Led h4?
#81
03-30-2015, 03:17 AM
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Installed mine today without a hitch. I see what you mean about little difference between low and high but it doesnt really bother me. I did a quick adjustment and road a couple miles tonight. I met several cars and none flashed their brights. I might adjust it up a bit more to get a little more distance out of it but I think its a win. Thanks Kevin for all the work you did in testing.
Just got mine from DK. Installed in the housing, Very nice...Torque Q/W 258s on the way.
HAd a little challenge with the spring but I don't think it will pop out. I can hear the fan running though. I thought LEDs were cooler than incandescent. ...Will a modulator such as Comagination work with his lamp?
HAd a little challenge with the spring but I don't think it will pop out. I can hear the fan running though. I thought LEDs were cooler than incandescent. ...Will a modulator such as Comagination work with his lamp?
Headlight buckets are not air tight. We've never felt more than a couple of degrees difference. The actual LED puts out very little heat, but the chip(s) that are upstream of the LED's are very small, so even though it is much less wattage (power) going thru them than a typical filament light, relatively, it is a lot of wattage going thru some very small components.
It is not a lot of heat to feel...but the components are very small, so even though the volume of heat is insignificant to our feel, it is significant to the small components, thus the fan to keep them below 150*.
We spent a couple of months testing. Lots of bumps, rain, freezing cold temps, letting the light run 24 hours straight, spraying a hose straight on the headlight bucket, etc. We always try and break stuff before putting it on the website.
Nothing to verify the 30,000 hour life expectancy. That would require running it 7/24 for over 3 years.
Last edited by DK Custom; 03-30-2015 at 03:19 AM.
#82
03-30-2015, 08:36 PM
Well i got to test this light out this morning and its far brighter than the Silverstars i have currently ran. My aim must be ok because i wasn't flashed at all. The difference between light output from low to high beam is really negligible but thats ok too because this is a different kind of light source.
The thing is that incandescents are variable wattage bulbs and LEDS really aren't. Thats why in house for example dimmer switches don't work with LED bulbs and why incandescent Sportster were 75/85w bulbs if i remember right..
I road with my brights on and wasn't flashed a single time as well with the LEDs. The bottom line is there isn't a incandescent h4 bulb that puts out as much light as the DK Customs LED. Then add in the fact that white light is more noticeable than that incandescent yellow color during daylight increasing rider visibility. This light might outlast me if its good for 30000 hours lol.
Now i'm waiting for my replacement turn signal lights from Custom Dynamics to light me up even more. I've been able to do a total LED lighting upgrade for less than the cost of a HD Daymaker that a single rock strike could to turn it into a $400 door stop.
The thing is that incandescents are variable wattage bulbs and LEDS really aren't. Thats why in house for example dimmer switches don't work with LED bulbs and why incandescent Sportster were 75/85w bulbs if i remember right..
I road with my brights on and wasn't flashed a single time as well with the LEDs. The bottom line is there isn't a incandescent h4 bulb that puts out as much light as the DK Customs LED. Then add in the fact that white light is more noticeable than that incandescent yellow color during daylight increasing rider visibility. This light might outlast me if its good for 30000 hours lol.
Now i'm waiting for my replacement turn signal lights from Custom Dynamics to light me up even more. I've been able to do a total LED lighting upgrade for less than the cost of a HD Daymaker that a single rock strike could to turn it into a $400 door stop.
#83
03-31-2015, 08:47 AM
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
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Well i got to test this light out this morning and its far brighter than the Silverstars i have currently ran. My aim must be ok because i wasn't flashed at all. The difference between light output from low to high beam is really negligible but thats ok too because this is a different kind of light source.
The thing is that incandescents are variable wattage bulbs and LEDS really aren't. Thats why in house for example dimmer switches don't work with LED bulbs and why incandescent Sportster were 75/85w bulbs if i remember right..
I road with my brights on and wasn't flashed a single time as well with the LEDs. The bottom line is there isn't a incandescent h4 bulb that puts out as much light as the DK Customs LED. Then add in the fact that white light is more noticeable than that incandescent yellow color during daylight increasing rider visibility. This light might outlast me if its good for 30000 hours lol.
