LED Headlight

Just replacing the bulb creates a mess of light, no beam, ala Bretts light. Good for letting cagers see you, (and annoying those in front of you), but not real good at night. His RGS on the other hand has a different reflector/ lense etc, good for night time and bouncing off roos.
 
I've got a pair I'll fit to the little ZXR250 twin headlights - I mainly wanted to reduce the amperage and still have good lights. if they splay the light everywhere I'll shelve them - not cheap but had to try to find out!! I've always run relays and Qh lights - had two of those 90/130s in my old 145 Volvo - absolutely incredible lights!!

55/100 x 2 might be pushing it for my ND alternator (as used on GPZ900Rs and the like) - 55/60 x 2 is be fine. That's what I had in the twin GSX-R headlights before this config. I love night riding and driving. Not sure I'd do the Nullarbor at night on a moto again though.

Funny that they don't mention the need for dedicated lenses and reflectors. The pair for the Skoda are gong into one of those lenses that look like a crystal ball. Hopefully that works.
 
I have never understood why motos have never had headlight beam height adjustment. It is standard on many cars, remote adjusters come for shock absorbers on motos and even motogp bikes have some adjuster stuff on the handlebars. I have often thought about a simple flex cable to the back of the housing with a small knob to wind it up or down a bit, easy with the rubber mounted headlight like on the SF. Bikes with pillion usually blind oncoming traffic and get flashed at all the time.
 
Obviously you dont know about RGS?s then

LED headlight globes its all fairly simple think a lot are way over thinking things. Had one in the RGS for a good few years now.it turns night into day... technology has moved on so they are even better.
You only get what you pay for ....the more you spend then the better you get fairly simple thing if you ask me.

Ah Marty sorry to rain on ya parade but the RGS uses a standard light these days... the other one bundled off years ago but the LED is still going... that cost me like $125 from memory. Oh and if ya dont like my light behind ya then ride faster easy easy me thinks  8) 8)
 
martymoose said:
Just replacing the bulb creates a mess of light, no beam, ala Bretts light. Good for letting cagers see you, (and annoying those in front of you), but not real good at night. His RGS on the other hand has a different reflector/ lense etc, good for night time and bouncing off roos.
Click to expand...

If the LED replacement bulb has the actual LEDs in the same position within the light as the filaments in an incandescent bulb, then the optics should work just the same.

The H4 LED lamp in the link that Quentin posted looks like its making a reasonable attempt to get the light emitting bits in the right spot. I'd be interested to hear any comments about whether the beam is focussed well enough.
This one: https://www.laverdaforum.com/forum/index.php?action=post;topic=100758.0;last_msg=456910

Not that I'm too bothered about headlights. I try to avoid riding at night, at least out on country roads. Too many nocturnal critters wandering about on the roads. Animals aren't such an issue in the suburbs, but you don't need a good headlight because of the street lights. The headlight rarely gets on high beam in the city and suburbs.
 
"I have never understood why motos have never had headlight beam height adjustment."
Actually, there are motos with such adjustments.  My BMW's headlight is adjustable, and it's by no means a new model.
 
Dellortoman said:
The H4 LED lamp in the link that Quentin posted looks like its making a reasonable attempt to get the light emitting bits in the right spot. I'd be interested to hear any comments about whether the beam is focussed well enough.
This one: https://www.laverdaforum.com/forum/index.php?action=post;topic=100758.0;last_msg=456910
Click to expand...

They arrived yesterday (Saturday delivery!) and in the instructions they show what the pattern should look like: a sharply defined cutoff with the angle up to the left, so I'm very interested to see how they function. They certainly look fancy, with fine alu heat-sync finning and from what I can see are very well made - $140 for two. Fingers crossed.
 
Piranha Brother 2 said:
They arrived yesterday (Saturday delivery!) and in the instructions they show what the pattern should look like: a sharply defined cutoff with the angle up to the left, so I'm very interested to see how they function. They certainly look fancy, with fine alu heat-sync finning and from what I can see are very well made - $140 for two. Fingers crossed.
Click to expand...


Looking forward to seeing (a) how easy they fit and (b) what the result is like...cheers
 
Link below is the suggested model LED from the French mob - looks similar but not identical to the AU sourced one.  Re the randomness of the light with one fitted to an original reflector, I assume that if the light source sits in the same position as a Halogen bulb then the distribution of the light by the reflector would be much the same.


Something I've been wondering is the extent to which the heat sink creates any risk of damage due to it being stuffed in the rats nest of wiring in a headlamp shell - any thoughts?



https://www.ledperf.eu/h4-bi-led-bulb-mini-size-high-power-p-15833.html
 
ngiles said:
Link below is the suggested model LED from the French mob - looks similar but not identical to the AU sourced one.  Re the randomness of the light with one fitted to an original reflector, I assume that if the light source sits in the same position as a Halogen bulb then the distribution of the light by the reflector would be much the same.


