Replacement Lamps

[Est51]

:lightbulb:

Has anyone got any experience of "PIAA Extreme White" replacement H1 head and dip lamps? At £30 a time [£60 a pair], they're pricey but they claim to have the equivelant of 110 Watts output, which'd make a big difference to my dim Rockster lights.

Thanks for any input.

Cheers, Steve

[Acacia]

Steve,
There are two sides to a good discussion on lights. Light output and lens/reflector performance.

Color is not necessarily a factor of more light - often a fashion statement/marketing hype and the human eye is not a relaible guage of light output. Light color is generally a factor of temperature - the whiter going up into the 5000 degree plus Kelvin range - but manufacturers play with tinted crystal and gasses to get color, so that can be deceptive.

I have an R1150R - into which, for $15, I put a 100/55Watt Phillips bulb ( the standard being 65/55, but are also availabe in 100/80 w). It is 'whiter' than the standard bulb, and the bright is significantly more light than standard - when one can use it.

More importantly, in my experience, is where do you want to put the light? Standard lens/reflectors are a DOT compromise. Do you want a general spread or a foccused pencil beam out as much as 400 meters? Check manufacturers, such as Hella, and you will see the diversity available - and then add that to the bike.

[Est51]

Bloody Hell! And I thought that was a simple question! OK, lets start that again from a different angle. The main beam on my Rox is good enough to blind any oncoming but the dip is sh*te. Does anyone have an alternative solution [apart from auxillary lamps, which certainly don't siut the "naked" Roxster IMHO]?

Cheers, Steve

PS: I understand light "temperature" as I used to have a photographic studio; I just want to see more

[GPM]

While I have no first hand experience with Jim Davis and his products, I have heard others claim significant improvements.

http://www.easternbeaver.com/Home/Main/main.html

[Dallara]

Okay, Steve (Est51)...

Let's take this step by step... Yes, in a way it is a simple question, but it is about a very, very complex subject.

First off, perhaps Brian (Acacia) didn't realize you had a Rockster, and as such were saddled with only the BMW OEM reflector assemblies. To the best of my knowledge no aftermarket company, such as Hella, makes a replacement lens or reflector for a Rockster (and in fact, Brian, no one makes one for our R1150R Roadster's either... How do I know? Because I have looked for a long time, and even e-mailed Hella, Raybrig, Marcel, Cibie, Sylvania/Osram, etc.... No luck, as our Roadsters have a bastard sized headlight - approx. 7-7/8" in diameter. Our only possiblity for an improved lens and reflector is buy a European R1150R headlamp assembly, which is quite pricey).

Now, there are a few different ways you can go, Steve, to try and improve your light output on low beam. Let's look at the possibilities:

1.) Install a bulb with increased output - This will help, but as Acacia said you will still be constricted to the OEM light pattern as that is determined by the lens and reflector behind the bulb. So, you can make everything brighter within that pattern, but you can't change the pattern or "cut-off" across the top of the pattern.

2.) Replace the entire headlamp assembly - No doubt you can get greatly increased light output and a better pattern if you replaced the entire headlamp with a nice, big round one with dual-beam capability and a proper beam pattern on high and low beam. This is a pricey alternative, though.

3.) Increase low beam lamp output via use of an HID (High Intensity Discharge) bulb, igniter, and ballast assembly. This type if lamp will put out the most light... So much, in fact, that it can overcome a lot of lens and reflector liabilities. This type of lamp uses an entirely different principle to produce light, and as such, puts out far more lumens than the halogen bulbs you have all while using far less current from the charging system.

A little primer here... The halogen bulbs on your bike use the age-old principle of heating a metal filament to a high temperature to produce light. Once the filament is heated to a sufficient temperature it glows, producing light. Problem with this is that it is very inefficient. More than 75% of the electrical energy that goes into the bulb is lost as heat, with only about 20% of the current producing light enregy.

With HID lighting there is no filament. Instead, within the bulb are two electrodes at either end of the bulb. When sufficient energy is applied an electrical arc *jumps* between these electrodes. You've seen how bright an electric arc welder's arc is, haven't you? Well, the principle is the same. What's really great about HID lighting is that most all of the electrical energy poured into them is converted into light, with almost none being lost to heat.

In an incandescent bulb (like the halogen bulbs in your Rockster) there is a rating on the bulb. If I am not mistaken your low beam bulb is an H7, and is rated at 55 watts. That means it takes 55 watts of electrical energy to heat the filament. Now only about 11 watts of this energy is converted into actual light output, the rest cooks off as heat, and that's why your headlamp lens is hot when the bulb has been on a bit. Interestingly enough, the bulb is excited by only 12 volts... A very meager voltage to produce light with.

