Has anyone tried this ADV monster H4R2 LED headlight?

[Guest]

http://stores.advmonster.com/native-h4r2/

I do not ride in the dark anymore. I am interested in reducing current draw to the headlight as I use heated grips, a heated vest and quite a bit of extra running & brake lighting. I want to add more of this "bling" over time. Not for looks but to ward off cars. I have changed almost all lighting to LED.

It sound good & this seller was mentioned in some older posts. I believe this bulb replaces an earlier model.

I have a 4th generation full Vetter fairing with the original headlamp housing on it, currently using OSRAM Silver star H4 or Sylvania if I can't get the OSRAM.




Thanks,

DH

 

[Rob S.]

I have a 4th generation full Vetter fairing with the original headlamp housing on it

View attachment 58737

That fairing sure brings back memories.

 

[Guest]

That fairing sure brings back memories.

I wish it did. I've had the rig since 2002 and my memory keeps getting worserer.

DH

 

[Steve]

Have not tried that particular model, but I did try one of the earlier version. Was not impressed. In fact, I was so UNimpressed, I removed it and went back to stock, while my search continued. I did not like it because of the "pattern" it put out on the road. "Pattern" is in quotes because it's hard to call it that. There was a blob of light ahead of the bike when the selector was on LOW beam. On HIGH, the blob moved a bit higher, but did nothing to project down the road in a controlled fashion.

I tried another of the LED drop-ins and was similarly unimpressed.

The main reason that LED conversions are so poor is because the LED element is not the same size, shape and placement of the tungsten filament in the stock bulb. When you move the source, what is projected onto the road changes considerably. Depending on how much different the source is located, light might not even be projected onto the road, but into the eyes of oncoming traffic.

If you are already thinking of spending that much on a bulb, please consider a complete light. Click HERE to see a current offering on eBay for a TruckLite headlight. This one is half-priced because it is used, which brings it down to just above the price of the bulb you are considering. Those who have installed this light have all had pretty much the same question: "why did I wait so long?" I feel strongly enough about this light that I have installed one in all three of the GSes here.

.

 

[Guest]

LED Headlight bulb

LED Headlight bulb

Have not tried that particular model, but I did try one of the earlier version. Was not impressed. In fact, I was so UNimpressed, I removed it and went back to stock, while my search continued. I did not like it because of the "pattern" it put out on the road. "Pattern" is in quotes because it's hard to call it that. There was a blob of light ahead of the bike when the selector was on LOW beam. On HIGH, the blob moved a bit higher, but did nothing to project down the road in a controlled fashion.

I tried another of the LED drop-ins and was similarly unimpressed.

The main reason that LED conversions are so poor is because the LED element is not the same size, shape and placement of the tungsten filament in the stock bulb. When you move the source, what is projected onto the road changes considerably. Depending on how much different the source is located, light might not even be projected onto the road, but into the eyes of oncoming traffic.

If you are already thinking of spending that much on a bulb, please consider a complete light. Click HERE to see a current offering on eBay for a TruckLite headlight. This one is half-priced because it is used, which brings it down to just above the price of the bulb you are considering. Those who have installed this light have all had pretty much the same question: "why did I wait so long?" I feel strongly enough about this light that I have installed one in all three of the GSes here.

.

Hi Steve, thanks for your prompt reply. You have always been a source of good advice in my other posts.

My main reason for looking at this is to get additional current away from the headlight as I carry a good bit of extra lighting and heating items and an air horn. While very very rare, I might be caught out after dark, I avoid post sundown riding for a variety af reasons such as weaker vision as I age gracelessly, fear of the many deer that jump on the road out here in the boonies and not in the least vampires and werewolves. So again just trying to pick up some extra juice but taking ALL considerations into account. The customer reviews seemed to be consistently most excellent. I guess it depends on the housing and lens. I don't think that Truck light is up my alley. That one you linked was used and sold as well. New is past my Social Security budget and used not how I go for the most part. Even $55 is a bite to me. I forwarded your comments (not your name) to ADV Monster to see what he sez. Maybe he'll offer me a return guarantee if not happy.

Thanks again.

