Ok to hold flash-to-pass?

[egleaves_imp]

It’s that time of year again. I leave work just before dusk and ride 45 minutes straight into deer country to get home. I’m very disappointed in my CB’s high beam. It lights up the shoulders nicely, but leaves a dark spot on the road in front of me. Seems like the low beam is just the opposite.

The high/low switch does what you would expect, but when in high, flash-to-pass (FTP) doesn’t respond because FTP momentarily activates the high beam that is already on. When in low and using FTP I am actually lighting both bulbs simultaneously creating a pattern of light that the high beams alone can’t produce.

Aside from putting extra hours on the bulbs, is there any danger of frying electronics or overheating something? I’m only doing this for the last 5-10 minutes of my ride, mostly due to traffic. Doing this lights my way very well and makes it easy to deactivate the brights for oncoming cars. Just let go!

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I have been doing this since '14. Sure, it gets hotter inside the lamp casing, however, you'd think it would be engineered to handle it. You will draw more power from the battery, but that should not be a problem either, unless your battery and/or your charging circuit is weak.

 

[SportsterDoc]

With a standard H4, holding FTP adds 60 or 65 watts to the lighting circuit or 4.2 amps at 14.3 volts. I would not expect a stator loading issue unless you are also using a lot of heated gear/auxiliary lighting. Note: the stator is not a high output unit, compared to some EFI bikes.

Possible issue is shortened H4 life and over heating the connector to the H4. Might want to inspect connector for any signs of melting. I know of a few H-D riders running 100 watt H4s who melted the connector just on low beam.

BTW, I do the same on my truck on some areas of the 8 mile dirt road/Jeep trail to my ranch. Usually less than 1 minute at a time.

 

[kennyw]

I would also consider upgrading your bulb to one with more light output and a better pattern. They are relatively cheap.

 

[dbarkdoll_imp]

I would also consider upgrading your bulb to one with more light output and a better pattern. They are relatively cheap.

Link?

 

[ohiorider_imp]

With a standard H4, holding FTP adds 60 or 65 watts to the lighting circuit or 4.2 amps at 14.3 volts. I would not expect a stator loading issue unless you are also using a lot of heated gear/auxiliary lighting. Note: the stator is not a high output unit, compared to some EFI bikes.

Possible issue is shortened H4 life and over heating the connector to the H4. Might want to inspect connector for any signs of melting. I know of a few H-D riders running 100 watt H4s who melted the connector just on low beam.

BTW, I do the same on my truck on some areas of the 8 mile dirt road/Jeep trail to my ranch. Usually less than 1 minute at a time.

Going back a couple of years (actually to 1988,) I replaced the K75S' 55/60 H4 headlight bulb with a 55/100, as I recall. I ran this setup for a few months with no issues. The alternator on this bike was rated at 460w.

I'd just ridden out to Greensburg, PA, to have a chat with Gary and Craig, the owners of Heritage BMW. As I prepared to head for home, smoke came pouring from under the small fairing. We wheeled it into their shop, and found that the bulb socket had broken into multiple pieces due to the heat of the high beam. Luckily, the wiring harness was unharmed, and replacing the socket (and ditching the high output bulb) cured the problem.

Bob

 

[Nortoon_imp]

Maybe the 2017 CB1100 EX LED headlights are the answer. Less power required and very little heat. I don't ride in the dark, so others will have to comment on its brightness.

 

[Houtman_imp]

I did replace the H4 lights in my 13 and 14 with the best Sylvania bulbs, Philips also has better than stock bulbs available.
Just Google for better H4 lights.

 

[egleaves_imp]

Thanks, all. I had a feeling that it's ok to do this, but I always appreciate hearing the real world experiences of others. FWIW, it's also cold out when I'm riding in the dark so that should help with any overheating issues.

 

[kennyw]

I would also consider upgrading your bulb to one with more light output and a better pattern. They are relatively cheap.

Link?

Link?
Any auto parts store can help you with an H4 upgrade.

 

[Paris_imp]

Maybe the 2017 CB1100 EX LED headlights are the answer. Less power required and very little heat. I don't ride in the dark, so others will have to comment on its brightness.

