Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: ohiorider on February 20, 2017, 03:44:13 PM
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While I was out riding today, I stopped at a Honda Powersports store to purchase what I thought was a universal item. Went to the parts counter and asked for an H4 headlight bulb. Got the deer in the headlights look. "what bike is it for?"
Me - it's an H4 bulb, far as I know, it's a universal standard.
Him - 'what model Honda is it for?'
Me - 'I don't know, probably any one that uses an H4 bulb.'
No luck there, so I stopped at a "Motor Company" dealer, where I thought I was sure to find one.
"What model Harley is it for?"
"It's for my BMW."
"Ohhhhhh ....well ....
Again, no luck.
So I went out of my way to stop at the BMW dealer. They were closed on Mondays.
Who on this forum wouldn't be familiar with an H4 headlamp bulb? I don't think there'd be many. Or have H4 bulbs fallen totally out of favor over the past 10-15 years?
Bob
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Try your local auto parts store. They should have the bulb.
Tom
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(http://www.wthr.com/sites/wthr.com/files/archive/2016/05/05/10485076_G.jpg)
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Agreed that an auto parts store is the place to get one, but it's hilarious that two motorcycle dealers didn't even know where to send you.
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I was told that on a dual head light bike, you can't use an H4. DOT says no more than 90 watts are allowed. My Honda, sold all over the world, has a modified lamp housing for the US. The head lamps look like an H4 at a quick glance. However the 3 locating flanges are at different locations than the H4. Honda sales a 45/45 lamp.
I bought a European housing and run the standard H4. Works great!
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I knew NAPA or Autozone would probably have them, but seems like I've had better luck over the years with bulbs spec'd for motorcycles (supposedly less susceptible to vibration damage, or so I have always thought.)
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Bob
are you sure you were dressed appropriately to enter these cycle stores :evil:
I think Tractor Supply even carries them......
Mark
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:1: Auto Zone, O'Reilly's, CARQUEST, Napa and WalMart. There are H4 equivalent LED on Amazon too. :thumb:
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Bob
are you sure you were dressed appropriately to enter these cycle stores :evil:
I think Tractor Supply even carries them......
Mark
Mark,
Maybe not, but I felt appropriately grungy and stinking of the smell of gasoline from my flooding carburetor issue from an hour earlier. Maybe it was a turn off when I walked up to the counter at the HD dealer and said "Aaarrrrrrrrr, Lassie ..... lead me to the H4's."
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Problem is even going to the mega auto parts store is if you can't find the part on the shelf and you have to ask the counter guy the 1st question out of his mouth will be "what vehicle" is the part for. You might be asking for some fast orange hand cleaner or an air freshener but if they can't look it up and see it on the monitor they don't have it.
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Maybe it was a turn off when I walked up to the counter at the HD dealer and said "Aaarrrrrrrrr, Lassie ..... lead me to the H4's."
A lassie at the parts counter? We haven't evolved that far in this area.
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Sounds like a typical HD store to me. A few years ago I needed some fork gaitors for my MuZ and all the HD parts guys didn't have a clue what I needed. Ended up finding them @ the local Suzuki dealer. :smiley:
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Problem is even going to the mega auto parts store is if you can't find the part on the shelf and you have to ask the counter guy the 1st question out of his mouth will be "what vehicle" is the part for. You might be asking for some fast orange hand cleaner or an air freshener but if they can't look it up and see it on the monitor they don't have it.
Right there is the problem. Most of the guys behind the parts counter these days are NOT gearheads, they did NOT grow up working on cars, they know NOTHING about the parts they are selling.
All they know how to do is navigate the company's parts menu. If you won't tell them what kind of car it is for, they don't want to hear anything else. You can tell them the type, the manufacturers number, or something that we used to expect parts guys to know. Not now.
The good thing is, I have access from my very desk to the same inventories that they have, without coming into the store or even buying from their store. I just push a button, and an energetic young person in brown shorts drops it on my doorstep ....
