LED Headlights

[Mike Aldea]

Well the low beam cut off looks like you won't irritate on coming traffic. Now the question is will the LED replacements project light as far down the road as the halogens. The reflectors have the biggest effect on that but your reflectors, as we all know, were not designed to work with LEDs. So the performance in that regard might not be as good.

I wonder how long before most vehicles come with LED headlights? I've seen them as OEM on some cars and motorcycles.

 

[Nanahanman]

Now that's a good comparison pic! I did the same with some LEDs for another of my bikes and it was terrible. Ended up selling the LEDs.

Cut off looks good but it seems the halogen might have a bit more light closer to the front of the bike. Overall, not bad.

Let us know how they work out on the road and with high beams.

The reflectors have the biggest effect on that but your reflectors, as we all know, were not designed to work with LEDs. So the performance in that regard might not be as good.

And therein lies the issue. Optical systems are just that...systems.

The reflector and light source are both part of the design and retrofitting a light source that was not designed with the optics may not work very well.

That's not to say LEDs cannot be light sources as we see on some of the new cars and bikes.

I'm still not sure about the bright white light. Might be good for clear weather driving but in snowy conditions, might prove too harsh.

Probably not a problem on a bike

I'm suspicious of the DOT stamp as some of the "off shore" manufacturers can put anything on their products they want.

 

[Richouse]

Alright, I got to go for a ride last night. Nice and dark 10:30pm or so. For all of you LED haters, Don't get LED's! That is if you want to continue hating them. There a lot of styles of them but the best setup seems to be 4 total LED's, 2 on each side with that little shield over the front LED for the low beam cutoff. The light pattern is ALMOST perfect (perfect being what a halogen produces). But what little imperfection there may be the brightness of the LED overcomes it. It's like loosing a little horse power but you gain a bunch of torque so you really don't notice the HP loss that much (I guess that's like apples and oranges but it's the best metaphor I can think of to describe it). Are they that bright? Yes. Is the pattern and cutoff that good? Yes. Only reason I tried them was because I wanted a brighter than stock light that would last a long time (the brighter the halogen the lower the lifespan). At $21 each I don't know how long they will last but it was a risk I was willing to take. I believe you get what you pay for. Now that I know I WILL buy a set of those high dollar Phillips LED's if these go out (same style obviously). I have a GoPro video I need to edit to post but as all night videos you watch it doesn't do it justice. I will get it posted as soon as I can.

Ok, Here are the videos:

This one compares the LED to the Halogen and gives a few installation tips --->

 

[Mike Aldea]

Pattern and coverage looks pretty good in the

but one of the annoyances I see from all of these higher color replacement lights is the glare from roadside reflective signs. Unfortunately that is not something that is taken into account when designing the color output of these LED replacements. That might keep me using LED Auxiliary Lights with Halogen headlamps.

 

[RossKean]

Hi beam looks good. Without seeing it in person I can't tell for sure but the low beam seems to be aimed a bit high. Might not hurt to adjust that.

 

[Fred W]

Nice job with the video Rich. I don't have helmet cam so I won't attempt anything like that. I'll just be trying to establish the beam pattern from a purely objective standpoint. I don't think you get a good sense of glare or no glare from video, you'd have to see them in real life for that, but the fill sure looks pretty good. I'm encouraged

 

[BanjoBoy]

Pattern and coverage looks pretty good in the

^THIS^

I finally got a chance to ride in darkness, on a long, lonely highway. I tweaked my cutoff down to about 65 feet in front of me, but the reflection off the signs was intense. Nobody was flashing me so, I recon the cutoff was fine?

But once again, I didn't choose these for serious night riding, (I seldom ride at night.) I dun chose 'em for more viability in daylight, and they're great for that.

 

[Richouse]

Nice job with the video Rich. I don't have helmet cam so I won't attempt anything like that. I'll just be trying to establish the beam pattern from a purely objective standpoint. I don't think you get a good sense of glare or no glare from video, you'd have to see them in real life for that, but the fill sure looks pretty good. I'm encouraged

I agree 100%. While I was riding the intensity of the reflection of the signs never cought my eye. It was not distracting at all. I don't think the light "source" (LED or halogen) matters it's just light. If the light is brighter more light will get reflected by the signs. Maybe the color matters a little but you can get the white halogen silver star ultras from Auto Zone. Would they look the same? I don't know, I've never tried them.

The reason it looks so aggravating in the video is because the camera's aperture is wide open because it's dark. Any bright light like oncoming headlights or reflections will wash it out. The human eye can handle that. That's why any video shot at night doesn't do it justice.

Pleas keep in mind that I'm not trying to change your mind or trying to sell you these lights. I'm just sharing my experience with you guys so you will have some more information in the event you are looking for information on LED's.

 

[Mike Aldea]

Let me clarify that my comment about the glare from the street signs is based more on my experience with my LED auxiliary driving lights than from what I saw in the video. I did see some glare in the video but it was not as noticeable as the glare I experience with my LED auxiliary driving lights. My LED driving lights put out a flood light pattern not the more focused pattern you are getting with the LEDs in your headlamps. That is probably why I'm experiencing a lot of glare from street signs.

To deal with the glare problem I can always shut my driving lights off when approaching a street sign which you can not do with headlamps. I may have to give your LED replacements a try. The price is certainly right and the results look good..