I wouldn’t do that. The ‘17 EX LED light costs $700.00 and uses an exotic eight pin connector. Instead, find a round H4 LED sealed headlight unit for a car on Amazon. They typically cost ~$100.00 a pair, and are a drop-in replacement. I’ve done this on an older bike I own with great results.
While there are many styles to choose from, I picked one with several rows of circular lenses. The light is brighter and the road is very evenly lit.

 

[apex1_imp]

Maybe the 2017 CB1100 EX LED headlights are the answer. Less power required and very little heat. I don't ride in the dark, so others will have to comment on its brightness.

I would not recommend this even if you are able to figure out the wiring. I think the LED Headlight on my 2017 looks cool, but with a cost of nearly $700 for a bulb replacement, and the fact that I find the light output to be pathetic, I would never go that direction. I wish I could easily swap out the LED for a good old H4 headlight, which would put out way more usable light.

 

[alprider]

if you ride there alone so i would create a own mount for such kind flashlight

 

[Paris_imp]

Maybe the 2017 CB1100 EX LED headlights are the answer. Less power required and very little heat. I don't ride in the dark, so others will have to comment on its brightness.

I would not recommend this even if you are able to figure out the wiring. I think the LED Headlight on my 2017 looks cool, but with a cost of nearly $700 for a bulb replacement, and the fact that I find the light output to be pathetic, I would never go that direction. I wish I could easily swap out the LED for a good old H4 headlight, which would put out way more usable light.

I would not recommend this even if you are able to figure out the wiring. I think the LED Headlight on my 2017 looks cool, but with a cost of nearly $700 for a bulb replacement, and the fact that I find the light output to be pathetic, I would never go that direction. I wish I could easily swap out the LED for a good old H4 headlight, which would put out way more usable light.
You can do that. Look at the "How To" section. On the topic of "Installing a Headlight Modulator on a "17 EX" I give a pin diagram for the "17 EX eight pin connector. For H4, whether halogen or LED, you really only need to transpose three pins. Unfortunately, Honda used the same black/red wire on two adjacent pins for both the low and high beam positive lead, and switches the high/low beams through separate grounds on separate pins.

In that thread, I list the vendor part number for the eight pin connector, both male and female, which are commonly available. So, if you wanted to make a professional looking harness to convert the eight pin Honda LED to a standard H4, halogen or LED, it would not be hard. OTOH, you could just splice in an H4 socket to the existing wires. Conveniently, I found that the H4 LED headlights I bought from Amazon had an extra H4 socket and leads included.

I think LED lights are much better than any H4 halogen bulb available. They now even equal or exceed HID lights, in my opinion. The problem is that LED "bulbs" used in a halogen light housing do not usually produce an even light pattern, leaving dark spots, although they may be much brighter overall. That's why I favor replacing halogen lights with LED lights sealed in their own housing with their own lenses.

 

[egleaves_imp]

I'm not buying a $700 light bulb. Just not gonna happen.

 

[peterbaron]

I'm not buying a $700 light bulb. Just not gonna happen.

+1, stay with my conventional one, good enough for my riding
I think this is price for h/lamp assy sealed unit??,..not just the bulb

 

[Paris_imp]

I'm not buying a $700 light bulb. Just not gonna happen.

+1, stay with my conventional one, good enough for my riding
I think this is price for h/lamp assy sealed unit??,..not just the bulb

+1, stay with my conventional one, good enough for my riding
I think this is price for h/lamp assy sealed unit??,..not just the bulb
It's hard to believe, but $700 is the cost of an OEM LED headlight on the '17 EX, not the whole headlight assembly. I looked it up on BikeBandit - $663, discounted from $944.

https://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/2017-honda-cb1100caac/o/m160240#sch1067339

I would never pay that ridiculous price either. While I like the stock LED on my EX very much, it's not better than other round H4 LED headlights I could get on Amazon at less than $100.00 per pair.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Why do a lot of folks on this forum aspire to install LED's on their bike? Personally, I don't get it, but I thought perhaps I was missing something.

 

[kennyw]

Why do a lot of folks on this forum aspire to install LED's on their bike? Personally, I don't get it, but I thought perhaps I was missing something.

An LED will last 100x longer than a conventional H4.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Yes, agreed, but if the difference in light output is neglible, is longevity and electrical draw the primary benefit? None of my vehicles have an LED headlight (well, the Monkey will) and I have no first-hand experience.