Do these things have glass lenses?
Do these things have glass lenses?
Keith wrote: They are E-codes. They have the markings on them. Having DOT motorcycle approval does not take away the European approval.
I didn't realize that the motorcycle standards are different than the automobile standards. This source also supports the claim that ECE compliant lights on US bikes is legal:
http://www.endosquid.com/audi/audinfo_lightFAQ.htm#ecode
Grtechguy wrote: How about just 1? for the bike....
First time we've had that question! Let me check with the boss on Monday, but I think we can do that. Send me an email at keith@flyinmiata.com and I'll let you know.
You have email!
and I now know that you have a 3 day weekend...lucky
I didn't realize that the motorcycle standards are different than the automobile standards. This source also supports the claim that ECE compliant lights on US bikes is legal: http://www.endosquid.com/audi/audinfo_lightFAQ.htm#ecode
The author of that article is pointing out the hypocrisy of U.S. standards that deem the identical headlight safe on a motorcycle but unsafe on a car, which is a very good point. But the article is also a little misleading. It is true that no H4 headlight can be U.S. D.O.T. approved for car use. (Some lookalikes such as Hella's Vision Plus are, but they actually use lower-intensity HB2 bulbs.) By comparison, they may be D.O.T. approved for motorcycles - but this doesn't mean they all are. E-code or not, the headlamp must still be certified FMVSS 108 compliant, a step that the manufacturer may not take if he doesn't plan to put them on U.S. market motorcycles. Even Bosch makes two very slightly different versions of the E-code headlights in question, one which has no D.O.T. markings, and one which does so they could supply it to Harley Davidson. That minor distinction is the only reason why we're all getting this bargain in the first place - A Harley sales slump resulted in an overstock of the D.O.T. labeled version, which were then dumped below cost.
As for E-code (ECE) versus D.O.T. approval, these are unrelated. An E-code headlamp is street legal in most European countries - and Canada, incidentally - but the U.S. D.O.T. has its own standards. A headlamp can therefore be ECE but not DOT approved, or DOT but not ECE approved, or in certain instances both. Many are neither ECE nor DOT compliant, which is the case with most budget priced 7" round H4 headlight kits (hence the low price and variable quality).
Sounds like a good price.
One question: are these lights a lot different from a similar (and a bit mroe expensive) light sold by Victoria British?
http://www.victoriabritish.com/icatalog/sg/full.aspx?Page=29
We have a set of these in our Spitfire and it made a big difference so I've been considering them for the 1800ES as well.
(wishing I had a car that took 7" rounds....)
Ian F wrote: Sounds like a good price. One question: are these lights a lot different from a similar (and a bit mroe expensive) light sold by Victoria British? http://www.victoriabritish.com/icatalog/sg/full.aspx?Page=29 We have a set of these in our Spitfire and it made a big difference so I've been considering them for the 1800ES as well.
They're certainly physically interchangeable and the idea is the same, but the catalog description is a bit vague so it's hard to draw a direct comparison. The listing doesn't say what kind of bulbs are included, or even who makes it. I'm going to assume it's a generic brand only because if it was a name brand like Hella or Bosch they'd almost certainly mention it. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) The generics generally come out of either China or India, and they run the gamut in terms of quality. Some are junk, but others are actually pretty decent (albeit not quite up to the standards of a Hella or Bosch or Cibie in my experience).
The text is also a bit confusing as it says the "light" is DOT approved. Do they mean the headlight assembly itself, or the bulb as well? If it comes with an H4 bulb then technically it isn't actually DOT approved for a car. If it's a lower-output HB2 bulb, then it may be, but as with the Hella Vision Plus there is a bit of a performance tradeoff.
I'm not really sure. I installed them in the Spitfire a couple of years ago, so I don't remember. The bulbs do match the 60/55W rating. Unfortunately, removing the headlights in a Spit is an annoying task (and the car is under the cover for the Winter...), so I can't easily check.
I wish I could fit soemthing this cheap into my '95 Ram... 9004 bulbs = lighting fail.
Fortunately, in most states, "road legal" for a Spitfire is open to interpretation... the headlights are so low, it needs all the help it can get to be seen. The Volvo is a little different, although when authorities see an 1800ES, the headlights are the last things they're paying attention to... usually it's more, "WTH is that?"
Per Schroeder wrote: (wishing I had a car that took 7" rounds....)
Little duct tape, and you can!
Grtechguy wrote: How about just 1? for the bike....
You get a spare! for the OTHER bike...
John Brown wrote:Grtechguy wrote: How about just 1? for the bike....You get a spare! for the OTHER bike...
DAMN.... I have to buy another motorcycle?
Got two sets delivered by UPS today. Have one set in the car that is on the street, and they are SWEET! Thanks FM.
Two sets arrived on Monday, and Tuesday I had them installed. Looking forward to the first night drive to see the difference.
Glad you guys are enjoying them! We were hoping to get enough lights together to pay for half a pallet. We're working on our third pallet now, it was a pretty big success!
The group buy is still going until the end of the month. After that, we'll keep selling what we have at a slightly higher price until we run out. I don't know if we'll order another pallet after that.
Not sure how I missed this, but PM sent
My set arrived, well packaged and safe but yet to be installed.
The group buy is still going until the end of Feb. After that, we'll keep selling what we have at a slightly higher price until we run out.
We will be continuing our GRM offer at the same $50-complete price, at least for now.
If you are finding this thread sometime down the road and the above link is dead (or goes to something different), then you missed the GRM offer, but we may still have some left for a very close price at this link.
Anyone tried these with HID's?
me: (back in 1986 to buyer of my old Datsun) do you want those old Hella H4's? You can have them if you want. I am not sure if they are worth anything.
him: sure.
me: (2010 in my office) IDIOT - never throw anything away.
Arrived today and installed. Much better than the silverstars I had in the car. I am now going to have to upgrade the wiring harness and up the bulb rating. and for those that care you get sylvania 9004's with them not a generic no name bulb!!!!
Excel product made of high quality glass and metal not a cheap eBay no name knock off!!! You will notice the quality immediately. Also they were packaged exceptionally well. More bubble wrap around them than many people use in 10 packages!!!!
My 924s thanks you!!!
A perfect fit. Gives my car more of a euro look. Ya I know kind of weird but you can see the difference. The lens is flat and the refraction of the light when it is on is very different from the standard 7" silverstar.
Many Thanks Keith!!!!
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