Headlight Bulb Replacement...

[MGN54]

Hi beam is out on right side on my 2000 MY. Did a little search here and it looks like the GE bulb at Walmart is a good cost effective replacement. Went there and looked. Noticed that the wattage is different than what is specified in my owners manual. OEM is 45/45. The GE bulb was 65/50 (?) Anyway, is this going to make a difference? Should I replace both bulbs at the same time? Sure don't want to pay Honda $30 for one bulb...been that route on a ST1100 once.

Thanks!

[VFRDYLAN]

Hi beam is out on right side on my 2000 MY. Did a little search here and it looks like the GE bulb at Walmart is a good cost effective replacement. Went there and looked. Noticed that the wattage is different than what is specified in my owners manual. OEM is 45/45. The GE bulb was 65/50 (?) Anyway, is this going to make a difference? Should I replace both bulbs at the same time? Sure don't want to pay Honda $30 for one bulb...been that route on a ST1100 once.

Thanks!

I replaced the bulbs on my 2K with higher wattage (H4) bulbs. I have had zero problems or heat issues.

Just remember, if you are not using the Honda bulb you need an adapter or use the folded tab trick.

I'd replace them as a pair since both lights are used for high/low

[Tightwad]

I use the 9003 version i think, and I replaced just the burned out one. never understood the theory of replacing both, except it is a great way to boost headlight (VERY high margin) sales.

[Guest]

Tightwad, did you have to fold a tab to get it to fit?

I did some googling and found people that really liked the Osram Silverstar bulbs. These are NOT the Sylvania Silverstar bulbs sold in the US (which just have a light blue coating on them). Apparently the Osram branded ones are actually brighter (but not DOT legal so you won't find em in a local store)... You can find 'em on eBay.

[spud786]

Tightwad,

my problem was the right one goes and 2 weeks later the left.

I was blowing them about every 10,000 mile(phillips brand) about 3 or 4 sets. went to GE brand and they've been in there for 2 years.

Thats a big change, compared to replacing every 4 to 6 months

[Tightwad]

Tightwad, did you have to fold a tab to get it to fit?

I did some googling and found people that really liked the Osram Silverstar bulbs. These are NOT the Sylvania Silverstar bulbs sold in the US (which just have a light blue coating on them). Apparently the Osram branded ones are actually brighter (but not DOT legal so you won't find em in a local store)... You can find 'em on eBay.

I made no adjustments...mine fit right in. I believe I have changed the right one twice, never the left one. I wonder if modifying the bulb causes a problem, as if the bulb were to rattle while hot that could be what kills it.

[MGN54]

Tightwad, was that on your current 6th gen or a 5th gen?

[Tightwad]

Tightwad, was that on your current 6th gen or a 5th gen?

On my 6th Gen

[Ryanme17]

Tightwad, did you have to fold a tab to get it to fit?

I did some googling and found people that really liked the Osram Silverstar bulbs. These are NOT the Sylvania Silverstar bulbs sold in the US (which just have a light blue coating on them). Apparently the Osram branded ones are actually brighter (but not DOT legal so you won't find em in a local store)... You can find 'em on eBay.

Folded tab is not necessary on a 6th Gen. H4's will pop right in. I had thought 55/60 Watts was standard. What year is your VFR?

Osram Silverstars and Narvas will pop right in. Both of these bulbs are known for projecting more useful light than others and won't fry your stock wiring. However, this depends on how much juice your bike puts out at the headlight, and you may notice no difference at all. The OEM wiring isn't very beefy, so I doubt you'd see much of a difference, if any. Even if good wiring and a strong charging system, they may not provide a noticeable benefit, and may not be worth the extra money, they may not last as long, either.

[MGN54]

Ryan, it's a 2000 model. Got the bad bulb out today and it is 45/45. Looking through the headlight from the front the other is the same....Philips bulbs I think. Anyway, I bought one of the GE bulbs at walmart. I messed with the bad bulb and the smaller tabs can be trimmed off with a pair of electrical pliers. Reinstalled the bulb minus the small tabs and it will be fine. Hardest part of the entire deal is that stupid wire clip!!! I think I have it figured out....but you have to wonder who thought THAT up!?!?! Will put the new bulb in tomorrow and report back.

[keithbob]

Ryan, it's a 2000 model. Got the bad bulb out today and it is 45/45. Looking through the headlight from the front the other is the same....Philips bulbs I think. Anyway, I bought one of the GE bulbs at walmart. I messed with the bad bulb and the smaller tabs can be trimmed off with a pair of electrical pliers. Reinstalled the bulb minus the small tabs and it will be fine. Hardest part of the entire deal is that stupid wire clip!!! I think I have it figured out....but you have to wonder who thought THAT up!?!?! Will put the new bulb in tomorrow and report back.

