Topic: too much info. is confusing me a bit

[famoussas1]

Ok, reading into this whole HID light conversion on old hondas.  I have a stock sealed beam headlight now, 74 550...would love to get some more light for nighttime riding.  do i have to convert to halogen first then up to hid?  is it worth stepping up to halogen? ive read they'll burn up wiring on old bikes...can i jump to a hid conversion kit from my standard sealed beam setup?  theres tons of info on here and online but some info. cancels out others and its kinda confusing, plus i know next to nothing on electrical #$%*.  can anyone point me in the right direction in the most simple of answers?  if i wanna step up my headlight, whats the simplest, easiest route.  cheers to all.  thank you for your help.  im amazed my cb still runs after a year of learning bout it with all on here, ok im done brown nosing

[Gordon]

can anyone point me in the right direction in the most simple of answers?  if i wanna step up my headlight, whats the simplest, easiest route. 

If what you're really looking for is the simplest, easiest route, then just put in an H4 conversion kit and be done with it. 

[dave500]

go h4,use nothing greater than a 55/60 watt bulb and the stock wiring will handle it.
heres a decent h4 insert.

[svenD]

I drive an old 550 like yours,couple of years ago  i was looking for a few more horsepower .Decided to try upping the voltage at the ignition coils.Drew a lead directley from the battery+ via a relay switched by the ignition.Well wen i tested the bike i couldent feel any differance in the power but...the headlight was noticably brighter than before,as i must (by accident) have reduced the voltage drop in that old wiring harness! Still run the setup today.

excuse my rambling.enjoy the bike.sven

[IndyFour]

I think you need to take into consideration the health of your charging system if considering upping the wattage of your headlight (to a halogen, for example).  The 500/550 makes just enough in stock form to keep the battery charged.  If you do alot of in-town riding where you are not idling high, you are likely to drain your battery in pretty short order if you are running more watts than stock.

I was considering a headlight upgrade myself, but ended up installing a low and a high beam relay to power the stock Stanley sealed beam.  It made a HUGE improvement in brightness.  The old wiring, switches, and connectors on these bikes can all add up to voltage lost (i.e. loss of brightness) and you can counteract this by running power directly from the battery via relays.  You might consider trying that first before investing in a new light.  A couple of relays and some wire doesn't cost very much and may yield results that make you happy.

Good luck.

[KeithB]

The HID conversion kits I have seen are bulb type specific. In other words, you need a head light that will acecpt an H4 bulb and then buy the appropriate HID kit.
Seeing as you need the H4 conversion any way, try it first and see how it works. Upgrade the wiring as mentioned above.
I have changes to H4 headlights on both my older bikes as I like the pattern of the light better than the sealed beams.
As indicated in this link, a 35 watt HID will need a maximum of 8 amps. A 60 watt H4 pulls about 5 amps.
You can get lower wattage H4 bulbs.
So far,a 55/60 H4 has worked well in my XS650 and the CB750.
 
http://www.vvme.com/standard-h439003-bixenon-hid-kit-p-9.html?cPath=44_46_35&zenid=3g2ofn8u9f3c0fjebq4nev8t0a93rfr5

[RatBikeRandy]

I was actually surprised at how bright my stock headlight is.  It is very comparable to my two modern bikes so I haven't felt the need to change.  That being said, I am looking at adding auxiliary lights to one bike that would light up the sides of the road a little better on dark morning rides to work.

[famoussas1]

Thanks all. There is so much info. on this site and the internet (which some is b/s over the web) and just thinking an upgrade would be fun but i dont wanna fry my wiring.  Maybe I'll look into the hid conversion, but for now mess with upgrading some wiring/relays and see if that brightens me up.  I dont ride in the dark much, but the few times i have rode, got cut off once and what not, so I automatically think dim headlight and they didnt see me.  Thanks for making some sense for me.