Now i'm waiting for my replacement turn signal lights from Custom Dynamics to light me up even more. I've been able to do a total LED lighting upgrade for less than the cost of a HD Daymaker that a single rock strike could to turn it into a $400 door stop.
The thing is that incandescents are variable wattage bulbs and LEDS really aren't. Thats why in house for example dimmer switches don't work with LED bulbs and why incandescent Sportster were 75/85w bulbs if i remember right..
I road with my brights on and wasn't flashed a single time as well with the LEDs. The bottom line is there isn't a incandescent h4 bulb that puts out as much light as the DK Customs LED. Then add in the fact that white light is more noticeable than that incandescent yellow color during daylight increasing rider visibility. This light might outlast me if its good for 30000 hours lol.
Now i'm waiting for my replacement turn signal lights from Custom Dynamics to light me up even more. I've been able to do a total LED lighting upgrade for less than the cost of a HD Daymaker that a single rock strike could to turn it into a $400 door stop.
65 CD led front turn signal
65 CD led rear run brake turn
35 CD load balancer (northwest hd 50%off in WA)
45 CD triple play (northwest hd 50%off in WA)
125 CD led smoke laydown tail light
65 DK led h4 (dk for the win)
35x2 turn signal trim rings (To keep the led light out of my face and matched for rear)
-----------------------------
$405
F*** a daymaker. (But they look really cool in black, sssshh)
Last edited by cvaria; 03-31-2015 at 08:51 AM.
#84
03-31-2015, 03:02 PM
I think I'm right the at 400.
65 CD led front turn signal
65 CD led rear run brake turn
35 CD load balancer (northwest hd 50%off in WA)
45 CD triple play (northwest hd 50%off in WA)
125 CD led smoke laydown tail light
65 DK led h4 (dk for the win)
35x2 turn signal trim rings (To keep the led light out of my face and matched for rear)
-----------------------------
$405
F*** a daymaker. (But they look really cool in black, sssshh)
65 CD led front turn signal
65 CD led rear run brake turn
35 CD load balancer (northwest hd 50%off in WA)
45 CD triple play (northwest hd 50%off in WA)
125 CD led smoke laydown tail light
65 DK led h4 (dk for the win)
35x2 turn signal trim rings (To keep the led light out of my face and matched for rear)
-----------------------------
$405
F*** a daymaker. (But they look really cool in black, sssshh)
#85
03-31-2015, 09:52 PM
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
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I was trying to avoid installing the balance because of the posi taps And no room under the seat with the triple play already in there. The rapid fire lights had to stop. I had to make space.
#86
04-01-2015, 04:27 PM
If you did front and back, you lights may go apes***. I tested my signals, when i did the front it was fine. After installing the rears, the singals would go slow at first and then rapid fire blinking.
I was trying to avoid installing the balance because of the posi taps And no room under the seat with the triple play already in there. The rapid fire lights had to stop. I had to make space.
I was trying to avoid installing the balance because of the posi taps And no room under the seat with the triple play already in there. The rapid fire lights had to stop. I had to make space.
#88
04-01-2015, 07:46 PM
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Posts: 12,344
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#89
04-01-2015, 07:48 PM
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Posts: 12,344
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#90
04-02-2015, 08:56 AM
DK
I am very pleased by your diligence regarding testing and comparison of LED and incan's. It is also encouraging that you have figured out how the 3 diode LED's should be properly fitted. You are so right when you state it is "counter intuitive". as you know, incandescents have the bright element on top, where as the LED should have the single(bright) diode on the bottom. I had to figure this out on my own and it is very surprising that a few can't seem to wrap their head around this. My solution was to rotate the lens 180 deg so the diodes would function as intended. I used the Cyron LED which is giving me very similar results as yours. However, the Cyron adapter fixes the diodes upside down in the HD lens…..The solution as I mentioned before, rotate the lens 180 deg(upside down) putting the LED "right side up".
If I read your post's correct, it appears your kit fixes this issue by ensuring the adapter places the LED in proper position to begin with. I only wish you had your kit available before I had purchased mine. It would have saved me alot of tinkering. Below are the post's I made in my build threads on xlforum and advrider. Hope this helps for anyone who has already purchased the Cyron LED.
