Normally I don't do a lot of night time driving , but last night I was out and on the way home I realized 2 things, these 49yr old eyes are not as good as they once were and the STOCK HEAD LIGHT suxs.

I found 95%of the time I was driving with the HIGH BEAM just to be able to see far enough in front of me. Last thing I need is to hit an unseen pothole at 70mph .

What are some of the prefered and SIMPLE solutions for a 2008 Sportster ?

Is it as simple as a NEW BULB ? right now I'm not looking to change the looks at all. OR Do I need to replace the entire housing with one of these High Intensity lights?

 

The headlight may just need to be adjusted, I had a similar problem with my Iron, adjusted the headlight & that took care of my issue. atleast its a place to start & a cheap place at that.

 

You should be able to find something on the order of an 80w/100w H4 bulb. This makes a world of difference. Otherwise, you can get an H4 HID kit that will fit into your existing setup. Google it.

 

Regarding higher wattage bulbs - you might run into issues.

First is the heat put off by the bulb - the bucket on my 1200R is VERY small and I melted a headlight modulator with my yellow 55/65W bulb.

Second is wiring - the wiring for the headlight isn't exactly oversized. You could well fry the harness and that isn't as much fun as it sounds.

I'm not saying you WILL have those problems, but it's something to keep in mind.



Regarding the lack of light from the headlight - yeah, it sucks.

Aim the headlight, as has been suggested

Driving lights will help out A LOT. I am running two sets (30W HID and 35W halogen)



Another option is wiring relays into the headlight circuit to allow the bulb to use power more efficiently. I haven't looked into this on the Sporty, but I've done it on most of my cars with very good results. When I return, I will look at the wiring diagram and bike to see where to put the relays.

 

I run a Sylvania Super Star headlight bulb. It is VERY bright. As a matter of fact, I rarely even flip on the high beam. Some people here have had problems with them not holding up to the vibrations on the bike. And they have a pretty heavy electrical demand. So, if you've added a lot of extra electrical accessories, you might want to check your charging system capacity.

The first Sylvania Super Star blub I had lasted for over 10 months. Which in my case was about 17,000 miles. They have a one year warranty. After 10 months the low beam element burned out. I pulled into the place where I purchased the bulb. Removed the burned out bulb in the parking lot. Took it inside, with my receipt. About 10 minutes later, I was back on the road with a new bulb. The bulb costs about $20. There are other bulbs that are designed specifically for motorcycles, that are suppose to be more suited to the vibrations, and don't have the same electrical demand. They cost about $50.

I don't remember the details on those bulbs. If you are interested, cHarley can tell ya about those bulbs.

 

I've got the '05 faceted reflector on my '04. I wasn't too impressed and went with a Sylvania Super Star, which is brighter and whiter, but the light still seems to be scattered a lot. The clear lens & jeweled reflector looks cool but I don't think much of it.

I put an Adjure Wave Style on my RK and even without a brighter bulb, it lays down a really nice pattern and night visibility is greatly improved. Plan to change out the Sporties HD jewel reflector with the same type.

 

I'm running a Silverstar Ultra in my '96. Its a very bright white light just on the low beam and the High beam ROCKS! I did replace the plug with a High heat plug that I found at the local Napa for a fraction of the cost of the stock replacement from the stealer as a precaution.

 

Silverstar bulb, very bright.
Stay away from 80/100w light bulb, most likely you will fry your headlight socket.

 

no, you just need to ride in darker darkness

 

I did the adjustment, So it seems like getting the Sylvania bulb is a good idea, noting all the possible side afffects, etc. noted before. How about those driving lights?...that was my first idea and woeuld love to try them but can't seem to fiind them, any help with sources for adding extra head/ddriving lights appreciated. also, is it relativly easy to change my bulb? I assune it's not a sealed unit