LED Light conversion

[broksonic]

Let me know how bright they are when you hook them up. I would like to put them on my bike mostly to be seen.

sorry about taking so long on those pictures... but here they are..







Glad you cant see my garage very well... its a mess.

[ekap1200]

If the cagers can't see you now, They don't deserve a drivers license.

[Thud300]

If the cagers can't see you now, They don't deserve a drivers license.

Lots of 'em dont deserve one for any reason.

Looks great!

[Lucasind]

Lights are looking great !.....Not so much on the leaf raking !
just teasing .........................Tony

[broksonic]

Lights are looking great !.....Not so much on the leaf raking !
just teasing .........................Tony

Thats one of my MANY areas that just seem to collect leaves. I should get a picture of my fence line near the house.. 4' chain link and the leaves were blowing over the top!

Yards clean though.. they are just all in the "catch" zones!

[JHD]

I have been interested in this topic for some time. There has to be a member('s) here that have converted all there stock lamps to LED's and have the part #'s on hand for the crossover. I have found it extremely confusing when looking on the Superbrites website and seeing all the different bulbs you could use. So many different types, brightness levels and light emitting degrees to ponder. It would be nice if someone could put together a crossover list of known LED's that work best and post it. With all the options how would one know which LED to pick without going through some trial and error, which would be somewhat expensive. A list would be so helpful and could be updated with different sources or better LED options. Since everything is eventually changing to LED's it makes sense to make this change over process as easy for other ZG1200 owners to complete.

I did find a LED that should fit the license plate lamp on the Sperbrites site that I have seen other members having a hard time sourcing. If someone wants to confirm that this would work that would be great. https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... t-car/168/

I am sure there are others that feel as I do. I appreciate any support on this subject as I know it takes time to list and research everything.

[krasmu]

lights are looking great. How many Lums are those? I'm looking at some 900s to install this winter. Also, I'm thinking about mounting them directly in front of the vent inlets. punching a hole up into the fairing and suspending down in front of those vents. Just some small 2" Led driving lights. should be fairly light weight. anyone know of any issues in mounting in such a manner? I thinking if I install larger fender washers or something like that to spread the weight and then some rubber pads between them and the fiberglass it should keep from cracking with bouncing. anyone with any experience with this, good or bad, I appreciate hearing about it. thanks

[Tonyvdb]

Ideally you want those LED lights down lower on the crash bars to form a triangle. With a triangle of light coming from the front of the bike it helps oncoming traffic see how far away you are and how fast your going. Its a proven fact that the mind can calculate this. That is why trains also have the triangle of lights on the front of them.

I use these ones and they are 18Watt LED
http://www.amazon.com/Nilight-1260lm-Dr ... 5F54S8Y25J" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[broksonic]

lights are looking great. How many Lums are those? I'm looking at some 900s to install this winter. Also, I'm thinking about mounting them directly in front of the vent inlets. punching a hole up into the fairing and suspending down in front of those vents. Just some small 2" Led driving lights. should be fairly light weight. anyone know of any issues in mounting in such a manner? I thinking if I install larger fender washers or something like that to spread the weight and then some rubber pads between them and the fiberglass it should keep from cracking with bouncing. anyone with any experience with this, good or bad, I appreciate hearing about it. thanks

I got those off of E-Bay..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252029580466?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

They are listed at 18 watt 1170 lumens...

As far as bolting a set to the fairing, (as well as no triangle as Tonyvbd said) i would be worried about vibration and it might end up cracking the fairing where they are mounted at.
Even though they may not weigh a lot, there would still be some vibration i would think.

I have been interested in this topic for some time. There has to be a member('s) here that have converted all there stock lamps to LED's and have the part #'s on hand for the crossover. I have found it extremely confusing when looking on the Superbrites website and seeing all the different bulbs you could use. So many different types, brightness levels and light emitting degrees to ponder. It would be nice if someone could put together a crossover list of known LED's that work best and post it. With all the options how would one know which LED to pick without going through some trial and error, which would be somewhat expensive. A list would be so helpful and could be updated with different sources or better LED options. Since everything is eventually changing to LED's it makes sense to make this change over process as easy for other ZG1200 owners to complete.

Most of what i found was if you punch in the stock numbers, you should get a list of LED bulbs.. i watch for the size of the bulb (try to keep it close to the same size as the stock bulb in length), the brightness (or lumens), brighter is better for being seen, and the color of the LED's (match the color of the lens you are putting LED's into).

I am planning to put LED's in ALL my lights, even the head light, but first i am going to attempt to build a custom LED array for some of the side markers (the LED diode's should be in this week). If they work out right, i might just build some for ALL my lights (except the head light).
If it don't work.. it will be a learning experience (and didn't cost me more than $20).