 

[Geezer]

I should have included that info. but I was replying on my iPad (which is a pain to copy and paste on). I ordered the same set that you did, richouse. I went for a pair of these:

LED H4 replacements from ultimatecomponents on eBay

I decided to try a pair of these, but the quantity available is now '0'.

 

[Geezer]

Found them here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1x-H4-HB2-9003-Hi-Lo-6000K-White-40W-4000LM-Motorcycle-Bike-CREE-LED-Headlight/142037316254?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40130%26meid%3Dfd402def7d5641ce9cf04fc91a67d338%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D262149888055

I hope these are the same lamps.

 

[Viper Pilot]

They don't look like the same as was tested above. Look closely and you see that the Ebay lights do not have the small shield over the low beam LED.

 

[Richouse]

Found them here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1x-H4-HB2-9003-Hi-Lo-6000K-White-40W-4000LM-Motorcycle-Bike-CREE-LED-Headlight/142037316254?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=2&asc=40130&meid=fd402def7d5641ce9cf04fc91a67d338&pid=100005&rk=3&rkt=6&sd=262149888055

I hope these are the same lamps.

Those are not the same. They don't have the low beam cutoff shield. I would not recommend using those because you will be blinding on coming traffic, even with low beams on. But that is just my 2 cents.

 

[Nanahanman]

For all of you LED haters, Don't get LED's! That is if you want to continue hating them.

It's not a question of hating LEDs. I have not read anything in this thread about "hating LEDs"

It's about getting a brighter light AND showing respect for others on the road.

It's about getting a well designed product and not some cheap POS.

Still have not seen retrofit DOT approved LEDs.

 

[Richouse]

For all of you LED haters, Don't get LED's! That is if you want to continue hating them.

It's not a question of hating LEDs. I have not read anything in this thread about "hating LEDs"

It's about getting a brighter light AND showing respect for others on the road.

It's about getting a well designed product and not some cheap POS.

Still have not seen retrofit DOT approved LEDs.

Then stick with the halogens. Simple as that. No one here is trying to talk you into LED's. If YOU don't believe they are where they should be don't buy them.

 

[Nanahanman]

For all of you LED haters, Don't get LED's! That is if you want to continue hating them.

It's not a question of hating LEDs. I have not read anything in this thread about "hating LEDs"

It's about getting a brighter light AND showing respect for others on the road.

It's about getting a well designed product and not some cheap POS.

Still have not seen retrofit DOT approved LEDs.

Then stick with the halogens. Simple as that. No one here is trying to talk you into LED's. If YOU don't believe they are where they should be don't buy them.

I'm not buying them...at this time. I'm not suggesting anyone is talking me into buy them. I'm not hating them. I have nothing against the concept of an LED H4 replacement.

However, I am watching posts from others who have bought them to see if something suitable comes along.

I'm open to a good LED solution but forgive me for wanting the "comparisons" to be done in a way that actually shows a...well....comparison.

There is no doubt a good solution will come along and in the meantime, I will look at the offerings with a very critical eye.

In the meantime, yes, I will stick to halogens and continue to post critiques. I have done it in a positive way without being a dick.

If YOU don't like what I post then don't read them

 

[Richouse]

For all of you LED haters, Don't get LED's! That is if you want to continue hating them.

It's not a question of hating LEDs. I have not read anything in this thread about "hating LEDs"It's about getting a brighter light AND showing respect for others on the road.

It's about getting a well designed product and not some cheap POS.

Still have not seen retrofit DOT approved LEDs.

Then stick with the halogens. Simple as that. No one here is trying to talk you into LED's. If YOU don't believe they are where they should be don't buy them.

I'm open to a good LED solution but forgive me for wanting the "comparisons" to be done in a way that actually shows a...well....comparison.

Then by all means please tell me how I could have made a more accurate comparison. It was a side by side comparison. I'm open to suggestions. You can also do your own review . I would like to see a comparison from your prospective.

Matter of fact to stay completely objective here we NEED a review from your perspective so please go do one.

 

[redneckj]

You know the LED light comes apart correct? NO need to cut the dust cover. You mount the base into the housing, put the dust cover back on. Then push the led light through the dust cover into place and twist it to lock it into place. Here is a video that shows what im talking about. Also, if you want the highest quality and brightest LED H4 for your FJR, contact Cyclops Lights in Kent Washington.

 

[Richouse]

You know the LED light comes apart correct? NO need to cut the dust cover. You mount the base into the housing, put the dust cover back on. Then push the led light through the dust cover into place and twist it to lock it into place. Here is a video that shows what im talking about. Also, if you want the highest quality and brightest LED H4 for your FJR, contact Cyclops Lights in Kent Washington.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHWSVlxtMg4

Hmm. Interesting. No I didn't know that. That would have been nice to know before I cut my dust cover up. Hopefully the next guy will see this and not make the same mistake. Thanks for that info!

 

[Fred W]

Next guy just saw that.

Although the lights Rich and I bought are different than those shown in the video, I just checked and they do have that feature. Received my LEDs on Tuesday, so I left my dash panels off after doing my valve check yesterday. Will probably do the swap and photo comparison tonight (if it stops raining).

Thanks, redneckj! You just saved my rubber boots from mutilation.