How good is the stock NT headlight

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I'm used to the Burgman 650 Exec headlights which are the best I've driven behind.....better than the the similar looking Vstrom lights.

Concerns me a bit that the NT is a single light design.....I might try it tonight to get a reference.

I do ride a fair bit at night.

What would be the most straight forward way of upping the output without getting into wiring ( if there is a way )

Getting into the fall and I inevitably end up a couple of slab hours from home and getting into the dark.
On top of that I like big time high beam ( the Burgman lights up both beams when you hit the trigger on the bars and I think that's a very useful defense against inattentive riders when used with the horn.
I never ride with thehigh beams on in daytime ....I think it's very counterproductive as well as annoying to other drivers/riders.

Thanks
 

Phil Tarman

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MacDoc, check the aim of your headlight. Most of them seemed to come with the headlight aimed much too low. When I realized this, I cranked them up and ended up with them way too high. I finally got them aimed right. I had ridden a couple of '99 Kawasaki Concours for 165,000 miles and had replaced their stock 100/80W H4 bulb with an "off-road only" 130/110W H4. I didn't think the NT's headlights were as good until I got them aimed correctly. I also added the original Denali D1s to my front fender and have been pleased with the distance I can see. Quite a few folks have mounted Denalis higher, but I appreciate the highly visible triangle the fender mounts give me that, according to what I've been told, makes the bike much more visible in the daytime.

I was blown away by the Clearwater lights that many of the participants in the Team Lyle Rachel Strange Insanity Rally ran, but I don't think the NT's got enough alternator to run them. As I rode across Nevada in the dark, I was seeing deer 100+ yards in front of me and didn't have any trouble getting slowed down. I usually can spot mile-markers anywhere from 7-8/10 of mile in front of me.
 
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MacDoc
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I like the Denali three point light set up ...hey good enough for trains....was hoping for a straight plug and play with a higher output to start.
 

Warren

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There are other bulbs you can purchase that claim more light output that are a straight swap for the stock bulbs but most will not last as long. They have been discussed on this list so you can run a search or just google H7 bulbs.

Sylvania has the Xtravision, Cool Blue, Silverstar and Silverstar Ultra. Most can be found at Walmart. On the back of the card they are mounted on they use a bar rating scale, whatever it means. They show the standard Sylvania bulb with (1) bar for brightness and (4) bars for life while the SilverStar Ultra has (5) stars for brightness and (1) bar for life. After 5 years of commuting every day all year my OEM bulbs are still OK. I had thought about putting one of the higher output bulbs in when they burned out but who know when that might be.
 
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I liked the stock light on the NT as well, and yes I had to aim mine properly as well. I added two daytime running lights to give me a 'triangle' from the front, the cheap LED versions.

FWIW, I put an aftermarket LED bulb in my Goose. Not as good as a decent halogen setup. Current LED bulbs do not use the reflector properly. They are getting better, just not there yet.
 
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BTW, MacDoc - I remember you from the Burgman forum. There are two of us on this board - Daboo and myself - but we were both 400 drivers.

A belated welcome to the NT forum.
 

Phil Tarman

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The advantage I think of mounting them higher, is you can aim them downward more and cut down on the blinding glare to the oncoming drivers.
Chris, I've never been flashed by another driver since I got my headlights aimed correctly. Having seen some of the much brighter Clearwater that a lot of the LD riders are using now, I can guarantee that they need to be able to modulate their light output, but I aimed my Denali's so that their center of brightness hits my aiming target (a garage door 20' from the bike) the same distance below the top of the low beam as they are below the center of the lowbeam reflector. Like, I say, I've never gotten the impression that they bother oncoming traffic.
 
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Definitely check the OEM light aim. Mine were off quite a bit.
Just had the OEM low beam burn out last week. ~28,000 miles or so. It was kind of tough to get my hands in the tight space to replace it.

Brad
 

Phil Tarman

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I've had one low beam burn out. It lasted about 76,000 miles. I replaced it in Newfoundland after buying it at the only NAPA store within 500 miles. I pulled the fairing pockets and that made replacing it fairly easy.
 
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In most of Europe when you park at the curb you have to leave parking lights turned on in some areas. Over there that usually means you flip the little switch and the park lights on the left (or right) side of the car stay on. Especially useful when no streetlights and you are basically half on the sidewalk and half on the street. Critical when the street is only one car width wide :)
 

Phil Tarman

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I wish our NTs had 4-way flashers. I appreciated them on my Concours and my old Silverwing.
 
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MacDoc
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They don't !!!!????? ...urk ...thought that was a legal requirement.

And there is no high beam passing trigger that puts high and loe beams on together as the Burgman 650 does... :frown:
That takes away an important viz tool for me
 
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Phil Tarman

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When you hit high beam, both bulbs are on. I find it easy to flash, but I wouldn't leave them on in daytime.
 

JQL

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snip... And there is no high beam passing trigger that puts high and loe beams on together as the Burgman 650 does... :frown:
That takes away an important viz tool for me
When you put High beam on or using the passing light both beams are on - certainly on the non-US models. So I'm not sure where you got that idea - unless it's an anomaly of the US market.

Although Phil alludes to aligning the headlight correctly, even when properly aligned it is very poor in the wet (OK in the dry). Fogs or Spots like Denalis are required if you ride a lot at night in the rain.

Also the non-US models from 2009 onwards come with Hazard Warning Lights (4 way flashers).

You need to lobby your Congressman to get the same facilities on bikes in the US.
 

Tonydtiger1971

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They don't !!!!????? ...urk ...thought that was a legal requirement.

And there is no high beam passing trigger that puts high and loe beams on together as the Burgman 650 does... :frown:
That takes away an important viz tool for me
Wait, it's not supposed to have both lights on when on high beam? Oh, never mind, saw the other posts
 
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