headlight bulbs

kingedb · 11-27-2003

DO NOT buy these from a dealer. this just adds to their mark up racket. i recently blew a bulb and was looking for a replacement. i noticed they were $35 each and just figured no big deal everything on bikes are expensive, but figured i would throw the model number on ebay and see what pops up. Volkswagon uses the same exact bulbs for their cars! i bought a pair for $8.99!! figured it was worth sharing.

**Freakinout** · 11-27-2003

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingedb

DO NOT buy these from a dealer. this just adds to their mark up racket. i recently blew a bulb and was looking for a replacement. i noticed they were $35 each and just figured no big deal everything on bikes are expensive, but figured i would throw the model number on ebay and see what pops up. Volkswagon uses the same exact bulbs for their cars! i bought a pair for $8.99!! figured it was worth sharing.

brand new halogen bulbs for my bike were like 5.99 from dennis kirk, they are pretty generic and cheap to get. dealer is only to be used when you have to. Although beartooth.com is a good dealer to go through when you need to.

**Kawi** · 11-28-2003

I agree OEM parts can be very expensive, we also use aftermarket suppliers for bulbs,etc. When it comes to hard parts for your bike OEM is really the way to go though but for some parts you can shop and get good quality and a good price however quality is the key word if you have a cheap part failure it usually takes other parts with it! We select our aftermarket supplier very carefully

**Uncle Bob** · 11-29-2003

I think the best thing is to find a good dealer. A dealer with the customers interest at heart. They're not all stealers.

I've found that regularly visiting your dealer and buying stuff from him rather than shopping the net to save a few bucks costs you more in the long run.

Especially here in Canada when you go in the off season you can get some real good deals on stuff, much better than you can find on the net where they'll knock 10-15% off retail. Thing is you have to go and see whats available.

For example last winter I picked up three First Gear Vortex jackets retail price $199.95 US for $99 Can ( about $77US) and a Joe Rocket Santa Fe Retail price about $189Us for $99 Can.

**Freakinout** · 11-29-2003

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

I think the best thing is to find a good dealer. A dealer with the customers interest at heart. They're not all stealers.

I've found that regularly visiting your dealer and buying stuff from him rather than shopping the net to save a few bucks costs you more in the long run.

Especially here in Canada when you go in the off season you can get some real good deals on stuff, much better than you can find on the net where they'll knock 10-15% off retail. Thing is you have to go and see whats available.

For example last winter I picked up three First Gear Vortex jackets retail price $199.95 US for $99 Can ( about $77US) and a Joe Rocket Santa Fe Retail price about $189Us for $99 Can.

If only we had more dealers here I think that might work, 'cept there really isn't much of an 'off-season' other than like 3 weeks during dec/jan. The only stuff I get from the dealer is OEM parts, its all they are good for here, only one dealership per make of bike. Most of them sell more boats than bikes too. Plus www.newenough.com is 10 minutes from here, so they keep all the gear market.

ZZRGUY · 12-13-2003

As far as I have found, the Sylvania Silver-Star series bulbs (dollar for dollar) are the best bang for the buck I have tried. They are available just
about any where too, which to me is a big plus. They run around 25 bucks for a pair, which my bike uses 2 H-4 bulbs. Just an opinion.

KUNG FUsion · 01-20-2004

I read a post on another forum that said the Sylvania Silver-Star had a very short life, only lasted about 6 months. Have any of you tried these? I was planning on getting some for mine but now I’m wondering.

I ordered some clear turn signal lens for the front of my bike; I'm using Sylvania Silver-Star signal bulbs in them. They're kind of an iridescent blue but glow amber. I thought they would look good behind the clear lens.

cjiom · 01-20-2004

I bought some silver star bulbs to try, but they ended up in my car

Must get some more next time I am in the factor and try on the bike.

One thing my factor did say was that they were not sure of the use of these in plastic headlights and that that would be at my own risk. Nearly all osram bulbs (thats how they are branded here but think they are the same) are low UV and safe with plastic lenses. The EX seems to have a class lens anyway.

I have only had one headlamp fail on me and that was after 27000 miles so I presume that (unless it was replaced) they last quite well.

High output lights should have a slightly lower life than the "long life" bulbs, but then you get more light so can see where you are going better. The super bright H4 is the same technology used in the H7 I believe and they are fitted as standard by many auto manufacturers. If there was a problem they would not fit them. Thats how I feel anyway.

There is life span data at www.osram.com

Technical - Life
B3 @ test voltage 13,2 V 150 / 150 h
Tc @ test voltage 13.2 V 350 / 220 h

Does anyone know how to interpret this?

KUNG FUsion · 01-20-2004

Here's what the Sylvania website says about The SilverStar lifespan.

