Hey so I ride my motorcycle at night...some people gasp...OH no Its dark and scary, people cant see you, you cant see anything!
Well not anymore..I got a replacement light for the standard H4 Headlight...its pretty much my favorite upgrade for the bike yet. IE racks, seats bars etc.
Lights are very important. MOST importantly TO BE SEEN, not just to see them ..
There are a lot of sources out there all the way from China on Ebay, or you can use Amazon or even some of the motorcycle sites like RevZilla.
The ones on Revzilla are crazy money like 80 dollars for one light...yeesh.
I found a compromise around 15 dollars and free shipping on Amazon. And it shipped from the continent of US not mainland China and wait 4-6 weeks...
Well I can really tell even during the daytime people in oncoming and infront of me don't like the headlight now...Shazam! THEY can SEE ME! Goal Accomplished.
The installation took a few minutes of getting the correct orientation of the adapter plate that comes with the light.
For all those who don't know, most of the airheads have a single screw that holds on the rim of the globe to the lamp base. it uses a tension lock assembly much like those on the hose clamps.
The way to take it off is take the apropriate screwdriver and find the magic screw (mine was on bottom) and start turning the lefty loosey, (be careful taking apart, glass is heavy and fragile) Once globe is off, figure out which way the lamp is attached, (there is usually a spring wire clamp holding it down) Once you have the lightbulb wire detached remember the orientation of the bulb, important for re-installing the new light.
Find the correct size of the adapter plate (mine came with about 4 different sizes etc) I had to plug the light in the socket and then lock the spring wire around it and then add the plate afterward other wise it would not click into place right. it took a few minutes to get it just right, and I don't doubt the way I did it may be different for you.
In the box: Light and several adapter plates. Each light fixture has slightly less exact fitment...the extra plates made it handy for all the possibilities...
Picture time. Show and tell
I cant show you the actual results of the difference in brightness, but the effect is pretty awesome. And yes there is a High/Low beam difference
Looks like the Cyron LED H4 replacement I've been running. It's like 3000 lumens or something. It's brighter and draws ~20W less than the stock 65W bulb.
It works really well with the sub-reflector type German headlamp. I've been running mine on a "headlamp modulator" for about a year now and it doesn't seem to mind at all.
https://cyronmotor.com/p-209-headlight-bulb-led-retrofit-kit-motorcycles-abh4k.aspx
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
is there a led headlight bulb for the stock /5 bucket? what about a lens, reflector replacement? anyone done a successful upgrade on the /5 model?
this h4 headlight is the one im talking about, the reflector does NOT have to be replaced on most of these headlights as Very little has changed on the assembly of the headlamp bucket and lens...
I have heard enough about these LED inserts not being a good match for the reflector, that I'm considering going whole hog with a JW Speaker 8700 Evo II. Every review I have seen says that it is the top of the line of the many choices out there. It's wicked expensive, but the first time I spot a moose with it at night, it will have paid for itself! I'm such a wimp when it comes to pain!
Mark
I have heard enough about these LED inserts not being a good match for the reflector, that I'm considering going whole hog with a JW Speaker 8700 Evo II. Every review I have seen says that it is the top of the line of the many choices out there. It's wicked expensive, but the first time I spot a moose with it at night, it will have paid for itself! I'm such a wimp when it comes to pain!
Mark
Mark -
Some thoughts...
• While the aftermarket LED sealed beam bulb/reflector you mentioned ($495) might be a viable choice for your R65, it should be noted that this is not an option for owners of the 190mm headlamp found on most Airheads.
• I have seen the 7" LED sealed beam made by Truck-Lite ($150) used on several motorcycles (both positive and negative ground) and that particular unit (available through NAPA stores) is quite phenomenal.
• Neither of these units provide full-reflector illumination for daytime safety. You'll be depending upon the higher intensity of a small portion of the reflector, versus full illumination of the BMW reflector that the Cyron drop-in H4 solution provides for $16. Just saying.
All the best.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
That bulb is $256. on Amazon. Still a pile of cash though. I may give your suggestion a try, as I have always liked the beam pattern of airheads. As I said before there are many LED replacement bulbs out there that get bad reviews. It helps that there is one out there that has been tried and liked by someone that knows their stuff.
Thanks
I don't know if this is the EXACT same light I got but is pretty close to the same..
you can get them on ebay from Mainland China for one tenth the price, so...
Just saying Im keeping my H4 original bulb Ive had since Ive owned the bike...about 8 years..so what happens may happens
Mr. Wobbly: What would then be a good replacement for a 1979 R65 headlight bulb? I quite like the "parking light" feature, but would like a main lamp that A. is brighter; B. doesn't drain the battery quite so quickly!
Does that same Cyron bulb work? (I'm a new owner of an old R65, so I'm still learning.)
Thanks.
You mentioned a “headlight modulator”? Duh, what’s that?
What would then be a good replacement for a 1979 R65 headlight bulb? I quite like the "parking light" feature, but would like a main lamp that A. is brighter; B. doesn't drain the battery quite so quickly! Does that same Cyron bulb work? (I'm a new owner of an old R65, so I'm still learning.) Thanks.
Andy -
• Not familiar with all the details of the early R65's, but if that bike uses an H4 type bulb, then the Cyron H4 LED previously listed would be an excellent choice. Between my brother and my Airheads we own and use 4 of these units. We've had zero issues with installation, fit, operation, pattern, power requirements, etc over the last 18 months or so. It's a 5 minute install. Highly recommended.
• You might also replace your Parking lamp bulb with a substitute white LED replacement from Super Bright LEDs. Check out their web site. https://www.superbrightleds.com/
• Further upgrades could be had by using red LEDs in the tail lamp, which are much brighter (safer) than incandescent bulbs. They also carry the smaller LED bulbs for the gauges. I installed green LED running lights in my gauges and love it. https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/led-vehicle-replacement-bulbs/
Hope this helps.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
You mentioned a “headlight modulator”? Duh, what’s that?
After the 1981 Hurt Report found that 3/4 of all motorcycle crashes were frontal and caused by cars "not seeing" motorcycles, Federal law was changed to allow motorcycles to "modulate" their headlamps. The modulator is an electrical device that makes the Hi beam "flicker" at about 4 Hz, a frequency that cannot be ignored by the human brain. Even if the car driver only catches a quick glimpse of you out of the corner of their eye, he's going to take corrective action immediately !
For safety, the device contains sensors that turn the modulator OFF if you enter a tunnel or the sun goes down. For driving etiquette, the device can be manually defeated in traffic by simply flipping to Low beam.
The devices are generally simple to install and easily plug between the Hi beam supply wire (White) and the headlamp bulb itself. No other wiring is required. The simple plug-and-play wiring makes it easy to move from bike to bike as you buy and sell your Airheads.
In my 25 year experience, the reactions from car drivers is immediate. Cars turning out in front of you slam on their brakes and stop. Slower cars you approach from the rear move to the RH lane. If the driver is really unprepared, I've seen them pull completely off the road ! The use of a modulator trumps every other car driver distraction, including cell phones, texting, applying fingernail polish, drinking coffee, combing hair, etc. I wouldn't drive a motorcycle without one.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Re headlight modulator, always wondered how they did that, it certainly gets your attention. As others have mentioned, I’m a new guy with an old bike (1981 R65) and this forum has been invaluable in familiarizing me with the ways of the airheads. Many thanks to the moderators and other wise ones for sharing the knowledge.
I was having a discussion at a tech day on this subject. One thing to be aware of is that the nacelle on a /5 has the speedometer projecting down into it and the DC power converter on the H4 LED projects off the back and will interfere.
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