Anypne fitted a modern L.E.D headlight on a GS1000?

[gdayjr]

Has anyone tried fitting one of the new range of L.E.D style headlights on a GS100?

something similar to this....or one of a dozen different types?

 

[cowboyup3371]

Get the Trucklite - I have it on my 550s and Steve has them on his 850s. They are expensive if you buy brand new although Steve found some on EBay for much cheaper that had minor defects. You'll need a bucket that will fit a 7" light and obviously the fork ears may need to be swapped out to fit.

 

[Steve]

Yes, I agree on the Trucklite. :encouragement:

Yes, they are expen$ive.

Of course, Chinese knock-offs are available much cheaper, but there are the usual questions about quality and durability.

However, if you do any riding at night, the co$t is worth it. The light is SO much better. Besides being brighter, the pattern on the road is great.

Cowboyup mentioned needing a 7" headlight bucket. That is only a concern if you have an "L" or "T" model. If you have an "E" or "G" model, you already have a 7" bucket and the LED 'bulb' is a drop-in fit. Simply "plug and play".

For those who might have an '80/'81 750E or 1100E with the rectangular headlight, they are available, too. Just a little more co$t, but still worth it. I have one of the rectangular ones in my 850's fairing. My son will have a round one in his Vetter fairing on his 1000G as soon as all the body work gets back from the paint shop. My wife currently has an older-generation Trucklite LED on her 850L, but we have a newer version here, ready to install.

Besides the co$t, you should also know that it looks a bit "different". If you are trying to preserve the look of a vintage bike down to the last detail, this will not be the light for you, but if you are more concerned with function than appearance, it's the best thing ever.

.

 

[Guest]

Safe bet if you go with an expensive Truck-Lite or JW Speaker. View this first if you are considering a cheap Chinese generic:

 

[salty_monk]

Note that taking the Load off of running the standard bulb will increase load on the RR / Stator unless you are using a series version RR...

 

[steve murdoch]

Steve, is this the Truck-lite model you are using? #27270C?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Truck-Lite...825634&hash=item2aa668724c:g:5ukAAOSw8Z9a0637

 

[Steve]

Yes, that is the light, and that is the seller where I got the rectangular one for my bike.

However, you can do better: :-k

$151.94 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Truck-Lite...825634&hash=item2856134160:g:5YAAAOSwahZay3eO

$156.00 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Truck-Lite...825634&hash=item5b45710452:g:yuYAAOSwehZZ905P

Free shipping on both. :encouragement:

When I was shopping for our lights a couple of weeks ago, I got lucky. The cheapest ones I found were for $156, or $312 for the pair. I did a bit more browsing and found a pair for $250, but had the connectors removed. I got a pair of connectors for less than $5 and soldered them in place.

.

 

[gdayjr]

Not true to O/E, but....

Not true to O/E, but....

Yes, I agree on the Trucklite. :encouragement:

Yes, they are expen$ive.

Of course, Chinese knock-offs are available much cheaper, but there are the usual questions about quality and durability.

However, if you do any riding at night, the co$t is worth it. The light is SO much better. Besides being brighter, the pattern on the road is great.

Cowboyup mentioned needing a 7" headlight bucket. That is only a concern if you have an "L" or "T" model. If you have an "E" or "G" model, you already have a 7" bucket and the LED 'bulb' is a drop-in fit. Simply "plug and play".

For those who might have an '80/'81 750E or 1100E with the rectangular headlight, they are available, too. Just a little more co$t, but still worth it. I have one of the rectangular ones in my 850's fairing. My son will have a round one in his Vetter fairing on his 1000G as soon as all the body work gets back from the paint shop. My wife currently has an older-generation Trucklite LED on her 850L, but we have a newer version here, ready to install.

Besides the co$t, you should also know that it looks a bit "different". If you are trying to preserve the look of a vintage bike down to the last detail, this will not be the light for you, but if you are more concerned with function than appearance, it's the best thing ever.

.

I have kept it all original equipment to a degree.
I am fitting Nitrogen reservoir rear shocks with a red reservoir to complement the decal colors, and i am painting the front brake calipers a similar red to match, so not exactly as it left the factory.
I have clearwater lights on my BMW so i might just go with a set of them on some engine bars instead/as well?

 

[Steve]

I have clearwater lights on my BMW so i might just go with a set of them on some engine bars instead/as well?

If you have Clearwater lights, you are already well-acquainted with sticker shock. I have never seen any in person, let alone ridden a bike that has them, but at that price, I would certainly hope they are worth the price. :-k

While there is a definite advantage of having a pair of lights on the engine bars, you don't need anything quite that expensive to do the job effectively.

.

 

[gdayjr]

Expensive..yes.
The best lights i have ever had on a motorbike......yes.
Worth the money.....yes...to me

I can't speak highly enough about them, they back it up with service and advise as well.
Ride a bike with them on, and you will be convinced.

I don't just want to be seen, i want to see where i am going in the dark.
Too many critters come out after sunset here in Australia to ride with **** poor headlights that manufacturers seem to think are satisfactory.
They have not progressed since i first owned a bike 40 years ago.
$30k for my BMW and headlights that are no help what so ever.
The stock one on my Suzuki is just as bad.