"What is the life expectancy of SilverStar?

The life expectancy of a SilverStar halogen light source is dependent on the driver’s use of the lights, which vary by season, time of day and number of miles driven. We estimate the SilverStar halogen lights to have a life span of up to one year under average driving conditions. "

**Uncle Bob** · 01-20-2004

Do you have to take into account the age and weight of the rider also ?.

KUNG FUsion · 01-20-2004

By all means YES! But this only applies to non-smokers.

**Uncle Bob** · 01-20-2004

Maiku · 02-06-2004

I'm sure it depends on how much you use the brights, ect.
They make them in H4 though? I couldn't find them anywhere. I was about to get 9003 since they look exactly the same with the same wattage and everything. Not sure though.
They are definately brighter. I have them in my car. Noticably brighter. They sell for $15ea here.

Anonymous · 02-06-2004

THE BEST is usually the dealer...without them we have no support for the things that we can't do ourselves. IF you are a valued customer you will find that dealers will knock off things for you and give you discounts depending upon how much busines that you are giving them. I know that 3 times the price for a bulb is a little (LOT) steep, but they have an overhead, insurance, employees...lots of things to pay for just to be there for us. I'm a poor, really poor (financially) and can't even afford to buy another bike right now. But think about the situation IF you were the shop person paying the bills, instead of being the customer. I prefer my military boots over the plastic and metal ones that they sell and I prefer helmets that are better than you will find in most bike shops. IF they don't have it then I'll get it someplace else...but I have always used the thought process mentioned above.
I once bought a Kawasaki 175 Dirt bike and the Air Force guy only used it to ride to and from work and home all on the base. The tire was worn like a slick, in the middle, and because he kept fouling plugs (2-stroke) he finally found a hot plug that didn't foul. I bought new tires but the shop didn't catch the plug. I was in Hawaii, Oahu, and on H-1 (Intra-State 1) I melted a hole in the piston. It had no compression when I kicked it over. We pulled the plug and it was like aluminum metalflake all over the plug...we hauled it into the shop and within 4 hours, and all the other bikes in there I was back on the road! New piston rings, cylinder honed, new gaskets tuned up and even had the right plug in it when I left...the cost was NOMINAL and i continued to shop there for everything that they had...that I wanted. I'm not sorry for being long winded on this one. The dealers would vanish and we would be stuck shipping things or going to machine shops, or group garages, not the experts that specialize in our product. I hope that Kawasaki continues to Race in ALL areas of motorcycle racing and put their technology back into our street bikes. Now if we could only get them to compete with Aprilia in the 250 class with the NINJA 250R!

cjiom · 02-06-2004

Maiku

http://www.sylvania.com/auto/silverstar.htm lists the H4 as available for motorcycles. Thats probably bad news if you want to pick one up cheap. I found that from a car parts shop they were £10 for two, and from a bike shop they were £9.99 for one. Thats a cheap bike parts place not a Dealer (I did not ask, it would be scary)...

They list some stockists though not being in the US I don't know what life is like.

Here in Europe the H4 is available everywhere, like in petrol (gas) stations etc. I just used the spare from my car last time my bike went.

The prices Sylvania list in their online store are quite scary! $22.49 for one bulb.

Stavros51 · 04-04-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjiom

01-20-2004 09:25 PM
I bought some silver star bulbs to try, but they ended up in my car : - (Must get some more next time I am in the factor and try on the bike).
One thing my factor did say was that they were not sure of the use of these in plastic headlights and that that would be at my own risk. Nearly all osram bulbs (thats how they are branded here but think they are the same) are low UV and safe with plastic lenses. The EX seems to have a class lens anyway.
I have only had one headlamp fail on me and that was after 27000 miles so I presume that (unless it was replaced) they last quite well.
High output lights should have a slightly lower life than the "long life" bulbs, but then you get more light so can see where you are going better. The super bright H4 is the same technology used in the H7 I believe and they are fitted as standard by many auto manufacturers. If there was a problem they would not fit them. Thats how I feel anyway.
There is life span data at www.osram.com
Technical - Life
B3 @ test voltage 13,2 V 150 / 150 h
Tc @ test voltage 13.2 V 350 / 220 h
Does anyone know how to interpret this?

I am new in this forum, this is my first post. I found the forum while searching Google to find exactly the same answer: How to interpret this!

