What headlight bulb '81 R100Rt

I could use some more light and would love to swap in a better bulb. What do people like? I bought this one http://stores.advmonster.com/native-h4r2/ but it didn't slide right in the fins were a little too big. I just want a direct replacement H4 that will give some better visibility when I ride at night and at night in the rain.

Might be different for the RT but my dealer sold me a Sylvania bulb for fairly cheap...plug and play. I could have gone to a regular store but it was cheap enough.

20774 said:

Might be different for the RT but my dealer sold me a Sylvania bulb for fairly cheap...plug and play. I could have gone to a regular store but it was cheap enough.

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I guess I should have clarified that I want something brighter than what I have now. Was your Sylvania brighter than what you had before?

Be careful about a brighter bulb. Too much wattage could damage the socket, the wiring or the headlight switch. Look at Eastern Beaver for a relay kit. Using a relay to power the headlight will reduce strain on the switch, and deliver full voltage to the bulb. This should give you brighter output from a standard H4 bulb.

Doesn't the Native H4 require a bit of filing to the entrance way of the bulb holder? It's in the documentation that some headlights need this bit of filing. You can still use a stock H4 after the minor expansion of the hole so it's not a permanent mod. Some of the old headlights heed the reflector busted off for it to work. I would not use a Native H4 in that case as you cannot go back to stock.

My R80G/S has the original Native H4 in it now. It took the tiniest bit of filing to get it in. That area is just pot metal and very easy to file a bit away.

happy wanderer said:

Doesn't the Native H4 require a bit of filing to the entrance way of the bulb holder? It's in the documentation that some headlights need this bit of filing. You can still use a stock H4 after the minor expansion of the hole so it's not a permanent mod. Some of the old headlights heed the reflector busted off for it to work. I would not use a Native H4 in that case as you cannot go back to stock.

My R80G/S has the original Native H4 in it now. It took the tiniest bit of filing to get it in. That area is just pot metal and very easy to file a bit away.

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Ok maybe I'll just file it. I didn't get any documentation with it.

johnpike said:

I could use some more light and would love to swap in a better bulb. What do people like? I bought this one http://stores.advmonster.com/native-h4r2/ but it didn't slide right in the fins were a little too big. I just want a direct replacement H4 that will give some better visibility when I ride at night and at night in the rain.

Click to expand...

It does say "guaranteed to fit or your money back"

There's a lot of info on ADVRider about these bulbs. Several airhead adopters mentioned difficulty getting it through the opening. A fine round back file was used to just trim a bit of the pot metal to make the opening a bit larger. It does not take much.

I have a spare old /5 headlight with mount in my spares and when I got my Native H4 LED bulb I tried it in there first. It would not fit the opening so I expected trouble when I installed it on my G/S but on that bike it slipped right in. So I suspect it is a tolerance thing over the years. It was tight on the G/S as well so I decided to file it just a tiny bit to ease installation anyway.

It's been to Mariposa CA and back and now Midway BC and back to Vancouver over some back roads and seems to be holding up just fine so far. By my calculations that bulb and the two Model 30 spots I bought from ADV Monster are using slightly less power than just the Halogen H4 that was there before. So these 3 LEDs give me much better conspicuity on the road that just one Halogen H4 did before. The frequency of the light makes for a much whiter light and is very noticeable in the daytime from quite a distance. I have noticed people are turning left in front of me and noticing me more already so this was a good investment.

For at least 10 if not 15 years now, there has been new technology for Halogen bulbs. The technology provides more light while consuming the same 55 watts, therefore remaining legal.

The thing is, it's mostly a European thing, as of course the USA is a third world country when it comes to things automotive. You can get Sylvania Silverstar bulbs at your FLAPS, but these will be special versions for USA customers that feature mostly being blue. Their life is very short and they aren't worth buying.

Peruse the the following link and decide which sounds best. You'll obviously have more choices if you're willing to buy in pairs. There is zero problem getting these shipped from the UK, but if you wish you can search your bulb name on eBay and possibly find a local importer. My preferred brand is Phillips, with Osram next and I'd recommend Phillips X-treme Vision +130%. The rest are dubious.

https://www.powerbulbs.com/us/store/category/car-bulbs/fitting/h4-472