Now, in the HID set-up, there is a ballast, which converts 12 volts into approximately 30,000 volts! However, it only takes 35 watts to excite and charge this ballast. Now, in your halogen bulb about 11 watts is turned into light, whereas in the HID bulb nearly all of the 35 watts is turned into light, so it is more than 3 times brighter. The HID set-up steps up voltage in much the same way your ignition system steps up 12 volts to 20,000 to 30,000 volts at the plug to jump the spark gap. Likewise, in an HID system 12 volts is stepped up to about 30,000 volts to jump the electrode gap in the bulb, and produce that beautiful, arc-welder bright light. The ballast is necessary to maintain this kind of voltage for the bulb igniter, much like the coil on your bike... Only the ballest has to maintain this voltage constantly while an ignition coil has time to recharge between sparks.

The best part of all this is not just increased light output, but increased longevity, as well. In a halogen bulb the filament can only stand so many heating and cooling cycles until it fails - usually about 350 to 500 hours. On the other hand an HID bulb should last almost indefinitely (provided the ballast remains good, as well as the igniter - BTW, the igniter is necessary to *start* the HID bulb arc, while the ballast maintains it) since there is no filament to burn out.

All sounds good, right? Well, it's not. Aftermarket HID set-ups for bikes are not only pricey, but the quality is spotty from the available manufacturers. If you go the HID route try to get a kit that has Hella, Osram/Sylvania, or PIAA ballasts, and you are best off with Hella, Philips, or Osram/Sylvania D2 or D2S capsules (bulbs).

4.) Add additional lights - This is what I did with my Roadster. With our BMW's we are blessed with a bike that has a relatively HUGE alternator, and along with it a large battery. The alternator puts out 700 watts (and you can get the R1150RTP alternator if you want that puts out 840 watts!). Most bikes put out far less than this... For instance, a 2005 Yamaha FJR-1300 only puts out 430 watts, and the 2006 FJR only puts out 540 watts!

Since the Beemers have such large storage capacity (in the battery) and such a huge charging output (700 watts) you can easily add additional lights without worrying about running down the battery. On my bike I added two Hella Micro DE foglights that come on with the low beam and greatly increase the lighted area in front of my bike. They are mounted inobtrusively under the oil cooler covers. On high beam I have a pair of PIAA 1100x driving lights that supplement my lighting on high. They are mounted on either side of the stock headlamp on custom brackets I built for them. With these additions, even with my tired old eyes, I can see extremely well at night.

Here's a couple of pics of the light set-ups:

http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/25426395-M.jpg
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/25426511-M.jpg
http://r1150r.smugmug.com/photos/25426630-M.jpg



Now, in addition to these I run a PIAA H4 80/80 watt SuperWhite headlight bulb. These are not available any longer, but H4 bulbs won't work in you bike anyway. I only mention it for the wattage output.

Again, if I recall correctly, your Rockster has an H7 bulb on the low/dip beam and an H1 for the high beam. If you want to go the cheapest route first look for an 80 to 100 watt H7 bulb, and stick with quality brands like Hella (Probably the most bulb for the money. Very good value), Osram/Sylvania, Raybrig (Stanley), PIAA, MTec (Maruta), or an equivalent brand. They will last much longer.

Also, don't fall for the hype where a bulb says it is 55 watts but has an 85 watt output or other such tripe. It just ain't so. Don't fall for colored bulbs either (the only exceptions to this rule are the Osram/Sylvania SilverStars which have a very light blue tint, some PIAA super high output bulbs that also have a VERY light blue tint, and the MTec/Maruta bulbs which also have a light blue tint... In these bulbs the blue tint is actually to compensate for the chemical gas mix in the bulb and correct the output to white... In many other bulbs the blue is just to make the lights look blue, like HID). Stick with clear bulbs, because what you want is WHITE light... About 4500 to 4700K is perfect.

Find a bulb with a true 80 to 100 watt rating, not labeled a 55w/85w output or other such nonsense.

Now again, this is a good place to start, but you will be limited by your lens and reflector, but you can brighten up what's already there.

If I can help in any other way, just let me know!

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - Proud to be Banned Where Mods Think They Are Gods)

[Bones]

And don't forget, Allan NEEDS to know all that stuff, because only one of his eyes works real well.

That was one damned nice tutorial on lighting.

Another option is to just ride real slow when it starts to get dark out.


