New Fangled LED headlights

azman857

azman857

'80 XS 650SG Rider
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I've been eyeingthose new LED headlights. Lower power usage and highter luminance. Hmmm and the SG's low beams burned out on the H4 bulb. $75 out the door for this baby. Speedmetal brand from Cycle gear. So I get one and it comes with a bulb, adapter for the H4 base and a powerpack/ballast(for lack of better term) and not instructions. I almost forgot, a piece of two sided tape to mount the "ballast". I tried like a big dog to get this badboy installed in the parking lot since it was CG's Bike Night". NO GO. Fine. I'll do it at home and just burn high beam all the way there. I get this item home and tear into this project again. I finally call "UNCLE" after an hour or so and find it will NOT install becasuse even with the powerpack outside(leads are long enough) and all the wires inside the headlight houseing are out of the way, the fan houseing touches the back of the nacelle. So unless you drill out the back of your headlight houseing(which I wouldn't for many reasons) It willnot fit. At least for my '80 SG. There isn't a lot of room for a deeper one, but maybe enough. 1/2", 3/4" more is needed.
 
An LED install is on the stove simmering. I have BroView S5 bulbs in the road star and the FJR even with these "no fan" bulbs I think the XS shell's getting a hole cut. I have a H4 style reflector and there are some of those also on flea bay, lots of new "H4" reflectors on the market now.
Amazon for TWO bulbs.
https://www.amazon.com/BROVIEW-High-Power-Headlight-Conversion/dp/B01FJS9W24
Be aware H4 is what you need, HB4 is NOT!
Look here at post 31 for some "on the road shots mounted in a single 7" reflector just like you would put in an XS.
PS LED bulbs are not all created equal these broview have a good light pattern and don't blind oncoming drivers in low beam.
 
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I believe so TooManyXS1Bs. Angus67, I would worry about rain water intrusion with the fan assy in the open. I don't know what the airflow is for the the bulb.
 
True angus, but it's gotta be drier inside the shell rather outside. I dunno, just guessing
 
....but azman, does it ever rain in ARIDzona?

...sorry, just kidding. ;)

I know that Brassneck got a nice looking bucket on Special-to-Cafe bike and it is MUCH deeper than a stock XS650 bucket. Frankly, I have been surprised at how shallow the stock bucket is - and in my view, quite unnecessarily so. I found getting the wires and connectors in there a bit of a chore.
 
I've been using the cheapy fanned LED H4s for the last couple of years and they've been fine. Last year I fitted a fanless (braided) pair - one in the headlamp * and one in an auxiliary H4 driving lamp.
Woohoo.... a corridor of light going down the road.
The best thing about these ones is the tight placing of the LED chips - very close to where the filament would be on the proper H4, so the reflector and lens do their job properly, with excellent beam coverage, good cut-off and no blinding of oncoming drivers.

* The headlamp reflector and lens is from an 80s Mitsubishi Shogun and it was made by Koyto, iirc. Turns out it was an early computer-designed H4 unit and they got it right. No kidding, it's right up there in beam pattern and penetration with the best of them, including Cibie.
The best part is, you can have a Cibie-alike for scrap money. Nobody knows about these, and millions are in breakers yards around the world, as they were fitted to hundreds of Japanese models for many years.
 
Awww MaxPete, We're close to the start of Monsoon season. We grow a LOT of cotton and citrus fruit around here.
 
MaxPete said:
....but azman, does it ever rain in ARIDzona?
Click to expand...

Haha! This is this is what passes for summer monsoons in Arizona. These are real photos of monsoon dust storms.
image.jpeg
image.png
 
MaxPete said:
Have you got a linky or a part number?
Click to expand...
Can't find the Niteye ones I have, but these are nearly identical.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/302102374355 -just as a guide, the same ones on ebay.com will be there.
The (claimed) design wattage of them goes up as time passes and new models come out, and I find the ones that only take 20 or 30 W are perfectly adequate, and don't strain the elderly system on this.
Even allowing for the usual bullshit claims about lumens output from the makers, the fact is, there's now about three times the amount of light going out from the front of the bike than there was before and that's not counting the auxiliary lighting.
 
Thank so Grimly - super info. I might just spring for a couple of these for my 650s.

MAILMAN - holy cow!! Those photos look like the big guy is comin' for everyone in Phoenix!

Cheers,

Pete
 
I've replaced all my lamps with LEDs except the headlight. I'll get to that eventually, too.

In addition to the already mentioned wattage and lumen ratings, diode configuration, and lens/reflector geometry, you might want to be aware of it's color temperature.

IMO, the ~6500° 'bright white' popular these days doesn't match the charm of our old bikes, way too blue. I'd look for an alternative at about 3500°, much closer to the amber color of a heated filament. These are usually marketed as 'warm white'.

I don't know how available they might be in an H4, but that's where my search would go if I was on it.
 
Daniel - you're an expert in lighting and related metrics. Is there a relatively simp,e reference you could suggest that others could find out about it?

Pete
 
Pete, the Wikipedia page is pretty thorough.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature

Quite simply, it's an expression of exactly what color of 'white' a particular light is.

In paint, we have many different whites: off-, sand-, chalk-, bone-, snow-, etc. Same thing with light, we just use a numerical scale which is way more accurate than 'off-white' or even 'warm-white'.

The A/V side of my industry looks at color temperature as a technical concern. If they don't 'white-balance' their cameras the video's colors will be off.

WARNING: I'm going to get artsy...

I work with the human eye, which is a more athletic lens and sensor than a camera's and is interpreted by a brain that understands new information only by relating it to similar past information and experiences. By changing the color temperature of the light on stage, say a warm-to-cool shift, I can help trick your brain into believing a cloud has passed over what had been a sunny day on the beach. Done well, supported by good acting, we may even raise within you an actual chill sitting there in your heated theatre seat. Your memory of what it's like when a cloud covers the sun is what gives you the chill. We just trigger the sub-conscience recollection of it.

As far as motorcycle headlights go, a cold LED replacement just looks out of place on a bike that is otherwise era-appropriate. On top of the anachronistic nature of it, warm colors temperatures tend to trigger happy, comfortable feelings. So, in addition to cold-colored LEDs being out of place on a classic bike, they're also less pleasant emotionally. Like I said, a warm incandescent headlamp is part of the charm.

Does that speak to your question, Pete?
 

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