Once you've replaced a few your fingers will snap the wire clip in no sweat. :rolleyes:

I was blowing H4 bulbs about once a year in pairs, until I bought a cheapo set from Canadian Tire while in BC two years ago, and they are white & bright and still working great, $11 each!

[Ryanme17]

Ryan, it's a 2000 model. Got the bad bulb out today and it is 45/45. Looking through the headlight from the front the other is the same....Philips bulbs I think. Anyway, I bought one of the GE bulbs at walmart. I messed with the bad bulb and the smaller tabs can be trimmed off with a pair of electrical pliers. Reinstalled the bulb minus the small tabs and it will be fine. Hardest part of the entire deal is that stupid wire clip!!! I think I have it figured out....but you have to wonder who thought THAT up!?!?! Will put the new bulb in tomorrow and report back.

Yep, the 5th and 6th gens are slightly different, you will have to bend that tab and the stock wattages are different, but any H4 will still work (once you bend the tab). I can't pesronally verify that the bulbs will last as long, but no users on here seem to be complaining about reduced bulb life with H4's.

I have to agree about that stupid clip, I've done it on plenty of Honda vehicles and it's always a PITA, it's just so awkward. Though it does get a bit easier once you've done it a few times, as Keithbob said, and it sure does it's job well...

[Whitepine]

Wagner H4 bulb BP1210/H4 at NAPA.The bulb goes for around $12 nice and bright and less than halve the cost of the silverstars

[MGN54]

OK, GE bulb from Walmart installed. Cut the two bottom tabs off with my snips and popped it in. Wire clip even cooperated today! Works like a charm. Can't tell much, if any, difference between it and the oem bulb next to it. I think the bulb was about $8 with tax. Sure beats that $30 from Honda. Hopefully this one will last a while. Will report back if otherwise. Thanks for the info everyone!

[Chuckster]

OK, GE bulb from Walmart installed. Cut the two bottom tabs off with my snips and popped it in. Wire clip even cooperated today! Works like a charm. Can't tell much, if any, difference between it and the oem bulb next to it. I think the bulb was about $8 with tax. Sure beats that $30 from Honda. Hopefully this one will last a while. Will report back if otherwise. Thanks for the info everyone!

Can you tell me which GE bulb you are getting at Wal-mart? Is it H4, 9003, etc.? Thanks

[JZH]

You can fit a regular H4 to a 5th gen, but it won't be in exactly the same position as OEM. I measured one of mine and it was about half a mm higher than the OEM position. (Thread I posted about this on an ST1300 forum is here.)

The effect of this is minimal, but gets worse with HID conversions, of course.

Ciao,

[VFRBenny]

I know it's an old post, but I thought I make sure you all noticed my post in 5th gen.

Osram +30%

[Veefer800Canuck]

You don't have to snip the lower tabs off the H4 bulb, just bend them back 90' and you're good.

55/60w of the H4's certainly lights things up better than the stock 45/45s.

FWIW, after 10 years of running the H-4 bulbs, I burnt one of my headlight plugs this summer.

I don't think it had anything to do with the higher wattage bulbs because the other plug was mint.

I figure it was a bad ground that made the plug heat up. YMMV.

[enzed_viffer]

FWIW, after 10 years of running the H-4 bulbs, I burnt one of my headlight plugs this summer.

I don't think it had anything to do with the higher wattage bulbs because the other plug was mint.

I figure it was a bad ground that made the plug heat up. YMMV.

Indeed.

I ran a 90/130W bulb on my VF500 with no problems, but when I ran the very same bulb in the VTR1000, the plug got slightly burnt. It's usually caused by corrosion or otherwise poor contacts on the plug surfaces causing resistance and therefore heat. A 60/55 or 55/60 bulb isn't drawing a huge amount of extra current (1.25A?) c.f. a 45/45, so it shouldn't be an issue.

[spud786]

OK, GE bulb from Walmart installed. Cut the two bottom tabs off with my snips and popped it in. Wire clip even cooperated today! Works like a charm. Can't tell much, if any, difference between it and the oem bulb next to it. I think the bulb was about $8 with tax. Sure beats that $30 from Honda. Hopefully this one will last a while. Will report back if otherwise. Thanks for the info everyone!

