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Vibration Resistant Bulbs

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Smoky14

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Alamogordo NM
Guys my bandit goes through about a bulb a week in the rear. The 1157 and the 217 plate bulbs just don't last, I'm sure because of vibration.

Do you know of a source for vibration resistant bulbs. They have a third post in the middle of the filament which makes them last longer than what I can get at my local auto store.

Any other fix which will accomplish the end result would be appreciated.

Smoky
 
Strange..... so far in all of the motorcycles I've owned, and all the miles I've ridden, I have only ever replaced one turn signal indicator and that was after hitting a Jeep. Heck, even the KLR with all of the bouncing around in the rocks of Big Bend and Colorado has never needed one.

At first thought I wonder if too much voltage is getting to the bulbs for some reason?
 
DFW_Warrior said:
Strange..... so far in all of the motorcycles I've owned, and all the miles I've ridden, I have only ever replaced one turn signal indicator and that was after hitting a Jeep. Heck, even the KLR with all of the bouncing around in the rocks of Big Bend and Colorado has never needed one.

At first thought I wonder if too much voltage is getting to the bulbs for some reason?
Click to expand...

Me, too. Never replaced one (due to failure) in my 35 years of riding. Ridiculous, I guess. I HAVE replaced them just 'cause....higher wattage, brighter bulb, etc, but not due to failure.

You might have a rectifier going out, causing fluctuations or something. Sloppy mount, causing unstable ground, something. I seriously doubt it's vibration.
 
You can try the 1157LL version which are long life. Typically, these are 14.5V or higher rated so they don't burn as hot (with only a small loss in brightness). But I have seen some that have additional support to the filament which should also help endure vibration.
 
Bandit tail lights do this for some reason - much like the running lights on Chevy trucks. At least the brake light filament keeps working and you do have two tail lights but the problem remains.

I have had decent success with pinching the socket to make a more secure fit. Don't over do it but the idea is to keep the bulb stabilized in the mount. You could also try a little dielectric grease in there. The long life bulbs help but the Bandit is just a buzzy vibrating beast of fun - small price to pay.
 
my ZRX had a episode where it was eating bulbs in the right socket, I went through four bulbs in short order and could not figure out why.
the left one was fine, so I took the one from the left socket and put it in the right side and put the new one in the left socket.

I have no clue why but that fixed it.

I am now running very bright LED bulbs.
9377AD34-2D6F-47C6-8D00-ED5821C288BD_zpsf40i9k30.jpg
 
Where do you get those fancy LED bulbs? I need a dual element for my scoot, 1157LL last approximately three rides.

Smoky
 
If they fail that frequently, I'd look for a wiring fault. Bandits can't have that much vibration.
 
Smoky14 said:
Where do you get those fancy LED bulbs? I need a dual element for my scoot, 1157LL last approximately three rides.

Smoky
Click to expand...

I got them off E-bay from a really big seller named "dt-autotech"
this is the bulb 20watt1157red

Kurt is right, after the switch to the led bulbs the right one would ocasionaly go out and after much cussing and digging and twisting, I discovered the wire was broke in the insulation right at the socket and was causing random voltage stuttering that hammered the regular bulb.

these LED bulbs use four 180*degree LEDs to give out even light all around and very closly match the light of a regular bulb and are a bit brighter on brake.
 
The Bruce said:
Amazon.com
Click to expand...

those tower style bulbs with the rows of small LEDs, with three on the end don't handle vibration well, the little circuit boards crack and break at the solder joints in the base. I have had three of them fail in turn signals.

lights that have a aluminum heat sink support hold up much better.
 
here is a picture I took at work where I tested that light bulb.

DA45BFF6-E941-4B08-96B9-788124EDF3FB_zps20gzf29b.jpg
 
Focus: I notice that bulb is available in red and clear. Do you have an opinion on which gives a better result inside a red cover. The cost is about what I spend on bulbs a year.

Thanks Smoky
 
Smoky14 said:
Focus: I notice that bulb is available in red and clear. Do you have an opinion on which gives a better result inside a red cover. The cost is about what I spend on bulbs a year.

Thanks Smoky
Click to expand...

white light is made up of all three prime colors, red green and blue, the tail light lens is actually a filter, it filters out the blue and green colors from the white light leaving only red. a white bulb in a tail light only lets 33% of the light out as red light.
a 100 lumen red LED still is 100 lumens after the red light passes through a red lens, to the red light the red lens is perfectly clear.

a 100 lumen white light only produces roughly give or take 33 lumens after the red lens filters the blue and green out.

when shopping for LED bulbs always buy the color you need, red for tail and brake, and amber for turn signals. they are brighter that way.
 
Hmmmmmmmmmm, my Bandit leads a charmed, well balanced life. In the 7 years we have been married, only about a month ago the LOW BEAM went out. I don't go on dirt deliberately, just pavement. Could that be it?
I did check the bulbs Leon referenced as LED's are in my baby's future. Has anyony gone here:
https://www.superbrightleds.com
I need to save up as I want their 10W LED "auxillary" lights[draws 1/2 Amp]
When I get what I want I will try to do a test with pix
 
I buy a ton of stuff from SuperbrightLED and they have always surprised me with their quality.
 
How many lumens should I be looking for. I notice they run from pillar to post and the wattage to lumen charts vary depending on who publishes the graph.
I know I would like to buy them once and quit screwing with them. I just had the whole rear end off the bike checking wiring etc and it looks like vibration is the culprit.
Thanks for indulging an old man who is still in the candle/oil lamp era.

Smoky
 
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