headlight bulbs for bmw 1150 gs adventure

[bim3330]

hi guys,

i bought a 1150 gs adventure the clutch side light low beam has a LED bulb in it with a ballast box loads of wires and its a pain, ie mot last week guy said it was horrible go back to standard,
i want to as well as the wiring coming out of the left back side is ugly, i have bouight a new bulb cover as the one has been butchered for the led bulb, just need to confirm what are the standard low light bulbs for the bike is it a H1 bulb

cheers

rob

 

[KMD]

If it’s the same as the 1150Gs they are listed in my manual as:

Headlight. 60/55w H4 Halogen.
Sidelight. 4w
Brake/Tail light. 21/10w.

Although the actual BMW service and technical booklet that came with the bike shows the low beam headlamp to be H1 12v 55w, and the high beam headlight to be the same .

 

[NeilDD]

Sorry to burst @KMD statement but the GS and GSA use the same bulb for both main (small light) and dip.
Namely H1's
To alter the cut off you rotate the larger dip beam light.
You might find that you have a Xenon HID in for the dip beam, which is a popular modification

 

[bim3330]

Sorry to burst @KMD statement but the GS and GSA use the same bulb for both main (small light) and dip.
Namely H1's
To alter the cut off you rotate the larger dip beam light.
You might find that you have a Xenon HID in for the dip beam, which is a popular modification

YER
the low beam the bigger one on the left as you sit on the bike has a xenon in it with all the wiring showing on the left side its horrible was going back to as it was from the factory anyway but the mot guy my mate said on the light test mot wise it was vey poor and he advised to go back to oem.
i have a new cap for that side and the bmw plug for the bulb as it was cut off for the xenon.

can i ask what you mean by To alter the cut off you rotate the larger dip beam light.

rob

 

[KMD]

Sorry to burst @KMD statement but the GS and GSA use the same bulb for both main (small light) and dip.
Namely H1's

If it’s the same as the 1150Gs they are listed in my manual as:



Although the actual BMW service and technical booklet that came with the bike shows the low beam headlamp to be H1 12v 55w, and the high beam headlight to be the same .

Is what the second paragraph refers to. The Haynes manual gave it as a different fitment altogether.

 

[NeilDD]

YER
the low beam the bigger one on the left as you sit on the bike has a xenon in it with all the wiring showing on the left side its horrible was going back to as it was from the factory anyway but the mot guy my mate said on the light test mot wise it was vey poor and he advised to go back to oem.
i have a new cap for that side and the bmw plug for the bulb as it was cut off for the xenon.

can i ask what you mean by To alter the cut off you rotate the larger dip beam light.

rob

Hi Rob,
If you ride the bike on the continent, the dip would be the wrong way and you would dazzle oncoming vehicles. If you remove the silver cover the goes over the clocks, 2 small M5 screws, the you will see the large dip beam light unit is held in place with a large plastic clamp, If you loosen the clamp then rotate the light you make the dip pattern go the other way.
It's all in the owners manual if you can get one.

Best of luck

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

YER
the low beam the bigger one on the left as you sit on the bike has a xenon in it with all the wiring showing on the left side its horrible was going back to as it was from the factory anyway but the mot guy my mate said on the light test mot wise it was vey poor and he advised to go back to oem.
i have a new cap for that side and the bmw plug for the bulb as it was cut off for the xenon.

can i ask what you mean by To alter the cut off you rotate the larger dip beam light.

rob

As you say you can get rid of the butchered caps and buy new ones from a BMW Main dealer, for both sides (you have one)
They're not expensive about £15 each

 

[sproggy]

I fitted LED bulbs in both headlights. Vastly improved lighting and with correct adjustment they don't seem to cause any upset from oncoming drivers. Went through the MoT just fine last year. Got them from LED perf: https://www.ledperf.co.uk/led-conve...-motorrad-r-1150-gs-00-mini-size-p-21342.html

They needed rubber boots fitting in place of the OE caps but they look neat enough from the rider's seat. I wouldn't go back to regular bulbs.

 

[PIGGLET]

The standard lights when fitted with halogen lamps in the 1150 are borderline dangerous. They are absolutely shite. Riding at night with them means either A: Riding very slowly whilst peering into a gloomy puddle of yellow just in front of you which then dissapears the moment a modern car drives towards you and totally eclipses the dysmal glow.
B: Making decent progress and rolling the dice because at around 60mph you will not be able to see more than about 1.5 seconds in front of you unless its pitch black, no oncoming traffic and no corners. You will also need eyes like a shit house rat....

Whilst the Hid lamps may appear to have a shit pattern against a tester, they generally throw a LOT more light down the road and make night riding infinitely safer.

That being said, they are not without their own issues. Have a search for a polish company that makes complete replacement LED lamp units (dip and main) if you intend to do any regular night riding at speeds above 30 / 40. Otherwise do a Vern and bolt some fuck off spots on the front. Hella luminators should do the trick......

