I just bought an older (2000) VFR 800. The low beam (one light) is rather dim but the high beams are excellent. When I bring it in for service next week, should they look at the headlights? Does VFR 800 have two low beam or only one? What about upping the wattage with regular H4 bulbs. I have 60/100 on my car would the system handle the extra wattage?
You have 2 low and 2 high, stock is 45w/45w. I installed some 60w/55w recently. That is the highest you can "legally" go. That notwithstanding I don't know if our bikes wiring is rated for any higher wattage.
I recently had one of my low beams go out and had to replace it for inspection and when I went to my local dealership they gave me the 60W/55W. I questioned them at the time but they said that is what my bike called for,however when I tried to put them in they would not fit. I looked in my large service manual and that size bulb is for the european model. The tangs on the bulbs are different and do not fit the headlight housing. I went back to the shop and had to special order the currect bulb for my 2000 VFR at a honda shop....what the heck...but I needed the bulb. I decided to stick with what my bikes wiring calls for.
PIAA Bulbs If you do any amount of riding in the dark I strongly recommend PIAA bulbs. They are much brighter but do not draw any more from your electrical system than stock bulbs. The only down side is they are more expensive.
H4 Bulbs I've found you don't need to remove the two bottom tabs on the H4's. You can bend them back and they will help steady the bulb when installed.
I use H4 55/60w sylvania silverstar ultras. Very nice. Around $40. I cut the tabs off and used the H4 adaptors some folks sell on ebay. I guess you don't need them, but I didn't try to fit without.
