AT bulbs upgrade

[Steve C]

I've seen some occasional chat on this and have wondered about moving to newer type bulbs on my early 01 RD07a

something along these lines:
http://www.piaa.co.uk/bulbs/bulbs.asp#applics

or possibly something in this range:
http://www.piaa.co.uk/bulbs/bikebulbs.asp#applics

I am considering doing the tail light at the same time - or even first.

Can anyone give me a bit of background on what the issues and hurdles are?

[Steve C]

cheers

[Stormforce8]

Steve - I have the Philips Blue Vision H4 bulbs in my @ and it does give a noticeable improvement.



I recently bought a HID kit to install but haven't got round to it yet - but have a look at Richardg's postings about the upgrade here and here.

For the rear I've had a Kisan brake light in for over a year. It's a halogen bulb in a modulator - very bright and certainly grabs attention when braking.



And before anyone tells me it's illegal - I KNOW!!

[Steve C]

Thanks Stormforce

What's the legal issue with the brake light then? I haven't been shunted but the standard rear does seem a little weedy for a foggy motorway when the cars all have their windows steamed up

[Lumiya]

Thanks Stormforce

What's the legal issue with the brake light then? I haven't been shunted but the standard rear does seem a little weedy for a foggy motorway when the cars all have their windows steamed up

The legality is that a brake light must be a steady light that is active when the brake is pressed. Jonathan's Kisan breaks that rule. Though I'm not sure if that rule is purely MOT or driving based? If MOT then for MOT all you need is the standard lamp and then swap it out afterwards.

Also a few people do use cadence breaking (what an ABS does) and that would give the same effect at the brake light.

Kymmy

[Stormforce8]

Kymmy - you beat me to it

It would be an MOT failure as it is not a steady 'on' when braking - but I just pop a standard bulb in there for the MOT and then swap it back afterwards.

I'm not sure about driving - as Kymmy say's it's no different from the cadence effect of ABS, or if I jumped up and down on the pedal like a cartoon rabbit............same effect.

Personally, I like the added attention grabbing modulation and the brightness of the halogen, combined they make me feel a bit more comfortable about vehicles behind me

[icenian]

If you're worried about fog, you could fit a bog standard rear fog light? I've seen this done quite a few times, usually on the mudguard beneath the number plate (I assume they're bog standard car lights designs to be screwed onto a plastic bumper).

For a better rear light, if you're willing to spend £52 you could buy an LED conversion for the rear light
http://www.nippynormans.com/prodinfo...item=3&mitem=3
I have one of these (bought second hand I'm glad to say!) It's not unusually bright but I think it's at least as good as normal road bike rear lights that have two bulbs, and of course it's more reliable. Should sail through an MOT as it does light up the number plate too.

[Steve C]

Thanks Stormforce, Kymmy and icenian

I need a bit more please - is H4 the fitting/type for AT bulbs? I've seen H4 Xenon car bulbs claiming 50% increase in light, is that possible for our lights?


I like the look of the flashy rear but the led kit looks like something even I could probably so so thanks icenian - I think I might give that a go. It's not only fog that concerns me, it's that bikes seem to have a focus on the forward and not so much on the rear facing lights.

[StumpyFingers]

If it is similar to the car type then it is an H4. i.e. three blades on rear one for earth one for dip and one for high beam

[Lumiya]

Xenon (well fake xenon) means just a different gas within the bulb and shouldn;t be confused with the Xenon lamps that are HID. The lab figures are about 10% more light, but as with any bulb is you reduce the thickness of the filament thus inducing less resistance, more current, greater wattage and greater heat it will obviously boost this figure up. Just remember though that more wattage/heat means less lifespan on the bulb.

H4's all have the same pinout so a 35/35w H4 is directly replaceable with a 100/100 H4 but make sure that not only can your wires cope with more current but also your lens.

if you do have plastic lenses then for gawd sake buy good quality bulbs as they have better UV blocking coatings and its the UV that'll destroy the plastic lens faster than any increase in heat.

HID's a lot of people say get HID's as they're half the current for a greater light output. Yes that is true but only after start-up, as they build up the power enough to kick in the voltage arc used to provide the light they're actually drawing over double the current of a standard H4. It might only be for 5 - 15 seconds but it can be enough to melt the insulation and short out the system so be careful.

Kymmy