Something I've been wondering is the extent to which the heat sink creates any risk of damage due to it being stuffed in the rats nest of wiring in a headlamp shell - any thoughts?



https://www.ledperf.eu/h4-bi-led-bulb-mini-size-high-power-p-15833.html
Click to expand...

Give them a mail, they were pretty good at getting back to me with answers for my questions
 
Had a crack at fitting on yesterday and discovered that there are times when a H4 is NOT a H4 ... when it's a H4R ... the R probably meaning 'restricted', which pertains to twin headlight Honda CBR250RRs and Kawasaki ZXR250Rs. These bikes have specially designed globes that make it 'impossible' to fit larger wattage globes than the default 35/55, apparently because A. they burn out the handlebar light switch and/or B. the little batteries will go flat at the lights or C. the alternator isn't up to it (the latter is not the case, as these alternators are in a lot of youir triples - Red's conversions, I believe). The simple fact is the tangs on a std H$ are in different possies to the fabulous H4R (they seem to like the R designation on these bikes  ???)

SO! LED retailers Stedi don't stock an H4R adapter. Their LEDs actually already fit and lock into a H4 adapter - that goes into the light first, then the rubber shroud, then the LED with the big heat sync on the back of it. Do I send 'em back or find a fix. Of course, I find a fix. More bloody work! Fukken specials, it never ends!!

I'm making two adapters from .7mm stainless sheet with the H4R tang pattern that will sit under the plastic H4 LED adapter (which will only have the one tang left after i cut the misaligned ones off). The bulb will sit about .5mm further out from the glass but can't imagine that making more than a squifteenth of fuk all difference. Not the end of the world, but not what i expected or wanted. I'll post some pics.

The heart syncs are pretty bulky - I'm positive you wouldn't get one into a std SF1 plastichrome headlight shell. No probs on the ZXR lights or the GSX-R of the previous bike, as they sit externally. As for heat, I'm baffled as to why the big heat syncs are needed - isn't the thing with LEDs that they produce loads of light but stuff all heat? A H4 surely gets a whole lot hotter ... maybe the LEDs don't get super hot but have a very low tolerance level?

A bit like me when I get things I think will be simple but aren't straightforward!  ??? :-\

(The little taillights I got for the SFC seat have weirdo double filament 5/5W globes with small glass bulbs and no offset pin bayonets ... you can get small bulb globes with the correct 5/21W filaments and offset pins, but they're about 5 times the price of a std globe, then you need to modify the slots for the pins to bake them offset!! Another thing that I had to modify to fit 'normal' globes to!)
 
Piranha Brother 2 said:
Had a crack at fitting on yesterday and discovered that there are times when a H4 is NOT a H4 ... when it's a H4R ... the R probably meaning 'restricted', which pertains to twin headlight Honda CBR250RRs and Kawasaki ZXR250Rs. These bikes have specially designed globes that make it 'impossible' to fit larger wattage globes than the default 35/55, apparently because A. they burn out the handlebar light switch and/or B. the little batteries will go flat at the lights or C. the alternator isn't up to it (the latter is not the case, as these alternators are in a lot of youir triples - Red's conversions, I believe). The simple fact is the tangs on a std H$ are in different possies to the fabulous H4R (they seem to like the R designation on these bikes  ???)

SO! LED retailers Stedi don't stock an H4R adapter. Their LEDs actually already fit and lock into a H4 adapter - that goes into the light first, then the rubber shroud, then the LED with the big heat sync on the back of it. Do I send 'em back or find a fix. Of course, I find a fix. More bloody work! Fukken specials, it never ends!!

I'm making two adapters from .7mm stainless sheet with the H4R tang pattern that will sit under the plastic H4 LED adapter (which will only have the one tang left after i cut the misaligned ones off). The bulb will sit about .5mm further out from the glass but can't imagine that making more than a squifteenth of fuk all difference. Not the end of the world, but not what i expected or wanted. I'll post some pics.

The heart syncs are pretty bulky - I'm positive you wouldn't get one into a std SF1 plastichrome headlight shell. No probs on the ZXR lights or the GSX-R of the previous bike, as they sit externally. As for heat, I'm baffled as to why the big heat syncs are needed - isn't the thing with LEDs that they produce loads of light but stuff all heat? A H4 surely gets a whole lot hotter ... maybe the LEDs don't get super hot but have a very low tolerance level?

