Quick headlight question

[norrie]

I've done some searching but I can't seem to find what I want to know. I have a 77 XS250 and rode it in the dark for the first time last night. The headlight was underwhelming to say the least so I'd like to replace it. I thought I could pop out the globe and pop in a H4 but it looks like the globe is a part or the lamp itself and I need to replace the whole lamp. I'd like to keep the bucket and mounts as is but replace the lamp, preferably with one which takes a replaceable H4. I found one over on mikexs but it's 7". During my forum search it seems this bike might take a 6 3/8" lamp. Will the 7" fit or do I need to replace the whole kit and caboodle? Thanks! I'm in Australia BTW.

 

[Wolfe_11B]

You can get a 7inch to fit in the stock housing with some modification. Just search a bit on here, it's been done often. There's other options like 'Candlepower' I think it's called, you can search for threads on that too.

If you just want to swap the sealed beam for a replaceable bulb unit, you can do better than MikesXS. Most autoparts stores have them, as well as all the online performance car shops (like summit, speedway, etc). Don't know what you guys have down under, but I'm sure they sell em too.

And just an FYI, moving to H4 bulbs doesn't really make a 'huge' difference in the brightness and quality. Switch to a relay setup with bigger wires going to the lamp, and you'll be absolutely amazed at how bright your headlight can be.

 

[16VGTIDave]

You should be aware that the stock light was 35W. H4 bulbs are 55/60W and will strain the charging system. There are now LED H4 bulbs on the market that are very bright and have well controlled light output, while drawing 40W. If you convert the tail light to LED bulbs, the total load on the charging system will be less than with stock bulbs, yet be brighter.

 

[Greasey Fingers]

The standard headlight should be adequate if its all working properly maybe something is not right? Btw really nice bike man

 

[norrie]

The standard headlight should be adequate if its all working properly maybe something is not right? Btw really nice bike man

Thanks mate. Yeah, they're OK but I remember when I replaced the globes in my Jeep with quality ones and it made a pretty noticeable improvement. I think I'll hunt down a European lamp and pop a quality H4 in it. I checked out the candlepower ones mentioned earlier but they don't fit my model without welding. Gotta be better than what's in it now. Thanks for your replies guys.

 

[jthiessen]

I am in a similar boat. I have an H4 LED but need a new lens. Would like one with minimal modification to the bucket.

Please let me know what you track down!

 

[Rumpelhardt]

I used this one. http://www.dimecitycycles.com/7-inch-gloss-black-modern-british-style-headlight-assembly.html Much better but it's a bit bigger than my stock light so it took some work to mount.

 

[norrie]

I am in a similar boat. I have an H4 LED but need a new lens. Would like one with minimal modification to the bucket.

Please let me know what you track down!

What LED did you get? I ended up finding a 250 wrecking here in Ausralia and grabbed the h4 headlight from that.

 

[norrie]

You should be aware that the stock light was 35W. H4 bulbs are 55/60W and will strain the charging system. There are now LED H4 bulbs on the market that are very bright and have well controlled light output, while drawing 40W. If you convert the tail light to LED bulbs, the total load on the charging system will be less than with stock bulbs, yet be brighter.

Does changing to a LED tail light really save much power draw?

 

[MrStubb]

On my 72 LS2 I had an issue with a weak charging system even after cleaning & replacing the weak rotor & stator. I couldn't do anything with the headlight but I did find when I switched to LEDs for most all the other bulbs along with a timed type flasher my headlight was much brighter. LEDs really DO use lower amperage to operate and will live much longer in our applications. I'm thinking of LEDs for all the bulbs on my XS.

 

[16VGTIDave]

A conventional dual filament bulb draws 5W for the marker, and 21W for brake. That equates to about 40 Lumens and 280 Lumens light output per bulb. Good quality LED bulbs will provide information showing they draw a fraction of the power and produce more light. 100 Lumens per Watt is a decent efficacy these days. The cheap crap sold for a dollar or 2 isn't worth the shipping charges. Expect to pay $30 to $50 (US$) a bulb for quality.

To answer the question directly: Yes, changing to LED bulbs will save lots of power.

 

[norrie]

Thanks for the replies!