SYLVANIA SILVERSTAR HEADLIGHTS ?

3453 Views 12 Replies 8 Participants Last post by sanford12, Jul 15, 2006

hazegray

Discussion Starter · Jun 11, 2006

I would like to know if anyone has tried the Sylvania "Silverstar" headlight lamp installations.
This seems to be a current fad among Burgman 400 owners ( a group to which I belong).
There is a dramatic increase is light output ( it should be, at almost twice the wattage). The Silverstar H4, or 9003, are directly interchangeable with the stock lamps as far as physical size and conncetor. And, they're expensive.

I presume the stock Majesty headlights (like the Burgman) are Phillips HS1 lamps, rated as 35/35 watts, 12 volts.
And I suspect this is a scooter specific lamp, available only from dealers.
The Silverstar lamps are 55/60 watt, 12 volt lamps.
And, as far as I know, the H4 lamp is standard for most "motorcycles".

For those of you who know your fuse sizes, and do the quick amp. calculation, remember that your system actually runs at about 14 volts.
The 60 watt hi beam is the questionable part, at 8.5 amps on a 10 amp fuse.

For night riding, especiallt long distance, the increased light would be worth the effort (risk).

Has anyone tried this "upgrade" ?

Richard
In Cincinnati

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gpsnut2003

· #2 · Jun 12, 2006

this upgrade would likely not be necessary (sp?) on the maj , as they come stock with H4 65/55 watt globes.

i was thinking about buying one of the xenon gas discharge light kits however, these put out about 170 watts while only drawing about 35 watts of current.

jason

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GreenGoose

· #3 · Jun 12, 2006

I installed PIAAs in my Burgman and there is NO comparison to stock.

See: http://burgmanusa.com/ipw-web/gallery/P ... 0.jpg.html

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gpsnut2003

· #4 · Jun 12, 2006

i agree that this conversion (with the burgman) would have a great difference. the burgman (as stated in the first post) has ony 35/35 watt globes factory, so going up to 65 watt ones should make a heck of a difference.

the majesty on the other hand has 65 watt globes as stock, so there would be zero gain.

jason

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hazegray

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 12, 2006

Thanks guys. Very interesting.
I didn't know so many people were involved in the manufacture of automotive lamps.
H4 in the Yamaha doesn't surprise me. And that also means the electrical system (alternator, regulator) is already designed for the higher load.
I plan to have a closer look at the 07 Majesty, when info becomes available. But for now the storage, and access, have made me happy with the Burg.
Glad I found this site (the bright spot in BUSA going down).
Majesty and Burgman owners seem a lot alike, in their wants, likes and concerns.

Richard
In Cincinnati

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Rubble

· #6 · Jun 12, 2006

gpsnut2003 said:
the majesty on the other hand has 65 watt globes as stock, so there would be zero gain.

jason

Take a peek at this chart from Sylvania. There is a huge difference in the color temperature and brightness between the Silver Stars and standard halogen bulbs. A 65 watt Silver Star will give a whiter and brighter light than a 65 watt standard halogen.
I have heard that the Silver Stars and other high performance bulbs don't last as long. I think the extra money is well spent if it helps to see and be seen - they are white and bright enough to make a difference in being seen by opposing traffic in full daylight.

Dave

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gpsnut2003

· #7 · Jun 12, 2006

going higher in color temp is one thing, but if you go too high in color temp, you actually loose output as the color shifts from white, through blue, and into purple.

imho, once you go beyond 6500k color temp, the light output is not as visable as a nice white light. beyond 6500k the color of the light shifts toward the blue and purple end of the spectrum.

if the xenon kits weren't so expensive, i would get one of those instead.

jason.

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Bobb

· #8 · Jun 12, 2006

I have not converted the Majesty's light yet but I will.

Putting Silverstars in the V Strom [which already had good lights] made a major differnce with no more wattage used. And they have been in the bike for 2 years and 40k miles with no failures.

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Larry Newman

· #9 · Jun 13, 2006

Have just installed Hella Xenon...the colour is better without being super blue...daytime visibility of the bike seems improved.

I've not tested them at night as yet.

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gpsnut2003

· #10 · Jun 13, 2006

Larry Newman said:
Have just installed Hella Xenon...

did you install the xenon gas discharge lights ?
or the H4 globes that hella calls xenon ?

just wondering wich ones that you used, and how dificult it was if you used the XGD lights.

jason.

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Rubble

· #11 · Jun 13, 2006

gpsnut2003 said:
imho, once you go beyond 6500k color temp, the light output is not as visable as a nice white light. beyond 6500k the color of the light shifts toward the blue and purple end of the spectrum.

jason.

Silver Stars come in at 4000K (as per the chart)

Dave

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spirilis

· #12 · Jul 7, 2006

Ha that's awesome, H4 is the same size as my car ('00 Nissan Maxima).
I tried Sylvania SilverStars on it one time. The light output was a more "bluish white", but still very much WHITE--not like some crappy bulbs I bought one time from a maxima.org member which were mostly blue (and hard to see). They're nice bulbs if you can stand the bluish white--personally I experience eyestrain with those, which is why I stick with the yellow-ish Sylvania XtraVisions. The SilverStars burned out in a few months though. XtraVision lasts 6+ months. (I do ~45K miles per year worth of driving, mainly due to my long commute, so they get some use, but not a lot--most of my driving is during the daytime, with the exception of fall/winter/early spring where it gets dark early.)

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sanford12

· #13 · Jul 15, 2006

I use Silverstars in my 02 VW Passat and they last about a year or less but are much better than the stock lights. I like them so well that the shorter life is acceptable and will use them on my new 06 Majesty

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