Well, I found the answer inside the same osram webite. Here I quote:

"Question:
What do B3 and Tc mean in connection with the service life of lamps?
Answer:
If we consider the service lives of products that are designed to last a certain time we can see that they all have the same or similar failure characteristics.
If we plot the service lives of the individual lamps on special logarithmic graph paper, the graph produced is called a "Weibull distribution curve".
In a stable production process we obtain a straight line for the service life on which we can read off various life values. For its products in the automotive sector OSRAM specifies a B3 value, which indicates the time at which 3% of the tested lamps have failed. OSRAM also specifies the Tc value (characteristic Weibull value), which indicates the time at which 63.2% of the lamps have failed.
It used to be the case that only the average value was specified (the average life), which in this system would correspond to a B50 value (i.e. the time at which 50% of the lamps have failed). By specifying both the B3 value and the Tc value it is possible to get an idea of the spread of the product's service life and hence the quality of the product.
In America B10 is also given. This value can be calculated from the B3 and Tc values."

You can read this above text (and more info) here:
http://www.osram.com/service_corner/...tiv.html#faq11

However, I still have a question (to which the faq section does not reply):
All times are give as:

Technical - Life
B3 @ test voltage 13,2 V 250 / 400 h
B3 @ test voltage 13,5 V 180 / 290 h
B3 @ test voltage 14,0 V 110 / 175 h
B50 @ test voltage 13,2 V 470 / 840 h
B50 @ test voltage 13,5 V 340 / 600 h
B50 @ test voltage 14,0 V 205 / 370 h
Tc @ test voltage 13.2 V 500 / 900 h
Tc @ test voltage 13.5 V 365 / 650 h
Tc @ test voltage 14.0 V 220 / 400 h

What is the meaning of 250/400, 180/290, etc? In some lamps the stroke separates different values (as above), in some the values on either side of the stroke are the same.
Does anyone know why this?

11-27-2003	#1 (permalink)
kingedb Newbie Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: philadelphia Posts: 1	headlight bulbs DO NOT buy these from a dealer. this just adds to their mark up racket. i recently blew a bulb and was looking for a replacement. i noticed they were $35 each and just figured no big deal everything on bikes are expensive, but figured i would throw the model number on ebay and see what pops up. Volkswagon uses the same exact bulbs for their cars! i bought a pair for $8.99!! figured it was worth sharing.

11-28-2003	#3 (permalink)
Kawi Proud Owner Of This Forum Forum Supporter Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Red Lodge, Mt Posts: 2,199	I agree OEM parts can be very expensive, we also use aftermarket suppliers for bulbs,etc. When it comes to hard parts for your bike OEM is really the way to go though but for some parts you can shop and get good quality and a good price however quality is the key word if you have a cheap part failure it usually takes other parts with it! We select our aftermarket supplier very carefully __________________ In memory of our friend Deron Harden (1400 Pilot), God speed!

11-29-2003	#4 (permalink)
Uncle Bob Retired Site Dictator Forum Supporter Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Montreal Canada Posts: 5,201	I think the best thing is to find a good dealer. A dealer with the customers interest at heart. They're not all stealers. I've found that regularly visiting your dealer and buying stuff from him rather than shopping the net to save a few bucks costs you more in the long run. Especially here in Canada when you go in the off season you can get some real good deals on stuff, much better than you can find on the net where they'll knock 10-15% off retail. Thing is you have to go and see whats available. For example last winter I picked up three First Gear Vortex jackets retail price $199.95 US for $99 Can ( about $77US) and a Joe Rocket Santa Fe Retail price about $189Us for $99 Can. __________________ If you don't know what it is, don't lick it.

12-13-2003	#6 (permalink)
ZZRGUY Newbie Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Alabama Posts: 3	Headlight bulbs As far as I have found, the Sylvania Silver-Star series bulbs (dollar for dollar) are the best bang for the buck I have tried. They are available just about any where too, which to me is a big plus. They run around 25 bucks for a pair, which my bike uses 2 H-4 bulbs. Just an opinion. __________________ ZZR1200 PILOT GROUP

01-20-2004	#7 (permalink)
KUNG FUsion Newbie Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 12	Sylvania Silver-Star I read a post on another forum that said the Sylvania Silver-Star had a very short life, only lasted about 6 months. Have any of you tried these? I was planning on getting some for mine but now I’m wondering. I ordered some clear turn signal lens for the front of my bike; I'm using Sylvania Silver-Star signal bulbs in them. They're kind of an iridescent blue but glow amber. I thought they would look good behind the clear lens.

