40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
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- SgtSlag
- King of the Road
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- Current bike(s): 1993 Voyager XII (2010)
(2006-2012: 1979 Honda CB750K)
(2008-2010: 1983 Kawasaki 440LTD, belt drive) - Location: Minnesota
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40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
Link to Amazon, where I ordered the bulb from.
Cost: $26.99 (Currently unavailable...)
Color: 6000K (slight bluish tint)
Lumens: 3,000 (Bright!)
Moving Parts: None, uses braided bands of steel(?) as a heat sink, nothing to seize up, no reason for it to overheat, and burn out.
Difficult to install: Not at all! Has a plug which matches the H4 bulb of the bike, perfectly.
Would you recommend/buy another: in a heartbeat, Baby!
Pattern on Street, at Night: identical to the Halogen H4 I pulled out; I swapped the two, back and forth, to compare the beam pattern, then I took it out at night, to verify it was 'normal' in light pattern... It was.
Bottom Line: Buy it, when it is available again! Carry a Halogen back-up, but only as a back-up. Cheers!
Cost: $26.99 (Currently unavailable...)
Color: 6000K (slight bluish tint)
Lumens: 3,000 (Bright!)
Moving Parts: None, uses braided bands of steel(?) as a heat sink, nothing to seize up, no reason for it to overheat, and burn out.
Difficult to install: Not at all! Has a plug which matches the H4 bulb of the bike, perfectly.
Would you recommend/buy another: in a heartbeat, Baby!
Pattern on Street, at Night: identical to the Halogen H4 I pulled out; I swapped the two, back and forth, to compare the beam pattern, then I took it out at night, to verify it was 'normal' in light pattern... It was.
Bottom Line: Buy it, when it is available again! Carry a Halogen back-up, but only as a back-up. Cheers!
SgtSlag
1993 Voyager XII
1993 Voyager XII
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- Streetster
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Re: 40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
Appreciate the write up!
Wondering if you have any additional feedback.... has it been trouble-free? An issues?
Also... do you run a modulator on your headlight?
Thanks!
Wondering if you have any additional feedback.... has it been trouble-free? An issues?
Also... do you run a modulator on your headlight?
Thanks!
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- Traveler
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- Current bike(s): 1986 Kawasaki Voyager XII ZG1200
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Re: 40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
I have thought of switching to led for the headlight, but I love my 55W HID 6000K light that I have in mine. Super bright and the throw, both forward and off to the sides, is amazing!! Especially for riding the back roads and farming areas where I tend to end up. Plus they are great on the highway for road signs.
- SgtSlag
- King of the Road
- Posts: 1057
- Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:04 pm
- 14
- Current bike(s): 1993 Voyager XII (2010)
(2006-2012: 1979 Honda CB750K)
(2008-2010: 1983 Kawasaki 440LTD, belt drive) - Location: Minnesota
- Has liked: 23 times
- Been liked: 238 times
Re: 40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
No issues yet (fingers crossed...). Will be purchasing an LED-specific Modulator next month. About to haul it to Arkansas on Saturday, where we will drop the bike, and do day trips, before loading it back up, and hauling it back to Minnie-Soda. Hauling will get us there faster, so we can spend more time down South. Did this last Summer, to get to the Cabot Trail, in eastern Canada. It was actually nice pulling the bike, and then driving it upon arrival at our starting point. Wish we had the Modulator on-board, already, but it did not happen. Praying we'll be visible enough, without it. Run two LED's down on the crash bar, to make the train-like, triangle of lights. Cheers!
SgtSlag
1993 Voyager XII
1993 Voyager XII
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Re: 40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
Good call on the Arkansas trip. I think you will be visible enough...I was with stock lighting. The deer seemed smaller, but much quicker. They don't dilly-dally like yankee deer.SgtSlag wrote:No issues yet (fingers crossed...). Will be purchasing an LED-specific Modulator next month. About to haul it to Arkansas on Saturday, where we will drop the bike, and do day trips, before loading it back up, and hauling it back to Minnie-Soda. Hauling will get us there faster, so we can spend more time down South. Did this last Summer, to get to the Cabot Trail, in eastern Canada. It was actually nice pulling the bike, and then driving it upon arrival at our starting point. Wish we had the Modulator on-board, already, but it did not happen. Praying we'll be visible enough, without it. Run two LED's down on the crash bar, to make the train-like, triangle of lights. Cheers!
