What is everyone's opinion on LED replacement bulbs? These are bulbs that replace the curret light bulb inside the fixtures.

 

Heard bad reports about LED bulb replacements - I got the real thing from Custom Dynamics and I am VERY happy

 

Quality on these bulbs is extremly variable. Most are cheap crap, but some are excellent, and a cheap improvement over a stock bulb. Only buy from a reputable company. If they won;t give you the specs on the LED's used, pass.

 

So far, so good with mine as sold by Drag Specialties. Needed one load equalizer.

 

Who makes the brightest? I want my front turn signals as bright as my spot lamps so these people can see me turning.

 

<”wildfire”>

<”What is everyone's opinion on LED replacement bulbs? These are bulbs that replace the curret light bulb.”>

In my opinion LED’s are one of the best investment you can in your bike, you can’t compare LED’s to bulbs in brightness, flashing, current draw or lasting, bulbs have been with us since the 19 O’s there outdated, LED’s will become standard on bikes as some of the higher end cars, the bulb will go away as did neon for lighting up motorcycles, big money, lot’s of power needed, fragile compared to LED’s.

Standard bulbs can’t compare, there is lag time when it goes on and off, you really don’t notice it, until a LED is next to it, as for brightness not even close, the other bennies using them, low current draw, (you think of this when your battery craps out and your limping home) vibration, LED’s are seal in epoxy, and you will most likely never replace them w/ 100,000 hr duty use, one of the main features is you can adjust the flash rate, nice if you travel at high-speed.

I am talking about LED’s that run $80 per pair (48 lights per unit) not the ones you see on the wall at a dealer for $15 to $20 a piece, your washing time and money w/these, the viewing angle is awful on the cheap units and of course not as bright.

Just take notice of a car, truck, bus w/LEDS turn signals, you will notice how pronounce they turn on/off nothing faster that gets your eye.

The one draw back is flasher unit, w/4 units you can’t use a standard flasher they don’t even see the LED’s (low-current) you need a solid state flasher unit or a load equalizer.

You have to chose what color, more important do you what 1156 single (run only) or 1157 dual (run/turn)
make this right, you don’t want to get 1156 now then change your mind when you outfit you bike w/dual elements housings.

I like color amber for front, red for the rear, my rear brake board came with 136 red LED’s plus 3 white on top edge to light up the plate, when it goes on there is no guessing that I hit the brakes !

This place I know sells them sorta plug and play using stock HD load equalizer (I think) or you may have to buy one or a solid state flasher $35.00

The place I recommend Radiantz, link: http://www.radiantz.com/c144.html

They make the best, been in the biz the longest, all kinds of places sell them J&P (some are cheaper at Radiantz ?) and Custom Dynamics (make sure this place sells a lot of other brands) in fact I am using one of Radiantz first prototypes solid state flasher, over 4 year old and still working at approx 3 flashes per second, try that with stock bulb.

To get more info on LED’s do a search for - LED’s for motorcycles - you will get all the info you can handle.

You can spend money for chrome or something unique and that can let someone SEE you and what your going to do or let them see your chrome : - ))

Good luck,

cj

 

I use Radiantz 48 LED 1157's on my Wide Glide! Great Performance!!!

Jim aka kiltiemon

 

The replacement bulbs are junk. If you want to go LED pick up the Radiantz clusters from Custom Dynamics. Very, very bright. Especially when you use a run/turn/brake module and add the Biketronics Smart Equalizer. Here are mine close in the daytime and at night from 100ft away. And that is in running mode. You should see them when you apply the brakes. I also have the Radiantz/Street Magic LED brake light.

 

Hi, I'm a new member here and probably buying an HD soon but I can give you my opinion about LEDs based on what I did with my VTX. I bought an VTX specific LED panel (over 100 leds from a BIG name in LEDs and clear lenses) for my tail/ brake light and I bought 2 amber 1157 led bulbs for the front running light/ turn signals and two red 1156 led bulbs for the rear turn signals. The 1156/7s had a bunch (can't remember how many) of front facing leds and 4-6 rear facing leds (there to employ the reflector) and were from one of the super reputable vendors mentioned in this thread. The rear panel was special made to fit in the VTX 1800Cs tail light and had only rear facing leds (meaning it wasn't made to employ the chrome reflector in the tail/brakelight assembly, all light came from the direct viewing of the leds). I make a big deal over the chrome reflectors for this reason, a regular bulb lights up "omnidirectionally" and gets reflected in the chrome (usually plastic) back reflector in the lamp assembly thereby lighting up the whole "globe" as viewed from pretty much any angle. LED 1156/7 replacements plus most all other styles of led lighting only use relflectors if rear and or side facing leds are enployed as "fill" leds. Big custom panels like the ones used on my VTX tail/brake heve no rear or side fill. bottom line, just like LED traffic signals you can't see these lights at all if you are off axis. All of my leds were super visible during the pitch black of late night (less so in well lighted areas). During the day the led Brake/tail was blinding if you lined yourself up to see it dead on (in the VTXs case standing shins to the licence plate looking straight down on the light, a view even an 18 wheeler wouldn't have), same with the 1156/7s but off axis weak to nothing (remember the 1156/7s only devoted 4-6 leds to the reflector. Photos taken to show how super bright LED bulbs and panels are can be taken pefectly on axis (day or night) and make it look like the LEDs are MUCH brighter than the standard incandescent bulbs. OEM automotive and motorcycle LED lamps use tiered panels with complex molded chrome plated reflectors plus purpose designed lenses (not just the OEM incandescent designed lens molded in smoke or clear) to make the LEDs work. Ad this, your flashers will flash way too fast (not a big deal, autozone has a flasher that will fix this) And your whole system will bleed into a 4 way flasher mess IF your bike has ONE turn signal indicator in your idiot light display as opposed to a left and right signal idiot light (fixed with a soldering iron and a diode but a hassle nonethless). I ended up giving up on the LED lighting project confident in the assurance that LEDs weren't "Old School" anyhow and happy to know that any styling points I lost by not having the super trick LED lights would be regained by not having been killed by a motorist that didn't see my brake tail or signals!

 

Off axis mine are very viewable. If you do some research you will see that all LED bulbs (each one that makes up a cluster) are not created equal. Some have a broader spectrum of light than others. Your cheaper LED boards and direct replacement bulbs will not be as viewable off axis as say a higher quality unit that uses higher quality individule LED bulbs.