01-20-2004	#8 (permalink)
cjiom Still On The Kickstand BTK Beginner Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: West of London, UK Posts: 44	I bought some silver star bulbs to try, but they ended up in my car Must get some more next time I am in the factor and try on the bike. One thing my factor did say was that they were not sure of the use of these in plastic headlights and that that would be at my own risk. Nearly all osram bulbs (thats how they are branded here but think they are the same) are low UV and safe with plastic lenses. The EX seems to have a class lens anyway. I have only had one headlamp fail on me and that was after 27000 miles so I presume that (unless it was replaced) they last quite well. High output lights should have a slightly lower life than the "long life" bulbs, but then you get more light so can see where you are going better. The super bright H4 is the same technology used in the H7 I believe and they are fitted as standard by many auto manufacturers. If there was a problem they would not fit them. Thats how I feel anyway. There is life span data at www.osram.com Technical - Life B3 @ test voltage 13,2 V 150 / 150 h Tc @ test voltage 13.2 V 350 / 220 h Does anyone know how to interpret this? __________________ A newbie to this game, currently riding a rather scruffy yellow GPZ500S which I got summer 03.

01-20-2004	#9 (permalink)
KUNG FUsion Newbie Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 12	SilverStar lifespan Here's what the Sylvania website says about The SilverStar lifespan. "What is the life expectancy of SilverStar? The life expectancy of a SilverStar halogen light source is dependent on the driver’s use of the lights, which vary by season, time of day and number of miles driven. We estimate the SilverStar halogen lights to have a life span of up to one year under average driving conditions. "

01-20-2004	#10 (permalink)
Uncle Bob Retired Site Dictator Forum Supporter Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Montreal Canada Posts: 5,201	Do you have to take into account the age and weight of the rider also ?. __________________ If you don't know what it is, don't lick it.

01-20-2004	#11 (permalink)
KUNG FUsion Newbie Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Ohio Posts: 12	life expectancy By all means YES! But this only applies to non-smokers.

01-20-2004	#12 (permalink)
Uncle Bob Retired Site Dictator Forum Supporter Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Montreal Canada Posts: 5,201	__________________ If you don't know what it is, don't lick it.

02-06-2004	#13 (permalink)
Maiku Still On The Kickstand Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Gainesville, FL Posts: 32	bulbs I'm sure it depends on how much you use the brights, ect. They make them in H4 though? I couldn't find them anywhere. I was about to get 9003 since they look exactly the same with the same wattage and everything. Not sure though. They are definately brighter. I have them in my car. Noticably brighter. They sell for $15ea here. __________________ Maiku '00 Ninja (Slightly custom)

02-06-2004	#14 (permalink)
Anonymous Can't find time to ride BTK Expert Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 689	THE BEST THE BEST is usually the dealer...without them we have no support for the things that we can't do ourselves. IF you are a valued customer you will find that dealers will knock off things for you and give you discounts depending upon how much busines that you are giving them. I know that 3 times the price for a bulb is a little (LOT) steep, but they have an overhead, insurance, employees...lots of things to pay for just to be there for us. I'm a poor, really poor (financially) and can't even afford to buy another bike right now. But think about the situation IF you were the shop person paying the bills, instead of being the customer. I prefer my military boots over the plastic and metal ones that they sell and I prefer helmets that are better than you will find in most bike shops. IF they don't have it then I'll get it someplace else...but I have always used the thought process mentioned above. I once bought a Kawasaki 175 Dirt bike and the Air Force guy only used it to ride to and from work and home all on the base. The tire was worn like a slick, in the middle, and because he kept fouling plugs (2-stroke) he finally found a hot plug that didn't foul. I bought new tires but the shop didn't catch the plug. I was in Hawaii, Oahu, and on H-1 (Intra-State 1) I melted a hole in the piston. It had no compression when I kicked it over. We pulled the plug and it was like aluminum metalflake all over the plug...we hauled it into the shop and within 4 hours, and all the other bikes in there I was back on the road! New piston rings, cylinder honed, new gaskets tuned up and even had the right plug in it when I left...the cost was NOMINAL and i continued to shop there for everything that they had...that I wanted. I'm not sorry for being long winded on this one. The dealers would vanish and we would be stuck shipping things or going to machine shops, or group garages, not the experts that specialize in our product. I hope that Kawasaki continues to Race in ALL areas of motorcycle racing and put their technology back into our street bikes. Now if we could only get them to compete with Aprilia in the 250 class with the NINJA 250R!

02-06-2004	#15 (permalink)
cjiom Still On The Kickstand BTK Beginner Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: West of London, UK Posts: 44	Maiku http://www.sylvania.com/auto/silverstar.htm lists the H4 as available for motorcycles. Thats probably bad news if you want to pick one up cheap. I found that from a car parts shop they were £10 for two, and from a bike shop they were £9.99 for one. Thats a cheap bike parts place not a Dealer (I did not ask, it would be scary)... They list some stockists though not being in the US I don't know what life is like. Here in Europe the H4 is available everywhere, like in petrol (gas) stations etc. I just used the spare from my car last time my bike went. The prices Sylvania list in their online store are quite scary! $22.49 for one bulb. __________________ A newbie to this game, currently riding a rather scruffy yellow GPZ500S which I got summer 03.

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