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H4 bulbs --> H7

  1. #1
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    H4 bulbs --> H7

    so I bought a new headlight for the gixxer over the winter. my original headlight assembly (and wire harness) used H4 bulbs. my new headlight assembly uses H7 for some reason.

    H4 - old headlight
    Attachment 19478

    H7 - new headlight
    Attachment 19479

    comparision
    Attachment 19480

    my bike's wire harness has the 3 prongs for an H4 bulb. The H7 uses only 2 prongs, but will physically fit in the plug. The H7 will only light up on hi-beam, which makes me believe that the 3rd prong on the H4 harness is used for low-beam ground.

    Any ideas how I can get this to work? I have a feeling i'll need to but off my H4 harness plug & solder on an H7 plug.

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  2. #2
    Changes come butcher bergs's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Isnt the H7 a single filament bulb? I'm thinking this may require an additional bulb for low beam.

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  3. #3
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    i'm not finding much online. just saw one website say that either would fit on mine (02 GSXR 600)

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    ain't nuttin wrong w/that scubasteveRR's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    You could just get a set of those DDM HID's with an H7 bulbs then you'd be all set?

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  5. #5
    Senior Member The Magician's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    i believe you can get a socket for a headlight bulb from a regular auto parts store. Put the bulb in that fits and then get the socket to fit and wire it up.

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  6. #6
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by scubasteveRR View Post
    You could just get a set of those DDM HID's with an H7 bulbs then you'd be all set?
    already ordered replacement H7 bulbs. was running PIAA Xtreme White 55w bulbs in H4. ordered the same for the new H7 headlight assembly

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  7. #7
    Changes come butcher bergs's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    The problem is, if the H7 is a single filament bulb it simply can't work as both hi and low beam. I believe this is going to end up being an "either or" situation.

    Remember, hi beams have the reflectors near the filaments. If the bulb doesn't have that then, IMO, you have your answer.

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  8. #8
    Senior Member The Magician's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Or, you can trim an h4 bulb to an h7. saw a thread on sportbikes.net

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    Last edited by The Magician; 03-08-10 at 11:16 AM.

  9. #9
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by The Magician View Post
    Or, you can trim an h7 bulb to an h4.. saw a thread on sportbikes.net
    so is there an adapter? it's not a fitment issue, as my new headlight assembly will only fit H7 bulbs. it's more of getting the 2 prong H7 bulbs to work on low & hi beams on the H4 harness

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  10. #10
    Senior Member The Magician's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by DBKromz View Post
    so is there an adapter? it's not a fitment issue, as my new headlight assembly will only fit H7 bulbs. it's more of getting the 2 prong H7 bulbs to work on low & hi beams on the H4 harness
    sorry. H4 is dual filament. H7 is single filament. H4 is bigger than H7, so make an outline of the H7 bulb... get an H4... trim the H4 to fit. That way you can use your old wiring, keep the dual filament.

    Make sense?

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  11. #11
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by The Magician View Post
    sorry. H4 is dual filament. H7 is single filament. H4 is bigger than H7, so make an outline of the H7 bulb... get an H4... trim the H4 to fit. That way you can use your old wiring, keep the dual filament.

    Make sense?
    yes it does. so cut my H4 bulbs to fit the H7 headlight assembly. kind of a PITA, but do-able. thanks. looks like i'll have to RMA my H7 bulbs I just ordered.

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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by DBKromz View Post
    already ordered replacement H7 bulbs. was running PIAA Xtreme White 55w bulbs in H4. ordered the same for the new H7 headlight assembly
    doh...

    Quote Originally Posted by The Magician View Post
    Or, you can trim an h7 bulb to an h4.. saw a thread on sportbikes.net
    This seems like a viable option but you're going to have to be really carefull especially if you grind the metal away. I'd say you do this but use some nice and sharp metal snips and use a lot of releaf cuts so the metal doesn't curl up and scratch the bulb

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  13. #13
    Senior Member The Magician's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by DBKromz View Post
    yes it does. so cut my H4 bulbs to fit the H7 headlight assembly. kind of a PITA, but do-able. thanks. looks like i'll have to RMA my H7 bulbs I just ordered.
    Pain, yeah.. but it's easy enough to do and for as often as you will replace bulbs, not a big deal. At least you will get the functionality you want. I'd need to look at the units up close, but maybe there's a way to remove the mounting rings from your old light and get them to fit the new headlight assembly too.

