Found some led bulbs on ebay, thoughts?

[RobZ900]

Originally Posted by hurricanepaines

Drove home from the night shift in that storm at about 6am this morning. Would not want to be doing that on my bike if I had a choice.

I've got a set of Osram cool blue intense (not actually blue) to try out in my bike and was going to try and get a POV before and after image to post but haven't had a combination of a dry evening and free time yet. Tried out a set in the car though and they were much better

I’ve got a choice as I’ve got a car at home. Car is a piece of sh#t though and don’t enjoy driving the car. I drive a truck all day for a living, so the last thing I want to do is spend more time behind the wheel to and from work. With gore tex boots and gloves, waterproof textiles and a neck warmer, I couldn’t be happier when I’m riding to work, regardless of if it’s pissing down with rain or freezing cold. Only time I won’t use the bike is if it’s really bad ice or snow, but in those conditions I wouldn’t be going to work anyway. Would just like a bit more light to make the night riding a bit easier. Going to install the Xtreme vision bulbs and will look at adding a set of cree spotlights. That should solve the problem. Just wanted main bulbs to be LED’s for the extra light but also the intensity, because as Marco said, it makes you more visible.

[zed9]

RobZ, Marco...Thanks for the honest appraisal. And for saving us all the disappointment. It's called "taking one for the team".
I suspect the LED just doesn't have the surface area output to cope with the reflector design.

In the past I have used the Sylvania Silverstar for an upgrade on my bikes that require the H4 lamp. Even though the wattage is the same as the standard halogen they throw out light in a much whiter spectrum. The improvement is great and instantly noticeable.
The only downside is being a high performance lamp, it doesn't last as long. I'm getting about 10,000 miles to burnout, and I mean to the mile. I keep a log. The standard halogen last at least twice as long but I will never go back to them.

I will replace my H7 with a high performance halogen by next riding season. I'm not sure yet if Sylvania makes them in H7 but they probably do. They're available at auto parts stores.

[quantum]

I am still going to try LEDs. I am a big fan as they have been a huge improvement in my truck, while still matching the factory cutoff. They are like 3x brighter and I can see much farther down the road. There is an eBay vendor I have bought 3 sets from, that are great quality and have lasted nearly 4 years without a hitch. They have built-in fans to pull the heat from the electronics.

I plan to do alot of upgrades over the Christmas break and my paternity leave (like LEDs) and will report back.

[RobZ900]

Originally Posted by quantum

I am still going to try LEDs. I am a big fan as they have been a huge improvement in my truck, while still matching the factory cutoff. They are like 3x brighter and I can see much farther down the road. There is an eBay vendor I have bought 3 sets from, that are great quality and have lasted nearly 4 years without a hitch. They have built-in fans to pull the heat from the electronics.

I plan to do alot of upgrades over the Christmas break and my paternity leave (like LEDs) and will report back.

I may have another go in the future, but for now I’m just going to stick to what I know works. The other bulbs I’ve been looking at can be found here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/H7-GLB477-2nd-Generation-Lumiled-ZES-New-Compact-LED-Headlights-Main-Dip-Beam/182602277008?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908131621%26meid%3D81a5e07956ef4c68832999bc44a49040%26pid%3D100678%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D7%26sd%3D401485161601%26itm%3D182602277008&_trksid=p2481888.c100678.m3607&_trkparms=pageci%3Aa1b3030a-f404-11e8-a526-74dbd1807dc0%7Cparentrq%3A60bb23f81670a9c40c9cc439fffc1b3f%7Ciid%3A1

Some really good reviews on them, so you never know. Ideally what I’d like is something like the bulbs I’ve just tried, but that are actually good. Hate all the extra wires/drivers/fans/heatsinks that come with most LED’s.

[cjskinner]

Sooo what’s the final verdict? Anyone have a link of a good set easy to install?

[RobZ900]

Originally Posted by cjskinner

Sooo what’s the final verdict? Anyone have a link of a good set easy to install?

You could try the set in my last comment. Heard good reviews on classic car LED’s. Apparently they produce the sort of light you would expect from a decent LED bulb and they have a built in driver, so it just a case of doctoring a pair of dust covers to allow the heat sink to fit and you’re good to go.

[Swinging_Nuts]

Originally Posted by zed9

RobZ, Marco...Thanks for the honest appraisal. And for saving us all the disappointment. It's called "taking one for the team".
I suspect the LED just doesn't have the surface area output to cope with the reflector design.

In the past I have used the Sylvania Silverstar for an upgrade on my bikes that require the H4 lamp. Even though the wattage is the same as the standard halogen they throw out light in a much whiter spectrum. The improvement is great and instantly noticeable.
The only downside is being a high performance lamp, it doesn't last as long. I'm getting about 10,000 miles to burnout, and I mean to the mile. I keep a log. The standard halogen last at least twice as long but I will never go back to them.

I will replace my H7 with a high performance halogen by next riding season. I'm not sure yet if Sylvania makes them in H7 but they probably do. They're available at auto parts stores.

Sure do. I’m running the silver star ultra H7 👍🏻

[zed9]

Originally Posted by Swinging_Nuts

Sure do. I’m running the silver star ultra H7 👍🏻

What kind of improvement over the stock halogens?

[Swinging_Nuts]

Originally Posted by zed9

What kind of improvement over the stock halogens?

Well.... I can see at night now... so that must count for something haha

I think the biggest improvement is simply the light color. I’d assume 5-6k color range. It’s very illuminating. I wouldn’t necessarily say they shoot much further down road though maybe I could adjust the housing up a little bit but as of now the position is untouched from oem. When it’s time to replace them I’ll probably swap for leds but as of now I’m content.

[zed9]

Originally Posted by Swinging_Nuts

Well.... I can see at night now... so that must count for something haha

I think the biggest improvement is simply the light color. I’d assume 5-6k color range. It’s very illuminating. I wouldn’t necessarily say they shoot much further down road though maybe I could adjust the housing up a little bit but as of now the position is untouched from oem. When it’s time to replace them I’ll probably swap for leds but as of now I’m content.

Yes, that's what I noticed on my other bike. The light pattern stayed the same, which was fine, but whatever it lit up was brighter and easier to see.
It is like the difference between a soft white light bulb and a daylight bulb over the work bench.