Which b ulb for the lower tail light?

On the rear combination light, AKA tailight, which bulb is for the bottom light? I put a Philips Crystal Vision 7443 in there and it started smoking the upper filament. Honda specs the bulb as a 12V 21/5V bulb and my Philips is a 13.5V 24,98/5.4W bulb, which seems to be a more robust bulb. Ideas?

 

Ok, so apparently the P.O. has/had different bulbs in the bike. ALL four bulbs in the back are meant to be dual filament 7443 bulbs and the whole back combination light should be lit up as a single running light, getting brighter with either the blinker or the brakes. It's never been this way and the lower light in the center was a single filament bulb.

Looks like I have some bulbs to replace. I think the filament on my Philips fried because I must have forced it in backwards and sent too high of wattage to the thinner filament. I guess????

 

I'm not sure how you can send too high of a wattage to anything

 

That is incorrect. The rear turn signals have no full time running light. Unlike the front, they only light up with the signals. But both tail lights are indeed 7443 and they do both light with the tail and brake.

 

I have replaced these bulbs far too often on mine. Yes, top and bottom are the same. Don't recall what the number is. A few years ago, I switched to LED for the tail lights. They are a little more pricey but worth every penny. I no longer have to worry about suddenly, and unknowingly, to be riding down the freeway with no tail lights. I think I paid something like $12.00 per bulb for the LED. I am sure you can get them far cheaper down in the States. No resistors are required for these.

 

Honda Schematic shows that all four are the same bulb. #9 in the diagram is a 12V 21/5W

 

That may be, but it does not use the 5w filament. Just like the low beam headlights are a dual filament, but they only use the the low filament, even when high beams are switched on. Unless it was rewired by someone, you will never see rear turn signals lit up as running lights on a US spec VFR.

 

How many VFR riders does it take to change a light bulb?

A rabbi, a priest and monk walk into a bar...

 

The bartender was a parts guy that quit a Honda Dealership because they were paying him half of the minimum wage.