Since I had the windsheild and dash plastics off putting in new headlights, I decided to put Leds in the dash lights and warning lights.
This project didnt come out 100%, as did my exterior lighting mod, so I thought I’d throw it on here to show what didn’t work for me.
Here’s the bulbs I used:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/20Pc-T10-Wedge-Samsung-High-Power-1W-LED-Light-Bulbs-Xenon-White-192-168-194/282995461838?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
I should also point out that these particular bulbs are polarity sensitive, so its a good idea to do this mod with the key on because you have a 50/50 chance of having to flip the bulb over to get it to illuminate.
As you can see, the tach and spedo look great, clear and white:
Unfortunately these particular lamps, even thought they shine 360 around the sides, dont quite have enough oomph to fully light the fuel gauge, as you can see. So thats issue 1.
Being “xenon white” they are also limited in color spectrum and dont look the same as an incandescant lamp behind certain colored filters. So the oil warning lamp looks nice, but the sidestand down lamp went from amber to sickly yellow and the neutral lamp turned from green to aqua. The turn signal lamps are also yellow.
So that’s issue 2.
Finally, I had problems getting the low-fuel warning light to work correctly with an led bulb. The bike is a 1993 model, and the low-fuel lamp appears to be part of the fuel sender circuit, and being a potentiometer, sends a small current through the lamp even when it doesnt need to be illuminated. The Led lamp is sensitive enough to this tiny current that it comes on weakly, even at half tank, where a standard 158 incandescant does not. So thats issue 3.
Issue one doesnt bother me enough to buy another set of bulbs to try and fix it.
Issue 2 does, so I picked up a new set of 194 bulbs (basically interchangeable with the stock 158, just slightly brighter) so that I was putting new bulbs in, a few of the old 158s were at the end of their life and i didnt want to tear this thing down again.
Heres a pic with Led bulbs in the oil and high beam positions, and new 194 incandecent bulbs in the sidestand, neutral, and turn-signal lamps.
To fix issue 3, i simply put the best looking stock 158 in the low-fuel indicator (I ran out of 194s). It lights up briefly at key on and then goes out, as it should since I have just under 1/2 tank. I didnt photograph this.
And after looking at the lamps in my dark garage, I realized that the Led-powerd high-beam indicator was like a blue flashlight in my face and might negatively affect my night vision, so I stuck a 158 back in there too:
Safe travels all!
This project didnt come out 100%, as did my exterior lighting mod, so I thought I’d throw it on here to show what didn’t work for me.
Here’s the bulbs I used:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/20Pc-T10-Wedge-Samsung-High-Power-1W-LED-Light-Bulbs-Xenon-White-192-168-194/282995461838?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
I should also point out that these particular bulbs are polarity sensitive, so its a good idea to do this mod with the key on because you have a 50/50 chance of having to flip the bulb over to get it to illuminate.
As you can see, the tach and spedo look great, clear and white:
Unfortunately these particular lamps, even thought they shine 360 around the sides, dont quite have enough oomph to fully light the fuel gauge, as you can see. So thats issue 1.
Being “xenon white” they are also limited in color spectrum and dont look the same as an incandescant lamp behind certain colored filters. So the oil warning lamp looks nice, but the sidestand down lamp went from amber to sickly yellow and the neutral lamp turned from green to aqua. The turn signal lamps are also yellow.
So that’s issue 2.
Finally, I had problems getting the low-fuel warning light to work correctly with an led bulb. The bike is a 1993 model, and the low-fuel lamp appears to be part of the fuel sender circuit, and being a potentiometer, sends a small current through the lamp even when it doesnt need to be illuminated. The Led lamp is sensitive enough to this tiny current that it comes on weakly, even at half tank, where a standard 158 incandescant does not. So thats issue 3.
Issue one doesnt bother me enough to buy another set of bulbs to try and fix it.
Issue 2 does, so I picked up a new set of 194 bulbs (basically interchangeable with the stock 158, just slightly brighter) so that I was putting new bulbs in, a few of the old 158s were at the end of their life and i didnt want to tear this thing down again.
Heres a pic with Led bulbs in the oil and high beam positions, and new 194 incandecent bulbs in the sidestand, neutral, and turn-signal lamps.
To fix issue 3, i simply put the best looking stock 158 in the low-fuel indicator (I ran out of 194s). It lights up briefly at key on and then goes out, as it should since I have just under 1/2 tank. I didnt photograph this.
And after looking at the lamps in my dark garage, I realized that the Led-powerd high-beam indicator was like a blue flashlight in my face and might negatively affect my night vision, so I stuck a 158 back in there too:
Safe travels all!
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