Highest Watt headlight possible for stock wound stator?

[BIGGITY]

What's the highest Watt Headlight Bulb I should put on the stock stator? (Not Ds'd so no horn or turn signals to drain from the battery) Also where can I order a LED bulb for the tail light to decrease draw off the stator and to increase brightness?

Thanks in advance for your help!! ?

[JackAttack]

Just do this:

The BD lighting improvement kit is simply a Honda glass lens, a 55 watt H3 bulb and some wiring + connectors. The glass lens + H3 bulb is a huge improvement over the stock plastic lens for trail riding, but it's subject to breaking from a good roost.

The stock stator doesn't have enough power to drive a 55 watt H3 bulb to full brightness at idle or very low engine RPM, but it just takes a small twist to get to full brightness. To get full brightness at idle or to use a higher wattage bulb like 85 or 100 watts, you'll need to either buy a new high output stator, have your stator rewound for more output or rewind it yourself which is pretty easy to do with a little time and patience.

You can put this lighting improvement kit together yourself for a lot less by purchasing the Honda glass lens from your dealer (Honda PN# 33123-MK2-671) for as little as $22 depending on the discount your dealer gives you. This glass lens simply replaces your stock plastic light assembly and accepts a H3 bulb. The connectors from the plastic headlight assembly are different, so you'll need to buy some new connectors to mate with the H3 bulb, but you can get these at Walmart, Autozone, etc. The only thing left to do is to buy a $5 H3 bulb at your favorite auto parts store or even at Walmart. The rubber boot on the back of your stock plastic lens will fit over the new glass lens with some coaxing, but it's a tighter fit.

-taken from a qadsan post.

No need to mess with the tailight, IMHO. It worked great for me. Order the glass lens through Service Honda for $25 and then go to Wally Mart for the H3 bulb for $5.

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[BIGGITY]

right on appreciate it! ? :cry:

[BrandonW]

If you want, you can still look into an LED 1157 bulb for the rear light. I put one in last night, and I bet it is pulling about 3 or 4 watts.

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[JackAttack]

I'm guessing the stock bulb only pulls 5 watts anyway. ?

If your not DS'n the bike just pull the bulb, you don't need it.

In or out it won't make a significant difference in the headlight brightness.

[BrandonW]

I'm guessing the stock bulb only pulls 5 watts anyway.

Is that really all the standard bulb pulls? Damn, I thought I was making gains! I was thinking/hoping it was comming down from the 10-12 watt range.

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I was monkeying around with regular headlight bulbs (55/60 watt and 90/100 watt) with my LeadDog helmet light last night.

Don't have enough juice to run the 90/100 bulb with my LeadDog (35 watts, I think) but it pushed the 55/60 well with the LeadDog.

I am angling for enough juice for handwarmers!

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[NORTEXED]

I was just curious, do you have to run the glass lens with the 55w bulb (like to prevent melting it or something)?

[JackAttack]

I was just curious, do you have to run the glass lens with the 55w bulb (like to prevent melting it or something)?

Yes.

H3 bulb runs very hot and bright.

[loufish]

The glass lens is much clearer. I have the kit, and it does make a difference for little money. The stock stator is rated at around 80 watts, but of course this isn't at idle. I would keep the rear tailight bulb, when I do night riding, the red tailight does wonders for those behind you.

[qadsan]

the red tailight does wonders for those behind you

That's for sure ?

[HairyScary]

The stock stator doesn't have enough power to drive a 55 watt H3 bulb to full brightness at idle or very low engine RPM, but it just takes a small twist to get to full brightness. To get full brightness at idle or to use a higher wattage bulb like 85 or 100 watts, you'll need to either buy a new high output stator, have your stator rewound for more output or rewind it yourself which is pretty easy to do with a little time and patience.

The stator rewind really is the ticket. And as said above it is do-able by most mechanically inclined folks so long as you have the time and patience. Definitely worthwhile if you see any darkness riding in your future. I'd do it even if I was using the OEM Honda glass lens (aka "BD lighting improvement kit). Once you've ridden with a decent lens and a proper bulb, you'll wonder how you tolerated that plastic 35W total POS that it came with. I've a 90/100H4 in the Baja Designs light, and it is a great combo.

[durkn]

Talked to BD today.

They told me the ticket is the rewound stator, with an 80W Xenon bulb (white light)- which is like a 130W halogen.

When searching earlier, I found a comment that an 80W or 100W bulb was too hot for the BD headlight, but it sounds like it does work?

[XR250rdr]

I have a 100W halogen in the Honda glass lens without any problems.

[HairyScary]

I've had the Narva 90/100W H4 bulb in the Baja Designs lens for like two seasons now with lots of riding hours and nothing has melted, discoloured or any such thing. This is on a rewound stator (#18 wire *JUST* 3 layers deep over all 10 poles, in a 400R, which uses the same stator core as 650R),

using the stock AC regulator and wiring.

Baja Designs rewound stator splits the power output in half, so there may not be enough power for the 100W on only 1/2 the stator, which is maybe why they recommend the 80W bulb? (I'm only guessing here.... I've never done any load tests on a split output stator)

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