LED headlight

[Rob S.]

How involved/expensive is it to convert to an LED headlight?

I want my bike (1982 1100e) to maintain it's stock appearance.

 

[Steve]

Involved? Open up the headlight bucket, remove a few retaining screws, remove your stock light.
Put the LED light in its place, replace the retaining screws, re-asemble headlight bucket. Ride.

That is, unless you have the 8" "train" light.

Expensive? Look on eBay or Amazon, I think the round ones are about $175 right now.

.

 

[tatu]

I tried with changing just the bulb with one I found on ebay and it was a miserable failure, then inspired by someone on here I found a "Truck light" and its pretty good I reckon, I forget the cost but it wasn't cheap.

 

[amxsteve]

Involved? Open up the headlight bucket, remove a few retaining screws, remove your stock light.
Put the LED light in its place, replace the retaining screws, re-asemble headlight bucket. Ride.

That is, unless you have the 8" "train" light.

Expensive? Look on eBay or Amazon, I think the round ones are about $175 right now.

.

Pretty sure he posted it was an 82 1100E. Guess he's screwed.

 

[Steve]

I have no idea how many others here have fitted LED headlights, but Dogma introduced me to the idea with his. I have since fitted both of our "L" bikes with 7" buckets and the older Phase 6 Truck-Lite headlamps. I will be getting a Phase 7 rectangular light for my 850 by the time I get it back on the road. Won't be much longer now. :encouragement:

.

 

[posplayr]

Just have the mechanic tape over the gap with aluminum tape when he installs it.

 

[bwringer]

ADVmonster.com is selling a VERY nice LED H4 replacement bulb. There's no fragile moving parts (fan or high/low servo) as in some other designs. The heat sink does stick out a little more in the back, so it's unknown whether it'll fit in a GS headlight bucket. They give dimensions on their site.

Out of stock at the moment -- should have more any time:
http://stores.advmonster.com/h4-led-headlight/

I plan to buy one and try it out on my GS850, and on my KLR650 (wearing an '82 GS650GL headlight bucket). It'll probably end up in my V-Strom.

 

[Steve]

How soon you going to get it, Brian? :-k

If it's soon, I will wait for your report and possibly save about $140. :encouragement:

.

 

[Steve]

Pretty sure he posted it was an 82 1100E. Guess he's screwed.

Yes, he did post that, I just wasn't sure if they appeared on the '82 or not. :-k

.

 

[Grimly]

ADVmonster.com is selling a VERY nice LED H4 replacement bulb. There's no fragile moving parts (fan or high/low servo) as in some other designs. The heat sink does stick out a little more in the back, so it's unknown whether it'll fit in a GS headlight bucket. They give dimensions on their site.

Out of stock at the moment -- should have more any time:
http://stores.advmonster.com/h4-led-headlight/

I plan to buy one and try it out on my GS850, and on my KLR650 (wearing an '82 GS650GL headlight bucket). It'll probably end up in my V-Strom.

Take those lumens claims with a huge pinch of salt.

 

[bwringer]

Take those lumens claims with a huge pinch of salt.

Of course. Lumens, schlumens.

But ADVmonster is a well-known vendor -- they are very active over on the ADVrider.com forum, and believe me, if there was one particle of a problem with these things or with the vendor, the inmates over there would be howling for blood. These guys are very tough on their bikes, and they're brutal if a product doesn't exceed expectations. There are over 400 posts and no dogpile has started yet, so it's a very solid product.

So far, the reports are absolutely glowing. As noted, there's a heat sink on the back of the unit that sticks out a little more than a stock H4 bulb, so they don't physically fit in all bikes, or you may need to modify a boot or retainer. If they fit, they work extremely well.

Here's the thread over on ADVrider -- there are lots of photos showing the lighting pattern, color, and strength in various bikes. It does seem clear that the H4 LED puts out more light than the incandescent, and the ADVmonster unit gets around the design problems that a lot of other LED units have (fragile moving parts like tiny cooling fans or servo-operated shields for high and low beam, questionable quality, poor light pattern, wonky color):
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=976505

 

[bwringer]

How soon you going to get it, Brian? :-k

If it's soon, I will wait for your report and possibly save about $140. :encouragement:

.

As soon as they come off backorder. The site says they're backordered until October 24, which was Friday, so hopefully they'll update the site sometime Monday.

 

[Grimly]

Of course. Lumens, schlumens.

But ADVmonster is a well-known vendor -- they are very active over on the ADVrider.com forum, and believe me, if there was one particle of a problem with these things or with the vendor, the inmates over there would be howling for blood. These guys are very tough on their bikes, and they're brutal if a product doesn't exceed expectations. There are over 400 posts and no dogpile has started yet, so it's a very solid product.