Lannis
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Try your local auto parts store. They should have the bulb.
Tom
Yep, every auto parts store will have H4, AND you really should have helped educate the nimrods at BOTH of those shops They have no business at a parts counter if they don't know what a 1157 or a H4 are.
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Sounds like a typical HD store to me. A few years ago I needed some fork gaitors for my MuZ and all the HD parts guys didn't have a clue what I needed. Ended up finding them @ the local Suzuki dealer. :smiley:
Uh Wayne , Bob started in a Honda dealership :shocked:
Dusty
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I once went into the motor company to get a 530 master link. dino asked me what modle hd it was for. i just replied shovel head. he turned and got me one...then i laughed and said its for my cb750...the dirty look i got was worth it!
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Uh Wayne , Bob started in a Honda dealership :shocked:
Dusty
Hey Dusty, don't bother me with details. :tongue: I went to the HD store figuring if anybody had what I needed they would. Boy was I wrong!
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I called the local tri-yam shop and asked for a wheel bearing for a '48 rickshaw in my best Chinese accent. They told me they couldn't help me. The nerve of those people :rolleyes:
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A lassie at the parts counter? We haven't evolved that far in this area.
Absolutely the best three parts persons we've had around here in are female :laugh:
In defense of these no-nothing parts counter droids , the game is all about parts numbers now. Back when an entire parts store's inventory could fit in 3 rows of shelves, and the book was only a hundred pages thick it was possible to pretty much memorize what was in the store . Not possible now . Of course not knowing what an H4 bulb is seems problematic :rolleyes:
Dusty
Dusty
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Absolutely the best three parts persons we've had around here in are female :laugh:
In defense of these no-nothing parts counter droids , the game is all about parts numbers now. Back when an entire parts store's inventory could fit in 3 rows of shelves, and the book was only a hundred pages thick it was possible to pretty much memorize what was in the store . Not possible now . Of course not knowing what an H4 bulb is seems problematic :rolleyes:
Dusty
Dusty
Many parts aren't even IN the store. They have to be shipped from a warehouse somewhere. All the guy is asking for is search criteria so he can find the part in the system and the location, get the price yadda yadda. Sorry, but you have to play the game.
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I guess I'm lucky in the small town I live near. Most or all of the auto parts stores have counter guys who generally know the stock, and are happy to take a random part I bring in, maybe from an old boat engine, and match it to something they have on the shelf.
I do admit though, that the hour I would have to spend driving to town and back usually makes me order parts by web. The fact that including shipping, it's usually still less expensive than buying locally reinforces that.
Unfortunately, the motorcycle dealer in town has been little help to me. They couldn't even help me get a spare key to my Ninja 250.
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Never walked into a NAPA and not been able to find a H4 on the shelf. Several are rated for high vibration.
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Much the same out here, although I suspect that most would know what an H4 bulb is.
I have a "contact" who is older than me, been in parts all his life and has not retired yet because I think he enjoys the job too much. He actually deals with the phone enquirers as he can usually get to know what they are after. So far the shop lets me go out back and Keith can sort me out with the awkward stuff. :thumb:
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those bulbs technically go by 9003/H4.
When you search at walmart, it can drive you crazy if you can't remember 9003 bulb.
Bike shop? Ahhhh never.
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Just order from Amazon at a cheaper price, answer your own questions and stay at home. Even websites that sell parts always want the vehicle, year, and model before you can get what you are looking for, it`s just the way it is. You can`t blame the kid behind the counter as it`s not a career, he/her is not interested in parts and companies are to cheap to even want to give basic training and they learn through trial and error with customers. I have to say I find women behind the parts counter to be more helpful, because like with most things in life they actually care.
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Right there is the problem. Most of the guys behind the parts counter these days are NOT gearheads, they did NOT grow up working on cars, they know NOTHING about the parts they are selling.
