H4 LED + other LED lighting

[GuzziMoto]

15 hours ago, Chuck said:

I put one of these

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C1AOSVS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

in the AeroLario for the princely sum of uh, 19 bucks. I made no attempt whatsoever to aim it, but I'll bet it would get me home if I were to get stuck some place after dark.

Low beam

High beam

Plug and play.

Now, a headlight that uses less voltage / wattage could be useful in a Lario. The electrical system in mine is weak as Bud Light. They put a gauge on the dash to show you how bad the electrical system is.....

[luhbo]

3 minutes ago, GuzziMoto said:

... They put a gauge on the dash to show you how bad the electrical system is.....

Sounds as if it is an English bike ...

Wait, my LMIII has that, too. I never really noticed it until now.
Maybe that was a part of riding in analog times. Ride, burn fuel, have fun. Don't talk about it to the internet. Battery empty -> recharge. Shocks wobbly -> ignore. Yet, somehow I can't remember flat batteries or wobbly shocks or other annoying things. A tank was 20 litres was 20 Marks. Now it's 15 litres and 50 Marks. But I have a special forum for every single bike I own. Substantial progress was really slow the last 30, 40 years, wasn't it?

[Tomchri]

Still have my eyes looking at Grote, supposedly made in US. 7inch led sealed beam. They have a factory in Germany to.  I quess I will be the quinny pig later this winter, or did someone check this out?

 Cheers tom.

[docc]

1 hour ago, Tomchri said:

Still have my eyes looking at Grote, supposedly made in US. 7inch led sealed beam. They have a factory in Germany to.  I quess I will be the quinny pig later this winter, or did someone check this out?

 Cheers tom.

I have not heard of Grote, Tom. You have a link to what fits the V11?

(Oh, and let’s realize that the Bosch steel bucket/glass lens V11 differ from the plastic bucket/lens V11 in dimensionality and options for changes.)

[Tomchri]

3 hours ago, docc said:

I have not heard of Grote, Tom. You have a link to what fits the V11?

(Oh, and let’s realize that the Bosch steel bucket/glass lens V11 differ from the plastic bucket/lens V11 in dimensionality and options for changes.)

  now you're asking way too much for my interweb knowledge, (posting a link, someday)  Grote.com. 7inch for a Wrangler, I found it.

IPA time,

cheers tom.

[Chuck]

Quote

Now, a headlight that uses less voltage / wattage could be useful in a Lario. The electrical system in mine is weak as Bud Light. They put a gauge on the dash to show you how bad the electrical system is.....

It is. I put LEDs in the tail lights, too. Mostly, I use the Lario for short trips, and over a period of time I'd notice the voltmeter going down. Putting on the brake lights would send the needle into the red. Now, it really makes no difference, and the needle stays centered. The LEDs just seem to take the load off the old wiring and connections, and I haven't had to put it on the charger since.

[docc]

3 hours ago, Tomchri said:

  now you're asking way too much for my interweb knowledge, (posting a link, someday)  Grote.com. 7inch for a Wrangler, I found it.

IPA time,

cheers tom.

Thanks, Tom!

https://www.grote.com/products/90941-5-grote-7-inch-led-headlight-sealed-beam-replacement/

[po18guy]

So goes my life, but it has been torrential downpours or 6 weeks of a 2 week virus which has almost completely frustrated my attempts to ride the new-to-me Ballabio. It came with a nice multi-reflector/clear lens unit that appears to be OEM(?) My thought is that lenses are asked to do too much when pressed into service as both lens and refractory/dispersal unit. I think the process is more clearly controlled when the multi reflector directs the light in small "bites" wherever the engineers place it, while the lens is clear and does nothing except transmit about 92% of available light.

Here is the "Infitary" LED unit that I am playing with. The separate driver is compact enough to fit in the OEM headlight shell and the light unit itself can be rotated 360º until optimal pattern is achieved. As can be seen, the LED chips are sized and arranged to closely emulate the filaments in an incandescent bulb. That alone keeps the light from scattering all over the place. And, there are two machined-in shields similar to the halogen units. If one is patient, the units may be ordered from China for about $18/pair. I do not yet know their longevity, but at $8 per, not that much more than halogen units.

 

[docc]

I'll be honest, here. Oncoming traffic (especially lifted trucks) with ill-aimed white-hot LED headlamps+running lamps+auxiliary lamps are a huge annoyance to me, as well. Yet, "conspicuity" (being seen) is my primary goal with these *experiments.*  Being seen in traffic full of distracted, angry, and clueless drivers is critical. These people pull out in front of brightly painted firetrucks running full flashing lights, sirens, and blaring claxons . . .

When I am riding solo, or navigating our small team, I want the traffic ahead to see "something coming."  That the beam pattern needs to be functional, both Hi- and Lo-, after dark is important to me. But not my primary goal.

More like trying to approximate an onboard RIO, with photon torpedoes, to make it through to the destination . . . 

[LowRyter]

When I am on a motorcycle I want to see at night.  I don't care if the whole town has to put on sunglasses so I can drive safely at night. 

Sorry, but I don't want to crash even if I blind all traffic on the road.  

[luhbo]

Would be a pity if the whole thread would crash at this point  In fact blinding or over-modulated lights are rather dangerous for the source itself. Brains tend to lock in in this case. Either they shut off completely or they focus their aggressiveness on that prick.

@po18guy: did you wonder why they call it 'Infitary'? This word reminds me of something ...

[po18guy]

I must admit that the Chinese brand names seem to be taken from Google Translate. As to accessory lights and light bars, etc. I think it was  PIAA who determined that there is an upper limit - due to the retro-reflective street signs. LEDs can be made so bright that a driver blinds themselves.  Undoubtedly, the Chinese will invent some glasses or windshield tinting that will prevent this - but not yet.

[docc]

Interesting point about the retroreflectveness.  A flickering reflection, in the daylight, is how I discovered my lost connection issue, twice.

Even with the splattery first LED beam on Hi-, I was never flashed by oncoming traffic. Although in low light or nighttime, I am always diligent about dipping the beam even coming up behind other drivers.

Pissing people off (more than they already are) is a formula for disaster, especially on the roads . .  .

[GuzziMoto]

12 hours ago, LowRyter said:

When I am on a motorcycle I want to see at night.  I don't care if the whole town has to put on sunglasses so I can drive safely at night. 

Sorry, but I don't want to crash even if I blind all traffic on the road.  

So, you are OK with oncoming traffic hitting you because your headlight blind them? Interesting.

Personally, I try not to reduce the ability of others to avoid hitting me. I do try to be seen, but if that is your primary strategy to avoid being in an accident (hoping the other person will see you and not hit you) I just hope you don't ride in this area. Around here, the main concern is to watch out for others because they ain't watching out for you.

Running with high beams on during the day to increase visibility is one thing (although I am not sure how effective it is vs the risk of pissing people off. Yes, I have had people get pissed at me for having my high beams on during the day). But at night I am a fan of having headlights that both light up the road so I can see but also not shine into the eyes of others around me. We also have a Jeep, and we have to pay extra attention to that with the Jeep due to its height. It is sad how many Jeeps you see around here with headlights that blind others at night. It is especially common with the aftermarket LED headlights many of them are sporting.

[luhbo]

51 minutes ago, GuzziMoto said:

... Around here, the main concern is to watch out for others because they ain't watching out for you....

Yep. I feel safer when I ride as if I were invisible. Or as Docc correctly wrote: they pull out in front of 'full bright' fire trucks anyway. Besides that this attitude makes me feel as if I could safely  ride on in my dark riding gear: waxed muck over black Dainese leathers