Tere aren't many better experiences than carving your scooter on a midsummer midnight mountain ride. Cool breeze and the smell of nature. The solitude and lack of traffic can let your mind focus on what's under you, within you, and what lies ahead. Glowing roadside beacons often signal furry critters intent on waiting until just the right moment to cross the road. Does roadside grass taste better than the endless forest at their disposal? I digress-but animals and road hazards are easiest to prepare for by having notice. Even an extra 100 milliseconds may mean the difference between a cool campfire story about the one that got away (you) and the hospital.
Buying some extra time comes in two forms that depend upon one another in the thrills/life/safety equation: speed and light. If you can't see what's ahead, it's best to slow down. Conversely, with a better view of both what's ahead and alongside, you can ride with more confidence. If you are running an old sealed beam headlight, you are literally riding in the dark compared to current technology. Most modern bikes are running a two-piece headlight that combines a reflector headlamp and a separate halogen bulb. H4 is the designation for the most popular bulb of this type and is available in many different low/high beam wattages.
With that said, although you can go out and buy a brighter bulb for your headlamp, it doesn't mean you're getting all the light where it belongs. The reflector within the headlamp goes through extensive engineering to produce the most bang for the buck-delivering maximum light output to where you need it most. In addition, the pattern of the light-throw is as important as the brightness. You wouldn't want a two-foot viewing area in front of your bike, no matter how bright and far the beam projected down the road. Keep in mind, too, that higher wattage bulbs can generate enough heat to melt wiring or draw too much current from your charging system.
I was in search of a new headlight for a Sportster project and spoke with Joel from Headwinds about upgrading my stock headlight. All of the Headwinds headlight buckets are made in the US from spun billet aluminum and then polished, chromed, or brass-plated. They also have a wide variety of different headlamp housings to accept H-4 bulbs. I went with a Cibie lamp that has gained a very good reputation for being bright while projecting a wide pattern. As with many things on our bikes, this European spec (E-code) lamp is not approved by DOT. So, along with my carb, pipes, ignition, and motor, these headlamps are for off-road use only. Check with your local 5-0 for applicable laws or just go with one of Headwinds' lamps that are DOT-approved.
Check out the install and go get one of these for yourself. You'll be surprised at how much better you'll be seeing at night.
 1. Headwinds headlight peeking...  1. Headwinds headlight peeking out from beneath the Sporty's eyebrow. |  2. Here's the top-mount,...  2. Here's the top-mount, 5-3/4-inch Concours Bullet headlight bucket, Cibie e-code headlamp, H-4 halogen bulb (60/55W), and protective boot. |  3. Inside the stock 20+ year-old...  3. Inside the stock 20+ year-old headlight bucket lurks a bee's nest of wires and connectors. Since I was going with a new Wire Plus wiring harness all of these wires but three will be pitched into the dumpster. |
 4. After unplugging the old...  4. After unplugging the old headlamp, the plug on top of the eyebrow (headlamp bracket) was pried off with a knife. |  5. Under the plug is the...  5. Under the plug is the single mounting nut for the headlamp assembly. After removing the nut, the old headlamp was thrown in the recycle bin. |  6. The simple mounting hardware...  6. The simple mounting hardware allows the headlight to be moved and tilted in the eyebrow groove by using a tapered washer. |
 7. This plastic H-4 pigtail...  7. This plastic H-4 pigtail (bulb-socket) consists of three wires terminating in spade connectors that match the P43t base of the bulb. Yellow is low beam, white is for the high, and black to ground. |  8. The high and low beam...  8. The high and low beam wires from the new harness match the H-D color scheme. A piece of black wire-conduit was used for a cleaner installation and protection. |  9. This bucket has one hole...  9. This bucket has one hole with an included grommet for the wires to pass through. The diameter of the conduit was a nice fit in the grommet and will help keep out water. |
 10. Once the wires were pushed...  10. Once the wires were pushed through, the threaded headlight bucket stud (on top of the headlight) was lined up with the hole in the eyebrow, followed by the washers and nut, and snugged up. |  11. After stripping approximately...  11. After stripping approximately 1/4-inch of insulation off the wires, they were tied together and soldered. Note the short piece of shrink tubing installed (arrow). You must put the shrink on before tying the wires together. |  12. After soldering the wires...  12. After soldering the wires the shrink tubing was heated with a mini-torch. Heatguns are easier to work with and safer, but I like fire. The shrinkable tubing contracts to form a tight seal around the joined wires. It's extra protection while looking sano and professional. |