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Author Topic: My LED Headlight  (Read 10318 times)

xmjsilverx

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #60 on: January 12, 2016, 09:46:22 AM »

My camera doesn't take the best night pics so a lot of the ambient light is lost but I think in real life it looks exactly like the beam pattern of killroys pic of the stock headlamp.  It raises slightly in the center just as his stock beam pattern does.  It does not shine above the horizon line so it will not glare in the faces of other drivers.  I have no complaints with my LED.

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mrwilsn

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #61 on: January 12, 2016, 10:18:15 AM »

I like it! That beam pattern is definitely much closer to the stock beam pattern.  If I have any issues with the Opt7 I might have to take a look at that LED.  But what I would really love is some laser headlights!

BMW shows motorcycle helmet head-up display and laser light concepts

Double the range without blinding oncoming drivers...sign me up!!

I will try to take a picture on the street sometime soon to see how the beam hits the road....for my own curiosity more than anything.

Opt7 actually markets the beam pattern of their LED as a benefit.  Seen from the top in their marketing photos (for whatever that's worth) the head of the bat is supposed to focus more light further down the road. (picture taken from Amazon listing)



I'm not sure it's any better than the LED you have but I can tell you its a LOT better than the SpeedMetal I wasted money on from Cycle Gear.  The SpeedMetal started acting flakey after the first rain post install and burnt out completely (in the middle of the night of course  >:( ) just a couple months later.

The Opt7 was harder to get aligned and it was a LOT harder to get the rubber boot properly between the plastic ring and the fan but the electronics module is MUCH smaller and made it easier to get the wires all tidy and tucked away.  Plus Opt7 claims the light will work completely submerged and since I ride in the rain frequently I am hoping that claim is true.  You can see here the difference in module size between the SpeedMetal and Opt7.

« Last Edit: January 12, 2016, 10:30:46 AM by mrwilsn »
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mrwilsn

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #62 on: January 12, 2016, 10:27:37 AM »

BikerJared, The LED is just plug and play.  Here is a link.
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Xenon-White-Motorcycle-Headlight/dp/B00PQDUOSO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430221468&sr=8-1&keywords=h4+motorcycle+led

ptruchon, Yes it is fanless.  That looks good, I like the work you are doing and the blog.  Are you getting anywhere with the charger under the tank?

Looking closer at the LED you bought I can see that the reason you get the cleaner pattern is likely due to the little metal divider between the forward and aft LED combined with the orientation of the LED's pointing up and down as opposed to left and right as with the Opt7.  It's also kinda cool that the LED you got doesn't have a fan although its not like I can hear the fan on mine unless I am parked in the garage (i.e. no street noise).  But I like the idea of not having the moving part...so long as it doesn't overheat in the long run.
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grmarks

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #63 on: January 22, 2016, 08:22:59 AM »

xmjsilverx have you had any trouble with RF from the LED affecting your can bus?
I am in Australia and I could not purchase that same LED as you have on amazon/ebay here (they have ones with a fan and 60w but I was worried about RF with the extra power). But I noticed its available from the US but the company does not ship to Australia.
But here the postal system offers a US address to post to then they on post it to Australia. Only problem is the freight was more than the item itself (i.e. I had to pay 2 lots of freight, one to the depot and then onto Australia).

For those electrical engineers out there, I have a question for you. Is it the LED bulb or the driver box that emits RF? If its the driver box, can you wrap it in aluminium (or something) to reduce RF output?
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Erasmo

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #64 on: January 22, 2016, 02:36:04 PM »

Probably the driver. You could try wrap it but I doubt it would work, the only real solution is to acquire a driver that doesn't emit RF.
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xmjsilverx

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #65 on: January 22, 2016, 06:32:58 PM »

No, I have not had any RF issues with my LED.
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Killroy

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #66 on: January 23, 2016, 03:32:13 AM »

It would me nice to see some more wall beam patterns of some of the other LEDs, especially ones that have up and down orientation.