DH,
as always, deteriorating mentally & physically more than ever.:dejection:

 

[Guest]

Have not tried that particular model, but I did try one of the earlier version. Was not impressed. In fact, I was so UNimpressed, I removed it and went back to stock, while my search continued. I did not like it because of the "pattern" it put out on the road. "Pattern" is in quotes because it's hard to call it that. There was a blob of light ahead of the bike when the selector was on LOW beam. On HIGH, the blob moved a bit higher, but did nothing to project down the road in a controlled fashion.

I tried another of the LED drop-ins and was similarly unimpressed.

The main reason that LED conversions are so poor is because the LED element is not the same size, shape and placement of the tungsten filament in the stock bulb. When you move the source, what is projected onto the road changes considerably. Depending on how much different the source is located, light might not even be projected onto the road, but into the eyes of oncoming traffic.

If you are already thinking of spending that much on a bulb, please consider a complete light. Click HERE to see a current offering on eBay for a TruckLite headlight. This one is half-priced because it is used, which brings it down to just above the price of the bulb you are considering. Those who have installed this light have all had pretty much the same question: "why did I wait so long?" I feel strongly enough about this light that I have installed one in all three of the GSes here.

.

Just back from ADVMonster =

"We are motorcyclist that ride a bunch, 50-60k miles per year. We have bikes with similar headlights (bmw airheads, customs with 7" round headlights, Suzuki GS500 among others) The Native H4R2 led headlight works great in a round headlight.

We can offer you a money back guarantee for 30 days, so no risk on your part. It comes with a one year warranty against defects."

I figure it's worth a shot with that backup. I can pop it in, take a short test ride at night and have my H4 halogen bulb along just in case. Going to give it a shot. I will certainly report and if I can get an image or two of the comparison, will do that as well.

Thanks again,

DH

 

[Steve]

When you get your light, please do us all a favor. ray:

Find a wall (a double-wide garage door will work in a pinch) where you can be about 50 feet away and shine your light on it. Get pictures of your current light and the LED bulb, on LOW and HIGH beam. Next, find a lonely section of road or a long driveway. Having bushes and/or trees on the sides are a plus. Get some before and after pictures of the pattern that is projected down the road.

I did this about three years ago, as I was building my shop. I was able to shine the light inside the building against the white walls before shelving went up. VERY easy to see the line of light on the white wall. I then went across the street to the park and shone the lights down a dirt driveway. I did this with several lights for comparison and saw a LOT of difference. Hope your experiment works out well.

By the way, you said something about wanting to change the light to reduce your electrical load. The TruckLite is about the same draw as the ADV Monster bulb, which is just under half the load on low beam and just a bit less than the stock bulb on high beam.

.

 

[Guest]

When you get your light, please do us all a favor. ray:

Find a wall (a double-wide garage door will work in a pinch) where you can be about 50 feet away and shine your light on it. Get pictures of your current light and the LED bulb, on LOW and HIGH beam. Next, find a lonely section of road or a long driveway. Having bushes and/or trees on the sides are a plus. Get some before and after pictures of the pattern that is projected down the road.

I did this about three years ago, as I was building my shop. I was able to shine the light inside the building against the white walls before shelving went up. VERY easy to see the line of light on the white wall. I then went across the street to the park and shone the lights down a dirt driveway. I did this with several lights for comparison and saw a LOT of difference. Hope your experiment works out well.

By the way, you said something about wanting to change the light to reduce your electrical load. The TruckLite is about the same draw as the ADV Monster bulb, which is just under half the load on low beam and just a bit less than the stock bulb on high beam.

.

Hi Steve. yeah certainly was my aim to post results of the bulb experiment. I like the additional bit about up against the wall projection. I guess I can do the "before" shots in next day or two with the H4 halogen, and then replicate the setup with the ADV bulb in the same spots and darkness level.

As for trucklight, for me, too expensive and I do not like the looks. So even at same price wouldn't be my choice. Remember most of you GSers are looking at the headlight issue to deal with riding at night. If I did that, I'd be re-tweaking my criteria as well. When I did ride at night I was always looking for the brightest H4 I could get.

In the daytime a real old time tungsten bulb would light up the road, that is to say a rider would not see the light pattern on the road. The difference between all these bulbs would probably be noticeable to approaching cars. I realize the safety issue of headlight on riding since it became law years back. I did it long before it was law. Sure a brighter light would show up brighter in the daytime.