Regards
Rod
I am very pleased by your diligence regarding testing and comparison of LED and incan's. It is also encouraging that you have figured out how the 3 diode LED's should be properly fitted. You are so right when you state it is "counter intuitive". as you know, incandescents have the bright element on top, where as the LED should have the single(bright) diode on the bottom. I had to figure this out on my own and it is very surprising that a few can't seem to wrap their head around this. My solution was to rotate the lens 180 deg so the diodes would function as intended. I used the Cyron LED which is giving me very similar results as yours. However, the Cyron adapter fixes the diodes upside down in the HD lens…..The solution as I mentioned before, rotate the lens 180 deg(upside down) putting the LED "right side up".
If I read your post's correct, it appears your kit fixes this issue by ensuring the adapter places the LED in proper position to begin with. I only wish you had your kit available before I had purchased mine. It would have saved me alot of tinkering. Below are the post's I made in my build threads on xlforum and advrider. Hope this helps for anyone who has already purchased the Cyron LED.
Regards
Rod
I had planned to get my tachometer/USB instrument cluster completed this weekend; didn't happen. I did however, replace my head lamp bulb with a LED.
This little gem is a Cyron H4 type 2500 lumen LED retrofit kit. Cost is $65. I had resisted the LED conversion until someone came out with a LED bulb. $400-$500 lamp seemed a little steep when a single bulb should do the job just as well.
Installation is very simple; Remove the set screw and the ring currently installed on the new lamp…….
Select the appropriate/matching adapter for your application……..
Once the ring adapter is in place, secure with the set screw…….
Then instal into the head lamp.
Some thoughts and impressions. The lamp is considerably brighter than the stock bulb; however, adjustment is going to require a bit of manipulation of the head lamp housing and the lens housing. I'm thinking the lens housing may need to be installed upside down. The high beam appears to cast below the low beam. Once I play with it I'll make another report. So far I'm very pleased with the illumination at night. It cast's a much broader beam than the standard H4 halogen and the light is white as apposed to the yellow cast of the halogen. More to come………….
In my post above I forgot to write about mods needed to reuse the boot that covers the connection between the lens and the bulb. Looking to the below pic, you'll see I have begun removing the slots that accommodate the prongs on the bulb.
I first snipped them with a sharp knife……..
……… then continued to trim the hole so it would fit snug against the barrel/base of the bulb.
A notch was needed in order to access the screw that holds the adapter to the base.
Slide the adapter over the bulb and onto the base. Tighten down the set screw; then the retention spring should be slipped between the adapter plate and the boot. Once the bulb is set in place and the spring is locked down, you can pull the boot down over the base of the bulb and snug it up to the back of the lens. Sorry for lack of pictures on the last few steps.
Once you have your lens and bulb fully assembled; you may want to reposition the wires in your bucket so the ballast/cooling fins will fit.
The next step is very important. Your lamp will not illuminate properly if you don't follow this exactly.
Turn the lens upside down; then slip it into the rubber boot on the outside of the bucket. The Cyron bulb is identical to all the other retrofit bulbs you see on ebay; they are all universal retrofit motorcycle kits, and not every motorcycle manufacturer mounts their bulbs in the same fashion. So……. in order to get your high beam in the proper location(on top), the the MoCo lens will have to be installed upside down. This appears to be true for ALL MODELS of Harley Davidsons; late and early. Look closely at the next pic and you'll see the lettering on my Sporty's lens is upside down.
The Cyron LED bulb uses 2 LED's for the low beam and a third for the high beam. The two low beam LED's should face downward and the high beam should face upward. The triangle should be base up, point down.
Once the bulb is in the correct position; you may need to rotate the lens right or left slightly, to get the beam even and horizontal. I used the panels of my garage door to even the beam. You'll also notice the beams cast, is essentially kidney shaped. Thats because LED's do not cast light like incandescents. Incan's cast light in a more diffuse pattern; and the reflector is far more critical to focus all light for proper illumination and a tight, round single beam.
LED's cast their light perpendicular to the diode with vey little scatter. Because of the Cyron LED positioning, the HD reflector only needs to cast the beam(s)(3 LED's) at less than 90 deg to get them down range to illuminate the road. My reflector seems to do this in a brilliant fashion. The next few pics are of low beam and high beam.
