I avoid driving at night , but we have a lot of tunnels here . Driving from daylight into a dark tunnel can be scary as hell ,even if it's short and you see the other side before going in. So my lights got to work the best they can ! I found out my low beam is pointing about 5 meters in front of me -off to the left . High beam seems fine , but I suspect one of the high beams must also point left and down. I stuck my hand in behind the low beam bulb , and felt it was loose. Been reading some threads , and see Honda has their own take on H4 bulbs . SO - I got the shims and now I'm going in ! First question : Should I stick with the standard 60/55w H4 ? They also sell 100/55w H4 here , - but could this cause heat problems (and maybe ruin the headlamp? Second question : Is there any reason not to wire so I have Low beams on both lights ? I'd Like to hear thoughts or know how on this ! Thanks (and I'll get back to exstra lights at a later date)
ST 1100 headlights H4 (euro)
- Thread starter JJames
- Start date
kiltman
Site Supporter
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2013
- Messages
- 3,282
- Age
- 68
- Location
- Stratford, Ontario Canada
- Bike
- 2002,ST1100ABS
- STOC #
- 8826
If it’s the Euro housing you don’t need the shims. It is only required on the North American models. The standard H4s fit in the Euro headlights with no issue
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
I have read of at leat one ST1100 headlamp housing being damaged by heat damage from 100 W bulbs but I do not know the conditions under which it happened.
I would not go any higher than 60W halogen bulbs over concerns for heat damage. The stock wiring will be pushing its limit as well.
Both low beams or both high beam bulbs come on at the same time on North American ST's. If yours do not, is that normal for your country?
You can find a North American ST1100 wiring diagram on this site to see how this is wired.
My suggestion would be to forgo halogen bulbs all together, of any wattage, and put in F2 LED headlight bulbs. You can wire them any way that you like and not worry about the heat they produce or that the amperage that they draw might exceed the OEM wiring's capacity. You will also have better lighting as a result.
I would not go any higher than 60W halogen bulbs over concerns for heat damage. The stock wiring will be pushing its limit as well.
Do you mean wired to have both the left and the right low beam on at the same time?
Both low beams or both high beam bulbs come on at the same time on North American ST's. If yours do not, is that normal for your country?
You can find a North American ST1100 wiring diagram on this site to see how this is wired.
My suggestion would be to forgo halogen bulbs all together, of any wattage, and put in F2 LED headlight bulbs. You can wire them any way that you like and not worry about the heat they produce or that the amperage that they draw might exceed the OEM wiring's capacity. You will also have better lighting as a result.
OP
OP
JJames
Site Supporter
Ahh , to late ,already got them. I've been watching owners snipping prongs off of bulbs on you tube. !! Ok ,i'm prepared anyway !
No shims required.
My preferred are Osram Ultra Life H4's, 60/55's.
But the choice is yours.
Upt'North.
My preferred are Osram Ultra Life H4's, 60/55's.
But the choice is yours.
Upt'North.
OP
OP
JJames
Site Supporter
Yea I've heard about other headlamps (cars) being damaged by them , and here there are two in the same housing
I'm not sure if both low beams are supposed to light up . I have thought that -one low beam-is the way it is , but this might not be the case. I'll takes some phones tommorrow and find out , could be one bad bulb.
Those F2 LED , I've read a some (many) post where owners are not very happy or had problems. I'dont know , they are kind of expensive - don't know enough about them/wich to buy either , but thats OK if it works , and improves lighting. Thought I'd get the best out of the OEM first and take it from there.
OP
OP
JJames
Site Supporter
Do both sides of your low beams light up ?
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
Below is one example. The price in this ad is for a package of two bulbs. At this price, they are cheaper than high-end high power halogen bulbs.
Many on this forum have installed them are there have not been many problems reported.
Safego 9006 HB4 LED Headlight Bulb
Yes they both light up, if yours don't you've probably got a filament gone on one bulb.
Upt'North.
Before going for LED check you'll get through your yearly test with them fitted.
That's if you have tests in Norway of course.
Upt'North.
OP
OP
JJames
Site Supporter
I'll look in to them
For some strange reason , There are no period/year Inspections on motorcycles here anymore . And the we got a exception from the EU - no limits on how much lighting you kan have on MC/cars ,
kiltman
Site Supporter
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2013
- Messages
- 3,282
- Age
- 68
- Location
- Stratford, Ontario Canada
- Bike
- 2002,ST1100ABS
- STOC #
- 8826
Some of the early model European models only one low beam would illuminate. What year is your bike and was it originally registered in Norway?
1992-1995 ST1100A only one low beam is wired
That was for Germany,France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Finland and Sweden
1992-1995 ST1100A only one low beam is wired
That was for Germany,France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, Finland and Sweden
STRider
Site Supporter
FWIW I've been running 100/55W bulbs in my 1100 for over 25 years and 90k miles with no problems.
Though I've only had them in for about a month I'm exceptionally pleased with the Katana branded take on the F2 LED bulbs. No question about their performance. Reliability will have to be proven with time and miles. Yes, $30 to $50 USD for a pair is significantly more expensive than $6.71 USD on Amazon for a single Hella 100/55w incandescent bulb.
