My low beam filiment burned out last night. I went with the stealer replacement the first time it burned out, and that seemed to be the typical routinue from the dealer. Overpriced, marginal quality. I'm looking for suggestions for a replacement blub, other than just the bulb from the stealer.

 

I like Sylvania Silver Stars. You can get them at any autoparts store. Any H4 bulbs will work. Some guys will tell you that you have to get a motorcycle" bulb due to vibes or they won't last. I have never found that to be true. I have ran regular H4 bulbs in my Ironhead for nearly 20 years and have never had to replace one.

 

Sylvania silverstar h4st. They don't last as long but are a lot brighter. About $20 each. I'd rather be seen by all the cages anyday.

 

Thanks guys. The HD blubs don't seem to last either. This will be the second one replaced since I bought the bike new 19 months ago.

 

I bought a replacement on ebay.I got 2 bulbs for cheaper then 1 from the dealer.

 

I use PIAA's in my Sporty.Expensive, but nice bright, white light. I use them in the car too. But then I get things cheap because I run an auto parts store.

 

Something ain't right. My original in my Twin Cam had 60+k miles on it when I swapped it. I've never had one burn out in my Ironhead, either, and I've owned it for 15 years.

 

Normally I would tend to agree. But, the first bulb was obviously crap from the factory. The high bean went out on it at about 2,000 miles (stealership said that was "normal wear and tear"). I said second blub replacement in 19 months, but I didn't mention that was 29,000 miles. I also have the garage door opener that uses the high/low switch to operate. I'm sure that all of those flips from high to low beam to get the garage door to open/close contributes to this issue.

 

I triedthe Silverstar bulbs for 6 months and I loved the extra bright light over the stock bulb. But, in the six months (7,000 miles) I burned out 3 of them. Each bulb went right at 2 months and then blew the highbeam element. I do however always run the highbeam during the daytime. The highbeam element legs in the Silverstar bulb are quite long and I suspect that that makes them suseptable to vibration damage under heavy usage.

If you are counting amps on your bike, like for powering heated clothing, the Silverstar has another disadvantage. The stock bulb draws about 60 watts on highbeam, the Silverstar draws about 100 watts.

I solved the problem by switching to a PIAA Xtreme White bulb. It has the same bright light as the Silverstar but draws the power of a stock bulb. Also, unlike some of the other H4 bulbs that claim a vibration rating, the PIAAbulbs come in both standard & vibration rated units and are listed under different part numbers. These bulbs also run much cooler because of the lower power draw.

The only downside to the PIAA is the cost. A single PIAA runs about $49 or a 2 pack for $75. ( I found a MC friend and split a 2 pack). That compares to about $20 for the Silverstar, but with Silverstars blowing every 2 months, the PIAA's are cheaper for me in the long run.

The PIAA's can be hard to find in local auto stores. I ordered my online. Just do a Goole search for "PIAA H4xtreme vibration".

More PIAA info here: http://www.cyclegadgets.com/Products...?Item=PIA-BULB

 

I pretty much had the same experience as cHarley. My Silverstar lasted 3 months. I liked the extra brightness at night but not having to replace it after 3 months. I went to the PIAA Xtreme White bulb 18 months ago and will never go back. Twice the light as as astock H4 bulb for no more amps.

If you ride at night, go with a PIAA.