I put in some Sylvania Ultras and amber marker lights....

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/K4XA/Lights01.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a28/K4XA/Lights02.jpg

I just had an idea...I think I'll tie the marker lights in with the front turn signals...

looks good!

Do both the high and low beams use H7's?
The factory low beam cutoff angles are horrible and don't give much distance.

Do both the high and low beams use H7's?
The factory low beam cutoff angles are horrible and don't give much distance.

Yes, they are both H7. I was thinking about removing that center cover in the low beam to see what effect that has....

Right, figured I'd drop some photos of my frontals.:eek:
Hooligan, looking at that little plastic bit, if you figure out how it comes out and it does something good, let us know for sure. I have adjusted mine up quite alot, but the beam still drops off so immediately, a bit unnerving when rolling up the highway through the forest. The high beams though, wow, retina searing, killers!!! Oh, before I forget, my side marker lights are just some cheapie Pilot "Xenon Lightning Whites". A fancy name for "normal bulbs we dipped in blue paint"....Oh, wait, says here they are "natural color glass", Ok. My H7's are Sylvania Silverstars. I really love these bulbs and have used them on every vehicle I've owned since they were introduced. Great color temp and awesome output.
Fukken cheers,
Erik!!!

Here's mine with amber LED front marker lights... I also upgraded to Osram Hyper H7 clear 65 watt bulb (bigger H9 burner on H7 base) from their high-wattage rally and professional offroad bulb line, and they're absolutely awesome! They offer 2100 lumens and a 500 hour life, compared to:
1780 lumens, 340 hours for the Osram Night Breaker with slight blue tint.
1750 lumens, 350 hours for the Osram Silverstar (not Sylvania) also with slight blue tint.
I got them from http://www.suvlights.com/product_info.php?products_id=164 for $21 each + $8 shipping.

Hooligan,
I was thinking of doing the same thing by removing the little cone in the center that blocks the light from the end of the bulb.
Is the high beam a different wattage than the low beam?

High and low beams are both H7 55 watt. That cone is needed for the low beam, and would be very hard to remove... The Osram Hyper 65 watt H7 does a great job. Very bright and white light.

Not sure why it's needed? The H7 Silverstar Ultras I just bough have Blue paint over the tips anyway.
I've removed that cone on previous vehicles very easily.

Not sure why it's needed? The H7 Silverstar Ultras I just bough have Blue paint over the tips anyway.
I've removed that cone on previous vehicles very easily.

Did it improve the pattern?

...I also upgraded to Osram Hyper H7 clear 65 watt bulb (bigger H9 burner on H7 base) from their high-wattage rally and professional offroad bulb line, and they're absolutely awesome!...

Nice to hear! I ordered the same ones and expect to get them next week. The stock low beam is terrible IMHO.

Kool... You'll get them pretty quick, and won't be disappointed. H7 bulbs are pretty small and have to be pulled out of base connector to be replaced, and they're in tight. Be careful not to touch the glass.
My Versys came with the headlight adjusted too low and to the left, as many others are as well.

I was going to adjust mine, but I knew I wanted to upgrade the lights so I figured I would do it at the same time.

I am also going to turn my front turn signals into running lights, and make the daytime lights in the headlight assembly blink with the signals when I take it apart to install the lights.

Well,
I put in the Silverstar Ultras, took out the little cone(VERY EASY with just two little screws to remove) and then proceeded to wash the wife's new Armada....It's now 10 and I've got to get to bed. I'll have to try it out tomorrow night and let you guys know if it helped.......

William

...I'll have to try it out tomorrow night and let you guys know if it helped....

Oh come on now, just roll it out and shine the lights to see what it looks like. You gonna make us wait until tomorrow night? :(

Yeah, I had a quick look at the bulb shield and it's obviousy very easy to remove on the Versys...
My Osram Hyper 65 watt bulbs are already very bright and not legal on public roads. Removing the shield would make it even harder to aim it high enough without concern about blinding oncoming traffic.

I found some information about the purpose of the bulb shield:
"The bulb shield generally functions to prevent light from striking areas of the headlamp reflector that are not optically active so that stray reflections (glare light) is prevented from being directed towards unintended or dark areas of the prescribed beam pattern. Bulb shields typically include a cup portion that is disposed generally in front of the headlamp bulb, and a portion that extends from the cup portion and mounts to the reflector or some other proximate structure. The cup portion of the bulb shield is usually relatively sharply concave, thereby blocking light from the bulb that has not first struck an optically active portion of the reflector. The bulb shield, (when employed) provides a shuttering or masking effect that prevents unwanted visible light rays from reaching unintended (decorative) reflective surfaces and being reflected in an uncontrolled manner ("Glare"). The overall distribution of visible light from a headlamp is heavily prescribed by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) in FMVSS 108 and it is often impossible to meet these requirements without a carefully designed bulb shield in place."

