CityX Headlamp Performance
August 22nd, 2008
As lights go, the lights on the CityX arent too bad. The dipped headlamp once aimed correctly will do for your average night time ride but if you really want to see AND be seen you need to think about changing something.
Over the past couple of weeks I have explored the posibilities of upgrading the lights to H.I.D. This is a new xenon based high output system that many high end cars use. There are many kits available on eBay and the like that will upgrade your lights for well under £100. There are a couple of issues to take into account though. Firstly, upgrading a non H.I.D. light to H.I.D is technically illegal due to the increased spread the light reflector will emit. It’ll fail the UK based MOT for sure. If you are happy to run with illegal lights then go for it and just swap back to the standard bulb system when it’s MOT time. Another issue is where to place the electronics that go with such systems. The CityX does have a small amount of space behind the fly screen so as long as you choose you’re H.I.D. system carefully you should be OK. Some owners have mounted the ballast box down behind the front wheel on one of the oil cooler mounts.
I didnt really want to spend out £100 on a new bulb that’s technically illegal so went down the bulb replacement route. Again I spent some time digging around the Interweb. Buell sell an upgrade kit which consists of 2 x replacement H7 bulbs and costs £60!. Theres nothing special about these bulbs and I reckon you can get better for less money. All you need to do is look for an H7 style bulb of your liking and off you go. I chose the Philips Motovision. This bulb is specifically built for motorbikes and has a safety orientated orange tinge to the outer edges. The actual light is whiter and a lot brighter. I fitted one to my dipped beam light and went out on Wednesday for a ride with my brother in law and his Ulysses. The difference was really noticeable and definitely worth the £10 it cost to buy. Now I know its a good step I’ll swap out the main beam bulb.
You do have to spend a few moments getting the beam height right after fitting these bulbs because you have to remove the whole light assemble to get to the back of the unit to perform the swap. All I did was get it close to what I thought was right and then went out for a night time ride. I then parked up and tweaked it acordingly. Personally I prefer to be legal and not blind on-coming traffic to I have the beam set to actually hit the ground and not light the trees. Some bikers out there have them set so high that they arent actually lighting up the road surface for them to see where they are riding.
Anyway, to round off this load of waffle, checkout the Philips Motovision bulb. It’s a good £10 upgrade…