My concern is about 98% relating to current draw and the 3% remaining would deal with riding at night. I estimate in a given year my riding after sunset is about 1/100th % of the time & as I age it will continue to drop. I'm not big on driving the car at night anymore either and avoid it when possible. Hope this conversation helps others as well.

Thanks, again,

DH

 

[Steve]

Not going to try to change your opinion, just going to toss out a couple of facts for others that might be reading this thread.

As for trucklight, for me, too expensive and I do not like the looks. So even at same price wouldn't be my choice.

Absolutely no argument on the expense, but looks are subjective. Yes, it looks "different", so if you are trying to maintain a stock look, this is not the item. It happens to fit in with the dark and chrome look on my bike, I do like it.

All three bikes

I realize the safety issue of headlight on riding since it became law years back. I did it long before it was law. Sure a brighter light would show up brighter in the daytime.

It's not just bright lights that show up better, pretty much anything "different" attracts attention. Any of the LED lights, the drop-in 'bulbs' or the full replacements, have a whiter, not quite bluer color, which stands out.

My concern is about 98% relating to current draw and the 3% remaining would deal with riding at night.

First, your math is just a little bit funny, but I looked at the specs for the ADV bulb and found that low beam draws 2.2 amps. My TruckLite draws 1.8 amps on low- and 3.6 amps on high-beam.

.

 

[Guest]

Not going to try to change your opinion, just going to toss out a couple of facts for others that might be reading this thread.


Absolutely no argument on the expense, but looks are subjective. Yes, it looks "different", so if you are trying to maintain a stock look, this is not the item. It happens to fit in with the dark and chrome look on my bike, I do like it.

All three bikes

It's not just bright lights that show up better, pretty much anything "different" attracts attention. Any of the LED lights, the drop-in 'bulbs' or the full replacements, have a whiter, not quite bluer color, which stands out.



First, your math is just a little bit funny, but I looked at the specs for the ADV bulb and found that low beam draws 2.2 amps. My TruckLite draws 1.8 amps on low- and 3.6 amps on high-beam.

.

Pretty much straight D in math! Well 90% of math is half mental anyway.

I can look at those lights & see how they would appeal. I also believe some people think asparagus tastes & smells great. Me, I run out of the room as soon as it appears. But I admit the square setup you have looks great.

Anyway, letchas all know & hopefully I will get good pix as well.

DH

 

[limeex2]

Have not tried that particular model, but I did try one of the earlier version. Was not impressed. In fact, I was so UNimpressed, I removed it and went back to stock, while my search continued. I did not like it because of the "pattern" it put out on the road. "Pattern" is in quotes because it's hard to call it that. There was a blob of light ahead of the bike when the selector was on LOW beam. On HIGH, the blob moved a bit higher, but did nothing to project down the road in a controlled fashion.

I tried another of the LED drop-ins and was similarly unimpressed.

The main reason that LED conversions are so poor is because the LED element is not the same size, shape and placement of the tungsten filament in the stock bulb. When you move the source, what is projected onto the road changes considerably. Depending on how much different the source is located, light might not even be projected onto the road, but into the eyes of oncoming traffic.

If you are already thinking of spending that much on a bulb, please consider a complete light. Click HERE to see a current offering on eBay for a TruckLite headlight. This one is half-priced because it is used, which brings it down to just above the price of the bulb you are considering. Those who have installed this light have all had pretty much the same question: "why did I wait so long?" I feel strongly enough about this light that I have installed one in all three of the GSes here.

.

Im with Steve on this. Put LED's in my Versys. The stock light was so bad it was dangerous. Put in led bulbs. Light was much brighter but the pattern is just ok. High beam is killer(2 bulb system) Most GS"s use a 7" bulb so you can use an automotive 7" LED bulb/reflector system. My riding buddy upgraded his Harley with these and they are amazing. Moral of the story every bike will be different because of the reflectors. Day time visibility is a very significant upgrade with any LED.

 

[Guest]

I just saw this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/H4-LED-Headlight-Bulb-Motorcycle-High-Low-Beam-New-Version-Chips-Super-Bright-14/264316753520

 

[Steve]

Personally, I would avoid that one. :-k

The six elements that make the light are WAY too big to replicate the stock filament size and location. With the light source out of intended focal spot, light is going to go everywhere but where you need it.

