I run the silverstar and MHO it lit the road better and farther... Hope this helps

 

If you want a better bulb then stock buy the Sylvania cool blue(not a blue bulb) 9003.You can get them at walmart two for $17 they have the same rating and service life as the silver star bulbs for half the cost. The color temp is 300K less then the ST bulbs but it makes little difference. The bulbs last me about one season as I run on high-beam in daylight and its that filament that goes. The cool blue has a very white light and shows much more contrast then the stock bulb. I've used them for 3 years and I don't believe you can find a better bulb I've seen many, none much better then the cool blue.

 

Silverstar here and it is much better then stock. Buddy has PIAA in his and I like that better then mine.

 

SilverStar here... alot whiter than the "yellowish" stock ...

that's all I have to say about that.... 8)

 

I run a Silverstar Headlight and Silverstar's in my light bar. Much better than stock. A friend burned out his headlight while in the Dragon and bought a PIAA. Personally I liked the look of that bulb during the day AND night! It was bright (maybe being new helped too).

I will probably be switching to HID for my headlight and PIAA in my lightbar...

Nate

 

After riding for over 35 years on many different bikes, I finally have a headlight that I am VERY comfortable with. I have tried driving lights of all sorts/wattages, etc., but was never satisfied with the vision improvement. Last year I broke down and bought an HID kit for my bike. Brothers and sisters..there is no comparasion to any other light I have ever ran. As we all buy chrome, accessories, etc. for our individual bikes...we need to always try to remember that we need to be able to see at night and to be visible to others. This is the best accessory I have ever bought for a bike in my life. The HID system lights up the road like no other system, and also lights up approximately 30 feet on each side of the road (allowing you to better see those night critters and deer, etc). There are several choices of HID systems, I chose the Hi/Lo 4000K Phillips system, because it came highly recommended. They are worth their cost in gold bars! They give 4-5 times more light, do not blind oncoming drivers, and the 4000K light is crystal clear white beams. You can order 5000K, 6000K,8000K, 10,000K, but they have the "blue" tint, and actually provide less visibility due to the lesser lumen output. If anyone is interested, I can give you the website where I ordered mine, and I will try to explain how easy they are to install. Very easy and they are priceless once you try them. (I am NOT affiliated with the company, I am just a very satisfied consumer of their product). I ride long trips often and ride a lot at night...and this system is absolutely stunning.


Mike

 

I run a Silverstar H4 ST motorcycle bulb. MUCH better than stock. Absolute night and day difference with a brilliant white light. I called Sylvania and asked about the difference between the 2 for 17 dollar version and the higher priced ST version and was told that the H4 ST will withstand much more shock than the cheaper version. The money saved on the twofer' version means squat if I lose a filament in a curve. This is the most bang for my buck of anything I've done to the X. I'm really interested in the HID that Eastnmike has installed.

 

Hi/low conversion kit $119.00

http://www.cqlight.ca/catalog/index.php?cPath=31_65


Read further and only low beam is HID.

 

I ordered a 95/135 watt light bulb form JC Whitney for around $15. The stock one is 55/65 watts. I have been running it for over 2 years with no problems.

 

Yes, there are those that have only hi beam HID, but the one I ordered uses the same HID bulb on both the Hi and Low beam. There is a shield that retracts when the beam is placed on hi, and the shield extends forward to keep from blinding oncoming drivers. This setup works wonderfully, and uses the powerful HID on both hi and low beam. It is well worth the extra $324.99 cost...best upgrade I have ever bought! Here is the link to the system I ordered (it is a 4300K) by Phillips:
http://xenonking.com/4300p.htm

 

Yes, there are those that have only hi beam HID, but the one I ordered uses the same HID bulb on both the Hi and Low beam. There is a shield that retracts when the beam is placed on hi, and the shield extends forward to keep from blinding oncoming drivers. This setup works wonderfully, and uses the powerful HID on both hi and low beam. It is well worth the extra $324.99 cost...best upgrade I have ever bought! Here is the link to the system I ordered (it is a 4300K) by Phillips:
http://xenonking.com/4300p.htm

Thanks for the link.

 

I ordered a 95/135 watt light bulb form JC Whitney for around $15. The stock one is 55/65 watts. I have been running it for over 2 years with no problems.