OP
OP
JJames
Site Supporter
It was registered new in Norway in 2000 ,though I think it is a 1999 year model from the chasis #. My buddy has a late 80's Africa Twin (dual headlamps) , and on that one ,only one of the of headlights shine on low beam. probably while I was thinking it was the same on the my ST 1100.
Does "F2" have something to do with the shape of the Bulb ? Or what makes them an F2 LED bulb ? Dosen't seem like all the stores here ,carry the F2 bulb ,so not a lot of brands to choose from. They are from $ 100 a pair -and up . That would give some sort of guarantee vs buying on line.
Depending on your region, my 2000 Pan Euro Y model was a "swiss" model I believe.
Although I'm based in Asia, it came out of the crate from factory with only a single headlight on low beam, on high beams both are lid. My left switch pod has a passing switch on top of the signal and horn.
Right switch pod has a off-instrument-on switch, cutoff and start.
I asked my mech to modified it to both on at low beam after seeing how weak a single bulb was default.
With both bulbs on, brightness is a whole lot better.
I've since changed it to G6 and then F2 LED for a few years, the brightness is extremely better than Halogen and the amperage it draws is a lot lesser as well as less heat.
However due to regulations, I need to "revert" back to Halogen during yearly inspections and then back to LED once certification done.
If the price is right, I think LED is the way to go.
Although I'm based in Asia, it came out of the crate from factory with only a single headlight on low beam, on high beams both are lid. My left switch pod has a passing switch on top of the signal and horn.
Right switch pod has a off-instrument-on switch, cutoff and start.
I asked my mech to modified it to both on at low beam after seeing how weak a single bulb was default.
With both bulbs on, brightness is a whole lot better.
I've since changed it to G6 and then F2 LED for a few years, the brightness is extremely better than Halogen and the amperage it draws is a lot lesser as well as less heat.
However due to regulations, I need to "revert" back to Halogen during yearly inspections and then back to LED once certification done.
If the price is right, I think LED is the way to go.
kiltman
Site Supporter
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2013
- Messages
- 3,282
- Age
- 68
- Location
- Stratford, Ontario Canada
- Bike
- 2002,ST1100ABS
- STOC #
- 8826
Both low beams should work at the same time that model year according to the wiring diagram I have.
Ordering LED’s on line is definitely cheaper. I have F2’s. My first set failed returning was easy, I just had to show a picture of a burn’t out bulb, nothing to send back. Got a new set sent to me. It took about a month for the replacement set to arrive in the meantime I used H4s
rwthomas1
Site Supporter
I got a Euro headlight from Holland and put F2 LED's in it. I had to re-work the wire bulb retention "bales" to make them clear the heatsinks on the LED's and allow the rubber seals to fit correctly. To make all this happen, it was done on a bench, and then I installed the headlight. That's a bit of work, but the results going from a US-DOT halogens to Euro-LED was like night and day. Literally. If you can do the LED's its very worth it. A co-worker commented, as I was behind them in traffic, "those lights are almost too bright in the daytime". Installing a relay system to handle the headlight load is helpful for LED's but very recommended for Halogens. There's tons of info on how to do it here.
RT
RT
Andrew Shadow
Site Supporter
They are direct replacements for halogen H4/9003 bulbs. They have been designed to work with a headlamp reflector that was designed for halogen H4/9003 bulbs. This means that they provide the same light beam pattern, horizontal cut-off and up-tilt of light to illuminate the road's edge on the side of the vehicle opposite to the driver.
The model prior to the F2 was the G6. I have also wondered if this is just a manufacturer's model designation or if it actually means something like H4/9003 does.
Maybe @spiderman302 can educate us on this.
It might depend on where the wiring diagram that you are looking at came from. If you are looking at a wiring diagram that was released for the North American market, it will show both headlamp's low beams are wired to be on all the times. I have learned that Honda releases different technical information in different markets. It is not only the language of the technical documents that changes, the technical content also changes for different markets, including the shop manual content. It is possible that a wiring diagram released for the Norway market may show only one low beam lamp is suppose to operate at a time if that is the law in Norway. The regulation in Norway may be different now than it was back in 1999 when James's ST was certified as well. Comparing with the headlamps on newer motorcycles may not be a reliable indicator.
James, you need to determine if your headlamp circuit simply has a failure or, if it is supposed to be that way.
STRider
Site Supporter
From what I can gather, the 'F2' designation we're referring to is a particular LED lamp design that's been sold under the 'F2' brand. They may or may not have been the first with this specific design, but they caught the attention of buyers in the market and it seems to have become the common term to describe that bulb. Like so many products originating in China there have been a myriad of copycats of varying quality. I relied on the members of this forum and their sharing of experience with brands to guide my purchase decision.
I totally understand the misgivings you may have about buying on-line versus locally. I bought the Katana brand based on recommendations from the ST-Owners collective. I find their process for claiming a warranty replacement very interesting and clever. With your claim you include a photograph of the light with its serial number tag visible and the cord leading into the housing severed! No sending it back, just provide them with evidence that the light can't still be used once you've been provided with a replacement.
STRider
Site Supporter
@Andrew Shadow while simultaneously crafting my reply to @JJames I found this on Amazon. It's a 9005 style bulb. Single beam. Labelled F2. I suspect F2 is more of a brand than a bulb configuration. Just adding to the knowledge base...