All they know how to do is navigate the company's parts menu. If you won't tell them what kind of car it is for, they don't want to hear anything else. You can tell them the type, the manufacturers number, or something that we used to expect parts guys to know. Not now.
The good thing is, I have access from my very desk to the same inventories that they have, without coming into the store or even buying from their store. I just push a button, and an energetic young person in brown shorts drops it on my doorstep ....
Lannis
That's probably the very reason that good spares places are going down the toilet Lannis. Less people are using them and then when you go there for something on a Saturday morning just before they close.....Woops !!! They just employ some inexperienced dick who remembers to close and lock the door when he leaves. Hopefully.
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Right there is the problem. Most of the guys behind the parts counter these days are NOT gearheads, they did NOT grow up working on cars, they know NOTHING about the parts they are selling.
All they know how to do is navigate the company's parts menu. If you won't tell them what kind of car it is for, they don't want to hear anything else. You can tell them the type, the manufacturers number, or something that we used to expect parts guys to know. Not now.
The good thing is, I have access from my very desk to the same inventories that they have, without coming into the store or even buying from their store. I just push a button, and an energetic young person in brown shorts drops it on my doorstep ....
Lannis
Exactly :1: :thumb:
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That's probably the very reason that good spares places are going down the toilet Lannis. Less people are using them and then when you go there for something on a Saturday morning just before they close.....Woops !!! They just employ some inexperienced dick who remembers to close and lock the door when he leaves. Hopefully.
Maybe a sort of "chicken and egg" question. Are the stores failing, including not attracting good help, because we've heartlessly and disloyally abandoned them for a better source, or are the stores failing because technology has changed (like needing buggy whips to NOT needing buggy whips) and they didn't anticipate it?
I think it's the latter. Bookstores are the perfect example. Books are the easiest thing in the world to buy on-line. I can get out-of-print AND newly published books on-line in an instant, books I would never see at a Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million.
So if I'm in town (30 miles from home) and wander into a Barnes and Noble, and say "Hey, I remembered there's a book I want to buy", and I look for it and it's not there, but they say ...
"We can order it for you, it will be here Friday"
what kind of idiot would I have to be let THEM order it, then I have to come BACK to the store and pick it up, when all I have to do is One-Touch ordering and in two days, the book is on my own doorstep?
Most oil threads include the same thing, where someone says "I can't get the oil that's recommended for my bike locally, is it OK if I use the reprocessed chainsaw bar oil that's on sale for 50 cents a gallon this week at my local BiggBoxx?"
With apologies to the Canadians, who have explained that there are very many products that are not shipped to Canada, WHY would you not just buy it on-line at 50% of the price offered for the right stuff 100 miles away, and go with it?
My first priority is to use my local retail place IF it makes sense or IF they provide a service for me, but I do NOT use them as my shipping depot. My front porch works for that.
Lannis
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While I was out riding today, I stopped at a Honda Powersports store to purchase what I thought was a universal item. Went to the parts counter and asked for an H4 headlight bulb. Got the deer in the headlights look. "what bike is it for?"
Me - it's an H4 bulb, far as I know, it's a universal standard.
Him - 'what model Honda is it for?'
Me - 'I don't know, probably any one that uses an H4 bulb.'
No luck there, so I stopped at a "Motor Company" dealer, where I thought I was sure to find one.
"What model Harley is it for?"
"It's for my BMW."
"Ohhhhhh ....well ....
Again, no luck.
So I went out of my way to stop at the BMW dealer. They were closed on Mondays.
Who on this forum wouldn't be familiar with an H4 headlamp bulb? I don't think there'd be many. Or have H4 bulbs fallen totally out of favor over the past 10-15 years?
Bob
The H-4's Honda uses are specific to their bikes, they use a different tab set up than a conventional H-4, my friend who owned a Honda dealership explained this to me years ago. He said its just marketing, selling a $50. Honda bulb is much more profitable than a $15. universal bulb.