So far, the reports are absolutely glowing. As noted, there's a heat sink on the back of the unit that sticks out a little more than a stock H4 bulb, so they don't physically fit in all bikes, or you may need to modify a boot or retainer. If they fit, they work extremely well.

Here's the thread over on ADVrider -- there are lots of photos showing the lighting pattern, color, and strength in various bikes. It does seem clear that the H4 LED puts out more light than the incandescent, and the ADVmonster unit gets around the design problems that a lot of other LED units have (fragile moving parts like tiny cooling fans or servo-operated shields for high and low beam, questionable quality, poor light pattern, wonky color):
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=976505

Yeah, well; reading that thread it seems most/all are happy with them. I'm still unclear as to what elements are 'changed' from High - Low because the filament positioning on an H4 spec design is pretty important and is usually why crappy aftermarket HID and LED inserts totally fail to do what they're supposed to. Ie, they'll shove plenty of light on the road, but blind the crap out of oncoming drivers, even on Low.
I'll wait and see - it would appear that some folk are getting a good cut-off on Low, but reflectors and lenses differ and over the past 30/40 years there have been many that were better than others; even when the specs were universally known and supposed to be adhered to, some makers just got it wrong.
If this one pans out successfully in a wide range of lamp units, I will seriously consider it.

 

[Steve]

Well I am going to wait for Brian's report. If he likes it, I will try it. If, for some reason, I don't agree with Brian's report, I will have one of these available, while I get the Truck-Lite unit.

.

 

[Guest]

I never thought I would be able to get a better light for my H4, these are great tips, thanks.

 

[bwringer]

I ordered an H4 LED from ADVmonster.com this morning -- they are still showing out of stock, but I contacted them by chat and they said the new units are on the way and will arrive any time.

A report will be forthcoming... as I mentioned, I have my doubts they'll fit in a GS headlight shell, but I'll try it and see. Worst case, it ends up in my V-Strom, which uses two H4 bulbs.

Here's a shot of some random citizen's V-Strom with an AVmonster LED on one side, and a halogen on the other.

 

[Grimly]

I see Flashbang Electronics are doing them from China.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2014...005-9006-HB3-HB4-2400LM-WHITE/1950835400.html
Obviously, that's where ADV's are coming from, and hopefully from a main producer, but too many times I've bought mains LEDs from China and every time the regulator circuitry has popped. Oddly, all of my low-voltage ones still work, being fed via buck and boost drivers on anything from 1.2V to 36V.
Often, the ali-oops sourced ones are second-rate, but not always, so I'm wondering if it's worth a punt. For twenty-something bucks and free shipping, I might give it a go.

 

[Guest]

I don't know how it compares to an LED, but the Sylvania Xtra Vision H6024 XV halogen sealed beam headlight was much brighter than the stock GS headlight, and is a direct plug in replacement for the stock light. It was like $15 at Advance Auto Parts.

 

[Steve]

If a sealed beam headlight was stronger than your stock light, there was definitely something wrong with your stock light. :-k

Yeah, the "Extra Vison" line tends to be a bit brighter, but the sealed beam part leaves a LOT to be desired, mainly in the pattern it throws on the road.

Personally I usually go for lights that do NOT meed US-DOT specs, as I feel they are kind of goofy.
I prefer E-Code (European Code) lights, which are MUCH better. Some of them also happen to meet DOT specs, that's OK, as long as they also meet E-Code. I find it interesting that in most European countries, if you import a US-spec automobile, one of the first things you have to do to get it registered over there is to change the "inadequate" headlights.

.

 

[Guest]

Of course. Lumens, schlumens.

But ADVmonster is a well-known vendor -- they are very active over on the ADVrider.com forum, and believe me, if there was one particle of a problem with these things or with the vendor, the inmates over there would be howling for blood. These guys are very tough on their bikes, and they're brutal if a product doesn't exceed expectations. There are over 400 posts and no dogpile has started yet, so it's a very solid product.

So far, the reports are absolutely glowing. As noted, there's a heat sink on the back of the unit that sticks out a little more than a stock H4 bulb, so they don't physically fit in all bikes, or you may need to modify a boot or retainer. If they fit, they work extremely well.

Here's the thread over on ADVrider -- there are lots of photos showing the lighting pattern, color, and strength in various bikes. It does seem clear that the H4 LED puts out more light than the incandescent, and the ADVmonster unit gets around the design problems that a lot of other LED units have (fragile moving parts like tiny cooling fans or servo-operated shields for high and low beam, questionable quality, poor light pattern, wonky color):
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=976505

Brian is dead on right about those inmates over on ADV. They will jump all over vendor for failing to deliver a quality product in a heart beat!! I am pretty active over there as well, and those guys and gals can be merciless.