Topic: Couple of lighting questions on my CB400F

[krksquared]

First, I'm really enjoying my new (to me) 75 CB400F! My SL350 now has some competition for my attention. Replacing the 20 year old tires with fresh new Avons made a huge difference in handling. And the brakes are terrific! I'm sorting out some small electrical issues. The PO had a cheap LED H4 base headlamp inserted into a gutted original bulb. Low beam was a joke. I just replaced the lamp with a new original one. Will test tonight.

1. I've noticed that when I switched from low to high beam, the front running lights go out. The front turn signals work ok. This doesn't seem logical.

2. The rear side lights only work as turn signals. They do not perform as running lights. This also doesn't seem logical.

I don't know of any other CB400F's in my area so I thought I'd ask here.

[MoMo]

all normal

[Deltarider]

My advice would be to disconnect the running lights and save a now wasted 16 Watts. It was a gadget for the US market and does not add to safety. On the contrary: it makes blinking indicators less noticed. Furthermore you can save by replacing 23W or even 25W bulbs by the 21W or 18W bulbs other markets had. You won't see the difference. Invest in safety and have a good 55/60 Watts halogen for rides at night and if you happen to have an European type reflector you may change the original (and quite useless) 4 Watts Ba9s for a 20 Watts halogen and use that as a DRL. If I had a sealed beam unit, I'd look for a dustbin.

[jas67]

....Invest in safety and have a good 55/60 Watts halogen for rides at night and if you happen to have an European type reflector you may change the original (and quite useless) 4 Watts Ba9s for a 20 Watts halogen and use that as a DRL....

Where can one get a European type reflector that will go in the stock CB400F headlight shell without modification (would also apply to CB350F, CB360T, and likely CB350 twin)?

[krksquared]

Yes Delta, some good ideas. My turn signal lamps are LED. I have to replace burnt out lamps in my speedo & tach so I'm going LED there too. Current saved is current earned  Just seems odd that the side marker lights go off when on high beam.

[jas67]

I've got LED's all around on my CB400F except for the headlight.
There I've got the H4 halogen in a hacked stock headlamp hack.
Eventually, I'll put an H4 LED in there.

I don't ride this bike at night, so, I'm more concerned with being seen than how good beem it throughs to see.   

[TwoTired]

Just seems odd that the side marker lights go off when on high beam.

The side markers/running lights are there to help visibility, as in being seen by folks in other vehicles.  The side markers/running lights do help this visibility and I've read studies that show this to be true.

However, other vehicles should not be blinded by your bright lights in high beam.  This is counter to safety to have blind oncoming drivers.  And there are laws stating that dimming is required practice.  So, when your brights are on the running lights go out to save power, as there should be no one else to see them anyway.
 
Also, the front running lights are turned off for the side that is blinking, so as to be more prominent, they blink from bright to dark, rather than bright to dim.  This makes them more noticeable to others, which is the point of having turn blinkers.  This is the way the stock turn switch operates if wired properly.

Cheers,

[jas67]

FYI, check out this thread for a headlight 6.5" shell that will work on a CB400F:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,165983.0.html

Here is the headlight:
http://4into1.com/build-your-own-6-5-side-mount-halogen-headlight/

[flatlander]

....Invest in safety and have a good 55/60 Watts halogen for rides at night and if you happen to have an European type reflector you may change the original (and quite useless) 4 Watts Ba9s for a 20 Watts halogen and use that as a DRL....

Where can one get a European type reflector that will go in the stock CB400F headlight shell without modification (would also apply to CB350F, CB360T, and likely CB350 twin)?

search the interweb (ebay, amazon, etc) for h4 reflectors by hella or bosch. i got a nice new hella for my 550 that fits perfectly. make sure you find one with the right diameter. a new reflector really makes a difference. 

[Deltarider]

for h4 reflectors by hella or bosch. i got a nice new hella for my 550 that fits perfectly. make sure you find one with the right diameter. a new reflector really makes a difference.

It sure does. My bike came with H4 halogen 55/60 Watts in an appropiate Hella reflector. Hella, Bosch, Cibié, Maréchal, they're all good. Then fit the Philips X-treme Vision Moto and you'll have the best headlight possible for acceptable costs. If you're really worried about the charging system (you shouldn't IMO), you could opt for the Philips H4 Ecovision that draws 20% less, yet performs better than any standard H4. In European style reflectors you can use the ba9s 'city light' socket to create a DRL to your liking. I choose a 20 Watts halogen, but others can maybe create something usefull with a led. I myself couldn't find a Ba9s led fit (around 450 lumens) for the job (or it would have been a ridiculously big tower with I don't know how many leds) but, who knows, maybe there is one now. The US sealed beam is superior in one aspect only: detecting birds nests in trees.