So I've only had my '21 SG Standard a few weeks, but I know I want more light.

The way I see it, there are a few options and I'm thinking about phasing in my lighting in these three steps:

1. Upgrade with a LED Signal Conversion (like the Custom Dynamics "PREMIUM PLUG & PLAY BULLET BEZEL LED TURN SIGNAL CONVERSION KIT"). I assume these front "run/turn" lights will toss out more light than the standard HD bulbs which will help on those dark streets at night.

2. Upgrade the stock HID headlight with a LED.

3. Upgrade by adding LED passing lamps / Auxiliary lights (if needed)

Is it overkill to upgrade all three? Maybe after upgrading turn signals and the headlight I won't need the passing/aux lamps (but I always like the look of passing lamps and had them on a prior bike). Thoughts?

I like the Custom Dynamics stuff from what I've seen on YouTube and the various postings here. However I know H-D, HogWorkz and Ciro3D both have options as well. All input welcome.

Oh yea - is there any issue running a mix of the LED upgraded run/turn/break lights along with the standard HID headlight, or do these need to happen at the same time?

TIA,
-PH

 

Call Custom Dynamics and talk to the experts. LEDs all-around will be a tremendous upgrade and you can use run/turn/brake module with or without LED lights. Just installed LED rear turn signals along with the C-D Smart Triple Play module over the weekend. You will not be disappointed.

You will however, have a lighter wallet. Good luck.

 

The passing lights throw a wider pattern illuminating the road shoulders and directly in front of the bike.
The white/yellow LED turn signals don't add that much light for riding but are much more visible to on coming traffic.
A good LED headlight (CD) will provide the road illumination you are looking for.

 

LED lights will always use less electricity than halogen, incandescent, High Intensity Discharge. The advantage here is that with a small battery on a motorcycle, less load is better for the battery. Keep in mind that on a motorcycle with 1 headlight, you have half the lighting of a car with 2 headlights. And even in cars, 2 headlights isn't all that great. That's why people add auxiliary lighting, offroad lights, fog lights, driving lights.......


These will do nothing for you to see better on dark streets. They will make you "more visible" to other motorist. To the human eye looking at the lighting, LED lights appear brighter.

I have LED running and signal lights. I installed them because I like the way LEDs work on cars, and any decrease in load is better for the battery.

A stock High Intensity Discharge headlight is usually chosen by an OEM for overall performance. The engineers who designed the bike felt that the HID would offer better illumination over halogen. The lamp housing is usually engineered to "throw" the lighting and aim it best for visibility.

Harley does sell a "daymaker" LED headlight. I don't know how the HID or LED compare. The best thing to do since you already have the HID, is find someone with LED, and do your own side-by-side comparison. There is a lot of information online. Many articles comparing HID to LED. In the car world, HID was 1990's technology, and LED came along in the 2010's. That doesn't make LED better for you, just because it's a newer technology. Note that on the PanAmerica and Sportster S, Harley is using LED headlights.

Harley Davidson DayMaker LED cost a lot. There are other brands. Some people have had good results with less expensive LED headlights. I am using an inexpensive LED, which is fine for me. It was an improvement compared to the halogen headlight.

You may consider adding auxiliary LED lamps. Just like on a truck or jeep. This will drastically change the way your bike looks. It will also drastically change the amount of light on the road. With a little bit of custom work, off-road LED spotlights will put a lot of light on the road.

 

Are you wanting more light in order to be seen better by others, or to see better down the road because you ride at night?

For being seen: LED running lights and turn signals, LED center brake light, module for the rear lighting that converts the turn signals to running lights and allows flashing patterns for your brakes. I have Custom Dynamics turn signals with smoke lenses front and back, CD Probeam brake light, and CD Triple play module. They also make headlights with a halo that helps with being seen, but I am not a fan of the look, at least on my Road King.

For seeing better down the road: LED headlight will be way better than the stock (halogen, not HID) headlight. If you ride much at night (I do) then if you have the $$ go for an adaptive headlight. I have the JW Speaker, but CD has one also (I think is the same light just different branding). It shines light into the corner area that is dark with a normal LED light when you lean the bike. I was skeptical until I tried it, now would never go back to a regular LED light. If you never or rarely ride at night then a regular LED light would be fine.

Passing / aux lights throw light mostly right in front of the bike and to the side to light the ditches. I went cheap on these - Amazon special, Sunpie brand.

There is no issue running mixed. I upgraded in steps - front and rear turn signals first, then tail light, then headlight and passing lamps, then just recently the adaptive headlight.

 

Just bought 2021 Street Glide. ONe of the first things I did was to replace all turn signals with CD LEZD lights. Ordered and installed the passing lamp kit, along with LED passing lights. Seeing the SG has only 2 tail lights, added CD saddlebag LED lights. Then finally changed the stock headlamp to a CD LED with light ring. A bit expensive, but I figure the more light, the better my chances of getting noticed. I would always recommend changing to LED and add lights. Don't ride nights much (too many critters on the sides of the road!) but I do want to be noticed!!

 

How hard was it to install the passing lamp kit? Plug & Play? Did you compare CD vs. Harley vs. others (Hogworkz, Ciro3D, ...)?
Thanks!
-Ph

 

My 2021 RKS came stock with a LED headlight, but all the other lights were incandescent. I installed all LED lighting on the bike. The LED lights I pulled from the '20 RKS I traded in, including a Hogworkz LED Halo headlight, when I put the stock lighting back on that bike for the trade. I first installed the LED lights for the front and rear turn/brake lights. They are Harley LED lights, plug and play, very easy to install. They are WAY brighter and much more noticeable than the stock bulbs. I left the stock LED headlight on for a while. To me, it isn't as bright during the day, or as noticeable as the Hogworkz. The first time I rode at night with the stock one, I knew right away that it isn't as bright at night, either. So I swapped it out for the Hogworkz. The LED halo alone makes it much more noticeable than the Harley one, and it is way brighter at night, too.
You don't need to install the LED's all at once. You can run both LED and the stock bulbs together, and add more LED's as time or your wallet allows.

 

Also check out Everything LED. Installed a set of their front turn signal LED's, look the same as the Custom Dynamics but about 30 bucks less.

 

Yup.....bought the kit from dealer, brought it home and installed. The only problem was to pay close attention to the wires in the new kit. There are two wires that plug into the wire harness, and they need to be in a specific order. If I remember, the instructions seemed a bit difficult to follow (multi fit, several different models interspersed through the instructions). But to look back, the only hassle was to make sure you know which order the wires go into the connector, and make sure they are installed in the correct orientation. They do lock in place, and if installed backwards, will not make proper contact.
But yeah, after doing this, I did not think it was that bad.

And no, I did not check anyone else for kits.