.

 

[dpep]

Yes, they are expensive but I'm one of those guys Steve mentioned who said "where have you been all my GS life" when I first put in the Trucklite. Way more light and way less juice. But probably overkill $ wise if you don't ever ride at night.

If your primary purpose is daytime visibility then I think hi-vis colors are probably more effective than additional lighting. Bare minimum get yourself a hi-vis vest to ride in. The next time you need to buy a jacket or helmet you know what color it needs to be. Until then put some hi-vis tape or stickers on your helmet to go with your vest.
...

 

[bwringer]

A couple of anecdotal data points:

- I bought a different ADVmonster H4 two or three years ago. It burned out after 11 months. I asked them for a warranty replacement, discount on a new one, anything. Nope. "Here's a link to buy a new one at full price." No warranty, no support. So I have to say this company has left a sour taste in my mouth. If you poke around, you'll find they're just reselling generic Chinese LEDs, and their offerings change constantly as they get new shipments from PRC.

- I have H4 LEDs in all my bikes, and 9006 LEDs in our four-wheeled appliances. I did quite a lot of research and searching to find LEDs with emitters that mimic the incandescent bulb filaments as closely as possible. In bikes with little room in the headlight shell, I prefer LEDs with the heat sinks consisting of heavy stainless steel braids; you can move and squash these around as needed. I've also found LEDs with aluminum heat sink shapes that work well.

In all cases, the light pattern is quite good and very close to stock on low beam, with some adjustments to headlight aim needed. I do have a couple of H4s where the high beam pattern is not great; low is good, but high beam projects too high to be very useful. Since I do not ride at night on country roads, this really doesn't affect my life much; if I ride at night, it's in town or on highways where there's too much traffic to use high beam anyway.

And yes, I've ordered and installed LEDs that don't work well. This approach is a bit of a gamble. In one case on one of our cars (single filament 9006 bulbs), I found that the headlight connector's polarity was reversed from the factory. The regular bulb worked fine, of course, but the LED wouldn't light up. I was able to release the connectors from the shell and swap them around. Not really a concern with H4 bulbs.

No, I can't provide links to the LEDs I used; these things change all the time, and the supplier "companies" shift and morph constantly. Poke around on Amazon, leave out the units and companies with bad reviews, ignore all the wank about the number of lumens, and look for LEDs that have a form factor that will fit and place the emitters correctly. I prefer units without fans, but most folks report no issues.


Or, as Steve suggests, just drop in a Trucklite and be done with it. There's a lot of wisdom in that approach, and you can be confident you pretty much have the best option with an excellent light pattern.

 

[Grimly]

^^^^^ What he said. All of it.
Hard-won experience.
1. Never believe the Lumen BS.
2. Get small emitters.
3. Keep an eye on aliexpress, because if you pick and choose you'll get as good as the over-priced retail offering from the re-sellers in the west.
4. Small emitter LEDs are now cheap enough that if you pick one that doesn't last too well, they're cheap enough to throw away with no remorse.
I bought a pair of small emitter 25W H4 bulbs last night for 13 bucks - fanless, static heatsink - worth giving a go at that price. I was looking for another set of braid-cooled ones, but decided to chance my arm with these. I noticed these ones have sold like hotcakes and have excellent feedback. I'm fairly sure there's enough room to fit the rear portion, but if not I can make room or simply keep them for another vehicle. No great loss. The days of the expensive LED H4 are over.
These ones....
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32890571995.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.46384c4dry5umm

 

[Guest]

When you get your light, please do us all a favor. ray:

Find a wall (a double-wide garage door will work in a pinch) where you can be about 50 feet away and shine your light on it. Get pictures of your current light and the LED bulb, on LOW and HIGH beam. Next, find a lonely section of road or a long driveway. Having bushes and/or trees on the sides are a plus. Get some before and after pictures of the pattern that is projected down the road.

I did this about three years ago, as I was building my shop. I was able to shine the light inside the building against the white walls before shelving went up. VERY easy to see the line of light on the white wall. I then went across the street to the park and shone the lights down a dirt driveway. I did this with several lights for comparison and saw a LOT of difference. Hope your experiment works out well.

By the way, you said something about wanting to change the light to reduce your electrical load. The TruckLite is about the same draw as the ADV Monster bulb, which is just under half the load on low beam and just a bit less than the stock bulb on high beam.

