I remember he was pleased with the LEDs

[aesmith]

I've used Osram Nightbreakers in the past and although an improvement over stock they aren't really good enough. The limiting factor is on unlit roads with vehicles close behind. When the road's empty the standard headlights are good enough, better with decent bulbs. Add a modern car close behind and their lights nowadays are so bright that all you see is your shadow on the road in front.

[garynortheast]

Osram Nightracers are a big improvement over stock, and while not perfect, they are bright enough to allow me to ride at a decent pace in the dark.

[SV650rules]

Originally Posted by aesmith

Hi,

It's heading towards the time of year when every journey will be in the dark. So I'm looking for improvements over the standard Pointy headlights. Really I'm limiting myself to conversions that don't require physical changes, except possibly wiring modifications. Would prefer something MOT friendly, or that could easily be reverted if need be.

So what are the current thoughts on HID conversions, LEDs, vs relays and upgraded wiring, or just better bulbs?

I'm quite tempted by these, but the price is a little high just for an impulse buy, I'd need to be reasonably confident that they'd do the job ..

https://www.classiccarleds.co.uk/col...nversion-9-32v

I have fitted one of the classic car H4 led upgrades to my AL7 (single headlight) and it is great, I also fitted their led bulbs to both our cars. The beam pattern is spot on (Legal) with good cut off and spread and white light is great. I had to reroute some wiring in the small headlight shell on the L7 but you should be ok with double headlights on the S as I guess the heatsink will protrude from the rear. The LED were a massive improvement on the Phillips xtreme brite xenon filament bulbs on the cars and make night driving much less of a chore.

If you have a look under ancillaries in reviews section on H4 led headlight upgrades I have posted some photos of the H4 beams on my wife's Honda Jazz. Can't post a link as I am on my tablet.

( HERE IS LINK http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=227521 )

The Philips chip classiccarleds have a heatsink but no fan, so are silent.

Another thing is current draw on the led is a fraction of filament bulb, which is 5amps per bulb the led are less than 2 amp per bulb, your battery will thank you. One thing, because heat in led comes out of rear heatsink and not the front, they will struggle to melt the ice and frost off your headlamp - the upside is they will not bake the squashed flies and road crud onto the headlight either, and the whiter (6000k) light, which filaments can't achieve is so much more visible in daylight and full Sun, a good safety feature.

Lastly, led chips are solid state and extremely immune to vibration, and on my L7 with its single bulb I wanted to be sure I didn't lose my headlight at a critical moment (ie 60 mph in the dark). I have had these bulbs in our cars for over 6 months now and am very happy with both the quality of light and the amount of light, and where it goes on the road. The quality of these bulbs is like something off a NASA space shuttle, and all connectors are high quality and fully waterproof

Look on YouTube at latest 'headlight revolution' led bulb reviews, he found the Philips luxeon Z-ES chip bulbs had best beam pattern and although not posting the highest lux ratings the actual light pattern meant they had most 'useful' light, and the only proper legal ones in terms of beam pattern - they are literally plug and play

[Adam Ef]

Digging up an old thread... has anyone had experience with these LED bulbs linked below? (For a K8 half faired pointy)

Originally Posted by aesmith

Hi,


I'm quite tempted by these, but the price is a little high just for an impulse buy, I'd need to be reasonably confident that they'd do the job ..

https://www.classiccarleds.co.uk/col...nversion-9-32v

[SV650rules]

Originally Posted by Adam Ef

Digging up an old thread... has anyone had experience with these LED bulbs linked below? (For a K8 half faired pointy)

Exactly same bulbs as in my post above, I have one on my AL7 and in both our cars, beam pattern and brightness are a step change from the filament bulbs. Some discussion earlier if the lower current draw ( about 2 amps per bulb compared to 5 amps for filament) will make RR work harder. These bulbs are about 200% more noticeable in daylight because they are much whiter light ( 6500K as opposed to about 4500K for filament).

These videos are quite amusing but also pretty informative..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQF5ESBHLrw


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sonh4lHu4XE

Have attached a PDF photo of dip and main beam pattern on our garage door, I have one showing the dip and main on an actual road when I can find it will post it. ( found it - attached - bear in mind road in photo is sloping away from car so beams look higher than they are, on the road they are fine ).

[graham04]

Fitted a couple of Osram " nightbreaker silver " bulbs to my K6 pointy, noticeably brighter than standard. They came in at around £12.75 for the pair. If you are on a tight budget then wait for Aldi, who now and again sell non branded H4 pairs 90% brighter for about £3.99. I fitted these to an old Triumph Dolomite and was surprised with the improvement.
Might have been Lidl just get confused between them.