Well, I tested it this morning and the combination of removing of the shield, Silverstar Ultras, and turning the vertical adjustment screw 1 1/2 turns clockwise DEFINITELY works much better!!:thumb: I can see with low beams in very low light areas! No one in the opposite direction of traffic flashed me either......:cheers:

My Versys came with the headlight adjusted too low and to the left, as many others are as well.

Had the same issue, I adjusted mine the other night and it made a HUGE improvement, I actually think the stock lights are pretty decent, once adjusted. :)

...H7 bulbs are pretty small and have to be pulled out of base connector to be replaced, and they're in tight...

arghhh. I was going to put my new bulbs in today and thought they sent me the wrong ones. The connector wouldn't fit on the bulb. I guess I have to remove the big black plastic piece off the factory bulb and put it on the new bulb?

LOL! Yeah, I had the same reaction when I opened the box, which is why I gave the subtle warning. That's exactly what you have to do.

Cool, I guess I know what I'll be doing in the AM.

Here's mine with amber LED front marker lights... I also upgraded to Osram Hyper H7 clear 65 watt bulb (bigger H9 burner on H7 base) from their high-wattage rally and professional offroad bulb line, and they're absolutely awesome! They offer 2100 lumens and a 500 hour life, compared to:
1780 lumens, 340 hours for the Osram Night Breaker with slight blue tint.
1750 lumens, 350 hours for the Osram Silverstar (not Sylvania) also with slight blue tint.
I got them from http://www.suvlights.com/product_info.php?products_id=164 for $21 each + $8 shipping.

Invader, I'm on the road now and don't want to go out to the hotel parking lot to see what lights did what at low and high beam. Plus, I'm confused (what else is new).

Make it simple for me, can I buy the two lights you list above (2100 lumens) and replace my OEM LOW beam lights with them? Is it easy to do and will the electrical load take it over the long haul?

Thanks for your inputs.

Atgatt, you have one low beam bulb on top, and one high beam bulb on bottom. They're both H7 55W, so the Osram Hyper H7 clear 65 W can be installed in the high and/or low beam. One each, two total... I switched to two amber LED front marker lights that draw about 9 watts less than the two stock bulbs. Either way, you won't have any problems. They're pretty easy to replace once you've removed a fairing side.

Atgatt, you have one low beam bulb on bottom, and one high beam bulb on top. They're both H7's, so the Osram Hyper H7 clear can be installed in the high and/or low beam. One each, two total... I switched to two amber LED front marker lights that draw about 9 watts less than the two stock bulbs. Either way, you won't have any problems. They're pretty easy to replace once you've removed a fairing side.

Actually the low beam is on the top and the high beam is on the bottom I believe.

Yeah you're right... Thanks 08 Versys. I fixed my post.

Thanks. O ordered the $21 lights

So where did you find LED lamps for the marker lights? Do they fit in the 194 bases?

I got 4 (2 spares) from Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&viewitem=&item=200225996412
They do fit in the 194 sockets.

When I first got my bike the headlamps were horrible. I could see clearly 6' in front of the bike because that's where the light was pointed. Apparently dealers don't know much about setting up their own bikes?!? Anyway, I adjusted them and they are much better.

My question for those of you who converted to the higher power bulbs is this: Is it worth spending $40 dollars on the new bulbs? Did it make that big of a difference?

Thanks for the feedback.

When I first got my bike the headlamps were horrible. I could see clearly 6' in front of the bike because that's where the light was pointed. Apparently dealers don't know much about setting up their own bikes?!? Anyway, I adjusted them and they are much better.

My question for those of you who converted to the higher power bulbs is this: Is it worth spending $40 dollars on the new bulbs? Did it make that big of a difference?

Thanks for the feedback.

It will improve your vision. But because they produce a much whiter light, they improve your visibility. That's one of the biggest reasons I use them.

It will improve your vision. But because they produce a much whiter light, they improve your visibility. That's one of the biggest reasons I use them.

x2 I love the whiter light.

Sounds like I'll have to give them a try:thumb:

Autozone had the 194 LED marker lights.