LED Headlight

[VoyKimmer]

Mr. Jensee, Could you please post the link. I would like to try one of these.

[Lance McCaw]

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... &year=2000 I have been using this light for a year now . No problems.

[Lance McCaw]

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... 2932/6284/ You do need this also .

[shifterkart26]

Just ordered this one. 40W with 5500lm on high beam....https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071F ... UTF8&psc=1

[cranky]

... just curious what that does to your headlite fail circuit, please let us know!! TIA

[shifterkart26]

... just curious what that does to your headlite fail circuit, please let us know!! TIA

Will do!

[Mr Jensee]

You might try one of these. It has no fans and will fit in the bike without modifications.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FGDT6Q4/re ... bc1953dbe

[cranky]

... I did not see a heat sync on it!!! True, no flex mesh wires or fans? Fit right in?
What did it do the broke headlite circuit? TIA

[ghostler]

You might try one of these. It has no fans and will fit in the bike without modifications.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FGDT6Q4

1400LM. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXWY91S has 3600lm, a little less than twice as much, over twice the lumens.

[SgtSlag]

I would like to know what the wattage used is on the LED bulbs which are triggering the Headlight Failure Circuits. Some of us are having issues with the LED bulbs triggering the Headlight Failure Circuit, and some of us, are not. I suspect that those who are having issues with the Headlight Failure Circuit are running LED bulbs below 35W. I think mine is 35W/40W for Low/High Beam -- no Headlight Failure Circuit activation. I do NOT run a Load Resistor on my LED bulb.

The Headlight Failure Circuit triggers off of low Amperage draw (low Wattage) used by the bulb. When the Amperage (Wattage) drops too low, the Headlight Failure Circuit activates, assuming that the bulb is burned out.

On a side note, the higher the number of Lumens output by the LED bulb, the higher its Wattage, generally speaking. LED's are quite efficient at converting Watts to Lumens (compared to filament bulbs), and they're increasing the Wattage they can burn/Lumens they can pump out, as time marches on.

If you are having to run a Load Resistor, to avoid triggering the Headlight Failure Circuit, please post what Wattage your LED bulb runs at. It would help us pin down the Wattage at which the Headlight Failure Circuit triggers on. Others can then install an LED of a higher Wattage, to avoid the need for a Load Resistor. Cheers!

[cranky]

VERY good point!!!!! Be interested where the cutoff is....

[ghostler]

I would like to know what the wattage used is on the LED bulbs which are triggering the Headlight Failure Circuits. Some of us are having issues with the LED bulbs triggering the Headlight Failure Circuit, and some of us, are not. I suspect that those who are having issues with the Headlight Failure Circuit are running LED bulbs below 35W. I think mine is 35W/40W for Low/High Beam -- no Headlight Failure Circuit activation. I do NOT run a Load Resistor on my LED bulb.

In general, LED technology is low voltage. My suspect that besides a rectifier to convert AC to DC (LED's are DC, one way they act like a rectifier, other way the produce light - BTDT! ), they may have a voltage divider circuit and also capacitors (why household voltage LED lights continue to run a short time after power is cut) to reduce voltage to that acceptable. Thus it is possible that your LED already has a "load resistor" already included. Seems to be enough differences between LED bulbing, to include 120V household ones.

I bought from Amazon a complete set of six (6) 120 Volt 40 Watt LED dimming chandelier bulbs, had 1/2 of them burn out in less than a month (defective). Bought another set of 40 Watt LED dimming from the local home improvement center. Low and behold, they didn't dim the same so I had differing intensities between both makes of bulbs. You simply can't replace 1 dimming bulb with another from a different manufacturer or model number. Electrical characteristics can vary a bit from one to the other!

The Headlight Failure Circuit triggers off of low Amperage draw (low Wattage) used by the bulb. When the Amperage (Wattage) drops too low, the Headlight Failure Circuit activates, assuming that the bulb is burned out.