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  14. #14
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by The Magician View Post
    Pain, yeah.. but it's easy enough to do and for as often as you will replace bulbs, not a big deal. At least you will get the functionality you want. I'd need to look at the units up close, but maybe there's a way to remove the mounting rings from your old light and get them to fit the new headlight assembly too.
    i looked on my H4 bulbs, and it looks like they soldered or made some type of connection from the ring to the light. that was the 1st thing i thought of

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    Senior Member The Magician's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by DBKromz View Post
    i looked on my H4 bulbs, and it looks like they soldered or made some type of connection from the ring to the light. that was the 1st thing i thought of
    I'd just trim the H4's to fit. There may have been a change with the headlight you are now using as to the high/low configuration within the electronics. Some bikes use both bulbs for high/low. Some use one high, one low. Pending switch position, it will move power accordingly. If you stick to what you had, you wont need to worry about it.

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  16. #16
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    i'm wondering if it's going to mess anything up with the reflection on this new headlight assembly, that's designed for H7 bulbs

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  17. #17
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    i'll do the trimming while you swap my brake stuff

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  18. #18
    Senior Member The Magician's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by DBKromz View Post
    i'm wondering if it's going to mess anything up with the reflection on this new headlight assembly, that's designed for H7 bulbs
    Don't know til you try... as long as the guts look the same, they will reflect light the same way I'm sure.

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  19. #19
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    thanks for your help

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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by DBKromz View Post
    i'm wondering if it's going to mess anything up with the reflection on this new headlight assembly, that's designed for H7 bulbs
    swapping H4 for H7 will almost certainly cause lens/refraction issues. the H7 headlight assembly is designed with non-symmetric reflectors that are designed to output a low beam pattern on one side and a high beam pattern on the other.

    running both with H4's will produce at best the following:

    headlight switch set to low beam
    one normal low beam
    one slightly dim high beam

    headlight switch set to high beam
    one extra bright low beam
    one normal high beam

    taking into account the slightly offset nature of dual filament bulbs and the internal shields they use to direct light, it will likely produce worse results than above. if you want to see how badly a slight misalignment of the filament will mangle your beam pattern, try taking the spring clip off the back of a correctly installed H4 or H7 and watch what very small movements do to the pattern you see on the ground.

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  21. #21
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by drop View Post
    swapping H4 for H7 will almost certainly cause lens/refraction issues. the H7 headlight assembly is designed with non-symmetric reflectors that are designed to output a low beam pattern on one side and a high beam pattern on the other.

    running both with H4's will produce at best the following:

    headlight switch set to low beam
    one normal low beam
    one slightly dim high beam

    headlight switch set to high beam
    one extra bright low beam
    one normal high beam

    taking into account the slightly offset nature of dual filament bulbs and the internal shields they use to direct light, it will likely produce worse results than above. if you want to see how badly a slight misalignment of the filament will mangle your beam pattern, try taking the spring clip off the back of a correctly installed H4 or H7 and watch what very small movements do to the pattern you see on the ground.
    I tried to tell you, Jim.


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  22. #22
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Quote Originally Posted by DBKromz View Post
    already ordered replacement H7 bulbs. was running PIAA Xtreme White 55w bulbs in H4. ordered the same for the new H7 headlight assembly
    Thats what I have now. PIAA

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  23. #23
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    FYI.. 01 and 02 600's (maybe 03's) used one side for low, and the other for high. When on low, one side is off. They use the H7 bulbs and rely on the left (looking at it from the front of the headlight) for highbeam, while the low stays on...

    I have an 03 750... it has dual H4's, so both sides are on, regardless of high or low. It IS a different housing, even though physically it looks the same as any other 01-03 600...

    Unfortunately your gonna be blinding the shit out of people with one side of the headlight assembly because its setup to reflect higher... Its a popular mod for people with the 01/02/(03?) 600s to upgrade to the 02/03 750 housing (not sure about the 01 750s) for the dual filiment bulb setup.

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    Last edited by scubasteve; 03-12-10 at 04:45 PM.

  24. #24
    Unsafe At Any Speeds Jim's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    so i probably have a 750 assembly & wire harness plugs on my 600. makes sense.

    the new assembly i got will only fit H7 bulbs, and the old assembly i have will only fit H4 bulbs

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  25. #25
    Bikeless in Blackstone The Snowman's Avatar
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    Re: H4 bulbs --> H7

    Sylvania SilverStar Ultras FTW! (Yeah, they're $50 a pair, but well worth it.)

    BTW, the 06/07 CBR1000RR uses adapters that are installed on the bulbs to connect to an H4 style plug. (Honda must be cheap, using the same connectors for both H4 and H7 fixtures.) Part number is 33130-MAT-611 [part 6 in the below pic] and available online from Zanotti Honda for under $10 (plus shipping).

    The Ultra bulbs are super-bright. In fact, with my car, people keep flashing me to turn my high beams off, even when I'm using only the low beams.

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