LED H4 upgrade for 2013 Gen III — any Update?

[John_Atkinson]

Just wondering if anyone is aware of any new options for LED upgrade to the OEM halogen headlight for a ‘13 Gen III FJR?

I understand that the reflector design of the ‘13 headlight has not, in the past, been conducive to changing to LED bulbs but curious if there are any new developments and choices?

Any feedback is welcome and appreciated — thanks in advance,
JA

 

[Ignacio]

Nothing I've considered enough for my '14. I remain getting extra photons from auxiliary lights.

 

[RossKean]

Lots of people have been happy with some aftermarket H4 bulbs in various FJR years. I have had a set sitting on the shelf for my 2011 for the last three years - waiting for one of the 12 year old 100,000 mile OEM bulbs to burn out!

Afftermarket auxiliary lights (as mentioned above) do very well for extra light down the road as well as for being noticed by other drivers (Fork mounts or mirror mounts). I have a set of Clearwater Ericas which do very well but want to replace my H4s when they go because they look positively yellow compared to the LEDs.

 

[rbentnail]

I answered your same post on another forum.

 

[vzhq16]

Just wondering if anyone is aware of any new options for LED upgrade to the OEM halogen headlight for a ‘13 Gen III FJR?

I understand that the reflector design of the ‘13 headlight has not, in the past, been conducive to changing to LED bulbs but curious if there are any new developments and choices?

Any feedback is welcome and appreciated — thanks in advance,
JA

I bought a set of leds off Amazon for my 2009 and was very happy with the light output. I know the Gen II has a different reflector design than a Gen III but, it's worth giving them a shot.

 

[vzhq16]

Lots of people have been happy with some aftermarket H4 bulbs in various FJR years. I have had a set sitting on the shelf for my 2011 for the last three years - waiting for one of the 12 year old 100,000 mile OEM bulbs to burn out!

Afftermarket auxiliary lights (as mentioned above) do very well for extra light down the road as well as for being noticed by other drivers (Fork mounts or mirror mounts). I have a set of Clearwater Ericas which do very well but want to replace my H4s when they go because they look positively yellow compared to the LEDs.

I'd replace those halogens for the very reason you stated. When halogens get old their light output diminishes making them unsafe for night use.

 

[EddieB]

My '05 had really dim low beams. I replaced with a set of LEDs and also have aux lighting made for offroad truck use (of course, only used at night with no oncoming traffic in the country). I've been happy with the LEDs and seemed to have retained the original pattern well while definitely a huge improvement over the old halogens.

 

[sparkyman2003]

Just wondering if anyone is aware of any new options for LED upgrade to the OEM halogen headlight for a ‘13 Gen III FJR?

I understand that the reflector design of the ‘13 headlight has not, in the past, been conducive to changing to LED bulbs but curious if there are any new developments and choices?

Any feedback is welcome and appreciated — thanks in advance,
JA

This

 

[Whooshka]

What about this?

 

[rbentnail]

Report the post as spammer behavior. User name followed by a 4 digit number, single word irrelevant reply.

 

[sparkyman2003]

Report the post as spammer behavior. User name followed by a 4 digit number, single word irrelevant reply.

My apologies. I must have hit enter before finishing. I have 2014 FJR Gen III and one of my H4 stock Halogen bulbs burned out. Turns out OEM replacements seem impossible to find. So I’m looking for LED options as well.

 

[RossKean]

My apologies. I must have hit enter before finishing. I have 2014 FJR Gen III and one of my H4 stock Halogen bulbs burned out. Turns out OEM replacements seem impossible to find. So I’m looking for LED options as well.

Any quality H4 (or 9003) incandescent halogen bulb is a direct replacement. Not like Yamaha makes their own. Any auto supply place will have a half dozen or more variations. I would avoid "premium" high output lamps because they cost 2 to 4 times as much and last less than half as long. Better light than stock but not worth it.

That said, LED replacements will give more lumens, a whiter light, cooler operation, lower current draw and longer life. Beam pattern is an issue with some bulbs on some Gens. YMMV

 

[BigOgre]

If going H4 buy two and change them both out while you're digging in there. They have a habit of going bad not too far apart from each other.

 

[sparkyman2003]

If going H4 buy two and change them both out while you're digging in there. They have a habit of going bad not too far apart from each other.

Will definitely change both. I’m leaning towards LED they may not provide the same beam spread but I rarely drive in the dark so not a big concern for me. I really want more of a white light that Halogen amber is horrible. Thanks guys

 

[rbentnail]

I used Morimoto 2 Stroke 3.0 LEDs in my Gen3 2013. Pricey, but very happy with them. I do often ride at night so I tried several before these.

 

[Diablo1]

I just changed a halogen H4 bulb on my Gen 2. Went with a Basic (cheap) Osram because their lifespan is more than double the premium bulbs. I only replaced one bulb because I rarely drive at night, and you need only one headlight to be visible and legal, and I’d hate to be out riding when both headlights burn out at the same time. It’s easy to check your headlights both work on the reflection from the car in front at a stoplight.