.

OK Steve, et. al, did my best.

Image results are at this link;

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8hc4npi3vd5dze5/AABD6EkQs1nn11uagYesyVrQa?dl=0

Wish I could have done everything as you requested but the limitations are laid out in the document. In the end, results I got, for my particular needs and bike are superb. I can't urge, as some like to do, to go with this bulb as it may not work the same and most of you go out at night, too many vampires out there for me, though I might have mistaken the deer and yahoodle drivers for vampires with my poor eyesight.

Comparing the ADVMonster H4R2 LED Headlight bulb & a 55/60w PIAA H4 bulb.
A. Some parameters-
1.Asked to do a test against garage door @ 50 feet, I only have 20 feet available so that’s what was done, sorry.
2. Don’t have a diggy SLR or any camera but a small pocket unit so camera set exposure itself. I did set B&W as the color edition was all over the board and distracting. The LED was dramati- cally whiter light in real life vs images.
3. I was not comfortable to take shots out on the road due to a high density of butt headed yahoo- dle drivers tossing beer cans as they shoot around on the roads here so, sorry again. I tried to get footage with my wee little GoPro cube but terrible results & files way too big anyway, sorry again.
4.I thought had a Sylvania or OSRAM Silver Star H4 but turns out it was a 55/60w PIAA bulb. B. Objective results at this Dropbox link.

Comparing the ADVMonster H4R2 LED Headlight bulb & a 55/60w PIAA H4 bulb.
A. Some parameters-
1.Asked to do a test against garage door @ 50 feet, I only have 20 feet available so that’s what was done, sorry.
2. Don’t have a diggy SLR or any camera but a small pocket unit so camera set exposure itself. I did set B&W as the color edition was all over the board and distracting. The LED was dramati- cally whiter light in real life vs images.
3. I was not comfortable to take shots out on the road due to a high density of butt headed yahoo- dle drivers tossing beer cans as they shoot around on the roads here so, sorry again. I tried to get footage with my wee little GoPro cube but terrible results & files way too big anyway, sorry again.
4.I thought had a Sylvania or OSRAM Silver Star H4 but turns out it was a 55/60w PIAA bulb. B. Objective results at this Dropbox link. ( I will also paste this link in my GS post.)

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8hc4npi3vd5dze5/AABD6EkQs1nn11uagYesyVrQa?dl=0


I put images side by side. I know they ain’t great even by my limited standards but do show the patterns of the beams pretty accurately. The improvement (in my opinion) with the LED is greater than the pics show. The LED throws a wider, whiter and brighter illumination On Lo beam the “V” cutoff at top is more noticeable but a lot of “softer” but effective illumination rises above and out to the sides of the main light cone for beneficial effect. I can see much more clearly with the LED on the road. (I know, that is subjective). You can take what you can from this set of images.
C. Subjective-
1. Please realize, as I do, that any results are from my GS850G with a Vetter Windjammer and whatever headlamp housing/lens combo that was installed when I bought the bike in 2002. Stock Vetter? Who knows. I can give you info from what is cast on the lens if you need it, Lem- mee know. (I also have a second headlamp/lens unit with a very different fresnel pattern on the glass but I am not going to try this as I am happy with what I now have.) I am not refuting or downgrading in any way the valuable input that those who have gotten less favorable LED re- sults. Just reporting what I got.
2. I found the pattern of the LED bulb superior in brightness, whiteness and spread than the PIAA Halogen.
3. I found the same results, on the road test, even more so.
4. I thought the Lo beam pattern might be hitting oncoming drivers based on my initial view on the garage door. After I engaged with 7 or 8 drivers and received no “warning flashes”, I realized there was no need to adjust the aim. Aim for hi beam was also fine as the “throw” of that position was sufficient to give me 100’ to 150’ additional strong illumination over the Halogen bulb. Glad, as I didn’t want to tilt the light downward and lose that “long cast”.
5. Again the nice illumination was spread out in a wider pattern both right & left. Nice if I needed to see the nasty nighttime deer (but I don’t ride at night, you might).
6. My final take on light performance. Only better, no downside at all. My situation, again. Your results might differ.
D. Electrical gain-
1. My numerical voltmeter jumps from steady 13.4v to steady 13.7v.
2. My Kuryakan multi-colored LED voltage gauge jumped from a single green display to both greens staying on, EVEN AT IDLE. Used to drop to YELLOW at idle, now stays on Green.
3. At idle headlamp output is the same bright white as when throttle is blipped or running down the road. Its specs’d for 9-32 v so I guess that is accurate.
4. Usually when I plug my bike into the BatteryTender, it will first show RED then after a minute or two switch to GREEN. After really being on the starter for these tests, the BT showed GREEN im- mediately on plugging the bike in. So I took that that the battery was really getting extra charge with the increase in current.
Final, would I get more/better performance with TruckLight?,...of course but totally needed for my personal requirements and way too much for my Social Security check to approve of. I got not just what I had hoped for BUT more for less. Do I think it will work for you? If I knew I’d hock the house & play the stock market.
Will the bulb hold up or crash like Mr. bwringer’s ? Well all I can do is to continue to update my ex- perience as time goes on. I have not seen any H4 bulbs with a one year warranty though.
I hope in some small way this info can help some of you as I have gotten so much help from this site. And thanks to all of you GSers who pitched in on the thread or even just followed it. What a great resource this site is.

