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.

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.

[NTECUK]

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

[BoltonSte]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

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...

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...

[BoltonSte]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Isn't that enough? Drawing more current will heat the wires, switches and contacts more than a standard watt bulb.

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.

Originally Posted by SVMAT

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.

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

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by BoltonSte

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...

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.

Originally Posted by BoltonSte

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 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.

Originally Posted by SVMAT

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.

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.

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.

[BoltonSte]

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

[Sid Squid]

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.