 

[Zerofun]

Just wondering if anyone is aware of any new options for LED upgrade to the OEM halogen headlight for a ‘13 Gen III FJR?

I understand that the reflector design of the ‘13 headlight has not, in the past, been conducive to changing to LED bulbs but curious if there are any new developments and choices?

Any feedback is welcome and appreciated — thanks in advance,
JA

I have been eyeing a set of the GTR Ultra 2.0. LEDs. According to Headlight Revolution they have showed far better promise than any stock bulb in non-projector / projector style housings. They’re brighter, have a greater usable Lux, have a cleaner beam pattern / cutoff line, have a their hot spot in the same place as incandescent bulb filaments, have the LED chips which supposedly sit in the same place in the housing as the wire filaments would in an incandescent bulb, and have a lifetime warranty.

Two possible downsides if they matter to you: They’re “off-road use only” and the price.
However, putting prices into perspective, I just needed to change the factory HIDs in my car because one finally died. Since you replace HID in pairs, I bought the OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Laser Xenon HIDs, a brighter and whiter version of the stock OSRAMs that were factory installed. I’ve found the newer OSRAMS to offer a HUGE difference in light output and a much whiter light than stock OSRAMs. The price… in line with what the GTRs cost, so, yep, there’s that.

Back to my ’15 FJR:
Currently, I have a set of OPT7 LEDs installed. I got rid of the stock bulbs (technically they're sitting on a shelf in my shed) a year after I got the bike new. The stock bulbs that came in the ’15 were just simply not bright enough for the very dark, deer invaded roads of rural New England. Clearly I found myself in need of the throw of a really good LED due to all of the freaking deer that LOVE jumping out into roads right in front of moving vehicles, (I've personally hit two in the past. Both times I struck one I was “safely” in a car. I shudder to think what hitting one of those dumb bastards on a bike would feel like. I can tell you even in the “safety” of a car they were very unpleasant) and for 2016, I found that in the OPT7s, but now, I think I, we all, can do better!

To be completely transparent, I do run a set of PIAA ultra white (incandescent) driving lights mounted on T-Rex front cages along with the OPT7s. The PIAAs are set so they fall before the headlights to light up the garbage roads we all enjoy traveling on here in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. The PIAAs work well for potholes, cracked pavement strips, sand, frost heaves and other junk avoidance.

That said:
I’ve been doing a ton of research on LED technology and it seems as though LED tech has come leaps and bounds since 2016. LEDs now have better chips, cooling systems, including active water-proof fans, drivers and serious material advances. I think there are some real contenders for going with LED technology over stock incandescent. As I’ve been finding out, overall construction and actually testing the hell out of what everyone who makes LEDs claims is paramount. Headlight Revolution seems to do that, and they seem to be fair. I have no affiliation with them, I’ve just have seen a ton of their videos.

If anyone has any experience on the GTR Ultra 2, please share with the class. Otherwise, I'll be the guinea pig, buy a set of the GTR LEDs and report back to you all.

If I wasn’t going to go with the GTR Ultra 2, I would go for a set of Morimotos or some Sv4s. For now though, I’m going to try the GTR Ultra 2 first. If they suck, at least they’re easy to RMA.

Good luck in your search!

 

[JREW]

I don't have the GTR Ultra 2's but I do have the GTR CSP Mini's. They are the same size as stock, so no cutting, and no fans or extra wires. The color is good, and they are defiantly brighter than stock. The cutoff is good and I've never had anyone complain or flash me. https://www.headlightrevolution.com...t-led-headlights-h4-bulbs-PF1.H4_2?quantity=1

 

[torch]

Any quality H4 (or 9003) incandescent halogen bulb is a direct replacement. Not like Yamaha makes their own. Any auto supply place will have a half dozen or more variations. I would avoid "premium" high output lamps because they cost 2 to 4 times as much and last less than half as long. Better light than stock but not worth it.

Yes and no.

You are correct that high-output bulbs are usually over-driven and burn out faster. If they don't burn out, the light output tends to fade over time so they still need replacement sooner to maintain the brighter light.

However, motorcycles can benefit from an "anti-vibration" type bulb. They usually have extra supports for the filament and cost a bit more. But they are far more resistant to the high-frequency vibrations motorcycles generate and that plague hot filaments.

(Cheap LED substitutes can also suffer from vibration induced failure, but in that case it's the circuit solder joints not the LED itself.)

 

[RossKean]

However, motorcycles can benefit from an "anti-vibration" type bulb.

Yes, but they are also expensive and hard to find, especially around here. I had a Piaa one in a Roadstar and it was no better or worse than stock, despite the hype about more light and vibration resistance. I have found that I get a couple years or more out of a set of regular halogen bulbs. 15 to 20,000 miles per year.