2011 headlight bulb

skid jackson

New member
it did not take long for me to find my head light bulb in many little pieces inside the headlight. I don't suppose there is an led that could fit inside the existing headlight?? What are you guys running for replacement bulbs? I;m guessing it is a install a new one for passing inspection and forget about it till next year kind of thing??
 
Mine blew after the 4th ride.
I plan on putting a HID bulb in there next. The OEM bulb is a 35w H4 bulb.
 
I'm running a 55w 9003/H4 bulb. No issues with heat or vibration.

Since my post, the reflector inside of the headlamp has tarnished. It turned black.
There are no signs of excessive heat. I don't know if the 55 watt bulb is borderline on the heat output.

I would stay with the 35W oem bulb.
 
is the stocker like the stocker used in the ktm headlights 06 newer? if so EE has a small halogen hi/low that plugs in that has a smaller globe. They say they last longer as less weight/thicker glass and its a 45/55w halogen I believe. I was going to get one for my ktm but went H4 instead.. still cant see crap out of that diamond shaped joke they call a headlight..
 
Since my post, the reflector inside of the headlamp has tarnished. It turned black.
There are no signs of excessive heat. I don't know if the 55 watt bulb is borderline on the heat output.

I would stay with the 35W oem bulb.

How many rides before it started turning it black, and was that riding in the hot Texas daylight hours?

Reason I'm asking is I'm thinking of adding a 55WT bulb to my 11's headlight shell for the night portion of this weekends 24 hour. I run my stock headlight shell and 2 trail tech mr 16 HIDs off the handle bars. along with 2 more HIDs of my helmets chin guard. So its not crutial I do this.

Really the bike light is just fill in light as this is mostly open prairie. But if I could get a bit more out of it that would help as you can outrun your lighting in this environment on super dark years as is this years prediction. Little or no moon light.

Thanks for your experience and advice with this in advance.

Roscoe
 
Roscoe.
I turn on headlight every time I ride. Our trails are two-way, so any advance notice is benificial to my health.

I think I may have a defective headlamp reflector. Only the lower half has the black oxidation on it. There is NO indication of any overheating concerns with the headlamp shell where the bulb sits.

I did have some water condesation in the head lamp before this happened. Maybe related?
 
I've got condensation on the inside of mine .... pretty much since day one. I figured it was from splashing through puddles and washing the bike. I'll have to take a closer look at the reflector. If I was more electronically inclined .. I'd be looking into how to refit the stock unit with some 35w led units
 
Thanks guys I bought a standard Sylvania 55 wt H4 bulb for 10$ I could have got one with more lumen's of light out put for twice as much but the reliability of the bulb decreased majority.

Cheap upgrade I figure. Haven't plugged it in to try it yet cause my MX number plate set up is on the bike until O' dark 30 this Saturday. Then I'll add my lighting for my night laps. BRAAAAP!

Roscoe
 
Be careful, the socket/reflector may not be able to handle the heat of both hi/low at once. I have not seen a newer light assy, but I have melted an older one doing this.
 
Mine blew after the 4th ride.
I plan on putting a HID bulb in there next. The OEM bulb is a 35w H4 bulb.

I was thinking of going down this route, but I have one question as my bike doesn't have a battery ...is it still feasible to fit one without a battery?

They are ten a penny now on ebay of course you get what you pay for but can it work without a battery.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MotorBike...67?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item23192206f7
 
I don't know if you need a battery.
Cycle Gear had a blow out on HID bulb kits. But, they were too long to fit behind the headlight bezel.
 
If I needed a bright headlight, better than stock, I'd work out an LED option. Very bright, low power consumption, extremely durable. All you need is a rectifier and capacitor. If the DC is less than 30V you don't even need a regulator for the lights I'm familar with. You can even run at least one and likely two off of a 35W 2K-2. Not cheap though.
 
I was thinking of going down this route, but I have one question as my bike doesn't have a battery ...is it still feasible to fit one without a battery?

They are ten a penny now on ebay of course you get what you pay for but can it work without a battery.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MotorBike...67?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item23192206f7

HID needs DC power and your bike is AC (no battery). AC kills HID ballast in few seconds. For more information there is few topics how to get DC power from your bike. I had HID in my -07 and light was unbelievable. With -11 it is supposed to be even better.
 
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