I know this is pure conjecture, but the electrical engineer who designed that failure circuit probably used a very simple threshold rule, like 50% of the average rated bulb Amperage.

On a side note, the higher the number of Lumens output by the LED bulb, the higher its Wattage, generally speaking. LED's are quite efficient at converting Watts to Lumens (compared to filament bulbs), and they're increasing the Wattage they can burn/Lumens they can pump out, as time marches on.

Yes, older bulbs the waste product of producing light is heat. That is why the Halogen bulbs were extremely hot to the touch. LED's produce less heat, most is converted to electricity. That is why a light that produces the equivalent to an incandescent 100 Watt bulb (very hot to the touch) uses only 15 Watts (night light power). The base still gets warm (not hot) because of the voltage dropping circuit, resistance (dropping resistor / circuit) is producing the heat.

If you are having to run a Load Resistor, to avoid triggering the Headlight Failure Circuit, please post what Wattage your LED bulb runs at. It would help us pin down the Wattage at which the Headlight Failure Circuit triggers on. Others can then install an LED of a higher Wattage, to avoid the need for a Load Resistor. Cheers!

Yes, it would be interesting to know what that threshold is. Then one could add a safety factor to make sure they are well above that level so it works flawlessly. I think Lance pointed out the ideal solution to those of us who aren't into calculating Ohm's law or just want to fix and forget. (I say this because if all the other bulbs are LED, power is reduced enough that even with a less than 100% efficient headlight when using a loading resistor still doesn't break the electrical bank when using added accessories).

You do need this also.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... 2932/6284/

This one comes with a very nice aluminum case, seems to be a quality unit for $9.

[Mr Jensee]

Interesting posts. I have so little electrical knowledge that it might scare some. However I have managed to install a voltage meter and before the LED headlight bulb was installed running all the lights at speed my alternator was pumping out 12.9 volts. After installing the headlight it went up to 13.2. I have no other LEDs on the bike. Not saying I wont in the future.

[shifterkart26]

Just ordered this one. 40W with 5500lm on high beam....https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071F ... UTF8&psc=1

Just installed...WOW what a difference! This photo is my 1200 next to my buddies 1200 on low beam. Try to guess which one has the new LED bulb. [img][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/shifterkart26/Light_zpspmopeyr8.jpg[/img][/img]

[SgtSlag]

Mr. Jensee, my bike's alternator was running around 13.2 Volts before I replaced everything but the instrument bulbs, with LED's. After converting to LED's, including the headlight, my alternator now charges my battery at 14.2 Volts, at highway speeds. I am a happy camper, as my AGM battery is supposed to be charged at around 14 Volts. Last AGM, was run with filament bulbs. It only lasted three, years. Should have lasted 5-6 years! Hoping the higher charging voltage will enable the battery to last longer. I also switched from an HF smart trickle charger, to a Battery Tender (1.2 Amp, instead of the 750 milli-Amp model -- faster charging, heavier duty).

shifterkart26, I would highly recommend a pair of LED spotlights, mounted on your front crash bars. This will create a triangle of lights, facing oncoming traffic. The government did a study on locomotives, many years ago. They determined that a triangle of lights on the front of a locomotive engine, allowed onlookers to accurate determine the Train's approaching speed, and distance. Anyway, it works the same, on a motorcycle. Plus, you will never see a triangle of lights on a normal automobile, so it helps others realize what you are, your distance, and approaching speed.

Here is an example of what I recommend. I used a pair of 10W LED lights. I would not recommend anything less than 10 Watts, and no higher than 30 Watts, per LED light, as they become too bright, and distracting/blinding to oncoming traffic. Be sure to aim them low, as well, or they really will blind oncoming traffic. Cheers!

[cranky]

..... nice LEDs!!! I added similar a while back and computed a >6A savings from the
old 55 watt'ers. These even have their own clamp!!!! ....AMD super cheap!!!!

