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R1100S Headlight Bulbs
- Thread starter wuzred
- Start date
The Xtravision bulb I'm using has a 3200k brightness so I wouldn't term it a "superwhite". As well, these bulbs are so cheap and simple to change its not like its the end of the world if it burns out on you - as do all bulbs eventually. I think I paid $25 for 2.
scott.lambert
New member
I would second this in principle.
Yes, Sylvania (at Wahmarx) offers 4 or 5 different brightnesses of the H7 - I'm using a Silverstar but what I do is I run the extra bright one in the shell but my spare is a conventional cheap bulb. These are nearly indestructable. The Silverstars last about a year and quit suddenly.
Edit: (I have an RT. Don't know if it matters.)
scott.lambert
New member
I wanted to mention - I have not looked at the PIAA bulb but at one time I did consider a Philips Xtreme 80/100 in H4 form.
(The RT has only one bulb, an H4)
(stock is 55/60)
Philips says this thing is 80% brighter.
I won't show my work unless you just insist, but I figured out that with the stock 18 gauge wiring, the additional current draw causes a voltage drop at the bulb, which (because of the way bulb filaments work) causes a 2% drop in brightness.
So, what you really get is a 65% brighter headlight (still not bad) and your wiring makes heat at 2W.
That's not a showstopper by any means, but with the added cost and fragility of the bulb you might consider a 30% or 50% brighter bulb that still runs 55/60 W - first.
(The RT has only one bulb, an H4)
(stock is 55/60)
Philips says this thing is 80% brighter.
I won't show my work unless you just insist, but I figured out that with the stock 18 gauge wiring, the additional current draw causes a voltage drop at the bulb, which (because of the way bulb filaments work) causes a 2% drop in brightness.
So, what you really get is a 65% brighter headlight (still not bad) and your wiring makes heat at 2W.
That's not a showstopper by any means, but with the added cost and fragility of the bulb you might consider a 30% or 50% brighter bulb that still runs 55/60 W - first.
SeabeckS
New member
Don't they all quit suddenly?
Yup...but my personal experience with Silverstars is they have a very short life. Perhaps better now than a few years back when I gave them a test run in my Duc 900SP, F-150, and Prelude VTEC. In each of those applications had failures within a year to year and a half. Liked the whiter light, but placed some value on my bank account too!
Followed a number of "light" threads for awhile, and saw most positive comments about Osram bulbs for performance and durability.
YMMV!
happy wanderer
Day Dreaming ...
I bought an IPF H4 "Super Low Beam" which my RT which seemed like a good idea since it has a few more watts on low beam and gives up a few on high beam which I rarely if ever used anyway. It was noticeably brighter than stock and worked pretty good. Supposed to be "rugged" and all that but it only lasted a year or so. I contacted the vendor who said they would contact the manufacturer and heard nothing back from either of them on how long it should have lasted. I thought $35 (on sale) was spendy for a bulb with such a short life so I put the used stock bulb back in and it is still working two years later.
I hear good things about the PIAA anti vibration line of bulbs. Stock wattage and bit more pricey but they supposedly last quite a bit longer as they are purpose built for bikes. Not sure if the claims are proven or not though.
Lots of marketing hoopla on bike bulbs and I suspect you are probably well served by a regular H4 automotive bulb like the Sylvania.
I hear good things about the PIAA anti vibration line of bulbs. Stock wattage and bit more pricey but they supposedly last quite a bit longer as they are purpose built for bikes. Not sure if the claims are proven or not though.
Lots of marketing hoopla on bike bulbs and I suspect you are probably well served by a regular H4 automotive bulb like the Sylvania.
scott.lambert
New member
Don't they all quit suddenly?
Well they do seem to quit suddenly in the RT, but in the cars they seem to last 12 years or so and then start to get dim.
Replacing those is always gratifying.
scott.lambert
New member
Yup...but my personal experience with Silverstars is they have a very short life. Perhaps better now than a few years back when I gave them a test run in my Duc 900SP, F-150, and Prelude VTEC. In each of those applications had failures within a year to year and a half. Liked the whiter light, but placed some value on my bank account too!
Followed a number of "light" threads for awhile, and saw most positive comments about Osram bulbs for performance and durability.
YMMV!
Yeah the Silverstars are just "there" whenever I need one it seems, I'm paying for the convenience. And to Sylvania's credit they don't make it any secret that the lifetime is shorter, they have a graph on the back of the package comparing the different grades.
So far this thread is incomplete or misleading.
The R1100S uses an H-1 low beam main bulb with projector optics and and H-7 high beam in a reflector.
The H-1 is the very earliest halogen lamp bulb and has many flaws addressed in later designs. Its strength is that it has an axial filament, unlike the H-3 which is also a very old design. The problems are that it is in a small envelope which is prone to getting metal coated inside, reducing output a lot, and to vibration breakage due to poor filament support. It also grounds through the shell, something dropped from all modern halogen designs. The H-7 in fact exists to address shortcomings of the H-1- it has a larger envelope and better filament support. Why BMW didn't use the superior H-7 in the low beam also isn't obvious.
