Main beam bulb

NicD

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Have just replaced this on 2008 1200GS having repalced it in 2016 and 2014. There doesn't appear to be any movement in the headlight unit itself, as I understand the adjuster mechanism is prone to break, causing the bulb to move and then fail early. Any other ideas as to cause of bulb failing every 2 years? Thanks
 
Its a consumable - measured in lamp hours

Biggest current surge is at switch on, so lots of stop starts in a day dont help

That said, for a bulb which costs £5 and lasts two years your complaning??
 
Were they cheaper ebay halogens ? i went down that route, the bulbs blew more frequently i.e every 6 months

I bought more expensive xenon (reputable manufactured) bulb that hasn't blown since.

For me a lesson in false economy.
 
A halogen in main beam is all but useless so you wont miss it. If the mechanism goes titsup, the dip beam will be lighting the treetops. You wont need main beam.
 
There should be two small silver plastic tabs where the spring clip sits, if one is broken it can allow some (extra) vibration and shorten the life expectancy. I've seen many broken off.
 
Monty's Motorcycles said:
There should be two small silver plastic tabs where the spring clip sits, if one is broken it can allow some (extra) vibration and shorten the life expectancy. I've seen many broken off.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that also makes good sense re life

Re other comments, my understanding is that there is an issue with more powerful lamps and/or xenon ones which run hotter than the standard 55w halogen and so can damage the reflective coating on the headlight unit. No personal experience, but fwiw
 
Xenons and LEDs run cooler than halogens. They make more light from the same or less power. They can make more light towards the UV spectrum which can damage some plastic lenses. The GS has a glass lens.
High wattage halogens will cook the reflector.
 
My dip beam has only one alignment tag for the bulb. It never blew any halogen bulbs.
The spring tag needed a bigger washer to keep it in place. Sorted with a large dia M4 washer and a small file to reshape it.
 
Bendy toy said:
Xenons and LEDs run cooler than halogens. They make more light from the same or less power. They can make more light towards the UV spectrum which can damage some plastic lenses. The GS has a glass lens.
High wattage halogens will cook the reflector.
Click to expand...

Indeed, wiped out many a car headlamp that way lol :(
 
Bendy toy said:
My dip beam has only one alignment tag for the bulb. It never blew any halogen bulbs.
The spring tag needed a bigger washer to keep it in place. Sorted with a large dia M4 washer and a small file to reshape it.
Click to expand...

Thanks - that's a great idea. Will give it a go. Unlikely to know the outcome until mid 2020 or hopefully longer!
 
NicD said:
Thanks - that's a great idea. Will give it a go. Unlikely to know the outcome until mid 2020 or hopefully longer!
Click to expand...

Unless you ride at night and then you''ll be off for some LEDs. I refitted the halogens when the Les Wassal HID burner failed (no dis to Les they dont last for ever). The H7 Halogen was shockingly bad. I have no idea how I ever coped especially in the rain. I went to LEDs as they were only slightly down on HID performance and less money.

The MOT tester didn't care as long as the dip beam cutoff is correct. Main beam is not even covered by the MoT (so he said anyway), it just has to work.
 
I've just picked up another pair of Osram nightbreakers

When i put them in my Projector headlamps in the car the difference from std halogen was staggering.

Downside is you only get about 18-24 months life from a set
 
Halfords do a heavy duty pair of bulbs. About £15 a pair got some after similar bulb fail every year. Been in 2 years and good few thousand miles still ok....... Tempting fate:blast
 
Hey Bendy Toy which LED's did you go for Cyclops or just H7 LED bulbs????
 
I looked at them briefly, but I could not work out whether they were 'handed' or not i.e. if designed primarily for use in the US are they configured for driving on the right and would be a problem in the UK?
 
Jersey_GS said:
Hey Bendy Toy which LED's did you go for Cyclops or just H7 LED bulbs????
Click to expand...

Mine have a passive heatsink on the back. The ones with a fan cooled heat sink are a better bet as you can fit a tall rubber seal over the end. The fan will circulate air inside the headlamp. They type I used need a thick polythene sheet around the bulb stem trapped by the cover cap. Leaving it open will quickly ruin the headlamp lamp internals with water/dirt.
 
I can't see any sort of flip lens in the headlight glass, so I suspect it's a flat dip - same headlight anywhere. A flipped up dip (as used in cars) would cause dazzle when the bike is cornering so it makes sense to not have that.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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