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The H-4's Honda uses are specific to their bikes, they use a different tab set up than a conventional H-4, my friend who owned a Honda dealership explained this to me years ago. He said its just marketing, selling a $50. Honda bulb is much more profitable than a $15. universal bulb.
then it's not an H4 (9003) bulb.
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Well, I'll know soon, and will report back. Just purchased an H4 bulb from State8, a local multibrand dealer. Price ....$6.95. So if its the right one or wrong one, I'm not out a bunch of $$$$. The box said "H4 - 55/60W. And it appeared to be a double filament bulb (low/high beam.)
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Yep, every auto parts store will have H4, AND you really should have helped educate the nimrods at BOTH of those shops They have no business at a parts counter if they don't know what a 1157 or a H4 are.
I believe it would have fallen on deaf ears, Lee. It's relatively easy to tell when someone wants to learn. That wasn't the case, and I didn't feel like being a crusader for H4 head lamp bulbs. Found what I needed today at State8, a local multi-brand dealer, and the young man on the counter said "sure we have them." And they did.
Bob
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The H-4's Honda uses are specific to their bikes, they use a different tab set up than a conventional H-4, my friend who owned a Honda dealership explained this to me years ago. He said its just marketing, selling a $50. Honda bulb is much more profitable than a $15. universal bulb.
then it's not an H4 (9003) bulb.
:1:
I can't understand why this is an issue. Every auto parts store I've ever been in, plus WalMart, has a rack of bulbs in the electrical section out on the self-service floor. H4 (9003) bulbs are clearly labeled on the bubble card. Look at the rack and grab what you need. There's no motorcycle-specific H4. Sylvania makes H4 bulbs in several flavors -- brighter/whiter bulbs have a shorter life cycle. Standard H4 is 55/60 watt (DOT approved) but on line you can get 60/90 for "off-road" use.
If you don't want to spend $50 for the Honda bulb, it's easy enough to swap in a standard H4 socket. A dozen companies sell ceramic sockets for under $5.
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I know. I know! Last week I just needed a common muffler bearing ....
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/muffler%20bearing3_zpsmpaq84db.jpg)
Got this instead! :angry:
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/really-bad-customer-service1_zpsy9sunjfz.jpg)
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If I can I'll get their part # from their website.
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We tend to get inflated prices here in Oz, the excuse being
" we're at the arsend of the World and it costs more to get
it here " BS. Add incompetent/lazy servicing and you gravitate
quickly to why bother.
A simple example: R1150R doing a major service, I wanted to
replace the Sparks - they're the twin electrode in the single Spark.
They wanted $37 for two plugs, I cancelled the whole order and
checked online and ended up getting a pair of Iridiums delivered
to door from a Retail outlet in Ireland for $27.
Never set foot in that store again - they lasted about a year
before closing down and it was no loss to anyone when they did.
Good workshops with good Spannermen with realistic charges are
Are like Gold - and just as hard to find.
Maurie.
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Walk into most places and say you want to buy an air freshener and they will want to know the make and model vehicle you need it for.
Tex
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We tend to get inflated prices here in Oz, the excuse being
" we're at the arsend of the World and it costs more to get
it here " BS. Add incompetent/lazy servicing and you gravitate
quickly to why bother.
A simple example: R1150R doing a major service, I wanted to
replace the Sparks - they're the twin electrode in the single Spark.
They wanted $37 for two plugs, I cancelled the whole order and
checked online and ended up getting a pair of Iridiums delivered
to door from a Retail outlet in Ireland for $27.
Never set foot in that store again - they lasted about a year
before closing down and it was no loss to anyone when they did.
Good workshops with good Spannermen with realistic charges are
Are like Gold - and just as hard to find.
Maurie.
Everyone has their limit .... $37 at the local dealer and $27 on line doesn't seem too far out of normal experience. I probably wouldn't have cancelled the purchase over that, but would have taken it as a "lesson learned" for the next time.