Jeff

[Promethean]

A most excellent writeup as always. I have the Hellas & PIAAs on my list....and as usual...my question is...."How do you install them?". Any thoughts ?

-Abhijeet

P.S.:- The mounting kit for my 380mm high windshield should be here during the week from Chicago BMW. That should prove an interesting challenge. As I recall, you had trouble installing it. Is there anything I should watch out for?




Okay, Steve (Est51)...

Let's take this step by step... Yes, in a way it is a simple question, but it is about a very, very complex subject.

[Dallara]

Well, Promethean...

Installation is either difficult or easy depending on your mechanical and vehicles electrics background. It is not a job I would recommend for the faint of heart when it comes to working on their bike, but it's not really that mind numbing, either. You got your battery swapped with no sweat so I imagine you won't have any problem...

Just remember, with an R1150R you have half disassemble the whole motorcycle to get the job done - i.e. pull the oil cooler covers, the oil coolers, the tank, etc. and be ready to tap into some wires along with route all sorts of harnesses.

Both PIAA and Hella harnesses are WAAAAAAAAAAY too long for a motorcycle since they were intended for cars, but that's not a problem if you take your time and think carefully about your routing... Then you can bundle up the excess harness length and cable tie it and tuck it in an out of the way place.

Installation of the Hella's under the oil cooler covers was the easiest, but you still have to be fairly careful that you drill your mount holes in the right place, etc. Be prepared to make a few pieces, too. Like on mine I made two aluminum plates to go inside the plastic oil cooler covers to spread the load out a bit from the Hella's single large mounting bolt. I also made some rubber pieces to fit between the Hella brackets and the outside of the oil cooler covers. This was for three reasons - 1.) to isolate them from as much vibration and road shock as possible. 2.) to keep the brackets from scratching up the paint on the oil cooler covers so if I ever took the lights off to sell the bike they would only show the mounting hole. 3.) to help avoid ovretightening the brackets and craking the plastic oil cooler covers.

The PIAA's up around the headlamp are a bit more problematic. I originally had RCU mounting brackets, which mount to the headlight ears and shell the same way my homemade brackets do, but then they take a 90 degree bend so you are mounting the light either above or below the bracket. I just couldn't stand the way this looked, so I fabricated my own brackets using the RCU's vertical section as a guide. The PIAA 1100x's put out a perfectly round beam (they're driving lights) so they don't care whether they are mounted up, down, or sideways. I made a perfectly vertical bracket that came down below the headlamp ears and drilled one hole in them for the PIAA brackets... Now here's the tough part... I didn't like the cheesy little plastic OEM PIAA brackets, and I was just about to make some different ones when I stumbled on Micatech closing out some really trick little machined aluminum brackets specifically for PIAA 1100x's. Like I said, they were closing them out, and were not going to make them any more. According to them I ended up with their next to last set (and I have kicked myself ever since for not buying both sets... Damn it!).

Anyway, I don't know if you can find another set, but if you can't you can use the stock PIAA brackets... But your set-up won't look like mine. The PIAA brackets are a weird, two-piece, black plastic arrangement, but they will work fine. It's just that everything up there won't look all silver and aluminum-like...

Next you have decide on a switch... I used one from a BMW R1200C that mounts on the right handlebar switch assembly. You need the switch housing and two BMW rocker switches. Here is where it gets a tad difficult again. I didn't want to alter the PIAA or Hella wiring harnesses, and each has a propriatary plug on it that interfaces with the wire from their supplied switches. I hooked each set of lamps and harnesses up on a test bench with a 12 volt battery and determined which wire went where, then I unsoldered the manufacturer supplied switches off their wire tails. Then by trial and error I touched leads to the back of the BMW switches until I everything going where I wanted it, and then I had to solder up the leads to the BMW switches. You have to be pretty careful here, and have a good soldering iron (I used a Hakko 936 I've had for a few years from my computer building and R/C oval car days...) and be careful with the temperature. You have to have the tip hot enough to heat the leads and terminals quickly, but not so hot as to melt the plastic or cook the little circuit board in the BMW rocker switches.

Now, both the PIAA and Hella harnesses have inline fuse blocks in them, so you can actually skip this next step if you like... But I didn't want two sets of ring terminals going on my battery posts, so I cut off the leads upstream of the fuse blocks on both harnesses, then crimped on female spade terminals, soldered them solid, and covered up all but the spade ends with heat-shrink tubing. I then used a small terminal block that has male spades for the positive and negative hookups, and has it's own thread bosses to add your own power and ground leads. I used heavier gauge, pure copper, silicone jacketed wire to run from the fuse terminal block for my power and ground leads, and put appropriate rated fuses in the slots provided on the terminal block. I also used this fused terminal block for the power take-off for my radar detector and GPS power.

