R12GSA fog light replacement bulbs

[DavidPetersen]

A while back we started selling high performance IPF bulbs as replacments for stock bulbs. We've had excellent customer feedback - they liked the improved performance and the modest prices.

A customer sent us these unsolicited photos showing the difference between the stock R12GSA fog lamp bulbs and the IPF H11 Model X72 bulbs.

This photo shows the stock fog lamp on the left, the IPF bulb on the right.

And this photo shows two IPF H11 lamps fitted.

You can check out the IPF bulbs and lighting systems here:

http://bestrestproducts.com/celestia/products/lighting/

 

[Jeremy]

They look good. What are you using in the main lights?

Regards
Jeremy

 

[dlevett]

This first photo seems to show that the stock bulb casts a lot more light on the ground, as indicated by the light patch produced on the payement.

The second seems to show that the light cast on the ground from both IPF bulbs is similar to that of the standard bulb in the first picture.

The IPF bulbs do apear to give a lot more light projected forward, I just have a question re the 'alignment' of the standard one in the first picture.

I'm not trying to dis the IPF bulbs, in my experience 'premium' bulbs do make a significant difference.

 

[DavidPetersen]

I don't know what he's using as the main headlight bulb, I can ask him in an email.

As far as any skepticism in the aiming of the bulb and the reflection of the light off the pavement, I wasn't there when the customer took these photos so I can't speak about any misalignment or subtle agenda. These unsolicited photos were originally posted to the ADVRider site, and we obtained permission to use them from the photographer. He was so impressed with the performance of the lights that he took the photos, and since then we've been swamped with orders from other GS riders.

In case there's any confusion, IPF is a premium bulb and lighting system manufacturer, on par with Hella and Piaa. IPF is a small Japanese company, very popular with the 4x4 offroad crowd and performance car market, but they're relatively unknown to the motorcycle fraternity. Quite frankly they're not very good at advertising or marketing, but there's certainly nothing wrong with their engineering or the quality of their components.

I've used Piaa and Hella products for years, and they're both excellent products. The only difference in quality that I've seen between them and IPF is in the boxes and packaging. Piaa uses more glittery chrome on their boxes, whereas IPF only has a 4-color box.

Generally speaking, IPF lights and bulbs are less expensive because there's no middleman in their marketing plan and because they spend less on advertising, not because the quality of their products is any less.

Another compelling reason for the IPF bulbs is that they have a 1-year guarantee against burnout. Unfortunately that guarantee doesn't extend overseas due to shipping costs of bulb replacements.

 

[DavidPetersen]

This first photo seems to show that the stock bulb casts a lot more light on the ground, as indicated by the light patch produced on the payement.

The second seems to show that the light cast on the ground from both IPF bulbs is similar to that of the standard bulb in the first picture.

The IPF bulbs do apear to give a lot more light projected forward, I just have a question re the 'alignment' of the standard one in the first picture.

I'm not trying to dis the IPF bulbs, in my experience 'premium' bulbs do make a significant difference.

Here's what the photographer and owner of the bike in the photo said:

"I am using the stock OEM bulb in the low beam in the pictures. As far as the reflection on the ground, a few things might come into play.

1. In the photos I had aligned the lights by sight, looking at the mounting brackets to make them the same. They were not aligned by any "proper standard" if there is such a thing. I have not ridden at night yet, and they may need re-aiming down because of a different cutoff than the original.

2. I may not have been centered perfectly in the pictures. The camera was not in the exact place in both shots because I took it down while I finished the install and didn't mark the placement of the camera.

3. The camera is set on auto white balance. This might make the photo show a different temp in the reflection.

I am very happy with the results as one of my main intentions of using these bulbs was to increase my daytime visibility. I will give you an update as soon as I can do some night time experimenting."

So that's the scoop. The photos weren't taken according to laboratory testing standards, but for practical purposes the rider did his best to accurately portray the performance of the bulbs. And according to all the feedback from our customers, they're all exceedingly happy about their bulb purchases.