Low beam…….
……..High beam. You should notice that the single high beam fills at the top; extending the cast a little further out.
Low beam……. notice the slight gap in the center. This isn't noticeable with the naked eye, it only appears in the photo's. However, it does adequately demonstrate how LED beams are cast.
High beam. You can hopefully see how the single high beam fills the gap slightly above the two low beams. Three lights ultimate making a triangular pattern.
My impressions are very good with this LED bulb. During the winter nearly 2/3's of my riding is done during the dark hours. The LED's cast a very bright white light which illuminates the entire road in front of me. The whiter light gives me better color rendering at night. I can actually tell you what color the cagers are; blue, black, maroon. I can't do that as easily with incan's. The LED's have a much softer scatter on the edges which illuminate little and large critters eyes more efficiently and much further down the road than my halogen did. Overall this has been a pleasant surprise and a much needed upgrade to my sportster. At $65; it's a bargain. I can expand on this further if needed; just don't want to bore anyone.
Regards
Rod
This little gem is a Cyron H4 type 2500 lumen LED retrofit kit. Cost is $65. I had resisted the LED conversion until someone came out with a LED bulb. $400-$500 lamp seemed a little steep when a single bulb should do the job just as well.
Installation is very simple; Remove the set screw and the ring currently installed on the new lamp…….
Select the appropriate/matching adapter for your application……..
Once the ring adapter is in place, secure with the set screw…….
Then instal into the head lamp.
Some thoughts and impressions. The lamp is considerably brighter than the stock bulb; however, adjustment is going to require a bit of manipulation of the head lamp housing and the lens housing. I'm thinking the lens housing may need to be installed upside down. The high beam appears to cast below the low beam. Once I play with it I'll make another report. So far I'm very pleased with the illumination at night. It cast's a much broader beam than the standard H4 halogen and the light is white as apposed to the yellow cast of the halogen. More to come………….
In my post above I forgot to write about mods needed to reuse the boot that covers the connection between the lens and the bulb. Looking to the below pic, you'll see I have begun removing the slots that accommodate the prongs on the bulb.
I first snipped them with a sharp knife……..
……… then continued to trim the hole so it would fit snug against the barrel/base of the bulb.
A notch was needed in order to access the screw that holds the adapter to the base.
Slide the adapter over the bulb and onto the base. Tighten down the set screw; then the retention spring should be slipped between the adapter plate and the boot. Once the bulb is set in place and the spring is locked down, you can pull the boot down over the base of the bulb and snug it up to the back of the lens. Sorry for lack of pictures on the last few steps.
Once you have your lens and bulb fully assembled; you may want to reposition the wires in your bucket so the ballast/cooling fins will fit.
The next step is very important. Your lamp will not illuminate properly if you don't follow this exactly.
Turn the lens upside down; then slip it into the rubber boot on the outside of the bucket. The Cyron bulb is identical to all the other retrofit bulbs you see on ebay; they are all universal retrofit motorcycle kits, and not every motorcycle manufacturer mounts their bulbs in the same fashion. So……. in order to get your high beam in the proper location(on top), the the MoCo lens will have to be installed upside down. This appears to be true for ALL MODELS of Harley Davidsons; late and early. Look closely at the next pic and you'll see the lettering on my Sporty's lens is upside down.
The Cyron LED bulb uses 2 LED's for the low beam and a third for the high beam. The two low beam LED's should face downward and the high beam should face upward. The triangle should be base up, point down.
Once the bulb is in the correct position; you may need to rotate the lens right or left slightly, to get the beam even and horizontal. I used the panels of my garage door to even the beam. You'll also notice the beams cast, is essentially kidney shaped. Thats because LED's do not cast light like incandescents. Incan's cast light in a more diffuse pattern; and the reflector is far more critical to focus all light for proper illumination and a tight, round single beam.
LED's cast their light perpendicular to the diode with vey little scatter. Because of the Cyron LED positioning, the HD reflector only needs to cast the beam(s)(3 LED's) at less than 90 deg to get them down range to illuminate the road. My reflector seems to do this in a brilliant fashion. The next few pics are of low beam and high beam.