 

[rustychain]

I fitted LED bulbs in both headlights. Vastly improved lighting and with correct adjustment they don't seem to cause any upset from oncoming drivers. Went through the MoT just fine last year. Got them from LED perf: https://www.ledperf.co.uk/led-conve...-motorrad-r-1150-gs-00-mini-size-p-21342.html

They needed rubber boots fitting in place of the OE caps but they look neat enough from the rider's seat. I wouldn't go back to regular bulbs.

I've seen these bulbs suggested a few times.

Other that the rubber boots, are they plug and play as the web site says?

 

[sproggy]

Other that the rubber boots, are they plug and play as the web site says?

They are from what I remember (fitted them a year ago). You have to run without the plastic caps on the lights because the LED bulbs are deeper, hence the need for the boots. But I know when I fitted them I was reassured by the fact that I could revert to incandescent bulbs if I needed to, for the MoT for example, so certainly no irreversible changes.

For the boots, look at eBay item 354496253142 - that's what I used.

 

[bim3330]

i do have a set of led spots on the oem gs adventure crash bars

rob

 

[bim3330]

could you use these below H1 led bulbs instead of halogen H1 bulbs and these below will fit with standard caps as theres no large section on the back

NIGHTEYE Pair 160W H1 LED Fog Light Bulbs DRL Lamp Kit 20000LM 6500K White IP68 | eBay UK

Waterproof Level: IP68. Application: Turn Signal, Brake Light, DRL and Fog lights. Say goodbye to dim light. Socket: H1. Plz understand that foglight could not install as headlight ( highbeam / lowbeam).

www.ebay.co.uk

rob

 

[NeilDD]

Give them a try if not to expensive.

 

[bim3330]

Give them a try if not to expensive.

as i say, i have a xenon with all the wires and ballast in the left and its a mess, i have a replacement oem cap and the oem plug to put back on the left side,
so was going to go back to halogen,
i don,t want to go led with large bulbs and rubber caps etc, but looking on ebay there are a few H1 LED bulbs in pairs that are standard looking ie will fit with oem caps so thinking try the h1 led bulb with oem caps rather than halogen with oem caps

rob

 

[Ian J Hartley]

could you use these below H1 led bulbs instead of halogen H1 bulbs and these below will fit with standard caps as theres no large section on the back

NIGHTEYE Pair 160W H1 LED Fog Light Bulbs DRL Lamp Kit 20000LM 6500K White IP68 | eBay UK

Waterproof Level: IP68. Application: Turn Signal, Brake Light, DRL and Fog lights. Say goodbye to dim light. Socket: H1. Plz understand that foglight could not install as headlight ( highbeam / lowbeam).

www.ebay.co.uk

rob

I have no idea of the year of your bike, so……..

Pre 2003 bikes had no fuse protection for the high and low beam circuits. Post 2003 for safety and presumably because technology had advanced and there were more options for H1 bulbs they decided to protect the light circuits with fuses.
These fuses are rated at 7.5Amps.

Now if you want to go fitting H1 bulbs rated at 160W which are going to draw about 13 amps, don’t be surprised if the fuses blow. If they do blow, then don’t be tempted to fit higher rated fuses, you will likely melt the wiring. Now if your bike is pre 2003 without fuse protection, then look out for smell of burning and smoke.

The last thing you want is to be riding at night and you loose all lights due to a current overload.

The LED and HID kits that replace the standard H1 bulbs, all draw less amps so are generally a safe replacement.

Ian

 

[bim3330]

I have no idea of the year of your bike, so……..

Pre 2003 bikes had no fuse protection for the high and low beam circuits. Post 2003 for safety and presumably because technology had advanced and there were more options for H1 bulbs they decided to protect the light circuits with fuses.
These fuses are rated at 7.5Amps.

Now if you want to go fitting H1 bulbs rated at 160W which are going to draw about 13 amps, don’t be surprised if the fuses blow. If they do blow, then don’t be tempted to fit higher rated fuses, you will likely melt the wiring. Now if your bike is pre 2003 without fuse protection, then look out for smell of burning and smoke.

The last thing you want is to be riding at night and you loose all lights due to a current overload.

The LED and HID kits that replace the standard H1 bulbs, all draw less amps so are generally a safe replacement.

Ian

thanks for that i have a 2005 bmw 1150 gsa, i have bought these below i guess they,ll be ok as its says 60w per bulb

2Pc H1 LED Headlight Bulbs Kit Canbus Error Free High/Low Beam Light 6500K White | eBay

● Superb Performance: CANbus ready and fit with 99% vehicles without issue., no radio interference. 32000LM/pair, 350% Brighter than standard halogen. Effectively illuminate wildlife, falling rocks and obstacles.

www.ebay.co.uk

rob

 

[sproggy]

could you use these below H1 led bulbs instead of halogen H1 bulbs and these below will fit with standard caps as theres no large section on the back

No you couldn’t. If you read the description it says they are fog light bulbs and are not suitable for use in headlights because they won’t provide the correct beam.

 

[sproggy]

Those ones you’ve bought…. I generally work on the basis that you get what you pay for. Those are cheap and Chinese so I’ll be interested to hear your experience with them - at least the financial risk is low. They’re a neater fit than what I have for sure.