I went into a Radio Shack for a Panasonic battery for my cordless phone (I do have one, even though the other phones have long cords!). They wanted $16.95 for it. Seemed a bit much, so I came home, typed the battery part number into Google which took me straight to a company's order page, the SAME battery (not a clone, a Panasonic) was $4.50 and free shipping.
So for a 30% discount I may or may not switch - but for 4 times the price .... ? What is Radio Shack thinking? No adults left in the company, I guess.
Lannis
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I'll be darned. I've never seen one..
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/muffler%20bearing3_zpsmpaq84db.jpg)
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Everyone has their limit .... $37 at the local dealer and $27 on line doesn't seem too far out of normal experience. I probably wouldn't have cancelled the purchase over that, but would have taken it as a "lesson learned" for the next time.
I went into a Radio Shack for a Panasonic battery for my cordless phone (I do have one, even though the other phones have long cords!). They wanted $16.95 for it. Seemed a bit much, so I came home, typed the battery part number into Google which took me straight to a company's order page, the SAME battery (not a clone, a Panasonic) was $4.50 and free shipping.
So for a 30% discount I may or may not switch - but for 4 times the price .... ? What is Radio Shack thinking? No adults left in the company, I guess.
Lannis
It wasn't just the plugs that were over priced, they were the
proverbial straw - I'm willing to pay a little more to keep a
good workshop going.
But when I can get a superior product from a Brick and Mortar
Retail store on the other side of the World, have it transported
what - 12k/15k miles and have it on my doorstep at a 30%
discount there is something wrong.
Maurie.
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I'll be darned. I've never seen one..
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/muffler%20bearing3_zpsmpaq84db.jpg)
🤔 ?
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What is Radio Shack thinking? No adults left in the company, I guess.
Lannis
I would say lot`s of adults left who just want to fill their pockets with money in the traditional American way. Will it work? Long enough so the CEO makes millions, bankrupts the company and leaves everyone else empty handed.
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just remember 9003 bulb. Look for the wattage for what your electrical system can handle.
I rode my Bandit for 50k miles with 90/100 bulb until I recently switched to an LED. (I didn't like the brown spot on the lens).
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I'll be darned. I've never seen one..
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/muffler%20bearing3_zpsmpaq84db.jpg)
I had one but the back wheel fell off. (probably due to the mounting I feel) :undecided:
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I'll be darned. I've never seen one..
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic004/muffler%20bearing3_zpsmpaq84db.jpg)
Geez , you guys disappoint me , that is obviously a Mercedes Benz muffler bearing ...
Dusty
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Speaking of a dead language.. when I was converting the Aero engine I went to a couple of auto parts stores to buy a degree wheel. "A whut?" :smiley: So I downloaded one from the net, printed it out, and glued it on a plate. Free. (Guzzi content) :smiley:
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Speaking of a dead language.. when I was converting the Aero engine I went to a couple of auto parts stores to buy a degree wheel. "A whut?" :smiley: So I downloaded one from the net, printed it out, and glued it on a plate. Free. (Guzzi content) :smiley:
Torque wrench :laugh:
Dusty
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BMW left-handed smoke shifter:
(http://thumb.ibb.co/hv0htv/dsc_8993_2.jpg) (http://ibb.co/hv0htv)
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Speaking of a dead language.. when I was converting the Aero engine I went to a couple of auto parts stores to buy a degree wheel. "A whut?" :smiley: So I downloaded one from the net, printed it out, and glued it on a plate. Free. (Guzzi content) :smiley:
" ........ a degree wheel? Sir, would than be Fahrenheit or Centigrade?"
Bob
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Most modern sportbikes run a variable backpressure valve just ahead of the muffler. This allows for smaller diameter exhaust at lower RPMs for torque, then opens up for higher flow at higher RPM. SO, in the end, muffler bearings are now an actual thing. Sadly, when they go out you have to replace the WHOLE unit, not just the bearings.