best head lite bulb ?

i need a better head lite bulb , i would like a HID but don't have the time and $ , on my trip i may get caught after dark and can,t see very well so i need all the lite i can get . anybody know if there are HID fog / driving lites ? I have led driving lites , they are good for 20 feet .

Thanks , Thom

I can only tell you that I have the same problem. I really do not like my 1st gen headlight. I replaced the bulb with a 90/100 and it is half the illumination of my Ninja with the same bulb. Adding aluminum tape to the rubber headlight boot helped a little, not nearly enough. I bought a MKII headlight, but, do not know what else is needed to bolt it in. I also have a car halogen sealed-beam that I may adapt. Good luck with yours . . .

I have a MKII if i had a MKI i would do it like Dingy's .

Thom

I went with the HID from HID Country.

It is not all that expensive, install is a bit of a pain on the 1st gen, but not terrible, It is extremely bright.

I tried the Silverstar bulb, and it has the color of an HID but I did not feel it was any brighter than stock.

Something to check with your 90/100 bulb. use a voltmeter to check the voltage at the bulb, the wires in the bike may just be to small for that much power and causing a voltage drop at the bulb.

Thanks , just checked them out , not a bad price , when i get back i am going to put them in . the fun part is rewiring the CMS , i HATE THAT RED LITE as i have all led now , it gos out when i have the trailer on so i know i have trl. lites but i got to fix that CMS , it would be nice to be able send it off to have it fixed or to be able to buy a mod. one .

just chk. out the HID driving lite all i can say is

Modifying the CMS is a lot easier than getting to it.

There are a few threads on here as to how to do it.

Since you already have the red light you do not have to mod the CMS right away.

But you MUST do the mod to the Reserve lighting unit or the HID will not work right. But that is a simple mod and not to bad to get to.

Thom, if HID is out for now, go with a Sylvania Silverstar ultra. They are long lasting and very bright.

Thanks Ponch , i don,t want todo any major jobs before i leave or i'll just be working on the bike for 10 days with my luck .

going to buy one tomorrow , 9004 rite?

I dont think that there is an easy fix short of doing Dingys lights or making a switch to HID. I have the Silverstar Ultra in mine and while it helps, its still pretty pathetic. The only way I ride at night now is with Squidlys Brackets and a set of lower lights like the PLatinum burners attached to them.

I do have Dingys kit and am waiting for the Hella 90 mm modules to come in so I can make the switch on the bike.

There is a new 90mm light module available froim Hella now that does both high and Low beam thru one module so it should make for an easier swap for anyone else wanting to do the switch to the hellas.

Brian

Another trick you can do with MK1's is to remove the rubber bezel, clean it and degrease it with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol, and paint it white with paint specifically for rubber, then reinstall. Night and day difference. Last I checked, black ABSORBS light while white reflects it!!!!!

Thanks Ponch , i don,t want todo any major jobs before i leave or i'll just be working on the bike for 10 days with my luck .

going to buy one tomorrow , 9004 rite?

I believe it's an H4. I think the 9004 is a replacement for the H4.

I tried a 100/60 H4 in mine the other day while it was sitting in the shop. The headlight warning on the CMS stayed on, both for high and low beam. I decided to put the original bulb back in and noticed the wires to the bulb were quite warm. The new bulb must draw more power than the wires can safely handle.

Another trick you can do with MK1's is to remove the rubber bezel, clean it and degrease it with mineral spirits or denatured alcohol, and paint it white with paint specifically for rubber, then reinstall. Night and day difference. Last I checked, black ABSORBS light while white reflects it!!!!!

Rocket tried talking me into that and I had to say no, I just dont think it would look good on an all brown bike with black trim. I like it on Rockets goldie and your goldie but I just couldnt bring myself to paint it white.

Brian