Of course I don't know where you plan on riding, but I'll put a plug in for the Talimena run. I liked that better than the Pig Trail. Both were great though. Enjoy the trip.
- SgtSlag
- King of the Road
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- Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:04 pm
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- Current bike(s): 1993 Voyager XII (2010)
(2006-2012: 1979 Honda CB750K)
(2008-2010: 1983 Kawasaki 440LTD, belt drive) - Location: Minnesota
- Has liked: 23 times
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Re: 40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
We're doing day trips out of Bettendorf. Leaving tomorrow...
We both wear hi-vis jackets, have for years. Still, I've repeatedly seen cars begin to creep out in front of us, then stop. My assumption was that the modulated headlight caught their attention. We will see if it still holds true without the modulator.
Thanks for the head's up on the southern deer. Not a fan of yankee deer, at all. Too many close encounters, in car and on the bike. Cheers!
We both wear hi-vis jackets, have for years. Still, I've repeatedly seen cars begin to creep out in front of us, then stop. My assumption was that the modulated headlight caught their attention. We will see if it still holds true without the modulator.
Thanks for the head's up on the southern deer. Not a fan of yankee deer, at all. Too many close encounters, in car and on the bike. Cheers!
SgtSlag
1993 Voyager XII
1993 Voyager XII
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- Streetster
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2000 Vulcan 800b - Location: Lexington
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Re: 40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
SgtSlag, Is this the same bulb? Amazon still does not have them available.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/H4-9003-HB2-Hea ... 568ec4b167
http://www.ebay.com/itm/H4-9003-HB2-Hea ... 568ec4b167
- SgtSlag
- King of the Road
- Posts: 1057
- Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:04 pm
- 14
- Current bike(s): 1993 Voyager XII (2010)
(2006-2012: 1979 Honda CB750K)
(2008-2010: 1983 Kawasaki 440LTD, belt drive) - Location: Minnesota
- Has liked: 23 times
- Been liked: 238 times
Re: 40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
Looks to be the same bulb. It's cheap enough. Take a chance. I love mine.
You reminded me: I need to order my LED-compatible, modulator... Not cheap, but worth the investment, based on 10 years of experience with them YMMV. Cheers!
You reminded me: I need to order my LED-compatible, modulator... Not cheap, but worth the investment, based on 10 years of experience with them YMMV. Cheers!
SgtSlag
1993 Voyager XII
1993 Voyager XII
- SgtSlag
- King of the Road
- Posts: 1057
- Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:04 pm
- 14
- Current bike(s): 1993 Voyager XII (2010)
(2006-2012: 1979 Honda CB750K)
(2008-2010: 1983 Kawasaki 440LTD, belt drive) - Location: Minnesota
- Has liked: 23 times
- Been liked: 238 times
Re: 40W LED H4 Motorcycle Headlight Bulb Review
I recently installed the Kisan LED-specific Headlight Modulator. It was plug and play, super-easy to install. This unit is programmable for light sensitivity, and that is one of the features which sold me on it.
After installation, I tested it, of course. I found it's default light sensitivity setting quite good: it turns itself off at dusk, unlike others I've used, which continued modulating until it was well past dusk, and too dark to modulate, for my comfort.
I also noticed that it really modulates between Hi abd Lo beams, due to the headlight failure mechanism in the Voyager. I actually like this. Noticed similar behaviour with the incandescent bulbs, too.
If you are in the Headlight Modulator Camp, I highly recommend the Kisan unit. Cheers!
After installation, I tested it, of course. I found it's default light sensitivity setting quite good: it turns itself off at dusk, unlike others I've used, which continued modulating until it was well past dusk, and too dark to modulate, for my comfort.
I also noticed that it really modulates between Hi abd Lo beams, due to the headlight failure mechanism in the Voyager. I actually like this. Noticed similar behaviour with the incandescent bulbs, too.
If you are in the Headlight Modulator Camp, I highly recommend the Kisan unit. Cheers!
SgtSlag
1993 Voyager XII
1993 Voyager XII