7in H4 - DOT, EURO or DIAMOND style? These TOO cheapy?

Title says most of it.

I want to put in a new 7" lamp housing and bulb (55w). I found thre on ebay cheap. One is DOT approved and one is EURO style and the last one is Diamaond.

The 7" light will go into my vetter fairing in the near future.

Since I've only had my DIM square Maxim headlight, I have no comparison in DOT vs. EURO vs. Diamond and brand quality.

Any feed back is appreciated.

DOT Style
EURO Style
Diamond Style

FYI: I live far enough away from the "big city" that most of my streets are 45-55 and lined with corn. So good lighting is important.

 

The best headlight I EVER had was a replacement Cibie unit on an RD250. It had a concave lens and an asymetric dip (Flicked up beam at the verge) I guess "Euro" is the equivalent.

It really was that good!

 

The DOT style is what you are legally supposed to use. It is Department of Transportation approved. The other two bulbs are not DOT approved. I was told that in California, beginning January 1st, all lights on a bike that are not DOT approved could land you a nice ticket. I don't know how it is in your state. For me that means I have to be careful with what headlight and turnsignals I choose for my bikes.

 

I think the Euro Style means "Less Defuse Lens".

CIBIE's Type. A "Clear Lens" Still cool.
The non or less defuse lens will make the beam look like holding a bright flashlight in a tunnel.

The only possible drawback will be in the "Lamp Retaining Ring"
The Detents and Cut-outs may NOT match-up with the Pattern on the back of the ridge of a HeadLamp not DOT approved.

 

I may just get DOT.

Between the larger round size and a modern H4 bulb will it be BETTER than the stock Maxim bulb I currently have?

(IF necessary I will more directly wire it to the battery to reduce resistance to the actual bulb).

For $25 those buckets/bulbs seem worth TRYING...

 

Is the bright flashlight better or worse? LOL

 

Beam.
You'll see a defined beam.
Not softened-out and spread.

If you are night-riding and need more light than the Stock Bulb.

Get a Sylvania SilverStar Bulb.
Remove the Bolt under the Bucket.
Substitute a Bolt with SMALLER O.D.
Use Nylon Washers that fit.
Move the Bucket UP that extra Degree or two.

Replace the Instrument Bulbs with Blue or Red so the glare doesn't spoil your night vision.

http://www.amazon.com/Sylvania-H4ST-BP- ... B000AM8BN6

 

To clarify I want a new light housing and an H4 bulb.

So to talk about this beam look - Which would you recommend for dusk/night riding on country and small town roads/highways? (Zero to minimal street lights). DOT, EURO or Diamond?

I know there are many bulb brands to pick from. I was hoping to start with a cheap lens and bulb and maybe upgrade to more expensive bulb as desired.

Weather and energy permitting I hope to install the fairing as soon as tomorrow night or maybe finish up on Tuesday depending on how sidetracked I get. Then I'd have a REAL reason to get a modern lens and h4 bulb


P.S. My stock head light is Dim and not aimed properly and I NEED my aux light on to fully see where I am going at night. (Not many night ride, but not exactly 100% safe either). With the few night rides so far, I keep forgetting to fix the headlight aim.

 

The Lens "Distributes" the light the Bulb creates that exits the Lamp off the Reflector.

"Euro" Styled Lights have Lenses which have (no) or little defusing patterns in the Lens Glass.
Rather than the Lamps Light being Spread \-\-|-|-/-/ by prismatic shapes in the Lens; the Lenses "Project" instead. The light from the Bulb is reflected out a Lens that is without spreading-out the Beam. \||||/ -or- ||||| (a beam).

http://www.rallylights.com/hella/Beams.aspx

 

My current car does not have any patterns in the lens glass - it is completely clear. The reflector does all the focussing. I dont know how this compares to the states?

 

"To clarify I want a new light housing and an H4 bulb."
the links in your first post don't have a housing, just glass
when you get a headlight put one something like this in it and you'll have light
you'll have to use relays and have a metal housing with glass lens and loose the aux light

 

I have a Hella Euro spec H4 conversion (chacal) in my '81 and it lights up the road better than any motorcycle headlamp I've ever experienced, even the Candlepower Super-Blu in my '83 I spent $25 MORE on. (The Candlepower lamp works great too, don't get me wrong. It's just that the Hella works as well if not better for a lot less money.)

Most of the Euro spec H4 conversions are legal for motorcycle use in this country.

Go for it. ANY improvement over stock is worth it, and you don't need any special wiring; it should be plug-n-play as long as your systems are in good shape.

 

OK my bad... Wrong terminology - I need/want new 7" GLASS and Bulb to put into my fairings 7" bucket. OH and NO I won't be putting in no 100W bulb!!! (At least not at first and w/o full rewiring of headlight circuit).

Polock - I"ll ask Chacal what H4 conversion / glass he sells...

 

Besides the faddish "blue" lights and other such marketing gimics, bulbs are more or less all the same (although, like most commodity products, generally the more you pay the better quality you'll get).

The USEFULLNESS of the whatever amount of light that is produced by the BULB is determined almost entirely by the design (shape) of the reflector housing and how the light is then further guided/directed ("placed") by the lense itself.

 

Thanks all for the help and comments so far.

Let me ask a slightly different question...

If I were to get the CHEAP DOT product I listed above with a 55/65 White bulb I am I likely to have better visibility compared to my stock square light?

Basically, would any modern upgrade be better than what I have?
(Keep in mind this is my first bike and have not comparison to what other EXPENSIVE set ups could look like).

Again - Remember this is going into a Vetter Windjammer fairing.

 

Yes.

And Yes.

ANY H4 upgrade will be an improvement over stock. All the "cheap" gets you (besides the initial cost savings) is the possibility of a shorter service life compared to the more expensive alternatives.

IIRC, the Hella conversion I got from chacal wasn't horribly expensive; you might want to consider a few more bucks now for the economy of increased longevity.

 

This looks interesting:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0267916916

 

-they're automotive not motorcycle specific.

-the price makes me think cheap gimmicky copy not the real deal; they do run an H4 in them. Probably not motorcyle-specific bulbs that's for darn sure.

-you get what you pay for.

 

Update: I bit the bullet and bought the Euro style lens/reflector with white 55/60 H4 bulb listed in my initial post.

I hope they arrive quickly. The weather is suppose to be nice this week.

The kit is going into my Windjammer IV fairing with a yellowish and dim sealed beam.

I will give my uneducated review once I can. Ad long as brighter than Maxim's original and the sealed 7in I should be happy.

 

You'll be happy with it - do a google search for Euro pattern and DOT pattern lights and you'll get pictures that show the difference.
I've switched to the E-code in mine and love it.

Here's a side-by-side of E-code (left) and DOT/SAE (right) lamps in a car:

 

I finally received my Euro light kit today. The eBay seller waited 5 business days to ship it. Also he was VERY slow to respond to "Make Offer" and questions.

However, I did get him to include an extra bulb for free. This is the offer I attempted to make but it expired before he responded. *DOH*

I'm not sure if these items are "motorcycle rated" as described, but for the price I will give them a try! (Plus the extra bulb will help).




Without a proper night ride, the bulb does appear to be brighter and the pattern is tighter than the DOT sealed bulb I had. So as long as I aim it properly its a double bonus/positive!