For those of you considering the LED lighting system. I want to tell you my observations.
I went for a ride last night on my new 2011 FLHRC. I just picked it up yesterday. I had the LED main light and passing lights installed on it before delivery.
Admittedly I am "new" to riding. I gave up the bikes when I had two young girls and a third child one the way. That was over 20 years ago. So, today’s technology is new to me. It may be that the stock headlight may have the same issues of this LED system. I do not know. But, here is what I observed during my ride with this new LED system.
As I drove down the road last night it performed as expected. The low beam, especially with the passing lights on, provides a tremendous amount of light right where you want it. Need it, really. The high beam does disconnect the passing lights and there is a definite need for them to continue to flood the area immediately in front of the bike. I am going to have to investigate this further and see how I can make the decision mine rather than the bike’s.
The reason for taking the time to write this thread is because of one issue in particular.
In a car with halogen or HID lighting there is a horizontal "cut off" line at the top of the beam. The idea being to provide as much light as possible without bothering oncoming drivers. A good idea. The car, being on 4 contact points with the ground (hopefully) maintains this cut off line, generally, horizontal to the road.
What I learned last night is that as I drove on a mountain road I, of course, lean into the turns. By doing so the horizontal line dips to the right or left depending on the turn. The road above the line is lost. My eyes were adjusted to the illumination of the light and I was not able to see the road ahead. The area beyond the beam cut off line.
In "the old days" my bike headlights threw light everywhere. To the sides, onto the ground, the road ahead, the trees above. Everywhere. When I would go into a turn and lean the bike the light that would, normally, be illuminating the tree branches now illuminated the road ahead.
I tried both the high beam and the low. Wondering if the high beam might lead the bike better as it was in a turn. It does not.
Again, all modern lights may have this cut off line at the top of the beam. I do not know. I have the factory light but have not used it. On my previous bikes, though they had halogen lights, they did not have the cut off to the beam and so this was not an issue.
Just a heads up to those considering the LED light system.

 

Hi Matt from the UK. If you drop into the Touring forum I think you will find posts where you can get tips on how to wire your passing lamps to work with main beam. As for the problem you mention of illumination when on main beam you may find you are a victim of modern technology!

I have an HID headlamp and cut-off is very severe, in much the same way you describe. I suspect headlamp designers are paying much greater attention these days to where that scattered light you would like to have is actually going! We seem to be getting better illumination of what is in direct line of the beam, but less of what is out on the periphery.

You could try adjusting beam height, to see if that helps.

A further tip for future reference is that not many members of HDF call into these tech forums. Most people post in the model forums, where there are much higher numbers of readers.

 

grbrown,

Yes, I was able to find a light wiring diagram.

I have to admit that I am very disappointed to have spent the amount of funds I did for these lights, with an expectation of having better light, only to find that the expenditure has provided an unsafe condition.

I will tell you that it was very exciting to be driving along, dive into a turn, and to, suddenly, not be able to see the road just a few yards out in front of me.

I fully expected the beam of light to light more of the road ahead of me. To lead the bike through the turns better. The beam is bright enough to melt the road surface just in front of the bike. But above the beam cut off.... nothing. It is like driving into a black abyss.

I am not sure what to do now. Put in the factory light or not drive in the mountains at night. I do not live on a mountain road so I have the choice. But I do not like being limited as this system limits a rider. And what if I decide to go on a trip. I will be severely hampered as to when, what time of the day or night, and where, mountains or across a desert, I can go.

Do you, anyone really, know if the factory light has this beam cut off?

 

Matt,

Here in the UK Harley dealers offer the owner any parts they take off when fitting accessories, so you could ask yours to give you the stock lights if you don't have them. That will help you answer the question of how the two compare.

Headlights get mentioned over in Touring and some believe replacement high output bulbs give good results with the stock reflector. It may be no consolation, but I advise on HDF against using Harley's HID conversion kit, as it has serious short-comings as well!

My car has HID lamps and that also suffers from what I call the black velvet curtain effect. In other words the level of illumination of what is in the beam is so great, that things outside it seem to be hidden by a 'curtain'.

Having ridden bikes for many years the quality of headlights has varied greatly. For many years scattered light, which illuminates everything in one's field of view, also created near blindness in mist or rain, because the scattered light was reflected by the particles of water in the atmosphere. I don't miss that problem, but would also like a better main beam!

 

I have the OEM parts. I will have to go back by the dealership and ask them to turn on a set for me to look at.

Thanks for the input.