Replacing the H3 bulbs in your Superbike

Here is my lovely assistant (ducwife) holding the headlamp assembly. No wiring was unplugged save for the bulb swap.



You might notice the black tape on the wall, I used this to mark the original beam height.

Here is the new bulb with the adjustment screw and spring.

Here is the before and after shot of the two bulbs when looking at the front of the bike at an angle).

Old:


New:


The color appears only slighter whiter when viewing it in my shed and against the shed wall. I am going to ride the bike to the weekly hangout at the Ducati dealership and try to get a picture next to my friends 996S for a real side by side comparison. I don't care if the bulb is physically brighter as long as the beam is more effective in lighting up the road and roadside.

New...see above.

Here is the beam pattern on the wall for what it's worth.

Old:


New:

Now the new...see above.

Looks like we are getting rain today and tomorrow so I'lm going to have to wait until the weekend to test out the new lights.

Duc~ Congrats on putting the new bulbs in. I knew you waited a while to get everything. From the pics it's hard to tell if they make a difference, but like you said, as long as it illuminates the road better is all that matters.

Thanks. I'll keep that screw in mind James. I may adjust the beam higher but I don't want to piss of oncoming cars with my increase in night riding. Once they lay on their brights my eyes will be shot for a bit. /images/icons/crazy.gif

Nice pics, Duc. I was gonna do the same when I did mine a few weeks ago but my garage is too embarassing to go public with. /images/icons/laugh.gif

Weather's been decent here lately, but I haven't been able to ride for about a week with a swollen right middle finger, which hurts when I hit the brakes. Hurt it at work removing the lid off a reaction chamber and forgot to remove one of the screws. Ouch... Although I did have my Alpinestars MK-3 boots on at the time, so my ankles were very well protected during the incident. /images/icons/laugh.gif

Reaction chamber?

I went ahead and stuck the H1 PIAA bulb back in the bike instead of sitting on it and waiting for the stocker to burn out; I also adjusted the lights about 1/2" higher. After putting the bike back together and looking at the H3 I can see a more white light for sure. I can't wait to get out and see the clarity the bulb offers with night riding.

I think the difference is noticable - bear in mind that a digital camera on a bright light - will adjust the brightness down.

Anyway - it looks whiter in color than the old yellow light pattern !

I reckon they will be noticeably different - and if they aren't - I bet they look brighter to the cages ! Which will make em think you are nearer !! (possibly /images/icons/smile.gif)

<font color=red>Speed limit</font color=red>??<font color=blue>- They're for cars</font color=red>!!
I play on BT Too!

They are a good bit brighter than the stock lights and the color of the light spread on the road is pretty close to white; the clarity is awesome! This addition should have been done a long time ago for sure!

I'm still looking to get a picture of my friends 996S next to my 748 to get a comparison photo. I'll post it when I take it.

John,
Check this out...
Real HID for sportbikes! /images/icons/tongue.gif
http://www.tigergears.com/products/absolute.htm

I saw that when looking at one of the other bulb threads. Looks good!

By the way, I blew my 15A fuse for the headlights yesterday on the way to work, riding with the high-beam on (during daylight). After work I went to start up my bike (about midnight) and no light! /images/icons/shocked.gif Luckily I keep a spare 30A fuse in there to get me home (I stayed in low-beam). Next chance I get I'll inspect my wiring and make sure I didn't fry any wires. It doesn't make sense that a 55W bulb should blow a 15A fuse.

Interesting. I took extra care when removing the wiring assembly so I don't feel I stressed any part of the harness. Let us know what you find out. Maybe I should get a few extra fuses and put them in my tank bag for emergencies.

Well nothing was fried or frayed. I was almost hoping for some melted wire because at least then I'd have an explanation for why the fuse blew. At 14V (throttle pinned) the bulb would have to burn over 200W of power to pop a 15A fuse. I don't have a clue... It was daylight when it blew so I don't know the exact moment it happened. The only thing I can think of is maybe I was sitting at a light for too long with the high-beam on and it got too hot in the housing causing some kind of thermal runaway with the bulb filament. Now I gotta learn more about how halogens behave under a lot of heat (does resistance drop?). I'm sure one of the PhD's at work will give me the right answer /images/icons/smile.gif ... Oh well, since the wires are okay, I upped the fuse to a 20A, and we'll see how well that holds up. If it blows that one too, the PIAA H1 (high-beam) is going bye-bye. That Absolute HID system is starting to look pretty sweet...