LED light upgrade list

[Silverado6x6]

Currently to get the same or equal light from an LED H4 lamp you will be paying a higher price than most high end HID kits. HID rules when it comes to dishing out light, get a 4300K or 5000K color, more white and more lumens, and the basic slim ballast 35 watt HID still puts out twice the light of a stock 55 watt lamp, or go further and use the newer 55 watt HID kits, I have two of them in my 95 GL1500, EACH lamp is like a 150+ watt headlight as far as light output. But if you are only riding in daylight some LED s will work, thing is they are at least 25-50 watts, whereas the decent HID is 35 watts and that HID shames the LED in light throw. LED makes a good fog or flood, not a good spot or driving light. I use two 7 watt Cree project 194 bulb base position lights on the GL1500 as Daytime running Lights, makes the bike daytime legal and all they use is less than 15 watts total, from the front they do look like headlights.

On an older Wing I would consider a headlamp change, Ebay has tons of aftermarkets where they have several lamps in them, I will be installing a Harley style quad projector housing on my 82 Gl1100, it will have LED DRL and night HID lamps in it. Its still the large round headlamp but has either two or four projectors, depends on what you buy.

BTW I build custom bikes for a living and have been building converted cars and bikes with HID and LEDs for over 10 years.

You can buy LED H4 lamps, problem is right now they are expensive and if they get too hot fail prematurely. They require air to keep them cool, not so good in a Vetter or Hondaline fairing.

 

[Ansimp]

6000K. I normally prefer a more yellow light as stated by Silverado6x6 with the lower colours but these kits were really cheap ( less than $20 ea ) The kits I usually prefer are directly wired to the battery and only use the original headlight circuit to select high and low beam. There is then hardly any current passing through your ignition,start and high-low switches.

 

[DJnRF]

Silverado6x6 » Wed May 14, 2014 6:20 am[/url]":1l27mzmk]
Currently to get the same or equal light from an LED H4 lamp you will be paying a higher price than most high end HID kits. HID rules when it comes to dishing out light, get a 4300K or 5000K color, more white and more lumens, and the basic slim ballast 35 watt HID still puts out twice the light of a stock 55 watt lamp, or go further and use the newer 55 watt HID kits, I have two of them in my 95 GL1500, EACH lamp is like a 150+ watt headlight as far as light output. But if you are only riding in daylight some LED s will work, thing is they are at least 25-50 watts, whereas the decent HID is 35 watts and that HID shames the LED in light throw. LED makes a good fog or flood, not a good spot or driving light. I use two 7 watt Cree project 194 bulb base position lights on the GL1500 as Daytime running Lights, makes the bike daytime legal and all they use is less than 15 watts total, from the front they do look like headlights.

On an older Wing I would consider a headlamp change, Ebay has tons of aftermarkets where they have several lamps in them, I will be installing a Harley style quad projector housing on my 82 Gl1100, it will have LED DRL and night HID lamps in it. Its still the large round headlamp but has either two or four projectors, depends on what you buy.

BTW I build custom bikes for a living and have been building converted cars and bikes with HID and LEDs for over 10 years.

You can buy LED H4 lamps, problem is right now they are expensive and if they get too hot fail prematurely. They require air to keep them cool, not so good in a Vetter or Hondaline fairing.

I am going to have to replace my complete headlight body as the front lens is cracked.
I am also sure that is part of the problem with the light not doing so well. Although, with my tired old eyes I prefer as much light as possible to see at night. A 6000 to 7000 degree light is better for me these days. Some refer to it as 'sunlight', 'bright white', or 'cool white' light. Whichever one may call it, the light is very bright white. The yellowish light (usually referred to as 'warm white') tends to be seen more blurred when one needs progressive trifocals.
Thanks much for the input.

 

[DJnRF]

Ansimp » Wed May 14, 2014 6:44 am[/url]":28t62jn7]
6000K. I normally prefer a more yellow light as stated by Silverado6x6 with the lower colours but these kits were really cheap ( less than $20 ea ) The kits I usually prefer are directly wired to the battery and only use the original headlight circuit to select high and low beam. There is then hardly any current passing through your ignition,start and high-low switches.

Those lights look to be a great addition. What is the make, model, brand, or whatever, and where did you find them for that price?

Thanks, Dave.

 

[Ansimp]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/130853674191
The 9w lights
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/231025311409
These are the cheap ones that don't reduce the current much through the original wiring
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/161303690366
I haven't used these actual ones but this is a cheaper version with my preferred circuit
https://www.ebay.com/itm/110945861163
This is one that I am currently using in my Red CBR
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/161137604981
These are the fog/running lights that I modified
gallery/album.php?album_id=1939
Here is the link to my album on the LEDs

 

[Silverado6x6]

The lower the number the whiter, get below 4300K and you start getting orange, at around 6000K you get a blue tint and a slight reduction of lumens, at 8000K its a deep tinted blue and a further reduction of lumens, getting higher numbers does NOT mean more light, its called "Kelvin" and the higher the number the "hotter" the color until you get all the way up to ultraviolet.