There are few bulb choices to replace an H-1 and no really good ones re increased output or whatever. The best choice for the lo beam is either a good 55W std bulb or an HID conversion. HID conversions generally work pretty well in projector optics. Its very easy to change the H-1 on the R1100S and spares can be carried taped in bubble wrap or similar- and should be- note the vibration failure issue.
In general, the low beam of the stock R1100S is poor so a lighting upgrade to the bike could be in order but there are few really neat solutions for doing it- not a lot of good mounting positions without drilling fairings, etc. Wunderlich has a kit to mount a single 55W H-3 halogen Microflooter right on the fork bridge with an adapter mount- it looks like it could be modified to carry a pair of small LED types as an alternate.
Re the High beam, the highest output H-7 is the 65W Osram (2100 lumens vs 1500 stock} and it can be run on stock wiring with normal bulb life. Higher wattage H-7s have less or equal output at more current and cannot be run on stock wiring. I don't understand why anyone would want whiter/bluer high beams- they create increased glare back from road signs and are worse at spotting animals in vegetation. This can be offset by enough increased output but there are no good options for that in H-7. So called +50, +80 or +90 bulbs are in fact a marketing scam- derived from a single high point measurement in a beam with altered shape- and have shorter than stock life.
The R1100S uses an H-1 low beam main bulb with projector optics and and H-7 high beam in a reflector.
The H-1 is the very earliest halogen lamp bulb and has many flaws addressed in later designs. Its strength is that it has an axial filament, unlike the H-3 which is also a very old design. The problems are that it is in a small envelope which is prone to getting metal coated inside, reducing output a lot, and to vibration breakage due to poor filament support. It also grounds through the shell, something dropped from all modern halogen designs. The H-7 in fact exists to address shortcomings of the H-1- it has a larger envelope and better filament support. Why BMW didn't use the superior H-7 in the low beam also isn't obvious.
There are few bulb choices to replace an H-1 and no really good ones re increased output or whatever. The best choice for the lo beam is either a good 55W std bulb or an HID conversion. HID conversions generally work pretty well in projector optics. Its very easy to change the H-1 on the R1100S and spares can be carried taped in bubble wrap or similar- and should be- note the vibration failure issue.
In general, the low beam of the stock R1100S is poor so a lighting upgrade to the bike could be in order but there are few really neat solutions for doing it- not a lot of good mounting positions without drilling fairings, etc. Wunderlich has a kit to mount a single 55W H-3 halogen Microflooter right on the fork bridge with an adapter mount- it looks like it could be modified to carry a pair of small LED types as an alternate.
Re the High beam, the highest output H-7 is the 65W Osram (2100 lumens vs 1500 stock} and it can be run on stock wiring with normal bulb life. Higher wattage H-7s have less or equal output at more current and cannot be run on stock wiring. I don't understand why anyone would want whiter/bluer high beams- they create increased glare back from road signs and are worse at spotting animals in vegetation. This can be offset by enough increased output but there are no good options for that in H-7. So called +50, +80 or +90 bulbs are in fact a marketing scam- derived from a single high point measurement in a beam with altered shape- and have shorter than stock life.
bikerfish1100
New member
Seriously, if you want BRIGHT light, that is incredibly reliable, go with a quality HID unit and just forget about any lighting hassles at all. I went with Polarion units from XenonDepot about 9 years ago. In ~90,000 miles I have replaced not one item in the system, and have an incredible amount of light output (approx. 200 Wts per bulb, drawing only 35 wts current).
The R11S lens is ideally suited for HID bulbs (not all are), and seems to actually be designed to run HIDs.
I think they're running about $280 for a set of hi & lo right now.
Just do it, you will be ecstatically happy that you did so. Certainly one of the best items I've bought for my bike.
The R11S lens is ideally suited for HID bulbs (not all are), and seems to actually be designed to run HIDs.
I think they're running about $280 for a set of hi & lo right now.
Just do it, you will be ecstatically happy that you did so. Certainly one of the best items I've bought for my bike.
Wish I could find the chart, but there is a considerable drop in light output on the halogen bulbs with a drop in voltage.
I would upgrade the wires and add relays to my R 1100 S, But I'm still looking for a place to mount the relays.
I use the silverstars and am happy. Guess I'll see how long they last
bikerfish1100
New member
you have space above the relay/fuse boxes on either side of the fairing inner. that is where I located my HID ballasts. can also fit relays on side of gas tank under fairing on L side (my HID relays got zip tied there)
you can just see the ballasts (blue tops) under the fairing edge.
but seriously, get HIDs. nothing else even comes close.
Bikerfish is giving you good advice.
The Silverstars are rated at about 1/3 the life a std bulb but do not put out more light than a good std bulb- just a different color temp and a little different focus. Carry spares- you'll need them. (H-1 bulbs can be hard to find on the road- it was already seriously obsolete when your bike was built in 2000 and being used by almost nobody even then- some of the usual parts places won't have one when you go looking, especially in rural areas where a lot of folks drive American stuff- I don't believe any American maker ever made a vehicle with an H-1 and off the top of my head I can't think of an Asian car maker who ever did either. It is strictly a euro or driving light application and most euro makers had moved on to the H-7 or other by 2000).