DH

 

[Steve]

Nice pictures. :encouragement: Thanks for taking the time.

Your results are considerably better than what I saw with the early version of the ADV bulb.

You mentioned not wanting to lower your aim, but your pictures show that it might be necessary. :-k
I can't tell how much of a slope is leading up to that door, but from what I can see, the cut-off of the low beam should probably be about the height of the trash bin on the right. It appears to be about a foot above it right now. The true test would be riding at night and seeing the edge of that cut-off about 100 feet away from you. The notch of the V should be directly ahead of you and set so that dark area keeps the light out of the mirror of the car ahead of you. Aiming the light down a bit would get that hot spot on high beam to touch the ground at the door, but still project plenty far down the road. No need to hunt for critters in the trees over the road.

.

 

[Guest]

Nice pictures. :encouragement: Thanks for taking the time.

Your results are considerably better than what I saw with the early version of the ADV bulb.

You mentioned not wanting to lower your aim, but your pictures show that it might be necessary. :-k
I can't tell how much of a slope is leading up to that door, but from what I can see, the cut-off of the low beam should probably be about the height of the trash bin on the right. It appears to be about a foot above it right now. The true test would be riding at night and seeing the edge of that cut-off about 100 feet away from you. The notch of the V should be directly ahead of you and set so that dark area keeps the light out of the mirror of the car ahead of you. Aiming the light down a bit would get that hot spot on high beam to touch the ground at the door, but still project plenty far down the road. No need to hunt for critters in the trees over the road.

.

Hi Steve, you are right in that the driveway where the bike is stationed has a slope. I did not make that clear. Past that 20 foot stretch it drops off even more towards the street. The cutoff line of the beam in right about height of trunk lid on a standard soda. Now if someone was scooting about in a MG Midget or TR3 then,...well unless they enjoy daily repairs to the burnout Lucas electrics, they should know better. That is why I mentioned that by my observation and non-reaction of approaching drivers, the height is correct. There is some low level of "spill over", pretty soft but still can be seen. That helps from my point of view but does not in anyway blind drivers or get in their rear view mirror. Around here many drivers are over critical regarding oncoming lights and are very free with walking the flash on you. The actual on road patterns are really excellent and quite different than the Halogen even with the same fresnel lens on.

Appreciate your comments.

DH

 

[Steve]

I found my pictures from my testing a few years ago. The lights in this test are all being powered by my 850. Not a stock Suzki reflector, though, it's a rectangular Cibie housing in my Pacifico AERO fairing. (It's the bike on the left.)

The lights invoved were: an H4 halogen (probably a Sylvania), the ADV bulb and the TruckLite.
The distance to my shop in the first few pictures is about 75 feet.

H4 low beam.

H4 high beam. Notice the lack of any foreground illumination.

ADV low beam. Note lack of projection down the road.

ADV high beam. Looks like fluorescent lighting, with no 'spot' pointing down the road.

TruckLite low beam. Good spread in the foreground, with a spot that projects up the white line.

TruckLite high beam. Same coverage in the foreground, but a much better spot projecting down the road.

continued

.