Headlight Upgrade
Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,178
Likes: 5
From: Central Calif
when on, my spots do make some difference with light output - but in my opinion even without them -- there is plenty of light
with the TL headlight alone I can see a whole lot better than with my upgraded HD bulb and spots.
and I do plenty of night riding.
with the TL headlight alone I can see a whole lot better than with my upgraded HD bulb and spots.
and I do plenty of night riding.
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 988
Likes: 1
From: Ashevegas
okay -- so here is my report back - rode 20 miles tonight (8 pm) with just my low beam (TL) and no spots -- the road was illuminated side to side -- I did one section of about 1 mile with 4 lanes and some curve-- when I was in the far right lane my light projected across 3 lanes to the left and easily lit up the side of the road. Back on the 2 lane portions -- there was no trouble seeing side to side while cornering and easily 30 feet out into the side of the road -- . This is one of the best investments I have made - Your opinion may vary.
Always be safe
Always be safe
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 82
Likes: 1
From: Glosta Ma
Based on my experience with the LED's on my 2014 UC I will say this. They came set up from the factory or dealer very poorly. I realigned them using the std procedure. And at the start I found the low beam to be about 15" low @ 25 feet. Adjusted that and it was much better, but the high beam goes way out and seems less effective. With the Aux lights off it's kinda dim, especially closer to the bike. I know there is the option to keep the Aux on during the High beam, but here in the "great" state of Mass it's prohibited & they check for it during inspection.
The other thing I noticed is the lights, Head light and Aux are very flat & oval. The top of the light beam has a sharp drop off in light so there is a dark area out in front of the beam, where a conventional light gets dimmer beyond the main beam. These seemed to be very focused light beams
The low beam and Aux are very bright and do light up the road going straight, but when going around corners the lean angle of the bike and rotation of the front end and connected lights "pull" the beam in and down and make seeing the inside of the corner more difficult. I think if I were to adjust the Right Aux out and up some it may help on the side walk side of the road. Would doing the same for the Left blind oncoming traffic too much?
I know these lights are the Day makers but are the '14 stock LED's the same as the aftermarket Day makers? It seems that people who have put them on pre-'14 bikes really like them, mine not so much. Am I missing something or did Harley cheap out on this part so they would keep the aftermarket part sales in mind when they put these on??
Any input would be appreciated
Thanks Mike
The other thing I noticed is the lights, Head light and Aux are very flat & oval. The top of the light beam has a sharp drop off in light so there is a dark area out in front of the beam, where a conventional light gets dimmer beyond the main beam. These seemed to be very focused light beams
The low beam and Aux are very bright and do light up the road going straight, but when going around corners the lean angle of the bike and rotation of the front end and connected lights "pull" the beam in and down and make seeing the inside of the corner more difficult. I think if I were to adjust the Right Aux out and up some it may help on the side walk side of the road. Would doing the same for the Left blind oncoming traffic too much?
I know these lights are the Day makers but are the '14 stock LED's the same as the aftermarket Day makers? It seems that people who have put them on pre-'14 bikes really like them, mine not so much. Am I missing something or did Harley cheap out on this part so they would keep the aftermarket part sales in mind when they put these on??
Any input would be appreciated
Thanks Mike
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 438
Likes: 6
From: Kamloops BC
Common problem with the LED lights, is the lack of "diffusion" on the beam pattern.
I liken the beam pattern to being a box of cereal laid out flat on a table. Nice and wide, goes out a long ways. Tip it over like you're cornering, and bingo, the lack of diffusion means no light "forward" or "upward" of it to see around the corner easier.
I liken the beam pattern to being a box of cereal laid out flat on a table. Nice and wide, goes out a long ways. Tip it over like you're cornering, and bingo, the lack of diffusion means no light "forward" or "upward" of it to see around the corner easier.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,151
Likes: 14
From: Seattle
I know these lights are the Day makers but are the '14 stock LED's the same as the aftermarket Day makers? It seems that people who have put them on pre-'14 bikes really like them, mine not so much. Am I missing something or did Harley cheap out on this part so they would keep the aftermarket part sales in mind when they put these on??
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 988
Likes: 1
From: Ashevegas
Based on my experience with the LED's on my 2014 UC I will say this. They came set up from the factory or dealer very poorly. I realigned them using the std procedure. And at the start I found the low beam to be about 15" low @ 25 feet. Adjusted that and it was much better, but the high beam goes way out and seems less effective. With the Aux lights off it's kinda dim, especially closer to the bike. I know there is the option to keep the Aux on during the High beam, but here in the "great" state of Mass it's prohibited & they check for it during inspection.
The other thing I noticed is the lights, Head light and Aux are very flat & oval. The top of the light beam has a sharp drop off in light so there is a dark area out in front of the beam, where a conventional light gets dimmer beyond the main beam. These seemed to be very focused light beams
The low beam and Aux are very bright and do light up the road going straight, but when going around corners the lean angle of the bike and rotation of the front end and connected lights "pull" the beam in and down and make seeing the inside of the corner more difficult. I think if I were to adjust the Right Aux out and up some it may help on the side walk side of the road. Would doing the same for the Left blind oncoming traffic too much?
