Selective yellow H4 in my Harley

[G-MAN]

I've had a pair of H4 bulbs from France that have the selective yellow globe on them for twenty years. I got a friend of mine who was going to Europe to pick 'em up for me. At the time I was running E-code Hella headlights in my Benz, but I never got around to putting these bulbs in. They've been sitting on a shelf all this time. Now I get to use 'em.

Of course, now you can get H4 bulbs where the quartz glass on the bulb itself is selective yellow filtered, but back then it was done with a glass globe put on a std H4. For years selective yellow headlights were required in France. I like 'em because they stick out during the day to make you more visible, and at night they really do sharpen your depth perception.

To use the bulb in the stock headlight required the removal of the bulb shield. I'd planned to do that anyway to get rid of the annoying shadow the shield bracket makes in the foreground when you're running on hi-beams. (The bulb shield is put in low beam headlights to reduce stray (non-focused) light from the filament being reflected back into the driver's eyes in rain, snow, and fog. Since I don't intend to ever be riding in those conditions, I don't need the shield.)

Here's a couple pics:

 

[RFIRE]

Select yellow is history. The heavey metal needed to make that color glass is toxic so it is no longer in use.

I believe that shield you removed is there to provide vertical control of the light to prevent glare to opposing drivers.

Richard.

 

[G-MAN]

Quote:

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I believe that shield you removed is there to provide vertical control of the light to prevent glare to opposing drivers.

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Nope. The bulb shield is for what I said. It helps prevent glare from stray light back into the driver's eyes. It does nothing for oncoming drivers.