LED headlight
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Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 1,399
Likes: 307
From: Salem IN
LED headlight
I have a old kuryakin led headlight on my 02 RK.....not very bright. I was going to get the sunpie one this winter. Someone in the chat posted a link to paradiselightsllc.com I ordered the older conversion light. Very impressed. I know this means nothing till I install it....which will be a bit. But
Last edited by Tarkus60; Jan 16, 2019 at 04:03 PM.
Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,096
Likes: 107
From: Joplin, MO
I also went with a conversion bulb instead of replacing entire unit. Very bright light and I love it, however, at night it is very bright to oncoming traffic, as it is not focused like the all in one units, but its very noticeable during daylight hours. Pros and cons to both. I dont ride much at night, so staying with conversion.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
The problem with replacement bulbs is that there seems to be no industry standard by which the LED ones are made, also the manufacturers seem to feel no obligation to make the darned things work properly! Many of them simply don't operate in the sweet spot of a conventional reflector and shouldn't be offered for sale IMHO. I have LED rear and flasher bulbs, but have resorted to proper LED replacement headlamp units for my Glide. I also have H3 bulbs on two bikes, but the LED replacements currently available are so large they won't even go in the light units. That means they are not 'replacements'!
Very much a case of 'work in progress' at present, as far as the bulb industry is concerned!
Very much a case of 'work in progress' at present, as far as the bulb industry is concerned!
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 495
Likes: 69
From: naples fl.
The problem with replacement bulbs is that there seems to be no industry standard by which the LED ones are made, also the manufacturers seem to feel no obligation to make the darned things work properly! Many of them simply don't operate in the sweet spot of a conventional reflector and shouldn't be offered for sale IMHO. I have LED rear and flasher bulbs, but have resorted to proper LED replacement headlamp units for my Glide. I also have H3 bulbs on two bikes, but the LED replacements currently available are so large they won't even go in the light units. That means they are not 'replacements'!
Very much a case of 'work in progress' at present, as far as the bulb industry is concerned!
Very much a case of 'work in progress' at present, as far as the bulb industry is concerned!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 14,143
Likes: 11,214
From: San Diego, CA
There's the rub......
Many of the replacement bulbs are bright, very bright. I tried one and then removed it... I could see it was totally illuminating the faces of approaching drivers in cars. It's light pattern was so spread out, I didn't even try to adjust it. The light pattern was the problem. Not the fit or the brightness.
I could see great, but it was obviously irritating at best, and blinding at worst, for oncoming traffic. Yeah, I want to see at night, but not at the cost of being run over by someone I blinded....
I became a believer that a head light must have a bulb and reflector matched to each other, to work properly.... As grbrown said, there doesn't seem to be any standard, or requirement for proper function, for the replacement bulb industry...
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,456
Likes: 2,860
From: Oklahoma
Set aside some time and watch the videos made by Headlight Revolution, available on their web site and on youtube. They have tested hundreds of drop in LED bulbs and sell only those that come close to duplicating the beam pattern of the original halogen bulb. For each bulb they sell, they show the beam pattern projected on a wall and compare it to the beam made by the halogen bulb it replaced. Years ago, I tried the Paradise Lights H4 and passing light replacements, the results were not good at all. The owner of Paradise Lights is a prince of a guy, but the items he sells are much like described above, they fail to properly place the light emitter in the "sweet spot" of the reflector. You WILL blind other drivers if you ride at night, and irritate the other drivers in the daytime. I initially wanted "just the facts" on which drop in LEDs would best do the job and was irritated by the time required to wade through the Headlight Revolution information. I "bit the bullet" and spent the time and am in the process now of making a final decision. If you seriously want a drop in LED that should do the job, check out Headlight Revolution. Then you can easily spot the other LEDs that are not properly engineered.
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Club Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,192
Likes: 168
From: Knoxville, Tn
LED Headlights
There is a setup procedure in the maintenance manual for aiming a new headlight.
I replaced my HID headlight with a HD Daymaker and had to go through the whole process. Correct me if I am wrong, but as I remember, the center of the beam should be at 36" at a distance of 25 ' from the headlight.
I replaced my HID headlight with a HD Daymaker and had to go through the whole process. Correct me if I am wrong, but as I remember, the center of the beam should be at 36" at a distance of 25 ' from the headlight.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,456
Likes: 2,860
From: Oklahoma
There is a setup procedure in the maintenance manual for aiming a new headlight.
I replaced my HID headlight with a HD Daymaker and had to go through the whole process. Correct me if I am wrong, but as I remember, the center of the beam should be at 36" at a distance of 25 ' from the headlight.
I replaced my HID headlight with a HD Daymaker and had to go through the whole process. Correct me if I am wrong, but as I remember, the center of the beam should be at 36" at a distance of 25 ' from the headlight.