Now all that's left to do is make sure you have everythig routed the way you like and tap into the appropriate wires to trigger the relays for each set of lights. I have my lights set up where the Hella's can only come on with the low beam, and the PIAA's only with the high beam. Thsi was easy, simply using "Scotch-Loc" taps to tap into the BMW harness low and high beam leads under the tank on the top of the frame spine. You find these by color simply by noting what color the high and low beam leads are inside the headlamp housing.

With my rig the right side R1200C switches turn the lamps on, but again each set is triggered by each appropriate beam. I rigged it where I could turn the auxiliary lights off so I wouldn't be burning them during the day and shortening their bulb life. It is also pretty trick how the BMW rocker switches have LED's in 'em that light up when the lights are on so you have visual confirmation of their operation and to remind you to shut 'em off. The way mine are rigged they do not come on unless the key is on, but I want to remember to shut 'em off whenever I am cranking the engine.

Okay, on the windscreen... There is no trick or tips. I didn't have any trouble whatsoever installing it. It's just that it's a pain in the ass because you have to disassemble most of the front of the damn motorcycle! You have to remove the headlamp assembly, the instrument mount bolts, and all sorts of other crap just to get the bracket on. The instructions are good, if poorly worded, so take your time and double check each step. If you don't go slow and methodical, and carefully read the instructions, you will have to go back and re-do some steps... Don't ask me how I know... :embarassed:

Anyway, if there is any way I can help you once it comes installation time, just let me know!

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - Proud to be Banned Where Mods Think They're Gods)

[DarthRider]

Archive! Archive! Archive!

[Acacia]

I did pick up that Steve has a Rockster - that is why I referenced my ride.

And, I agree that just putting more light/lumens out front does not mean that you will see where you are going any better. The two factors of adequate light and directing it where you want it is what serious, useful lighting is all about.

I have not looked carefully at the rockster lighting other than pics and a few bikes. What I have considered, and may still do, is replace the lens/reflector of my ride. This will mean making a ring that will hold the smaller 7" units in the 7 7/8" BMW outer ring. Hella has a nice 7", called 'nightfighter' in some countries and at about $37 here in the US - a lot cheaper than BMW replacements. As for looks - will see in time. It will not require all the extra knitting that is needed to connect all the Xmas tree lights - (sorry Alan, I had to take that one on you) I like to be minimalist. If I do go 100/80w bulb, I will be adding relays to protect the switches and exisitng wires.

Now if Steve can source a light assembly that will slip into his housing from some standard source that has a the directional focus he needs?

[Dallara]

Hey, Brian...

No worries! I don't care if people think the front of my bike looks like some sort of Christmas decoration... I get a lot of that. That is until the sun goes down and suddenly everybody riding with me wants to follow me! :bat:

Suddenly at the next stop everybody is saying things like "Man, I gotta' get some better lighting for my bike..." and stuff like that. Makes it all worth it.

One advantage I failed to mention about having multiple lighting sources is redundancy. The chances of me losing all three low-beam actuated lamps or all three high-beam slaved lamps is pretty remote, and as such I never worry about being without enough light, high or low, on any night ride.

I have been fooling around with getting one of Eastern Beaver's main H4 headlamp relay rigs just to see if they really work, BTW.

On another note, Acacia... You might try looking here:

http://www.rallylights.com/hella/7in.asp

For your Hella 7 inch headlamp. Their HL79562 is just the lamp you want. It has the European (non-DOT) lense with the more favorable cut-off and pattern, and they flat WORK! How do I know? Because I have used them in so many 7 inch Honda headlamp buckets I cannot remember them all (CB900F, CB750F's both single and dual cam, CB550F, CX500, etc. to name but a few). Used to be one of the first things I did to my headlight bucket Honda's.

And they are only $32 at www.rallylights.com (http://www.rallylights.com) ...

As for Susquehanna Motorsports (www.rallylights.com (http://www.rallylights.com)), I have done a bunch of business with them over the years, and they are fast, fair, and if you need to do a return they do so, no questions asked... For instance, I bought one of the above Hella H4 lens/reflctor assemblies to see if I could figure a decent way to adapt it to my R1150R bucket. After a week and a half of pondering, drafting, sketching, fitting, and fiddling I couldn't determine an acceptable way to myself how to do it right, so I called 'em and they simply said "send it back..." I did, and as soon as it hit there (and I mean the same day as UPS confirmed it got back to them) I got a credit on my card.

