Bulb choices

[BSA500]

I currently use my A7 everyday here in the UK. This means at this time of year I go to work in a low light and home in the pitch black.My dynamo is a full 12 volt conversion with the DVR 2 reg and a 9ah battery and everything is fine fully charged battery etc. I use a 55/60watt headlight which is nice and bright but has no,difficult to explain, 'power' oopmh etc. The dip just doesn't seem to penetrate far enough and the high beam if I was honest would be a great dipped beam. Anybody got any good recommendation for off the shelf bulbs that really do the job.
I am blinded every night by cars with their HID's and range rovers with the headlights two foot higher than anyone else I want to dish out some payback -oh and see where I am going of course

[bsa-bill]

try here http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffybulbs.htm

I have a six volt one and it gives a good light, sometimes gets comment from the MOT guy "that's a funny beam" but it passes every time, I think it might be on account of the BPF maybe sites the bulb a bit too far or not quite far enough into the reflector, a job for an idle moments investigation sometime

[BSA500]

Sorry forgot to say it is a halogen bulb, but the link has given me a few choices to pick from. I am currently using a halfords superbright-don't its pants they just painted the bulb blue

[a10 gf]

If it's a standard H4 or other current type, chances are the reflector is the problem, not the bulb.
Or... have you measured the voltage at the bulb with lights on and engine running? Works best with voltage around 13 to 14v, under that and you'll get loss of light > if so, check for low charging voltage, loss in cables\switches, bad 'ground' to frame etc.

[trevinoz]

When I had my T65 on the road it was initially fitted with a Lucas halogen unit.
I found the beam was too scattered, for want of a better word.
I replaced it with a standard incandescent type and found it much more to my liking as the beam was now concentrated ahead of me, not all over the road.

Trev.

[metalflake11]

Same here Trev, it's not the size of your wattage, it's how you use it! 

[a10 gf]

Reflector not suited to certain bulbs, due to filament position\distance vs reflector ?

[BSA500]

replaced the headlight unit with the halogen type from Paul Goff and the dynamo/batt/regulator all uprated. The beam pattern etc is good its just the bulbs it looks like a Osram nightbreaker H7 is needed. Its only when you use these bikes day in day out in winter you realise halfords blue bulbs are a little crap.

[BSA500]

Doh correction its a H4 not H7

[warmshed]

In tests the Phillips range of H4 bulbs came out heads and shoulders better than others. I use a prefocus car unit designed for H4 so I get the right projection of light. The best one I used was a concave Cibie unit but they are impossible to source now, they were once fitted as standard to a Renault I believe.  I now have a Hella unit that fits some older Volvos and that works well if you are not worried about originality.  It fits the standard Lucas headlamp rim without any problems and they have provision for a pilot bulb.  I don't believe cheap replacement glass/reflector units are worth using though I have no knowledge of the Goff units.
Good make prefocus with a Phillips bulb will give good performance. At 55/60 you are drawing a high current for the dynamo to keep up with, you could also change the rear bulb and instrument bulb for a LED unit to save a few watts.

HIDs can be used, a 35 watt unit draws a bit more than that  with the control gear but can be fitted. I use a cheap Chinese one on my BMW and light output is amazing, They are available in H4 format with a shield to provide a dip pattern. such as http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H4-Hi-Lo-35W-HID-Xenon-CONVERSION-Kit-4300-6000-8000-10000-12000k-Royalmail-1st-/110807556413?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item19cca5213d  use the 4300 one they give a white light rather than a blue.  The cost is reasonable, 2 for £26.

 HID legality is questionable but as you mention lots of people use them and I never hear of police action.