I use 6000K in all my vehicles, cuts through snow, makes road markers and moose eyes glow. But 4300-5500K is where you get more visible light.

 

[DJnRF]

Silverado6x6 » Wed May 14, 2014 9:45 pm[/url]":35c6j2ba]
The lower the number the whiter, get below 4300K and you start getting orange, at around 6000K you get a blue tint and a slight reduction of lumens, at 8000K its a deep tinted blue and a further reduction of lumens, getting higher numbers does NOT mean more light, its called "Kelvin" and the higher the number the "hotter" the color until you get all the way up to ultraviolet.

I use 6000K in all my vehicles, cuts through snow, makes road markers and moose eyes glow. But 4300-5500K is where you get more visible light.

Those HID lights are going for reasonable prices. My preference years back was to use the
five inch aircraft landing lights in the bright lights of my squad, and personal vehicles. They
were over 100 watts each, and gave a great distance rectangular pattern. I would mount the
left bright in a vertical pattern and the right in horizontal. Plus a four inch landing light in my
spot light. Those were the best I have ever seen for really bright, long distance lights for a
vehicle. Back in the 60's and 70's those could be had for only $6 for the four inch, and $10 for
the five inch. Unfortunately, the stupid prices of today have jumped to over $60, IF you can
find the right ones. (Many are just called landing lights, but aren't.) I have seen some over
$200.

I am very familiar with the color temperature scale having been an investigative photographer
for a good while in my life. The need to have the proper lighting for photos to come under the
acceptable boundaries for legal action was critical . There are several formulas that must be
used. The Kelvin scale was the way to use the formulas to get the proper light color.

That one light shown in eBay was listed to Fit the H6. Is the only difference in the H4 and H6,
or some others, just one of those bases that are shown?

Dave.

 

[Ansimp]

I thought all the ones I listed were with multi adapters. On the CBR they are something weird like H45s and the dearer kit had those adapters..Like I said I much prefer a battery supply to the ballast, it is the same effect as running relays.

 

[Silverado6x6]

Dave its surreal how many new HID buyers there are that believe the higher the Kelvin of a lamp they think its more powerful.

 

[DJnRF]

Ansimp » Thu May 15, 2014 12:09 am[/url]":2ufujn4b]
I thought all the ones I listed were with multi adapters. On the CBR they are something weird like H45s and the dearer kit had those adapters..Like I said I much prefer a battery supply to the ballast, it is the same effect as running relays.

The info on the one shows:

This 35W HID lamp is for you motorcycle modification. It's universal for you head lamp.
It will keep you safe in the dark area. You can see clear when you driver your bike at night.
1. Do not touch the lamp during installing.
2. Keep waterproof in the headlamp.
3. Make sure your motorcycle is DC power ! It's DC when the motorcycle powerred by battery.
Specification:
Telescopic Bi-Xenon HID Lamp
Fit: H6, P15D-25-3 Hi/Lo, P43T-38 etc..
Power: 35W
Color temperature: 6000K
Light Color: White(Pure White)
Brightness: 3200Lumens
Life span: 3000+ hours
Bulb maximum operating temperature: 700°C
No. of bulbs: 1
Warranty: 1 year

Package include:
All you can see in the pictrues.
SKU: 000-010-061

I am wondering if the light style (H4, H6, etc) only change by the mere
changing to one of those three base plates they show. It would seem
that if listing the H style lights they would have listed all of those together
and then P series, etc.

I wish these newer lights had much more of a consolidated mounting style
as did the old ones of the old days. All headlights took the same style mount,
all tail lights, brake lights, dash lights, running board lights. backup lights,
and about every other light you could think of using anywhere. If you ask me
I would say that all manufacturers could insure the product they make will
interchange with all vehicles. It should not be the vehicle manufacturer that
dictates the style mount to keep adding more to the long list of different
styles. Let them adapt to make their product to use products they do ot make.

Dave

 

[DJnRF]

Silverado6x6 » Thu May 15, 2014 5:53 am[/url]":weu48p3v]
Dave its surreal how many new HID buyers there are that believe the higher the Kelvin of a lamp they think its more powerful.

I know. It seems that no one ever gets it explained that the Kelvin
scale is what determines the color, and not the brilliance of light.

The two 'non' colors of white and black are nothing more than
white being all the colors of the rainbow in the presence of light,
and black being all the colors of the rainbow in the absence of light.
In between those two we have the rainbow of the colors. Only next
comes the color temperature measured in the Kelvin temperature,
which has nothing to do with the brilliance of the visible light; just
the color.

People do not understand that if one says blue, they are not giving
any indication of just what color of blue. Only a Kelvin reading can
do that.

Dave

 

[Ansimp]

What I do know from my experience the whiter or bluer you go the less distinctive the light is at night and also can be very blinding/distracting to oncoming traffic. Road side reflective signs,lines and markers all illuminate really well with the 6000K lights so much so that I can see the light in the signs during full sunlight. I have dropped the headlight down on the Rats Nest so as not to blind other drivers.