Are you running the power through a relay? If not, your ignition switch will get mighty hot with that bulb.

 

Yes, the relay comes with the kit. It is very simple to install. It comes with the ballast, ignitor,relay, HID bulb (mine was an H4), and all the necessary wiring to do the job. You never have to wire anything to the ignition switch at all. You just unplug the wiring plug to your halogen bulb, plug it into the new wiring harness (which is the same),run one wire to a ground, and one wire straight to the battery. Since you are using the original wiring harness, all the OEM wiring to the switches are still used. The biggest task is figuring out where to place the ballast, ignitor and relay. My bike has a Headwinds headlight, and it is quite large. All the wiring and components fit inside my headlight housing. I only had to run one wire, and that was the wire out of the housing straight to the battery, which is no problem at all. Really...it is so easy to do this, and with all sincerety, I think anyone who does this HID upgrade will be amazed with the results. Also, once the bulb is initially ignited after a couple of seconds, the draw on the system is only 35 watts. Even on low beam, your halogen is pulling a standard 55 Watts. The headlight glass is much cooler with the HID, and 4-5 times the illumination and vision. It is definately a win-win situation.
Mike

 

I ordered a 95/135 watt light bulb form JC Whitney for around $15. The stock one is 55/65 watts. I have been running it for over 2 years with no problems.

Are you running the power through a relay? If not, your ignition switch will get mighty hot with that bulb.

I just put it in and ran it for almost 2.5 years. I have put about 20K miles on my bike with this light in it. I also have been into the side covers, under the seat and tank several times and have not seen any evidence of heat. I am an Industrial Electronics Tech so I know what heat damage would look like. The light will draw 11 amps on hi beam. The weakest part would be the starter switch because it flows through it so when you push the started switch it shuts off your headlight.

 

Yes, the relay comes with the kit. It is very simple to install. It comes with the ballast, ignitor,relay, HID bulb (mine was an H4), and all the necessary wiring to do the job. You never have to wire anything to the ignition switch at all. You just unplug the wiring plug to your halogen bulb, plug it into the new wiring harness (which is the same),run one wire to a ground, and one wire straight to the battery. Since you are using the original wiring harness, all the OEM wiring to the switches are still used. The biggest task is figuring out where to place the ballast, ignitor and relay. My bike has a Headwinds headlight, and it is quite large. All the wiring and components fit inside my headlight housing. I only had to run one wire, and that was the wire out of the housing straight to the battery, which is no problem at all. Really...it is so easy to do this, and with all sincerety, I think anyone who does this HID upgrade will be amazed with the results. Also, once the bulb is initially ignited after a couple of seconds, the draw on the system is only 35 watts. Even on low beam, your halogen is pulling a standard 55 Watts. The headlight glass is much cooler with the HID, and 4-5 times the illumination and vision. It is definately a win-win situation.
Mike

Mike,
I agree that it's a win-win with the HID's lower amp draw. I was asking Knightrider if he was using a relay with his hot aftermarket bulb. The headlamp's main circuit flows through the ignition switch and it's a matter of when, not if, the switch fails when asked to handle the amperage he would be running through it without a relay.

 

Sorry...I didn't mean to hijack there...just my "Tennessee ******* way", jumping into something without first reading the post well enough... :shock: :shock: I apologize Knightrider and Workinearly...
Mike

 

I ordered a 95/135 watt light bulb form JC Whitney for around $15. The stock one is 55/65 watts. I have been running it for over 2 years with no problems.

Are you running the power through a relay? If not, your ignition switch will get mighty hot with that bulb.

I just put it in and ran it for almost 2.5 years. I have put about 20K miles on my bike with this light in it. I also have been into the side covers, under the seat and tank several times and have not seen any evidence of heat. I am an Industrial Electronics Tech so I know what heat damage would look like. The light will draw 11 amps on hi beam.

I'm happy for you but you should read this and look into the archives regarding this subject.


http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/viewtopic.p ... h+amp+bulb

 

I ordered a 95/135 watt light bulb form JC Whitney for around $15. The stock one is 55/65 watts. I have been running it for over 2 years with no problems.

Are you running the power through a relay? If not, your ignition switch will get mighty hot with that bulb.