It takes a little work to do an HID conversion but as pointed out, the projector optics of the bike are thye best possible base for a conversion and you've got the space for the ballast, etc.
I'm not so much a fan of HID conversions for the high beam- they don't take to frequent dimming very well so you need to be in a really rural area to get much or best use from them. The 65W H-7 Osram is no match for an HID (2100 vs 3200 lumens) but is a no fuss, no muss upgrade from stock (1400-1500 lumens)
The Silverstars are rated at about 1/3 the life a std bulb but do not put out more light than a good std bulb- just a different color temp and a little different focus. Carry spares- you'll need them. (H-1 bulbs can be hard to find on the road- it was already seriously obsolete when your bike was built in 2000 and being used by almost nobody even then- some of the usual parts places won't have one when you go looking, especially in rural areas where a lot of folks drive American stuff- I don't believe any American maker ever made a vehicle with an H-1 and off the top of my head I can't think of an Asian car maker who ever did either. It is strictly a euro or driving light application and most euro makers had moved on to the H-7 or other by 2000).
It takes a little work to do an HID conversion but as pointed out, the projector optics of the bike are thye best possible base for a conversion and you've got the space for the ballast, etc.
I'm not so much a fan of HID conversions for the high beam- they don't take to frequent dimming very well so you need to be in a really rural area to get much or best use from them. The 65W H-7 Osram is no match for an HID (2100 vs 3200 lumens) but is a no fuss, no muss upgrade from stock (1400-1500 lumens)
scott.lambert
New member
I made a cute Excel spreadsheet I still tinker with. But it boils down to %(drop in brightness) = %(drop in voltage)^3.
My earlier post saying 2% drop was in error - I ran the calculation at 12V. The bulbs are all designed for 14V or so.
This improves it, since the voltage drop is less than the 2V difference.
If you're going to get into grafting relays and wires on - Another tack you might consider - bike beauty notwithstanding - is keeping the standard (or only 1/3 better, like the Silverstar) bulbs in the headlight shell and adding on a set of flood lights or a set of driving lights. These typically run around 30W each and can run on 18 gauge wiring.
I happen to think that the Silverstar is about 1/3 brighter than the "normal" or standard Sylvania bulb, but note that Sylvania says it lasts about 1/3 as long.
And costs what, double I guess. In practice I find that the standard bulb lasts "forever" and the Silverstar lasts 1 or 2 years.
The reason, and forgive me for getting arm-wavey again, is that the Silverstar is actually "designed" for 1/3 lower voltage - the filament is thinner, gets hotter, and puts out more light at a different color (spectrum) than it would at say, 9V or 10V. - They do try to compensate by using more spendy filament material or whatever but it boils down to heating a very thin wire to incandescence, which is, yknow dang hot. The cooler it runs the longer it will last. The hotter it runs the brighter it will appear.
HIDs - the "ballast" gizmo runs the voltage up to the point where no filament is needed - the hot element is a plasma that can't burn through. Also once the plasma forms, this method of producing light is more efficient, so it might produce 3 times the light of the incandescent with 1/2 the power consumed. HIDs usually consume 30W or so. Again 18 gauge wire, so no need for 12 gauge and relays unless you just feel better that way. (On my RT the headlight circuit is not fused!)
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lkchris
Active member
There are Sylvania Silverstars--which are PepBoys junk--and Osram Silverstars and they're not the same thing. The latter aren't blue for one thing and their life is normal.
They're a good choice, as are Phillips products. PIAA anything are not, as they are all hype.
HID are illegal and unsuitable with optics designed for halogen bulbs, projector or not. They are totally unsuitable as replacements for high beams, as they don't come to brightness soon enough to be used as flashers. Light units actually designed for HID still use halogen bulbs for flashers.
The (fairly) new "+" halogens are new technology compared to original halogens and are the best you can do with that technology and optics designed for it. Like anything for credible German vehicles, they're not sold at PepBoys and just as you've expanded your horizons owning a BMW, you need to expand your parts sourcing as well. The thing to know is that in things automotive the USA is a 3rd world country and PepBoys, NAPA, etc., are dime stores selling ticky tacky.
They're a good choice, as are Phillips products. PIAA anything are not, as they are all hype.
HID are illegal and unsuitable with optics designed for halogen bulbs, projector or not. They are totally unsuitable as replacements for high beams, as they don't come to brightness soon enough to be used as flashers. Light units actually designed for HID still use halogen bulbs for flashers.
The (fairly) new "+" halogens are new technology compared to original halogens and are the best you can do with that technology and optics designed for it. Like anything for credible German vehicles, they're not sold at PepBoys and just as you've expanded your horizons owning a BMW, you need to expand your parts sourcing as well. The thing to know is that in things automotive the USA is a 3rd world country and PepBoys, NAPA, etc., are dime stores selling ticky tacky.