[SgtSlag]

I'm a fan of the web magazine, WebBikeWorld.com, but those guys are extremely jaded towards expensive, MOTORCYCLE-SPECIFIC LED lights... I trained as an Electronic Technician, graduating Tech School in 1983. I was interested in, and studied, LED's and Lasers. Generally speaking, the $10 LED has pretty much the same characteristics of the $200 LED made for motorcycles... There are some mounting system differences, as well as overall quality of the housings, but both of the LED's will have pretty much the same robustness, aside from the mounts and housings. Keep reading...

I bought, and ran, a $30 pair of 3W LED's, sealed, waterproof, submersible in water even (yes, I tested that claim by the seller), on my Voyager; I ran them on my Voyager until last year -- so around 7 years running down highways and byways, enduring severe operating conditions: harsh weather/rain; vibrations; and, extremely rough jolts (mounted on the engine crash bars with steel P-clamps, and a wrap of rubber bicycle inner tube for cushion and to hold them in place so they did not rotate) -- also prevents the clamp from scratching the engine guard bars' chrome. They never failed me. I only replaced them because I wanted more Lumens. Currently, I am running less expensive ($15 pair) of 10W LED's. These LED's have suffered the same rough operating conditions, with the same P-clamp mounting being used (that has never failed, either). Had a tie-down strap, on a trailer trip out east, damage one mount, but it survived. Both LED's work great, and I expect they will likely last until the bike goes to the junkyard (hopefully in 30 years, when we're dead).

I will never spend $200+ on a set of LED lights for any bike. They are not so superior in performance, as to justify the expense. YMMV, but I stand by what I've typed. It is not a question of performance, but rather one of personal preference, and personal choice. Functionality, endurance, and, frankly, quality, is not really an issue. Cheers!

[Orangejbird]

Just ordered this one. 40W with 5500lm on high beam....https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071F ... UTF8&psc=1

Just installed...WOW what a difference! This photo is my 1200 next to my buddies 1200 on low beam. Try to guess which one has the new LED bulb. [img][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/shifterkart26/Light_zpspmopeyr8.jpg[/img][/img]

How hard was it to install with that braid?

[SgtSlag]

My LED headlight bulb has the braids. They are quite flexible. I just pushed them into the back of the housing, out of the way, with my fingers. They looked like flower petals, to be honest. Not hard to install, at all. They get barely warm when on, so they won't melt anything. I've had mine installed for I believe two years now? Flawless operation. This bulb will likely live longer than I will. The Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) is between 30,000 to 50,000 hours. A Halogen bulb has an MTBF of around 7,000 to 9,000 hours? Barring a mechanical failure, like a broken wire, you could run these LED headlights 8 hours per day, for 10 continuous years, before they failed! That's if they burn out at 30,000 hours. At 50,000 hours of life, they would burn 8 hours per day, for 17 years... Cheers!

[shifterkart26]

Just ordered this one. 40W with 5500lm on high beam....https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071F ... UTF8&psc=1

Just installed...WOW what a difference! This photo is my 1200 next to my buddies 1200 on low beam. Try to guess which one has the new LED bulb. [img][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/shifterkart26/Light_zpspmopeyr8.jpg[/img][/img]

How hard was it to install with that braid?

Very easy. I did a little tidying up of the existing wiring loom to clear a little space for the heat sinks. I did have to modify the rubber boot on the back of the headlight by cutting out the center portion where the halogen bulb connector terminals poke thru with an Xatco knife including 1/16" of the rubber that supports the terminal pass thru portion. This was done for proper seating clearance. Very simple procedure. Then as SgtSlag said, after installing the bulb, you bend and open up the heat sinks and reinstall your headlight. I bent mine (there are 3) horizontal L/R and one down. Once again very easy. I did take a temp measurement on high beam. After 5 minutes it only hit 140 and did not rise any higher. Well within the range of a halogen bulb. The difference this LED light makes is staggering.