Can you tell me which GE bulb you are getting at Wal-mart? Is it H4, 9003, etc.? Thanks

Yeh h4 9003, I guess the older gens require cutting. While these bulbs are no brighter than stock. The life, and reliablity is very good.

I went through about 4 sets of bulbs in about 1 year the walmarts are going now for about 2/1 2 years.

The original hondas lastes about 7 months or 10,000 mile, the other phillips premiuma I was ordering from the UK, lasted about 4 months. It was a pain in the A$$ blowing low beams that often.

[VFRBenny]

I been into the H4 euro spec stuff on my 4x4's and bikes since about 83. Out of all the bulbs I tried(and I tried most every nonBlue coated bulb out there), the GE MegaLight + 60% were by far the best looking longest lasting high output normal wattage bulbs! I now just use the + 30% types because I can get close to two years out of them and there as cheap as $7. per pair. I found the Philips +50% to last about 7~9 months and there +80% to last about 4~5 months. The GE +60% still look very white and last about 14 months.

Good reliable site

[97VFR750F]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new member and have a question. I have a totally stock (except for the muffler) 1997 Honda VFR 750F. I bought it new and it's been the best motorcycle I have owned! I usually take it to a motorcycle shop for routine servicing, but one of the headlights are out and I'm thinking of changing it myself.

Do I need to replace the actual headlight or just the bulb? Do I need two bulbs? I want the original OEM replacement, so do you have a part number? Can I buy the bulbs at the local auto store or go to a motorcycle shop?

Is it easy to replace? I'm a total novice at this stuff so bear with me!

Can anyone give me instructions on how to do this? Thanks!

[JZH]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new member and have a question. I have a totally stock (except for the muffler) 1997 Honda VFR 750F. I bought it new and it's been the best motorcycle I have owned! I usually take it to a motorcycle shop for routine servicing, but one of the headlights are out and I'm thinking of changing it myself.

Do I need to replace the actual headlight or just the bulb? Do I need two bulbs? I want the original OEM replacement, so do you have a part number? Can I buy the bulbs at the local auto store or go to a motorcycle shop?

Is it easy to replace? I'm a total novice at this stuff so bear with me!

Can anyone give me instructions on how to do this? Thanks!

The OEM bulb (assuming your bike still has them) was a special-spec for North America, 45/45w (rather than normal H4, which are 55/60w), which are unfortunately not available anywhere but Honda dealers (and they're expensive, too).

For this reason, US VFR owners have been retro-fitting normal H4s for years and years. There are different ways of doing this, some better than others, but all work more or less. The most common thing to do is to snip or fold the two bottom tabs on a regular H4, as the OEM bulbs have their lower tabs in different positions. However, these tabs are locating tabs, which are necessary for the accurate location of the filament within the headlight housing. Before the introduction of laser-cut "H4 adapter rings" (available from places like California Sport Touring), the two options were the "nail trick" and modification of the headlight housing itself. The former involved bending the tabs up, trapping a straight nail against the body of the H4 bulb, which then supported the bulb in the housing in roughly the right location. The latter involved cutting new notches in the headlamp housing using a Dremel tool, which was a permanent solution, but resulted in perfect alignment.

The adaper rings work okay, but they place the filament in a slightly wrong position--it may not be noticeable, however. VFR800s seem not to need the nail, so by far the most common method of using regular H4s on those bikes is to snip off the tabs and let the retaining spring hold the bulb in place. I once measured the actual difference in filament position that results from doing this and found that it also results in the filament being a few mm out, but whether it is enough to notice or not is a separate question...

How a VFR owner changes a lightbulb sounds like the intro to a joke...but is actually a good question, because it usually involves sticking your hand someplace you can't see and doing something that is a bit tricky even if you could see what you were doing. The Bob Peloquin page linked to above shows you what the spring clip looks like, which you could see after removing the plug and the rubber cover--and could get your head in a position to see the back of the headlamp! What you need to do is push down on the clip whilst moving it over slightly, so that it un-catches. Hard to describe, but not too hard to do after the first time you manage it...

Ciao,

[97VFR750F]

Thanks JZH,

I do have the OEM bulb, but I will buy the H4's!

So if I snip or fold the two bottom tabs and align it correctly within the headlight housing it should work? Is there an easy way to remove the bulb or is this going to be a couple hour project? Thanks!

[AnikMankar]

90/130 if mentioned on the bulb will generate more heat and will be equivalent to 100/150W if powered over a relay. This will definitely drain your battery.

Replace the existing plastic holder with a ceramic one.