Hi Everybody

Do any of you carry spare bulbs when touring ?

I'm particularly concerned about my headlight bulb dying ....

So, I was just wondering if any of you can "shine any light" on the following questions:-

What is the estimated life time of the headlight bulb?

Is the bulb easy to gain access to and change?

And finally, what model/make/type of bulb should be used?

Thank you all!

SteVe

Oh, and a very Merry Xmas

Steve if this was a Burgman AN400 forum I would say carry two or three, for some reason the UK AN400's burned them out for a pastime.

However! As this is the beloved Silver Wing - no idea. Never had one blow, never heard of anyone suffer a blown lamp!

No doubt some of the longer owning members may have had experience of the longevity of the lamp in these machines of ours.

Thanks Doug!

Comforting news indeed! And yet further confirmation as to the wisdom of acquiring this wonderful beast we refer to as The Silver Wing

SteVe

The type of headlight bulb and other bulb types are listed in your Owner Handbook, along with their location and how to change them. I carry a spare bulb kit and have done for years, and there's Euro motoring regulations saying you should carry spare bulbs for all vehicle exterior lights. The UK motoring organisations and ferry companies make a tidy profit each year selling bulb kits, warning triangles, and First Aid kits etc; to customers booking motoring holidays in Europe.

You can buy plastic boxes of headlight and other auto bulbs in autobahn service stations, auto and motorcycle stores, filling stations, even Aldi and Lidl.. In German it's a 'Lampenbox', just buy one with the bulbs you need for the Silver Wing. Or just buy a spare headlight bulb next time you fill up.

If you do ever have to fit a spare headlight bulb don't handle it with your bare hands, use a cloth, tissue, or cotton gloves. Oils from your hands are supposed to affect the glass and shorten the bulb life.

Cheers Meldrew!

Valuable info, which I will act upon to the letter

Soooo looking forward to my planned summer trip through Europe to England on my trusty steed! I would love to stop by and say hi to some of you here during my trip. An initial glance at the locations of our European friends on this site, tells me that both MikeO and Doug might be on my planned route. Prearranged of course! And only if welcomed to do so

SteVe

I have changed my bulbs and they were for me, a real PITA. I have large hands/fingers, and accessing them from under the bike was not fun. You have to lie on your back, reach up under where the fork tubes bolt to their clamps, and do the upper bulb blindly. Each bulb is held in place in its socket by a metal tang. For me, tightening this tang was done blindly on the upper bulb. I suggest you practice first instead of trying it on your back on some dark road in the middle of nowhere.
BTW, I also have a headlight modulator kit in there with extra sockets for both bulbs. In a case like that, you need to unplug both secondary sockets for the modulator first before attempting the bulb change. Of course if you have small hands and fingers, this will be much easier.

Steve,
In some European countries carrying spare bulbs is mandatory. French police will make you change the bulb on the spot if they are so inclined. Annoyingly the dipped bulb on the Silverwing is the top one, so slightly more difficult to do than the bottom one (which is accessed from underneath). To replace the top one you need a crosshead screwdriver to remove the panel below the screen. Access is tight but manageable. I replaced my blown dipped beam bulb outside an Etap near Calais. What I did before going on the trip was to practice this so that it wasn't a steep learning curve. My mate who was with me on the trip remarked that my main beam was 'blinding' when we were on the autoroute. (Better than no light at all!)

Cheers,

Very informative and useful replies Guys!

Thanks to you all

SteVe

Yesterday I noticed that my headlight was not working. (Top - H7 low beam)
Two years ago I bought spare bulbs already, so I could immediately replace.

Plastic fairing under the screen removed. (4 cross-screws)

I pulled the connection plug , and measured at the plug.
= 12 V = OK, so it is the lamp that is faulty.

Remove rubber dust cover.
A spring pushes the lamp in her seat.
That spring, you must push the tip to the front and then down .
Now you can the bulb, which is still in a Honda Holder, take out.

Old bulb out ... replace it with the new one.
Put the bulb and holder back in the seat.
Look true the glass at the bottom bulb.
Your new bulb must look the same.
Spring back in place.
Replacing the rubber.
Connector mounting .
Light test. OK.
Screw plastic fairing back under the screen.
Ready.


Annoying fiddling.
Hate the job.
45 minutes.

Eddy

Great description, Eddy.
I have big fingers. It was even more frustrating for me.
Changing the front springs was easier.

Thank You Bigbird,

Maybe the description is nice for other people.
They can see the steps and are warned it is not an easy job.

Eddy.

I have only had one fail once and replaced it with a Silverstar, that was 6-7 years ago. I agree with BB that the procedure should be practiced before you "need" to do it. I suspect I have smaller hands, but a lot of the change out involves "feeling" the parts with your fingertips.

Sylvania-H7ST-SilverStar