Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

So I've been looking at changing the bulbs on the Street.

I've looked at nightbreakers etc, but what would be the consequences of just uping the wattage?

The lights are the bug eyes, like the naked, they are glass with a plastic (I believe) reflector.

I know that high wattage bulbs without UV filters will yellow plastic lenses (shouldn't be an issue)
Also there will be more draw (these have been run in cars without issues other than yellowing)

Is there anything else that I should be cautious about?

Cheers

Ste

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

Isn't that enough? Drawing more current will heat the wires, switches and contacts more than a standard watt bulb. This could lead to premature failure of the headlamp circuit or even a fire. If the headlamps are 'class' why do you need higher wattage bulbs? Think carefully about what you want from upgrading your bulbs...

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

We had a.numpty fit 150/100 bulbs to there Micra melted the ipdm. New Unit and h lamp connectors ,refit old bulbs .400 notes later he was back on the road .....

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

i put a normal car sidelight bulb onto my husky (original bulb was 3W) and melted the sidelight harness! just a few watt's difference. :confused:

took me hours to strip out the wires from the loom and put new ones in...

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

Will Bolton council not have something to say about that ? :mrgreen:

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

i'll get your coat for you... :p :mrgreen:

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

ta ;)

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

Get HIDs. Much better light output than any incandescent bulb and they run cooler while drawing less current.

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

You should be able to put a marginally more powerful bulb in the lamps without any issues. They'll be 40-50w in as standard (most are)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/23/33...ed11c2fd5a.jpg

That is all on HID's

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

yep, think they only run on 35W. :)

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

They do indeed but my MOT guy hates them, the only bike that can legally run a HID is the new BMW K1600, which has one as standard.

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

On the sv ive been running 100w bulbs for about 2 years (20,000 miles) and all seems well. The only thing ive noticed is the lense gets rather warm but hasnt tarnished/yellowed at all.

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

HID's in cars are getting some attention from the Essex old bill .

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

Ermmm, I meant glass.

I wanted better light output, the current ones have a yellow hue and aren't that bright, I've seen folk change the lens and the bulbs but was just wondering if increasing the wattage (to something that has been proven on cars) would be a better option than spending ~15 notes on the nightbreakers etc...

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

But yoou see that's the point, these run OK in cars, so I'm making a massive assumption that the'd be OK on the bike...unless the connectors are selected to only just be suitable for the stock bulb draw that they'd cause issues.

That's what I'm thinking about, these would only cost me...nowt, so was thinking worth a pop...but not if the odds are against me re: wiring etc.

Think I'll speak to Girth at the AR.

as for HID's...no. Don't want to try and hide stuff on the naked bike, poorly adjusted HID's do my head in (there aren't any bike specific ones iirc) and it's still under warranty so I'm not doing too much to it yet. Just not my bag.

Ste

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

Well nightbreakers etc provide more light than standard 55/60w H4 without drawing more power. IMHO these give the equivalent amount of LIGHT to many hi-wattage bulbs due to their higher gas pressures etc which allows for a brighter coil. However, a high quality high wattage bulb will provide more light and so long as you are aware of the risks then you take your chances...

Just don't throw in a cheap high wattage bulb and expect it to be better than the better standard bulbs, such as Nightbreakers of X-treme power.

That is massive assumption, as many bikes come with lower wattage bulbs as standard (my curvy had 40/45w H4 IIRC) so the wiring is rated to that. Bike switches and wiring tend to lighter duty than cars so are more susceptible to being fried by high current. The alternator will also be sized accordingly, but I've not heard of problems in that area - although if you search on reg/rec you will find plenty of issues with these and running a higher wattage may cause it some grief, but I don't know what total load they are designed for.

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

If you measure the volts and amps at the bulb they will not be running at 100W, the standard wireing is laughable... Factory Vs what I fitted. The insulation from the factory wireing was a loose fit inside the insulation for the new.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/3275/image127t.jpg

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

aside from the already mentioned wiring/charging issues, high wattage bulbs
can burn out your reflectors too. you may gradually end up with worse lighting
than you had with regular bulbs.

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

Cheers fella's, I think I'll go the nightbreaker route then.

I may still pop the 100W's in when it's dark just for curiosity's sake though and maybe take some photies.

Ste

Re: Consequences of higher wattage bulbs
 

You've got plastic lenses so any bulb envelope, irrespective of wattage, must be suitably UV shielded.
An SV can use standard 60/55W H4 bulbs without problems, if the wiring or switches suffer then there was already a problem with them.
Don't waste money on HIDs, they will not be legal and most are crap anyway, I've already seen several that have failed, two where the driver unit has caught fire.
Nightbreakers/Silverstars etc give more light with standard 60/55W current draw = best option.