If i have to go with buying LED bulbs, i will keep track of what/how many bulbs i use and post it up if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

[JHD]

broksonic wrote:
Most of what i found was if you punch in the stock numbers, you should get a list of LED bulbs.. i watch for the size of the bulb (try to keep it close to the same size as the stock bulb in length), the brightness (or lumens), brighter is better for being seen, and the color of the LED's (match the color of the lens you are putting LED's into).

I am planning to put LED's in ALL my lights, even the head light, but first i am going to attempt to build a custom LED array for some of the side markers (the LED diode's should be in this week). If they work out right, i might just build some for ALL my lights (except the head light).
If it don't work.. it will be a learning experience (and didn't cost me more than $20).

If i have to go with buying LED bulbs, i will keep track of what/how many bulbs i use and post it up if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

Thanks for the reply.

[krasmu]

so are you guys using some sort of hardware like tube clamps to clamp around the bar or are you welding a tab or drilling through the bars to mount these lights. I would hate to burn the chrome trying to weld a tab.

[SgtSlag]

Mounting brackets for a 1" tube, is what I used. They are commonly available, in a few different styles. Do a search on 1" C-clamps. To protect the chrome, cut up a bicycle inner tube, and wrap rubber around the crash bar, between it, and the C-clamp. The rubber will hold the clamp in place better, while protecting the bar from scratches. It can be cut, with a razor knife, to be flush with the edge of the clamp, for a neat installation.

With regards to drilling into the fairing for mounting, I would not do that. These fairings are made of ABS plastic, which can become brittle over time. They are relatively easy to repair/patch up, using plumber's ABS Glue, but I still avoid cutting/drilling unless necessary. The ABS Glue is ABS plastic dissolved in a solvent solution: when the solvent evaporates, it leaves behind solid ABS plastic, which essentially welds itself to existing ABS plastic, but you are dealing with a viscous liquid, not a paste, and controlling its flow, can be challenging.

To put the Lumens in perspective, most standard, 55W, automotive headlights pump out around 700 Lumens, on Low Beam. As stated, the triangle of light allows onlookers to accurately gauge your distance, and approach speed, so mounting the LED's on the crash bars is ideal for creating the triangle. Be sure to mount them as far out, as you can, to make a bigger/wider triangle of lights (the larger the triangle, the more accurately onlookers can gauge your distance and speed). Legally, the extra lights cannot be brighter than your headlight -- legally. I currently have 3W/100 Lumen LED's on mine, but I am upgrading to 10W/900 Lumen LED's come Spring (have them, just don't want to work in the unheated garage...). I have a standard 55W/60(?)W headlight bulb, currently. Waiting for tech improvements on LED headlights before jumping that shark. Cheers!

[broksonic]

so are you guys using some sort of hardware like tube clamps to clamp around the bar or are you welding a tab or drilling through the bars to mount these lights. I would hate to burn the chrome trying to weld a tab.

I used these for my lights...



I picked 2 of them up at a "superfest" (electronics flea market) and paid something like $2.00 a piece. They are brushed aluminum finish. I took the CB connection out, cut a small piece of rubber tube for the hole (it was to big for the light bolts). No vibration and no slip.

[broksonic]

Mounting brackets for a 1" tube, is what I used. They are commonly available, in a few different styles. Do a search on 1" C-clamps. To protect the chrome, cut up a bicycle inner tube, and wrap rubber around the crash bar, between it, and the C-clamp. The rubber will hold the clamp in place better, while protecting the bar from scratches. It can be cut, with a razor knife, to be flush with the edge of the clamp, for a neat installation.

With regards to drilling into the fairing for mounting, I would not do that. These fairings are made of ABS plastic, which can become brittle over time. They are relatively easy to repair/patch up, using plumber's ABS Glue, but I still avoid cutting/drilling unless necessary. The ABS Glue is ABS plastic dissolved in a solvent solution: when the solvent evaporates, it leaves behind solid ABS plastic, which essentially welds itself to existing ABS plastic, but you are dealing with a viscous liquid, not a paste, and controlling its flow, can be challenging.

To put the Lumens in perspective, most standard, 55W, automotive headlights pump out around 700 Lumens, on Low Beam. As stated, the triangle of light allows onlookers to accurately gauge your distance, and approach speed, so mounting the LED's on the crash bars is ideal for creating the triangle. Be sure to mount them as far out, as you can, to make a bigger/wider triangle of lights (the larger the triangle, the more accurately onlookers can gauge your distance and speed). Legally, the extra lights cannot be brighter than your headlight -- legally. I currently have 3W/100 Lumen LED's on mine, but I am upgrading to 10W/900 Lumen LED's come Spring (have them, just don't want to work in the unheated garage...). I have a standard 55W/60(?)W headlight bulb, currently. Waiting for tech improvements on LED headlights before jumping that shark. Cheers!

Phillips is making a LED light now.. kind of hard to find and VERY expensive..H4 12953BWX2 PHILIPS X-TREME ULTINON. They are priced just over $100.00. Last i read on them they were only being sold in Japan.

