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**The Monk** · 03-01-2017, 01:50 PM

Re: Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

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**vimesh** · 03-01-2017, 11:56 PM

Re: Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

Originally posted by basu07 View Post

I am a happy Suzuki Gixxer 155 owner. But one thing that bugs me the most about this bike is it's puny battery. I don't understand why Japanese manufacturers like Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda fit their 150cc motorcycles such as Fz, Gixxer and Hornet with such puny batteries i.e. the above three bikes have battery with amperage rating of 5.0ah, 4.0ah and 3.0ah respectively. And due to this they have limited electrical load capabilities. So, the problem arises when an owner wants to upgrade his/her motorcycle's headlights; FYKI all of these motorcycles come equipped with stock headlights having poor illumination characteristics. The owner is left with no choice but to crack his head around looking for various alternatives which are not very feasible. Even upgrading to a larger capacity is not feasible as the alternator cannot charge the batter to its full capacity. So the owners are left at the mercy of the horrendous stock headlights, especially on the highways. Yes one can always go for auxiliary led lights but once you start using the stock headlights and the aux lights in tandem you notice that the battery just can't take up the load, especially in case of Gixxer; I wouldn't like to comment on the Yamaha and Honda's performance in the same situation. But on the other hand if we look at our home grown companies like Bajaj and TVS they come equipped with at least 8.0ah amperage batteries; in case of AS150, Avenger Street 150 and Apache rtr 150. These bike even come with better stock headlights with a power rating of 55/60W and are pretty decent on lighting up the road; even the highways. So my question is why are the Japanese manufacturers still lacking behind in electrical department of their motorcycles when their Indian counterparts have already upgraded themselves. Are they being complacent just because people will buy their products no matter what due to the brand reputation and engine reliability? What's the use if we have bikes like Gixxer and Hornet on which we can do tours but are held back on riding it once the sun sets just because of the lack of illumination power? It'd be really useful if all of you could shed some light and give your views on the above issue. In the end No Offense to any of the above mentioned Brands. Always wear a helmet and Ride safe[emoji111]

May be some cost cutting here & there & also they might not want to cannabalise their product portfolio... if you look at the recently launched FZ25 they come equipped with Led lights... i am a owner of hornet & i must say the X-Shaped LED tailight is a looker so it goes to show that they have the ideas & plans but just don't want to implement & not interested to take the competition above the segment for the benefit of the riders.

**abhimanyu31** · 03-03-2017, 01:58 PM

Re: Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

Originally posted by basu07 View Post

I am a happy Suzuki Gixxer 155 owner. But one thing that bugs me the most about this bike is it's puny battery. I don't understand why Japanese manufacturers like Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda fit their 150cc motorcycles such as Fz, Gixxer and Hornet with such puny batteries i.e. the above three bikes have battery with amperage rating of 5.0ah, 4.0ah and 3.0ah respectively. And due to this they have limited electrical load capabilities.

One word answer for your query: 'COST'.

All things that are production based are built to a price point, meaning there is a cost factor involved and the product needs to meet a cost target as set by the accounting and marketing departments. Try this simple math exercise; find out the cost of the 4.0ah battery and the cost of the 8.0ah battery, then multiply it by a conservative 25,000 bikes. The amount that you will is additional cost that the bike maker needs to absorb if they do not want to pass on that cost to the customer. If the additional cost is to be passed on to the customer, then the customer may not be willing to buy the bike. Remember, while there may be few people like you who many want to add certain other things on the bike, by and large most people will be happy to ride the bike in stock condition. Therefore, there is no compelling business argument to offer a bigger battery at additional cost. I am not even counting the additional cost of enhanced charging system that will need to added in conjunction with the bigger battery.

Therefore, while it is easy to question the logic of the bike makers, they are not unaware of what is possible and what needs to be done. Its just that there is no business case for a bigger battery.

**prajnyan** · 03-06-2017, 06:54 PM

Re: Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

I think it has got to do with how much power is actually needed at any given time. For a 35W halogen headlight and maybe use of indicators (10*2 W) max requirement is 55w so they decide to put say a 4 or 5A / 12V battery.

Note: How much Ah battery isnt as important as how much Wh of charging the dynamo produces. If the dynamo is bigger, the smaller battery really does not matter.