I know these lights are the Day makers but are the '14 stock LED's the same as the aftermarket Day makers? It seems that people who have put them on pre-'14 bikes really like them, mine not so much. Am I missing something or did Harley cheap out on this part so they would keep the aftermarket part sales in mind when they put these on??
Any input would be appreciated
Thanks Mike
The other thing I noticed is the lights, Head light and Aux are very flat & oval. The top of the light beam has a sharp drop off in light so there is a dark area out in front of the beam, where a conventional light gets dimmer beyond the main beam. These seemed to be very focused light beams
The low beam and Aux are very bright and do light up the road going straight, but when going around corners the lean angle of the bike and rotation of the front end and connected lights "pull" the beam in and down and make seeing the inside of the corner more difficult. I think if I were to adjust the Right Aux out and up some it may help on the side walk side of the road. Would doing the same for the Left blind oncoming traffic too much?
I know these lights are the Day makers but are the '14 stock LED's the same as the aftermarket Day makers? It seems that people who have put them on pre-'14 bikes really like them, mine not so much. Am I missing something or did Harley cheap out on this part so they would keep the aftermarket part sales in mind when they put these on??
Any input would be appreciated
Thanks Mike
Basically what I've gathered is that the HD projector style seems to project further but the light pattern is very flat and some folks seem to have trouble seeing well when cornering, especially when not running spots. It also seems that it may be hard for other drivers to see you from an angle.
While some opinions very, TL 7 reflector and similar HD reflector seem to get much better reviews overall. The light seems to be less flat and seems to have a better spread of light ahead of the bike with less of a focused hot-spot and should be better viewed from an angle. After reading every thread I could find about pretty much every light upgrade available, I've decided to give the new HD reflector style a try and I don't plan on running spots so I'm hoping it will do the trick. Another bonus with the HD reflector is that it looks more like a traditional headlight IMO.
Great review and comparison of TL reflector and Daymaker projector here: http://bogiesreviews.webs.com/Review...ng%20Lamps.pdf
Last edited by rbferg; Jan 26, 2014 at 03:04 PM. Reason: added
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 82
Likes: 1
From: Glosta Ma
Hey rbferg, thanks for the article, very interesting. I'll give that a thorough read.
The lights on my bike are the stock LED's that come with the new '14s. They are the projector type. and as said they cast an almost beam like light and not a wide cast of light. I think I may have to consider the reflector type. First I will try adjusting the Aux lights first.
I wonder if there is an option to keep the low beam lit when the high beams come on. That would keep some of the light closer to the bike with the high reaching further out.
So much of this bike is controlled through the ECM I wouldn't be surprised it could be done, just like the Aux lights being lit when the high beam is on, this is configured with a flash to the ECM (but not an option for us in Ma)
Thanks Mike
The lights on my bike are the stock LED's that come with the new '14s. They are the projector type. and as said they cast an almost beam like light and not a wide cast of light. I think I may have to consider the reflector type. First I will try adjusting the Aux lights first.
I wonder if there is an option to keep the low beam lit when the high beams come on. That would keep some of the light closer to the bike with the high reaching further out.
So much of this bike is controlled through the ECM I wouldn't be surprised it could be done, just like the Aux lights being lit when the high beam is on, this is configured with a flash to the ECM (but not an option for us in Ma)
Thanks Mike
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Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 988
Likes: 1
From: Ashevegas
Hey rbferg, thanks for the article, very interesting. I'll give that a thorough read.
The lights on my bike are the stock LED's that come with the new '14s. They are the projector type. and as said they cast an almost beam like light and not a wide cast of light. I think I may have to consider the reflector type. First I will try adjusting the Aux lights first.
I wonder if there is an option to keep the low beam lit when the high beams come on. That would keep some of the light closer to the bike with the high reaching further out.
So much of this bike is controlled through the ECM I wouldn't be surprised it could be done, just like the Aux lights being lit when the high beam is on, this is configured with a flash to the ECM (but not an option for us in Ma)
Thanks Mike
The lights on my bike are the stock LED's that come with the new '14s. They are the projector type. and as said they cast an almost beam like light and not a wide cast of light. I think I may have to consider the reflector type. First I will try adjusting the Aux lights first.
I wonder if there is an option to keep the low beam lit when the high beams come on. That would keep some of the light closer to the bike with the high reaching further out.
So much of this bike is controlled through the ECM I wouldn't be surprised it could be done, just like the Aux lights being lit when the high beam is on, this is configured with a flash to the ECM (but not an option for us in Ma)
Thanks Mike
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 771
Likes: 15
From: Cartersville, Georgia
Subscribed .... have almost decided to do the True HID's that SoCalMotoGear is selling while I have the fairing off for the Titanium gauge mod .... maybe I need to be re-thinking the decision.