Headlights

[doublestar444]

1. Anybody using LED (Light Emitting Diode) Headlights? Some of the latest LED devices are getting pretty bright. Another benefit is the low amps that LEDs draw. One could really light up the bike with some of these. I thought that I saw a set in JCWhitney a while back but could not find it again.
2. Any suggestions for ZL900 headlight bulbs using conventional fillament?
3. Can the bikes generator handle a 100W bulb?
4. My most recent ZL900 purchase has a rather dim low beam and the high beam is nothing to write home about. I'm just starting to troubleshoot it.
Appreciate any in"lightenment" on this subject.
regards,
Jim in Kansas City:occasion15:

[zlMark]

Jim, I've been using the silverstar H4 bulb in all mine. Much cleaner and brighter than standard H4

[lowlife]

Check your power to the bike to make sure you are getting full voltage and just as important is the ground as it takes more voltage to push through a bad/corroded connection. The voltage it takes to push through a bad ground can be used to brighten the headlight. I'm not sure about the led's as turn signals. some bikes are wattage sensitive and won't blink with an led unless it has been modified. I think 100 bulb would be really pushing the envelope on headlight watts. however if you went with the led's you might be able free up some watts for the headlight. my gut instinct is no though.

[furchin]

Jim, I run 130 watt high beam and 90 low in all but one of my bikes. I have had to jump up the fuse capacity to handle the wattage but other than that have never had a problem.

[doublestar444]

Thanks guys for the responses,
I think that I'll try a higher watt bulb. The bike specs show an alternator rated at 25Amps@6000rpm. If this is a linear relationship, then say at 3000rpm you'd have ~12Amp. I don't know what the rest of the bike uses, but maybe there's room for a high watt bulb. I just won't be able to use the microwave. Perhaps I'll make a study of just what watts the ZL900 uses for all systems. That would be interesting. Bottom line, if you have more pull on the alternator/batt then the batt will not charge properly. A battery low on charge will pull more from the alternator than a high one. I note over the years that observations show that on bikes of this generation that the battery doesn't charge unless the rpms ~>1500rpm. This is undocumented with actual readings but shows when you run the bike at idle ~1000rpm the headlamp is dim and increases in brightness with advancing rpms. One could just put a volt meter on the battery to check to see if term volt increases above 12.6volts, above 12.6 shows battery charge. Below 12.6 shows battery discharge. I'm getting long winded here...
jim

[kawboy]

I note over the years that observations show that on bikes of this generation that the battery doesn't charge unless the rpms ~>1500rpm. This is undocumented with actual readings but shows when you run the bike at idle ~1000rpm the headlamp is dim and increases in brightness with advancing rpms. jim

This is true.

[Blagadán]

LED still has a way to go before it takes the place if incandescent bulbs, especially in headlights.

I've used the osram silverstar H4 in the past and they were really good.

I have HID fitted to my ZL and the light is phonomenal but there's some work involved in fitting it.

You cant go far wrong with the silverstar bulb.