**basu07** · 03-15-2017, 07:21 PM

Re: Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

Originally posted by prajnyan View Post

I think it has got to do with how much power is actually needed at any given time. For a 35W halogen headlight and maybe use of indicators (10*2 W) max requirement is 55w so they decide to put say a 4 or 5A / 12V battery.

Note: How much Ah battery isnt as important as how much Wh of charging the dynamo produces. If the dynamo is bigger, the smaller battery really does not matter.

You have a point there mate. But a 35watt halogen just isn't enough for night rides except for rural and well lit urban areas. And therein lies the problem.

**basu07** · 03-15-2017, 07:36 PM

Re: Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

Originally posted by abhimanyu31 View Post

One word answer for your query: 'COST'.

All things that are production based are built to a price point, meaning there is a cost factor involved and the product needs to meet a cost target as set by the accounting and marketing departments. Try this simple math exercise; find out the cost of the 4.0ah battery and the cost of the 8.0ah battery, then multiply it by a conservative 25,000 bikes. The amount that you will is additional cost that the bike maker needs to absorb if they do not want to pass on that cost to the customer. If the additional cost is to be passed on to the customer, then the customer may not be willing to buy the bike. Remember, while there may be few people like you who many want to add certain other things on the bike, by and large most people will be happy to ride the bike in stock condition. Therefore, there is no compelling business argument to offer a bigger battery at additional cost. I am not even counting the additional cost of enhanced charging system that will need to added in conjunction with the bigger battery.

Therefore, while it is easy to question the logic of the bike makers, they are not unaware of what is possible and what needs to be done. Its just that there is no business case for a bigger battery.

Thank you for that amazing reply. I completely understand whatever you have said and your points are completely legible. But One question and that is ask anyone out there who rides in dark especially on highways city roads without streetlights and I'm sure 95% would say that they wish their motorcycles had a better headlight. It's just that they accept it and live with it. If only there was some solution. My question here for the larger battery or alternator was not just in regard to extra add-ons or mods that one would like to make on their motorcycles but more about the illumination that these motorcycles provide. If only in some way these manufacturers could provide these motorcycles with better illumination for better and safer riding experience during dark hours. If only!

**leech** · 03-16-2017, 02:07 AM

Re: Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

Honda gave us a 65w Phillips halogen for the CBR 250, and it still sucks when facing oncoming traffic at night.

Guys are putting in 100/90w and LEDs and fog lights for night rides. So even if the manufacturer does provide high quality stuff, some people still find the need to improvise.

**abhimanyu31** · 03-16-2017, 02:29 PM

Re: Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

Originally posted by basu07 View Post

Thank you for that amazing reply. I completely understand whatever you have said and your points are completely legible. But One question and that is ask anyone out there who rides in dark especially on highways city roads without streetlights and I'm sure 95% would say that they wish their motorcycles had a better headlight. It's just that they accept it and live with it. If only there was some solution. My question here for the larger battery or alternator was not just in regard to extra add-ons or mods that one would like to make on their motorcycles but more about the illumination that these motorcycles provide. If only in some way these manufacturers could provide these motorcycles with better illumination for better and safer riding experience during dark hours. If only!

As pointed out by the gentleman below even a higher wattage bulb is not as effective as one desires, or to put it; 'not as good as the lights on a car which has similar wattage bulbs'. The problem is one of physics. To put it quite simply, its a problem with the amount of green acreage available in the front of a motorcycle to house a headlight. What is used in most basic headlights is the traditional bulb with a reflector within the headlight. As the frontage available on a motorcycle is very limited, there is a limit to how big a reflector can be. A car does not have this limitation, thus there is more freedom for engineers to design a headlight that makes optimum usage of illumination provided by the bulbs. Therefore, while the wattage of the bulbs may be the same, a car's headlight is more efficient than a motorcycle's.

There are ways and means of mitigating the problem; projector headlights, LEDs, etc. (again cost is a consideration), however, even these do not completely eliminate the problem and the challenges presented by the limited frontal area of a bike remain for engineers to tackle for the foreseeable future.

Originally posted by leech View Post

Honda gave us a 65w Phillips halogen for the CBR 250, and it still sucks when facing oncoming traffic at night.

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Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

Better headlights and battery from Japanese manufacturers for their 150cc motorcycles

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