The ones i have been thinking about are the OPT7's .. http://www.ebay.com/itm/141652871515?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT.

Item specifics
Condition: New Brand:
OPT7 Lighting
CanBUS Ready: Yes LED Color: 6000K Cool White - 6K
Wattage: 40w Per Bulb LED Brightness: 3,500 Lms per bulb
Applications 1: Custom Aftermarket Replacement OEM Upgrade Lifetime: 50,000 hrs
Applications 2: Color similar to 5000K and 6000K Includes: 1 Bulb, 1 Driver, Quick Start Manual
Applications 3: Honda Suzuki Kawasaki Yamaha Victory Star Harley Waterproof Rating: IP67 Waterproof
Moto Bulb Size: H4 (9003) Warranty Length: 24 Month / 2 Year Warranty with Lifetime Support
Manufacturer Part Number:
LED: MT-H4-HL-6-A-Z1
Heat Control: RedLine Driver with TurboCool MHC System
Replaces: Both Low and High Beams (Recommended) UPC:
Does Not Apply

Only problem so far about them is if you do a vehicle match, it says its not compatible with the XII, and i am not quite sure why yet unless there is not enough room for the over all size of the bulb in the light housing.

[JHD]

So researching LED's on Superbrites site this morning and the LED's totaled out around $250. Is this what everyone is spending on their conversion? It seems the only advantage is the brightness and cooler temp because one could have their alternator rewound for the higher output for way less than the LED conversion. Maybe there is a cheaper source for these LED's. The drawback buying cheaper LED's would most likely be that they are cheap and don't perform as well as the more expensive ones. It seems crazy to throw down this much money on LED's.

[broksonic]

So researching LED's on Superbrites site this morning and the LED's totaled out around $250. Is this what everyone is spending on their conversion? It seems the only advantage is the brightness and cooler temp because one could have their alternator rewound for the higher output for way less than the LED conversion. Maybe there is a cheaper source for these LED's. The drawback buying cheaper LED's would most likely be that they are cheap and don't perform as well as the more expensive ones. It seems crazy to throw down this much money on LED's.

When i did my truck to LED (changed front turn signals, rear tail lights and backup lights) spent $38.00 (about $6.30 a bulb average) plus another $10.00 for the LED flasher unit.

I have been watching E-Bay for LED's and there are some good prices, are they comparable to Superbright.com? That i don't know. But the ones on my truck are plenty bright, and i have had NO problems with them (they have been in for about a year now).

I did find i liked the ones with the projector lens as well as side lights better than the ones with all just plain diodes. The ones with projector lens will however give you a hot spot (one area in the lens brighter than the rest), the plain diode ones will spread the light out more, but, to me doesn't seem as bright.

I like these..
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141757789561?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

opposed to these...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-PCS-Pure-RED- ... gw&vxp=mtr

Now there is an exception for me in using the projector LED's .. that being if the bulb is mounted sideways. If it is then the projector LED is a waste.

There are a few marker lights on the XII that are mounted side ways..Most of these use the stock 168 or 194 bulbs which i dont even think are available with projectors LED's.

I haven't had the rest of the lights out yet to see how they are mounted yet.

So for me, if its pointing straight forward or straight backward i use a projector LED. Anything else i use all diode type LED.

If your worried about reliability from E-Bay purchases.. then look for LED's from Cree, they seem to have good reports from what i have seen.

I also use only the 5050 style LED diode (16-22 lumens 60 mA @ 2.8-3.4 Volts). They are brighter than the 3528's (6-8 lumens 20-30 mA @ 2.8-3.4 Volts). There's also the 5630 LED (45-50 lumens 150 mA @ 2.8-3.4 Volts), but i haven't seen these on to many bulbs.

Tech info i found was here if anyone is interested..
http://heracolights.com/2014/03/10/3528 ... md-diodes/

Oh and the diode's i mentioned here are really called SMD diode's.

ok.. im done now.. im sure alot of you are already from my long response

[krasmu]

I've been looking on Ebay for a replacement H4 led headlight bulb. there are so many of them out there and I read about this one worked if I wired around the sensor and if I did this or that. Is there anyone who has one that was truly plug and play and it works great? I'm not wanting to do a bunch of extra wiring just to make the switch.

I'm open for suggestions please.

[madmax]

I wouldn’t bother now with LED headlights as reliability is not that great. Remember the powerful ones have a fan on the back to keep them cool.
How reliable are the fans,that’s the question?That would depend on keeping the dirt out of the fan. Once it fails it wont be long until you get the dreaded flashing.
I would wait another year or so, by then the price will have dropped & should have sorted the reliability out.
Also your beam pattern will not be as good because the direction the leds face in the headlight. Your headlight wasn’t designed for LED’s.
I use H4-3 4200K BI-XENON HI/LOW HID’s on all my bikes.
(zg1200,zn1300, C10, C14) Which are Reliable & cheap!
If you buy a car set you get two of everything & cheaper than buying so called bike ones.