The H4 headlight bulbs are often used in large motorcycles. There are many models from the old days to the modern super sports that use the same type of bulbs. The latest LED headlight bulbs are available in different color temperatures with the same brightness. It's fun to try out various products and see how they differ!
How disheartening it can be when your headlights don't come on when you're driving at night. Anyone who has ever experienced a broken headlight bulb when on the road or touring has experienced the sadness of the timing. In the case of the cowled models, the direction (height) of the headlights cannot be easily changed. However, if the light case is supported by the light stays, even if the low beam is turned off, the headlights can be turned downward by pushing down on the light body. In this way, the light does not bother oncoming traffic. In the world of headlights, progress has been remarkable. Some of them are much more compact than conventional headlights, which makes them much easier to use. Let's take a look at the latest H4 LED headlamps.
Its compactness! Notable Size!
Instead of a typical bulb where the light source heats up and the filament breaks off, LED bulbs do not have a filament in the light source, so they do not run out of bulbs (like normal bulbs) when they heat up. However, the system is characterized by high temperatures to make LEDs emit high-intensity light, and as a result, it is essential to have equipment that must cool the system. This new product is designed with a fan function inside the valve mount area, which allows the heat to escape through the slit in the body. The size of the body is no longer very different from a normal H4 valve.
The Precious Ray Z (left) and the conventional Precious Ray (right), both from Daytona, are new products jointly developed by BELLOF and DAYTONA, two leading manufacturers of LED bulbs. The compactness of the body size is overwhelming. In contrast to the previous product, which had a cooling unit at the end of the bulb and connected to the power supply via a harness, the new Precious Ray Z is almost the same size as a normal bulb.
Two different color temperature settings with different glow characteristics
If you've replaced headlight bulbs in the past, you've probably had some experience with brightness and color temperature (how they shine). Brightness is measured in lm/lumens and color temperature is measured in K/Kelvin. This product is called "incandescent" and has a slightly tinted color, rather than the bright white version (6500K), which is instantly white. It has a color temperature of 4,500K.
When you hear of the compact design, the majority of users do not get the idea. If you compare the actual size of the H4 valve with that of a standard H4 valve, you'll see that it's considerably more compact than the previous product.
There are ways to make it brighter with other types of valves!
In some cases, the valves are not H4 type, or there are cases where only the current valves can be used due to physical space limitations. In some cases, there are a lot of custom parts for the electrical system, and there are many different harnesses being added to the system. If you want to brighten up your headlights, the "Headlight Relay Kit" is for you. The headlight relay kit allows for simple harness management by placing the relay unit not in the headlight case or under the gas tank, but near the battery or inside the side cover.
- Point 1. Compared to conventional products, the latest products have compact valve bodies and are easier to the layout.
- Point 2. "Different color temperatures" can be selected for the same brightness.
- Point 3. Since the switching response is extremely high, passing signals can be produced quickly.
In recent years, LEDs have been used in a variety of applications as the technology for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has evolved. Because of their energy-saving characteristics, LED lights have been used in the nighttime lights of various piers and in the lights of the radio towers (Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Sky Tree) to warn people of their presence. In the world of automobiles and motorcycles, too, many new models in the last few years have been equipped with LED lights as standard equipment. These headlights are designed to be completely dedicated, so they can be modified to incorporate any light-emitting systems. When I saw the brightness of such LED lights, I wondered if I could do something about it on my own motorcycle. I'm sure there are a lot of riders out there who think that way.
It was in the early 1980s that "halogen bulb" headlights, which were filled with inert gas, began to become popular. Sealed beams and ordinary filament bulbs were not very bright. In addition, the wiring for the bulbs was not of high performance at that time, and there were many cases of degraded wiring causing the bulbs to lose their brightness. Even after replacing the bulbs with larger wattage bulbs, there was a question of why the bulbs were not brighter. The reason for this is a degraded harness. When this degradation occurs, the power is not being supplied as it should be, and the brightness will not meet the brightness indicated on the bulb.
A variety of LED products have been put to practical use with technological innovations in improving brightness. In the past, there was a time when it was considered "LED is attractive." because of its energy-saving features, not to mention its brightness. Nowadays, however, we have succeeded not only in reducing power consumption, but also in increasing the brightness of LEDs efficiently. Such a new appearance by the modern LED technology is the H4 type, "Just replace it with an electric bulb. This is the catchphrase for Daytona's product, which is based on the catchphrase "Just replace it with an H4 bulb.
The brightness is measured in lm/lumens and the color temperature is measured in K/Kelvin. This product is set at 1800 lumens for high beam and 1600 lumens for low beam. Another important point to note is the fact that while the two lamps have the same brightness, they are available in two different color temperature settings. The "white" light, which shines brilliantly, is set at 6500 Kelvin. The so-called "bulb color" like a bare bulb is set at 4,500 Kelvin. If we were to think simply in terms of color temperature values, we'd say "white". However, since everyone has a different way of looking at things and has their own preferences, the company seems to have come up with two types of colors instead of just one. One of the features of this product is that riders can choose their favorite color.
This product is "H4 valve compatible", but it's not necessarily the only one that is compatible with H4 type valves. For example, there are no Japanese motorcycles before the '70s that used H4 bulbs. If you want to brighten the headlights of your old motorcycle, you can buy a direct harness under the name of "Headlight Relay Kit". The power for the headlights goes from the battery to the fuse to the headlight switch to the low/high switch and then to the headlight bulb. It is a system to input power to the headlight bulbs. This relay kit allows you to get enough light for your headlights to pass the inspection with ease.