They are also where I get my Hella bulbs, where I got my Hella Micro DE foglamps, and where I got my Hella FF1000 driving lights for my Suburban.

Now, since then I have thought of the perfect way to adapt one of these headlamp assemblies to my BMW... and it requires absolutely no fabrication or making of an adapter...

Want to know the secret? :secret:

Simple! Find a 7 inch headlamp bucket from another BMW, or even another brand motorcycle. The Beemer bucket is essentially a hollow shell, and the only semi-proprietary thing about it is that it has threaded bosses for the mount bolts. Lots of other 7 inch buckets have internal threaded bosses, so that isn't a problem, and even if the bucket doesn't have threaded bosses one can certainly use the proper sized nuts.

I have been trying to get the time to search down a proper bucket, and it is on my agenda to try this mod as soon as I find one...

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - Proud to be Banned Where Mods Think They're Gods)

[Dallara]

Hey, Steve (Est51)...

Just found this on e-Bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7975957221


It's an HID conversion kit for an H7 bulb (like the low beam on your Rockster), and it has a Hella ballast, whichmay very well be the best... Hey, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, etc. all use Hella ballasts on their OEM HID lighting setups...

Don't know about the bulb, since it doesn't mention who makes it, but even if it turned out to be a bad one it looks like you could easily replace it with a proper Philips D2 or D2S capsule (bulb).

Just FYI...

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - Proud to be Banned Where Mods Think They're Gods)

[Deans BMW]

Of course...................if you had a BMW R1200ST.......................there would be no need for any additional light.................as it easily turns nite into day....................with its blowtorch head lights............................all the while leaping over tall buildings in a single bound....................................

[Acacia]

Wonderfull light sources - thanks, Alan.

As for Dean, bragging on his ST again! The curmudgeon! :angel:

[Dallara]

You be welcome, Acacia.

Hope they help!

Yep, ol' Dean the Mean does do a powerful lot of puffing up that leaky ol' R1200ST, don't he?

But, it gets to a pondering...

If that thar' Bay-M-Vay R1200St is gol' durn' fantasmagorical and all, then why's he wants to sell it and gets him a R1200S?

You'da thunk if that thar' ST was so durn wunnerful he'da never let the cheeks of his arse part comp'knee wid'it...

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - Proud to be Banned Where Mods Think They're Gods)

[Est51]

Thanks Brian, Allan, Harry. One hell of a comprehensive set of replies [particularly from Allan]. Thanks again.

One slight detail. The handbook states that both the dip and main are H1's [I haven't had a look]. Does this make any difference to your advice?

Cheers, Steve

[Dallara]

Steve (Est51)...

No, none of the advice changes if both are H1's... Just the quick search I did for Rockster bulb sets showed one H7 and one H1.

Doesn't matter, as each are just a different shape, type, base configuration, etc. bulb. All the principles with halogen bulbs are the same. If memory serves me correctly only H4's are dual-element, dual-beam (hi & lo) beam bulbs, whereas H1's, H3's, H7's, etc. are all single element halogen bulbs.

Understand that most of my info provided above is from memory, and so there may be a discrepancy or two as to detail (voltages, etc.), but all that is the correct general theory. There is a ton of info on vehicle lighting out there on the web, so just plug in a Google search and start roaming around.

HID is the titz if you can afford it and don't mind the installation hassles, but if that seems too daunting or complex a decent brand (read Hella, Philips, Osram/Sylvania, PIAA,etc.) higher true output bulb is the next best thing short of adding extra lights.

If there is anything else I can do to help you, Steve, just let me know.

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - Proud to be Banned Where Mods Think They're Gods)

[Est51]

Who thinks Allan should be banned for being just too helpful by half? :)

[Acacia]

DON'T even think of mentioningn that ba---d word around Alan!

PLEASE! We will never hear the end of it! :omg:

[Promethean]

The mounting kit arrived today. You're right. The instructions are very poorly written. I'll go through them again and make sense of them. I'll install the windshield this weekend....which means another trip to Sears.

-Abhijeet



Okay, on the windscreen... There is no trick or tips. I didn't have any trouble whatsoever installing it. It's just that it's a pain in the ass because you have to disassemble most of the front of the damn motorcycle! You have to remove the headlamp assembly, the instrument mount bolts, and all sorts of other crap just to get the bracket on. The instructions are good, if poorly worded, so take your time and double check each step. If you don't go slow and methodical, and carefully read the instructions, you will have to go back and re-do some steps... Don't ask me how I know... :embarassed: