What a difference!

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T.C.
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What a difference!

#1 Post by T.C. » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:25 pm

I have had my car nearly 8 years. I brought it new and it has been brilliant and I still enjoy driving it despite the 100,000 mile mark fast approaching and it has been super reliable so far (says I looking for some wood to touch)

When I ordered my car, I had the option of specifying HiD lights, but it was quite an expensive option and to be honest modern headlights tend to be pretty good these days don't they? Well not in my case. Full beam is fine but from day one the dip bean has been awfull,

I have been meaning to upgrade the bulbs for some time, and tonight at long last I managed to get around to doing just that.

WoW, what a difference. The packaging states that the bulbs, although the same wattage, are 100% brighter than standard,

I would say that they are more than that, in comparison it is like driving in daylight.

I feel such a prat for having left it so long, and it is not as if it is even an expensive modification, just a fiddly pain in the arse as everything is so cramped to gain access to the back of the headlight unit, especially on the passenger side.

Anyway, all done now, big smile on my face and I can start to enjoy night time driving again which I tend to have to do quite a bit of with work.

Happy days :smt001
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#2 Post by Willopotomas » Wed Feb 08, 2017 10:49 pm

Pretty certain they're a bit of a no-no in the eyes of the law. Might be one of those grey areas though..
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#3 Post by T.C. » Wed Feb 08, 2017 11:10 pm

Willopotomas wrote:Pretty certain they're a bit of a no-no in the eyes of the law. Might be one of those grey areas though..
Really? That piece of legislation must have passed me by :smt017

I know I only teach traffic law and only have 40 years + experience of dealing with traffic law on a daily basis, but I think I would know if they are legal or not and whether they are a no-no or not :smt002

Unless you know a partcular act and section of the 1989 lighting regs that I don't?
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#4 Post by Falcopops » Thu Feb 09, 2017 6:14 am

You can't make a post like that without giving details of the bulbs that you've used.

I think Will has assumed you've gone the HID route, hence his comments

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#5 Post by T.C. » Thu Feb 09, 2017 9:51 am

Falcopops wrote:You can't make a post like that without giving details of the bulbs that you've used.

I think Will has assumed you've gone the HID route, hence his comments
I do apologise that I bit because I had a neighbour stand over me whilst I was fitting them and was telling me in his best Harry Enfield voice "You don't want to do thaaaat" :smt013 and then spent the next 40 minutes whilst I was struggling to get the 2nd bulb in about the legality of headlights and how the Police were going to pull me.

But it seemed to shut him up when I asked him what else he knew about the Road vehicle lighting regs 1989. His reply? "Whats that then? " He went away quite quickly after that, but he just got my back up.

So back to Will's original comment, I apologise, I did not mean to sound sarcastic or condesending.

I have fitted something called Osram Nightbreakers. They are about £30 for the pair and have all the CE marks and comply with the 89 road vehicle lighting regs.

Justr a b@stard to fit them.... My back is still suffering after being bent over the front of the car for so long fitting the nearside one in particular.
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#6 Post by Falcopops » Thu Feb 09, 2017 12:27 pm

cheers, I'll be looking at them then, sound pretty good

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#7 Post by Dalemac » Thu Feb 09, 2017 12:58 pm

Nightbreakers aren't bad. I had them on my highbeam but they don't last too long.

Just bought some Philips X-tremeVision replacements, supposedly even better than the nightbreakers.

Will post up some images when they have been fitted (will do this over the weekend).

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#8 Post by fatboy » Thu Feb 09, 2017 6:42 pm

I have a pair of those sat in the glove box. They were on offer when I bought them and seemed like a good idea.
They do have a shorter life than conventionals, but seeing as they are that good I'm tempted to put them in the bike :smt003
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#9 Post by Dalemac » Thu Feb 09, 2017 6:47 pm

Yeah, I'm putting them in the main beam. I don't use i all that much so the hour usage should take a long time to build up.

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#10 Post by D-Rider » Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:07 am

It's funny - since fitting my HID to my Falco dip beam (many years ago), I've been thinking of fitting either Osram Nightbreakers or Philips X-TremeVision for my main beam ..... but never got round to it.

Maybe I'd better look at this again (unless I find that I've already done so and forgotten all about it)
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#11 Post by Falcopops » Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:47 am

I put some extreme Philips things in my main beams when I was in there for the hid swap too. I did the mod to keep the dip on with the mains and it still overpowers the mains. Apart from the wider scatter of the mains there's bugger all change with the mains on

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#12 Post by Dalemac » Fri Feb 10, 2017 1:10 pm

The Philips are on offer on Amazon at the moment.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1

Mine have just arrived.

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#13 Post by mangocrazy » Fri Feb 10, 2017 4:30 pm

Or stick a pair of these in as your main beams. With a HID on dipped, the wiring mod done and these little puppies for mains, you'd not be found wanting in the lighting stakes. In fact wherever you go you'd probably leave scorched and shrivelled hedgerows in your wake...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2Pcs-H7 ... 93238.html

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#14 Post by fatboy » Fri Feb 10, 2017 7:37 pm

I just ordered a pair of those LED babies, I trust you as a responsible adult Graham !
Seriously, will be happy to report on how they are when they get here. Far cheaper than Halogen upgrades
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#15 Post by mangocrazy » Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:05 pm

fatboy wrote:I just ordered a pair of those LED babies, I trust you as a responsible adult Graham !
Unwise. An adult I may, be - responsible? I'd need to take advice on that... :smt003
fatboy wrote:Seriously, will be happy to report on how they are when they get here. Far cheaper than Halogen upgrades
I was made aware of the Alibaba site when someone posted up on the VFR750 FB group that I'm a member of, about replacement uprated radiators for those bikes, at very sensible prices. OE stuff (lower capacity) would be 4-5 times more expensive, even if you could obtain them.

Then I started scrolling through what was available (as you do) and found a load of stuff at seriously attractive prices. I've ordered a pair of H4 bulbs off the same seller for my VFR (one for me and one for a buddy with the same bike) so will see how they are when they arrive.

All I know is that I've seen the exact same bulbs on that site for around £55 that I paid £120 for on a UK site. So going to the source seems like a smart move to me.

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