If you need a new headlight for your Silver Wing don't go to the Honda Dealer instead mosey on over to your local Wal Mart and buy a GE H7-55 headlight for $9.86. It slides right in! According to GE the max life of a Silver Wing headlight is 500 hours or about 2 years at 12,000 miles a year.

Thanks for the info Pete. I'm taking notes and thinking about compiling a list of parts that you don't have to go to a honda dealer for. :D

Mike - you are half way to a new bulb.

Does the hi-beam bulb last a few more miles if you don't use it as often? What do the guys over at GE have to say about that?

The high beam will last forever if you don't use it. GE rates its headlights at 500 hours and their bulbs will not wear out if you never use them.

The Honda dealer is a big business. They get 300% mark-up on everything that comes in the door. A headlight bulb for a Silver Wing is $28 at a Honda dealer that same bulb {GE H7-55} at Wal Mart is $9.86. The only difference is the price. It's not just about the money. What if you are on the road on a Sunday or a Monday and your headlight goes down? What are you going to do call a tow truck?

Actually all bulbs last until they burn out. Not a disputable fact.

I really have no plans to replace a good bulb, because it might go bad. In theory that could necessitate a replacement everytime you went for a ride. What if I have a burned out bulb? I guess if it is the low beam I'll ride with the high beam on until I can get it replaced. If it is the high beam that goes out, I guess I'll just replace it when I can... If both go out, well it must be the apocalypse, so who cares?

It may be handy to carry a spare, I won't dispute that. I also will most likely not do so, it's not the end of the world. But, do we have to buy it from that really small company - wal-mart?

That's great Pete. Keep'em coming. I like the word "cheap" as long as it it does'nt come at the cost of quality. The item still has to perform.

The SWing uses H7 bulbs? We're in luck! And this touches on one of my favorite obsessive-compulsive subjects.

Don't go to Walmart! Go here: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/products/products.html

Stern sells top quality European bulbs. You can buy the 55 watt "+50" bulbs, which are a high-efficiency version of the standard wattage bulb and actually put out more light in a more precise pattern than the Wally World bulbs, or you can get daring and put in the illegal 65 watters. (Do your calculations, though, and make sure the bike's electrics can handle the extra draw.)

Do NOT buy PIAA or other Asian brands!

Do NOT buy "Hyperwhite" or other colored bulbs! Any colored coating on the envelope will REDUCE the light output. It stands to reason.

IGNORE any discussion of "color temperature." Making a headlamp that approximates the "color" of sunlight is not a good idea. Your eyes use a totally different set of light-receptive tools at night and actually pick out detail better in a YELLOW light. The fact that true HID lamps are "blue" is a byproduct of the design. It's not an advantage.

Pay no attention to "Xenon bulbs." Xenon is used in true HID lamps because it has to be. It does NOTHING to improve the light output of halogen incandescent bulbs! It is also one of the most expensive substances known to Man (it's a byproduct of nuclear power plants, actually) and is only used in halogen bulbs in minute, meaningless amounts as an advertising gimmick.

The best thing you can do for your lighting is to make sure the wiring is up to snuff. Manufacturers, even good ones like Honda, skimp on the stock wiring to save a few grams of weight and few pennies of expense. The headlight wiring is adequate when the bike is new, but all wiring deteriorates over time. IF you are lucky enough to get full power to the bulbs on a new bike, rest assured it will be below spec very quickly. The permanent solution is to install heavy-gauge, top quality wires directly from the BATTERY and use the stock wiring to trigger headlight relays. This is a good thing to do on older vehicles, and is an absolute necessity if you want to use over-wattage bulbs.

Disclaimer: High wattage bulbs are ILLEGAL for on-road use, and they can also melt your headlight! I suggest contacting Daniel Stern by email for specific advice. He makes his living doing this stuff. I highly recommend reading the FAQ and Tech sections of his website. The guy has forgotten more about automotive lighting than most engineers will ever know. He's a genius, and is not at all shy about telling you when the Emperor has no clothes.

Context.

What if you are at ground zero in a nuclear attack?