 

[Steve]

I agree on the poor-quality lights on most of the bikes available today. I have not ridden any of the newest generation bikes that come from the factory with LED or HID lights to see if they are any better, but I have had several "classic" bikes with various versions of headlights, ranging from sealed beam to several different lens patterns on an H4 setup. NONE of them compares favorably to the TruckLite units I have installed.

My Goldwing has a 2-bulb H4 headlight system that is pretty darn good. Much better than the lights on my minivan. The newer 1800 Wings (2001-2017) also had a 2-bulb headlight, but it was considerably different, and it was better than mine. I still prefer the single TruckLite on my GS.

You might still want some pencil beam driving lights if you do high-speed riding in the Outback, but for most riding at relatively sane speeds, the TruckLite will do just fine.

.

 

[dpep]

Yes, I agree on the Trucklite. :encouragement:


If you have an "E" or "G" model, you already have a 7" bucket and the LED 'bulb' is a drop-in fit. Simply "plug and play".

Steve, is there anything more specific than the 27270C desgination for the unit for my 850 (81)?

Is it essentially a sealed beam unit that you just put in the bracket and plug in?
...

 

[Dogma]

Yes, it's a replacement for the entire lamp. Take the glass reflector and lens out of the aiming frames and replace it with the LED lamp.

You'll love it. I used to outshine semis in the dead of night, until they started getting them too.

 

[Steve]

Yes, Don, it's "plug and play". It's a bit fiddly getting the old headlight out of the aiming frames, as Dogma calls them, but the TruckLite goes right in with no modification.

When it's all in and done, it's time to aim it. On low beam, the up/down aiming will be rather obvious. The cut-off can be placed about license plate height of the car ahead of you, it won't shine throught their windows. There is a bright spot that should be aimed along the white line on the right. All three of our lights show it as a "V" that is easily seen. Makes it nice and easy to see the edge of the road.

.

 

[dpep]

I've got one on order. The 850 I got has stock wiring with no relays at this point. With the standard H4 unit you needed a relay to get any illumination beyond a mild yellow glow. Is that still the case with the Trucklite? Steve, in another thread you talked about using a master relay for the whole bike/system. Would you have a picture or description of where and how you have that hooked up? I assume that would accomplish what is needed for the Trucklite. It shows 12/24 as opposed to the regular headlight's 55/60. I also ordered a series RR to keep that 43/36 difference from hitting the stator.
...

 

[Steve]

Don, no relay is necessary for the headlight. I don't know the exact number, but it actually runs on voltage just a bit less than 12 volts. It might be 9 or 10 volts, but there is a power supply and regulator built into the headlight that takes the 12-24 volt input (it's designed to handle military vehicles, which run on 24 volts) and regulates it down to the voltage it requires. Because of that, you will not see the light get a little brighter as you rev it above idle, which is a common charging test.

Regarding the whole-bike relay, I did that along with a fusebox upgrade, so there was some other re-wiring that went along with that. I'll see if I have a diagram that shows that.

.

 

[earlfor]

Anyone know what the amperage draw is for the led headlight? Or wattage?

 

[posplayr]

Led headlamps typically all have an internal dc to dc convertor to maintain a constant current through the LED. The best clue to this is a 12/24v operating range. However there is a small hitch but something to be aware of.
you can think of the led with dc-dc converter as a constant power device. It always draws the same power no matter what voltage you apply. For example at 12v the led will probably draw 2 amps. At 24v the same led would only draw 1 amp but both would be the same power 24 Watts = 12*2=24*1
so what happens when you have poor wiring and voltage drops to the led? Well as before if you lower the voltage the dc-dc will draw more current to compensate.
Using round numbers , of say 10 out of 12 v going to the led, there will be a 12/10 increase in current so instead of drawing 2 amps it is now 2.4 amps. The led maintains constant power so 24 watts = 12*2=10*2.4.
generally this should not get so bad that you could potentially cause problems, but you should be aware that you want the lowest voltage drops at it reduces charging system draw from these large headlamp leds.
this discussion does not apply to the smaller directional or dash light bulbs which have no dc-dc converters.

 

[Steve]

Anyone know what the amperage draw is for the led headlight? Or wattage?

The TruckLite units that we have draw about 2 amps on low beam and just about 4 amps on high beam.

A stock H4 halogen is about 4.5 on low and 5 on high.

If you are trying to equate the "wattage" for light output, don't bother. There are SO many more lumens available, it would probably be the equivalent of something like a 150 watt halogen, but the pattern it puts on the road is SO much better, too.

Not sure that your Bandit could use one of these units, though. There are some users here that claim a modest success with an LED "bulb" that replaces the H4, but the ones that I have tried did not do well at throwing light down the road. It is best to have a lens/reflector assembly that matches the LED source.

.

 

[earlfor]

The TruckLite units that we have draw about 2 amps on low beam and just about 4 amps on high beam.

A stock H4 halogen is about 4.5 on low and 5 on high.

If you are trying to equate the "wattage" for light output, don't bother. There are SO many more lumens available, it would probably be the equivalent of something like a 150 watt halogen, but the pattern it puts on the road is SO much better, too.

Not sure that your Bandit could use one of these units, though. There are some users here that claim a modest success with an LED "bulb" that replaces the H4, but the ones that I have tried did not do well at throwing light down the road. It is best to have a lens/reflector assembly that matches the LED source.

.

I would have to swap out the projector headlight nacelles and 9012 bulbs on the Bandit for a round headlight shell and discard the fairing.