LED headlights: the 2014 edition

[Scud]

Docc - that'll be the one at the link in Marty's post (#49) above. We've been trading some goodies and he had to buy two of those bulbs - so his leftover is coming back to the US...

[MartyNZ]

I'm going to try the LED headlight Marty recommends in the Scura - no extra plugs or ballast on that one.

Actually that LED I put in my bike does have a little driver box or ballast, which fits easily into the bucket behind my sport naked headlight.

For your more petite Scura headlight bucket, perhaps you could put the driver outside the bucket. The lead from the lamp to the box is long enough for this to be outside, but would need weather protection (unless you live in Southern California ).

The reason I picked that lamp was that it didn't have a cooling fan, just big loops of copper braid, which press nicely onto the back of the steel sport naked bucket. You can feel the back get slightly warm if the headlight is on for a while. If the Scura bucket is plastic, this may not work so well, but I think it's worth a try.

Marty

[sp838]

I have LED "bulbs" with built in fans and transformer boxes, they fit fine inside 5 3/4" Triumph Speed Triple headlight buckets, so they should fit even finer inside the larger Guzzi buckets.

 

https://cognitomoto.com/collections/electronics/products/h7-led

[Scud]

SP - that looks a lot like the one I got from Guzzi Tech. I took the headlight off my LeMans too - same exact bucket at the Scura. Starting hacking away at the raised ring on the back of the light.  Still struggling to make it fit. Maybe photos of success later.

[Scud]

@SP - true that LEDs are not bulbs; they're Light Emitting Diodes.

 

Anyway, here's how I stuffed mine into a LeMans headlight bucket, which must be much smaller than the sport bucket. I cut down the raised ring around the light (see Dremel with cut-off wheel in background). Then I zip-tied the extra components around the LED base to hold them in place. It was still a tight fit and I had to mash it in there. There's a little tension on the bucket, as evidenced by a little gap where it does not seat perfectly to the chrome ring - but that small gap is covered by a foam ring and protected by the fairing.

 

 

Ride report:  Rode about 40 miles last night, including crowded surface streets, freeway, and unlit canyon roads. The LED provides far superior illumination - and the high-beam in total darkness is simply fabulous - and worth the effort. Nobody flashed their brights at me when I had the low-beam on, so the light does not appear to be obnoxious to other drivers. FWIW, I did adjust the headlight a bit lower because I was concerned about that - I'll experiment with raising its focus a bit. At the end of the ride, I felt the headlight bucket, and although it was warmer than the fairing, it was not hot.

 

Summary - this LED may be an easy install for the large, metal buckets on the Sport models, but it's a tricky install in the plastic LeMans bucket, which is form-fit to the OEM components. If you ride at night, an LED headlight is worth doing somehow.

[moto fugazzi]

 

Ride report:  Rode about 40 miles last night, including crowded surface streets, freeway, and unlit canyon roads. The LED provides far superior illumination - and the high-beam in total darkness is simply fabulous - and worth the effort. Nobody flashed their brights at me when I had the low-beam on, so the light does not appear to be obnoxious to other drivers. FWIW, I did adjust the headlight a bit lower because I was concerned about that - I'll experiment with raising its focus a bit. At the end of the ride, I felt the headlight bucket, and although it was warmer than the fairing, it was not hot.

 

Summary - this LED may be an easy install for the large, metal buckets on the Sport models, but it's a tricky install in the plastic LeMans bucket, which is form-fit to the OEM components. If you ride at night, an LED headlight is worth doing somehow.

How is the beam pattern on this? Have you tried it at night during the rain? I had the Trucklite LED (5500k color temp) and while it had a great pattern, it didn't perform well at night during the rain, whereas a 4300k halogen cut through the rain really well. 

Ken

[Scud]

As for the pattern, it uses the stock reflector, which I think is the major factor affecting the pattern. However, I think the LED provides more light everywhere, so it appears to provide a better center focus, as well as a little more side illumination than the standard bulb I removed.

