Max wattage headlight

[mammut89]

Hey , im thinking of putting in either :

Philips Rally 130/90w (3600 lumen for 130)

or

Philips Rally 100/90 (2900 lumen for 100)


Some questions:

The alternator puts out 550w

1. Will 260w be too much and make the bike drain the battery after a while?
2. Will I burn the reflectors ?

PS: yes I am going to put a relay for this so I dont fry the original wires , thats not an issue

[squiggy]

Can I assume from your name that you have a 1989 Kat and therefore a single bulb headlight? You don't state what year you have and your Garage says nothing about your vehicle.

For my 2001, I regularly run my high beams (60Wx2) and my Piaa 1100X driving lights (55Wx2) for a minimum of 230 watts, not including the vehicle's electrical consumption and a Gerbing electric jacket with no electrical drainage condition. As long as you re running the RPM's where the alternator makes it's maximum wattage output you should be OK.

That's what's nice about the Katana in that is has an alternator and it's physical size is that of a compact car.

Now regarding the heat output, I would say being that the Kat's headlight housing is plastic, at least mine, melting it could very well be a potential problem with a 90W bulb(s).

[mammut89]

Sorry for not stating what bike ive got, I have a 2001 with dual like yours.

Thanks for the input. Ill stick to normal bulbs then.

[KAT TOY]

Sorry for not stating what bike ive got, I have a 2001 with dual like yours.

Thanks for the input. Ill stick to normal bulbs then.

i run silverstars in my dakota. was an improvement over stock bulbs. you might try that, [stock output] no rewiring.

[Mojoe]

Now regarding the heat output, I would say being that the Kat's headlight housing is plastic, at least mine, melting it could very well be a potential problem with a 90W bulb(s).

the housing may be plastic, but neither the bulb nor the socket come in contact with it. they only come in contact with the glass headlight body itself. and the clearance is far enough from that very hard plastic that there is no danger of melting. that is tough plastic and it would take the likes of a direct flame to really melt it.

however, putting in too high a wattage bulb will indeed melt something. I had it happen to me. I think I went 120 or 130. lasted all of maybe two days, then one night going home I lost my headlight. thank god the 1100 kat has running lights. even if they are amber, they kept me from driving off the road.

the next morning I took a look and found the plug melted to chit. luckily my dad had an old ford escort behind the garage waiting to go off to scrap. I snagged the plug from that.

so....if you do try it, and lose your headlight, you will know what to check first.

[mammut89]

Yeah that happened to my car too, The plastic gets brittle because of the heat and later no more contact. Im using high power plug now on my car that does not have a plastic housing. However I think Ill just get something better than stock 55w but not as hardcore as 130.

[DClark]

i run silverstars in my dakota. was an improvement over stock bulbs. you might try that, [stock output] no rewiring.

Don't go with Silverstars because:
1) Due to the blue tint they put out less lumens of light
2) They are expensive
3) They don't last long in a car/truck
4)Due to vibration, they last even less on a bike.

They are also only available in 55/60w.
I have a 80/100w bulb in my kat 1100 with relays. No problems with heat, but then I have a glass headlight housing. I don't know if plastic could survive relays and 80/100 as you do drive with the light on all the time. Just doing relays will give you more light, even with a stock size bulb.

[FunEMT]

hmmmm good information... I ordered some bulbs from H4 HID bulbs on Ebay
and they are 90w/100 which I am reading are going to run too warm and probably melt something!

[scottynoface]

Don't go with Silverstars because:
1) Due to the blue tint they put out less lumens of light
Not all of them are blue, I ran them in my Katana as well as my car right now, and they aren't blue.
2) They are expensive
Well worth the money to see better.
3) They don't last long in a car/truck
Going on 5 years in my car
4)Due to vibration, they last even less on a bike.
Mine lasted a whole season in my bike before I sold it, not sure where you're getting this info from?