A bit like me when I get things I think will be simple but aren't straightforward!  ??? :-\

(The little taillights I got for the SFC seat have weirdo double filament 5/5W globes with small glass bulbs and no offset pin bayonets ... you can get small bulb globes with the correct 5/21W filaments and offset pins, but they're about 5 times the price of a std globe, then you need to modify the slots for the pins to bake them offset!! Another thing that I had to modify to fit 'normal' globes to!)
Click to expand...

dude I hear you on the modification business....my rod to beat over my back , created by me. I have to work out where I can find 7mm of extra depth in My Marchal 812... I have a few choices, but Im procrastinating hoping I will have an epiphany and some idea will magic itself up.... I either have to make extender rings for more depth, or I make a hole in the back of the bucket with a rubber cap that covers it, for the extra depth... I dont really want to cut the buckets...Im madly searching for a poor condition set of buckets so I can attack those instead of my mint ones . Fun and games... but the end result should be worth it
 
Might help peeps, , note that red Led bulbs are needed for tail lights to show up.


http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/
 
Piranha Brother 2 said:
...when a H4 is NOT a H4 ... when it's a H4R ...
Click to expand...


So you need an H4R pattern? What year/model of Lav are you fitting it to - I assume the "standard" Bosch 180mm reflector?  Was the H4R type evident from the bulb you removed; stamped on it somewhere?


Look forward to the pics.


Cheers, Nick
 
Piranha Brother 2 said:
I'm baffled as to why the big heat syncs are needed - isn't the thing with LEDs that they produce loads of light but stuff all heat? A H4 surely gets a whole lot hotter ... maybe the LEDs don't get super hot but have a very low tolerance level?
Click to expand...

You've answered your own question.  Incandescent filaments need to get white hot to make their light, so the globes are made to tolerate high temperatures. LEDs convert energy to light in a different way and operate at a much lower temperature. Your assumption that they have a low tolerance to heat is correct. If they get too hot they'll fry their brains out, so they need a way to dissipate the little bit of heat that they make. 
 
Dellortoman said:
You've answered your own question.  Incandescent filaments need to get white hot to make their light, so the globes are made to tolerate high temperatures. LEDs convert energy to light in a different way and operate at a much lower temperature. Your assumption that they have a low tolerance to heat is correct. If they get too hot they'll fry their brains out, so they need a way to dissipate the little bit of heat that they make.
Click to expand...


So unlikely to fry the wiring crammed into the headlamp shell  ???
 
ngiles said:
So you need an H4R pattern? What year/model of Lav are you fitting it to - I assume the "standard" Bosch 180mm reflector?  Was the H4R type evident from the bulb you removed; stamped on it somewhere?


Look forward to the pics.


Cheers, Nick
Click to expand...

Don't worry about my H4R rant for your bike, Nick. The H4R pattern exists ONLY on small 250 Jap bikes with twin headlights it would seem. As my SFQ is using a top fairing from a ZXZ250R and the bracket, instruments and headlights that I sourced so it all fits together nicely, I have these weirdo H4Rs to deal with. ANY std H4 will be totally fine. The only issue you'll need to address is rear clearance from the heat sync to the back of the 3CL headlight shell. This is what Todd is now faced with using his Marchals.

Todd, maybe it's time to make a mould of the Marchal shell and create carbon fibre ones with an extra cavity at the back for the LEDs??

Thanks for the explication, Cam. The H7s for the Skoda have these big woven copper 'umbrellas' that you open out for heat syncing.
 
ngiles said:
So unlikely to fry the wiring crammed into the headlamp shell  ???
Click to expand...

I don't know. I'd be surprised if it would get hot enough to damage anything, but I suspect some ventilation holes in the headlight shell would be a good idea. Hopefully the wiring loom holes will allow enough air circulation.

If I were doing the LED modification to my 3C, I reckon I'd have to move a lot of that wiring mess to some other location. The normal headlight only just fits as it is.
 
Todd, maybe it's time to make a mould of the Marchal shell and create carbon fibre ones with an extra cavity at the back for the LEDs??


[/quote]

I have been toying with that idea, its just a matter of me sitting down and working if the way the spotlights close will work with a carbon. That looks like a long and painful job going that route though. The idea is the bike should be on the road in november, but I suspect that wont happen now, as the engine isnt finished yet, so maybe I do have the time after all.
 
Aren't the Marchals pretty close to the fairing? I suppose if yours is too difficult you can always revert to the quartz globe.

I've made the adapter for one side. Hole saw, metal sheers, die grinder, angle grinder, files ... took me probably an hour and a half to make ONE!! I probably should have checked if the headlight in that small size was available for a std H4. Oh well, only have to make them once!
 
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