Low beam…….
……..High beam. You should notice that the single high beam fills at the top; extending the cast a little further out.
Low beam……. notice the slight gap in the center. This isn't noticeable with the naked eye, it only appears in the photo's. However, it does adequately demonstrate how LED beams are cast.
High beam. You can hopefully see how the single high beam fills the gap slightly above the two low beams. Three lights ultimate making a triangular pattern.
My impressions are very good with this LED bulb. During the winter nearly 2/3's of my riding is done during the dark hours. The LED's cast a very bright white light which illuminates the entire road in front of me. The whiter light gives me better color rendering at night. I can actually tell you what color the cagers are; blue, black, maroon. I can't do that as easily with incan's. The LED's have a much softer scatter on the edges which illuminate little and large critters eyes more efficiently and much further down the road than my halogen did. Overall this has been a pleasant surprise and a much needed upgrade to my sportster. At $65; it's a bargain. I can expand on this further if needed; just don't want to bore anyone.
Regards
Rod
As promised I have a little more info on the Cyron bulb. Out of curiosity I conducted several unscientific(some would argue) measurements of three different head lamp systems. They were:
Sportster H4 stock halogen
HD Daymaker
Cyron LED
I took the opportunity to take the measurements at Cool Springs HD yesterday while running a few errands. Due to all the ice, and low temps; it seemed the sales staff were very eager to lend me hand out of sheer boredom
The meter I used was actually a app I downloaded a few weeks ago. It's called "Light Meter-lux measurement tool".
I took 4 measurements of all three lamps; both low beam and high beam; holding the tool approximately 6-8" from the lens. I attempted to keep the meter centered in the brightest portion of the cast. All readings were added together and averaged for each lamp and setting(s); then rounded up to the next 500. By percentage the H4 halogen benefited the most from the rounding up. Measurements were done in candle power(lux); which, arguably, is recognized as the better indicator of a lights usefulness.
Results are approximates.
H4 Halogen Low Beam 3500…..High Beam 6000
HD Day Maker Low Beam 6000…..High Beam 8000
Cyron LED Low Beam 12000…..High Beam 18000
These results confirm, at least to me, what I am seeing at night. My impression after installing and properly adjusting the Cyron, was that it appeared about twice as bright as my stock halogen. But, I had no way to confirm it until now. At some point I hope to read the lux of each lamp at night; further back at 50% of the cast beam. That may take some doing, since I don't have unfettered access to the bikes. Maybe after the weather clears a bit I can coax the guys at CS HD to give me hand in the interest of "oh, what the hell".
We shall see.
Regards
Rod
Sportster H4 stock halogen
HD Daymaker
Cyron LED
I took the opportunity to take the measurements at Cool Springs HD yesterday while running a few errands. Due to all the ice, and low temps; it seemed the sales staff were very eager to lend me hand out of sheer boredom
The meter I used was actually a app I downloaded a few weeks ago. It's called "Light Meter-lux measurement tool".
I took 4 measurements of all three lamps; both low beam and high beam; holding the tool approximately 6-8" from the lens. I attempted to keep the meter centered in the brightest portion of the cast. All readings were added together and averaged for each lamp and setting(s); then rounded up to the next 500. By percentage the H4 halogen benefited the most from the rounding up. Measurements were done in candle power(lux); which, arguably, is recognized as the better indicator of a lights usefulness.
Results are approximates.
H4 Halogen Low Beam 3500…..High Beam 6000
HD Day Maker Low Beam 6000…..High Beam 8000
Cyron LED Low Beam 12000…..High Beam 18000
These results confirm, at least to me, what I am seeing at night. My impression after installing and properly adjusting the Cyron, was that it appeared about twice as bright as my stock halogen. But, I had no way to confirm it until now. At some point I hope to read the lux of each lamp at night; further back at 50% of the cast beam. That may take some doing, since I don't have unfettered access to the bikes. Maybe after the weather clears a bit I can coax the guys at CS HD to give me hand in the interest of "oh, what the hell".
We shall see.Regards
Rod
Last edited by rodteague; 04-02-2015 at 05:25 PM.