I just put it in and ran it for almost 2.5 years. I have put about 20K miles on my bike with this light in it. I also have been into the side covers, under the seat and tank several times and have not seen any evidence of heat. I am an Industrial Electronics Tech so I know what heat damage would look like. The light will draw 11 amps on hi beam.

I'm happy for you but you should read this and look into the archives regarding this subject.


http://www.vtxoa.com/forums/viewtopic.p ... h+amp+bulb

So I have beem lucky so far, no problem I'll wire one in.

 

I run a Silverstar H4 ST motorcycle bulb. MUCH better than stock. Absolute night and day difference with a brilliant white light. I called Sylvania and asked about the difference between the 2 for 17 dollar version and the higher priced ST version and was told that the H4 ST will withstand much more shock than the cheaper version. The money saved on the twofer' version means squat if I lose a filament in a curve. This is the most bang for my buck of anything I've done to the X. I'm really interested in the HID that Eastnmike has installed.

I agree.....if you run a Silverstar for several seasons for less than $20 and get a whiter light or have to replace the 2-for-$17 blue lights annually where is the savings? The blue ones tend to burn up High beam fillaments due to the vibration on a bike sinece they are not built for bikes. The silverstar is built for the vibration and even has "For Motorcycle Use Only" on them and that is why they seem to last longer. Everybody has thier own opinion but most agree almost anything is better than the stock bulb :wink:

 

I run a Silverstar H4 ST motorcycle bulb. MUCH better than stock. Absolute night and day difference with a brilliant white light. I called Sylvania and asked about the difference between the 2 for 17 dollar version and the higher priced ST version and was told that the H4 ST will withstand much more shock than the cheaper version. The money saved on the twofer' version means squat if I lose a filament in a curve. This is the most bang for my buck of anything I've done to the X. I'm really interested in the HID that Eastnmike has installed.

I agree.....if you run a Silverstar for several seasons for less than $20 and get a whiter light or have to replace the 2-for-$17 blue lights annually where is the savings? The blue ones tend to burn up High beam fillaments due to the vibration on a bike sinece they are not built for bikes. The silverstar is built for the vibration and even has "For Motorcycle Use Only" on them and that is why they seem to last longer. Everybody has thier own opinion but most agree almost anything is better than the stock bulb :wink:

I'm still interested in the HID, but am afraid of bulb life. It's much easier to run into an Autozone for a standard H4 bulb than to carry a $200 'spare' bulb...

Mike, How long do they last?????


Nate

 

This is a website mainly for automotive lighting but there is alot of good info on lighting in general. Worth a look.

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html

 

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Silverstar/

 

I ran a silverstar for a while, and it was a small improvment over the stock bulb. I switched to an HID system a few years back, and they really put out a lot of light. Way way more than a regular halogen (silverstar, PIAA) bulb. There's no filament in an HID bulb, so I see no reason to expect them to burn out any faster than a halogen bulb - seems like they'd last longer.

Note - HID systems require a ballast and igniter - if you don't have these, then you are burning a halogen bulb no matter what the manufacturer says.

Running a high wattage bulb on a VTX is asking for trouble. The start switch (through which all headlight voltage passes) is known and noted for melting at the most inopportune moment. You can re-wire and isolate the voltage, but even then, you'll only get a small fraction of the light an HID system puts out.

 

Spec's for the Cool Blue...

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProduct ... efault.htm

http://www.sylvaniaautocatalog.com/sylv ... B,%20%20CB


Spec's for the Silver Star...

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProduct ... efault.htm


http://www.sylvaniaautocatalog.com/sylv ... T,%20%20ST


Both bulbs spec the same except for color temp. I couldn't find the silver star motorcycle bulb so no spec for that but I know it has a heavier filament and will last longer. If it is the same wattage 60/55 it can't be as bright as the standard bulb. The standard silver star bulb is the Harley Davidson of Sylvania bulbs.. Ur paying for the advertising. Its been said before Its Ur money buy what you want.

 

These HID lights for Harleys and Yamaha are DOT approved. I wonder if one will fit the X. Seems like a lot of stuff that needs to fit in the headlamp.

http://www.customdynamics.com/hid_motorcycle_lighting.htm