Its a shame that they Opt7 was not designed like a standard H4 halogen (up down orientation instead of right left).  If they did orient it right, then its possible that the optics would not be that bad. 
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DPsSRnSD

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #67 on: August 22, 2016, 09:37:27 PM »

I installed the OPT7 led bulb this weekend. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WVJR0D8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I saw beam patterns similar to those shown previously. I did not adjust the beam angle because the hot spot appeared to be pretty close to the same place as the stock bulb. My impression is that the entire scene is brighter, including immediately in front of the bike. The whiter color makes the daytime running light bulb above the headlight look orange in comparison.
I installed the bulb without the boot that protects the OEM bulb, as recommended by OPT7. We'll see how that goes. I didn't have any major issues with clocking the bulb or installing the locking ring. The bulb indexed itself correctly. I used gloves to rotate and remove the metal ring to install the locking ring because I had visions of bloody fingers. It took a few minutes to get the locking ring to rotate and lock. Back at the bike, I attached the electronics box on the inside of the fairing that's between the side of the headlight and the instrument cluster using velcro. That's keeping the wires out of the way of the led bulb cooling fins.
The bulb makes a slight whirling sound that's only noticeable when you're at the front of the bike. It runs cool, which is what I hoped when I bought it. I can now put my bike cover on as soon as I get to work without worrying about melting the cover or the headlight lens.
« Last Edit: August 22, 2016, 09:53:46 PM by DPsSRnSD »
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Gimli1844

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #68 on: August 29, 2016, 03:58:49 AM »

I installed the OPT7 LED Headlight on my 2013 S after seeing it on this forum.  I was concerned when the instructions told me to leave off the rubber gasket off the back of the head light housing.  but just got caught in my first thunderstorm after the install and it work out just fine.  I like having the fan running the the light to remind me the bike is is on.  One time one of my co-works came over to talk to me while I was getting off my Bike and I ended walking into the office leaving the keys in the bike and in the on position. 
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wijnand71

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #69 on: September 12, 2016, 12:27:50 PM »

Anyone tried xenon? Of course I love led, but The quality I see in the products now on the market isn't high enough for me. And fans an a headlight? No, sorry.
Searching for alternatives I came across this solution:

https://www.retrofitlab.com/en/motor/yamaha-mt03-mh1.html

Seems a good quality upgrade with a decent projector lens mounted in the current Yamaha mt03 headlight unit. I'm willing to try this one out!
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tamjam

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #70 on: October 03, 2016, 08:58:17 PM »

Thought I'd add my 2c to this thread with another option for LED bulbs...one of the first upgrades I did when I bought my last bike was swapping out the two stock halogen bulbs for two of these. It was a night and day difference, so I also made it the my first upgrade on the DSR I just bought.

http://stores.advmonster.com/h4-r3-led-headlight/

It took me longer than I expected to install, even after I figured out that the whole headlight housing can just be taken out, but I finally got it done. Like others have mentioned, the plastic lock ring has 2 tabs that need to be modified (in my case, filed off completely) and there is now a jumbled mass of wires and mesh heat sink behind my housing which I will try to clean up soon with zip ties.

I haven't tested the beam pattern yet, but these bulbs worked flawlessly on my old Tiger so I expect the same on the Zero. Now I just need to go back in there and swap out the running light.
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BrianTRice@gmail.com

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #71 on: October 03, 2016, 10:05:05 PM »

Anyone tried xenon? Of course I love led, but The quality I see in the products now on the market isn't high enough for me. And fans an a headlight? No, sorry.
Searching for alternatives I came across this solution:

https://www.retrofitlab.com/en/motor/yamaha-mt03-mh1.html

Seems a good quality upgrade with a decent projector lens mounted in the current Yamaha mt03 headlight unit. I'm willing to try this one out!

Agreed that the quality so far has been fairly basic.

That MT03 fitment looks great! Even if the install is involved and it's not cheap. If someone tries this, please report on it. We should add it to the wiki for sure.
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Current: 2020 DSR, 2012 Suzuki V-Strom
Former: 2016 DSR, 2013 DS

BrianTRice@gmail.com

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Re: My LED Headlight
« Reply #72 on: October 03, 2016, 10:07:49 PM »

Thought I'd add my 2c to this thread with another option for LED bulbs...one of the first upgrades I did when I bought my last bike was swapping out the two stock halogen bulbs for two of these. It was a night and day difference, so I also made it the my first upgrade on the DSR I just bought.

http://stores.advmonster.com/h4-r3-led-headlight/

It took me longer than I expected to install, even after I figured out that the whole headlight housing can just be taken out, but I finally got it done. Like others have mentioned, the plastic lock ring has 2 tabs that need to be modified (in my case, filed off completely) and there is now a jumbled mass of wires and mesh heat sink behind my housing which I will try to clean up soon with zip ties.

I haven't tested the beam pattern yet, but these bulbs worked flawlessly on my old Tiger so I expect the same on the Zero. Now I just need to go back in there and swap out the running light.

Not bad! I'm using the previous listed option with a braid, and the wiring arrangement has been a hassle, even had  wires exposed after it got caught against a steering stop. :/ I repaired it of course but had to carefully arrange the now busy group of wiring to keep it all safely together.
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