Improving Sportster headlights

The Bargee

Club Member
Unlike my Road Glide the Sportster headlight is 1960s safe. Don't go too fast on country backroads and you'll be fine.
Except... It is the 21st century and we can do a bit better than that.
The standard headlight is made by Hella and must have been designed by the office junior.
The pattern is poor on both dip and mainbeam. Fitting a brighter bulb didn't help much.
OK, new headlight needed then, but what?
Titter ye not, but I fitted a genuwine Lucas 5 and 3/4 inch headlight and it is far superior to the Hella!
Drags the lights nicely into the 1970s so cruising at 60mph on a country road at night is perfectly safe.
OK at speeds beyond that too...
 
Good old Joe Lucas, the Prince of Darkness ! I fitted a 7" Lucas to my old Sportster for the same reasons.
 
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To be honest, I've only ridden mine in darkness a couple of times but even adding a candle would improve it!
 
On my first sporty I fitted a Cebi unit and angled the headlamp down as much as I could, it was ok. The Sportster I have now has a Led unit fitted that seems much better.
 
If you don't mind, with the advent of the cheap LED units that flood Amazon for around £50 there is some bright lights available. There is also the HD Daymaker that spawned all of the knock-offs.

On my bike part of the problem was the factory nor the dealer bothered to check the headlight alignment. Raising the light to make it point where it was supposed to made quite a significant difference.
 
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