GS ADV headlight(s)

[schnauzer]

Hi all, and happy new year etc....

I recently moved from an Aprilia Mille with an excellent headlight set up to an 1150 Adv. The headlight on the Adv is cr*p to say the least. I don't really want to fit additional lights, but am interested in what bulb upgrades have been made to the standard lights and how good they are... without blowing up the electrics!!!

 

[MikeO]

I don't really want to fit additional lights

Best get used to only riding during daylight then

Do a search for 'lights' using the search key at the top of the page. There's a lot of rhetoric and a little hard data. Bottom line is that it doesn't matter what bulbs you fit, it's going to make no significant difference (it's the beam pattern that's crap, not the wattage of the bulbs). Crack a beer and settle in for a long night's reading...

Mike

 

[Foto John]

I remember an advertisement from B*W, stated that the GS's 'POWERFULL HEADLAMPS TURNED NIGHT INTO DAY'

 

[MiGSel]

I have tried the 100W bulbs in the low beam, but it doesn't make much of a difference.

Touratech now has a HID kit, but that one replaces the high beam. And cheap it is not... 370 euros

I have read some reports of HID conversion of the low beam, with HID kits for cars. They are 400-450 euros for a set of two, so if you can share a kit with somebody else it gets a bit cheaper.

A light bar + a set of good driving lights on the other hand, is available for about 120 euros. Stil a bit cheaper and the added benefit, if you ask me, is that you are more "visible" with extra lights than with stronger lights.

Not that I have any other interest of course

Cheers,
Michel

 

[Big Al Litch]

Additional lighting

I have to agree with Michel, having been very disapointed very early on with the standrad lighting I got one of his light-bars and some Hella FF50's and I am now very impressed with the illumination available.

As my bike is a 2003 model with perm't dipped beam I was never keen on increasing the power of the bulbs in the first place. Apart from the additional load (all the time the ignition is switched on) I was very aware of the additional heat generated and anyway, I have done this before and all it does is make the available pattern brighter, it does nothing to increase the spread of light.
I now have an additional pair on dipped and another pair on high and I am mighty impressed, as these have an over-ride they are only used when I need them (i.e. at night).

Alan