 

Re night rain: apologies in advance, but I think it's going to be a long time till I test it in the rain - day or night. Please send rain to my drought-stricken state.

 

The Halogen bulb doesn't have any extra stuff behind the bulb, right? If so - that seems a better/easier way to improve lighting on bikes with the small, plastic buckets.

[al_roethlisberger]

With the bucket sealed and everything in there sooooo tight, any concerns regarding longevity since the fan can't circulate air very well?

 

BTW, when you say you "cut down the raised ring around the light" what part exactly did you cut?

 

And just to confirm, which model light is this?  You mention Guzzi Tech, but wanted to confirm the exact model.

 

 

Thanks for trying this out!

[Kiwi_Roy]

Can somebody point out a good headlight from this site?

 

https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/motorcycle/

 

 

I just bought 100 of these in various colours, I like them for dash lights though others complain they are too bright at night.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/miniature-wedge-base/194-led-bulb-1-led-miniature-wedge-retrofit-car/197/849/

A nice thing about these lamps they are AC so you don't need to worry about the polarity.

I solder the wires directly to the lamp, by the time they burn out I will be also.

[Scud]

With the bucket sealed and everything in there sooooo tight, any concerns regarding longevity since the fan can't circulate air very well?

 

BTW, when you say you "cut down the raised ring around the light" what part exactly did you cut?

 

And just to confirm, which model light is this?  You mention Guzzi Tech, but wanted to confirm the exact model.

 

 

Thanks for trying this out!

 

Longevity: Yeah, this occurred to me, but the bucket does not get warm, at least not in cooler temps. I haven't had it out in the heat yet. I don't know the answer. However, I don't think the LED makes a lot of heat, I think it only makes intense heat in a tiny spot that needs to be dissipated.

 

Cut down: Take a look at the picture in post 56 on the previous page. There is a cylindrical wall around the bulb opening. I cut that down nearly flush to the curved headlight bucket.

 

Model of light: It was only identified as the H4 on GuzziTech's site = I e-mailed Todd be sure I was getting the right one. I think others have found the same light elsewhere.  http://www.guzzitech.com/store/product/led-headlight-bulbs-usa/

[moto fugazzi]

From what I've read, the LED bulbs don't get hot. Some have complained that the headlight lens will frost over in winter, and now trucklite makes a version that has heating elements in the glass to melt snow/ice/frost from the glass.

Ken

 

P.S. Hey Scud, any chance that you can get a few pics of the beam pattern of your LED? 

[footgoose]

Can somebody point out a good headlight from this site?

 

https://www.superbrightleds.com/cat/motorcycle/

 

 

I just bought 100 of these in various colours, I like them for dash lights though others complain they are too bright at night.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/miniature-wedge-base/194-led-bulb-1-led-miniature-wedge-retrofit-car/197/849/

A nice thing about these lamps they are AC so you don't need to worry about the polarity.

I solder the wires directly to the lamp, by the time they burn out I will be also.

 

 

I can't recommend but I'm lookin at that H6024, and very curious about it. I may have to buy one just to test

[Scud]

Ken - well-timed request. I was shuffling stuff to get the dirt bike out for tomorrow.

 

Here is the LeMans with the H4 LED from GuzziTech:

 

 

For comparison, here is the Scura with stock bulb:

 

[Scud]

And some side-by-side comparisons:

 

 

Also note that the Scura taillight (left) is LED, while the LeMans taillight (right) is the stock incandescent.

And I just noticed that the LeMans' license plate light is out... 

 

 

And a gratuitous picture, cuz they look better with the lights on, if you know what I mean. 

 

 

But, damn, the footpegs on the Scura are awfully shiny. Something must be done about that...

[docc]

Now, that is a serious hammer in the background; not the usual ball-peen stuff typically found lying around a coupl'a Guzzis . . .