So now the days are getting shorter, I've noticed my headlight really sucks! On low beam I can hardly see the ground in front of me - never mind that deer 50 years away. Highbeam is good and bright, which I end up needing to ride with on.

- Battery is new
- New bulb (Sylvania Silverstar Ultras, use these in my car and they are quite bright for halogens)
- New harness - when I got the bike, the headlight didn't work. The harness seemed oem but the wiring was different than what was in the factory manual, and the harness was all burnt out - after cleaning the contacts in the starter switch and replacing the harness it worked

Anyone else find this is the case?

Part 2 of this post is going aftermarket. I have seen a few pics of bikes with the oem front fairing but different lights - namely a set of dual round headlights. Think Yamaha BWS. Any ideas or lights to look out for (at a reasonable price is best )

 

Think:
CBR Forum - Enthusiast forums for Honda CBR Owners - GotDatEffFo's Album: 1986 Yamaha FZ600 - Picture

EDIT: Another 'short term' solution might be HIDs. I've never been much of a fan of them since every teenager with a civic puts them in their stock housing - blinding everyone else on the road, but these ones SEEM to have a built in cut off, plus you retain your hi/lo functionality. Does anyone here have experience with these similar "plug and play" HID kits? I know they are best when used with projectors, but unfortunately that doesn't seem plausible, given the lack of aftermarket parts for our old bikes.

http://www.canadacaralarms.com/motor...exible_kit.php

 

My low beam leaves much to be desired as well, but I don't ride at night much so it hasn't been a pressing issue. I've been considering the HID option too since it seems like the cheapest and easiest option. The stock lens seems to have a pretty decent cutoff on the low beam so it might work out ok with an HID setup. I've tried a couple different bulb upgrades and I don't think any stock replacement bulb is going to be up to the task unless you upgrade to something with much higher wattage. Then I'm not sure the light housing can deal with the extra heat, so that also makes the HID option sound like the better choice to me.. at least they're cheap enough now that if you don't like it you're not out a lot of cash and can probably sell it and make most of it back.

The dual light setup would be a good idea too, but I'm not willing to devote the time & energy to do that

 

Visually, I think I'd prefer the dual headlamp route, as I think it looks good, BUT it would require some considerable work to make it look good. Finding a set that are bright enough and narrow enough to fit in the fairing may be difficult. Not to mention 'cleaning up the hole' around the lights. In the end they may not be bright enough either...

I think I will go with the HIDs. I have read some favorable outcomes after adding them on. I am looking at a set of 35W 4300K Hi/Lo HIDs for $52 shipped. Once I get them in I'll post some before/after.

 

I agree with the visual 100%, I've always really liked the look of the dual round headlights like the early 90's 900rr. It would probably take some serious custom work to make it happen on this bike though, but it would definitely be neat to see it done.

Looking forward to the before/after shots on the HID upgrade.

 

Yeah my low beams sucked for the longest time it was a pain in my rear when I was cornering at night so I upgraded to hid and that fixed my problem