H4 LED - 2018 Evitek, F2 replaces G6

[spiderman302]

This is the marker bulb that I use. It fits nicely. I did coat the circuit board and leds with a coat of clear nail polish prior to installation. The main reason is that the boards are held together by the soldered connections. Solder could fatigue with vibration. So the nail polish was to glue the boards together and provide corrosion protection. Most likely not necessary, but it's what I do... Mine have been in use for a lot of years...

921 / 912 / T15 LED Light Bulb - 15 SMD LED Tower - Miniature Wedge Retrofit - 100 Lumens - 4000K

LED replacement bulbs can fit numerous vehicle applications such as dome lights, trunk lights, hood lights, map lights and footwell lights. This 921 bulb replaces a variety of traditional bulbs including 912 and T15 bulbs. It has 15 LEDs (3014 SMD) that are radially mounted to create a 360°...

www.superbrightleds.com

 

[spiderman302]

I just looked and there are a lot of new LEDS that will fit in the marker location.

The original marker bulb is the 194 which is a 25 lumen bulb.
Upgrading to a 100 lumen LED bulb is a good match if you changed the H4 bulb to LED.

I have noticed that there are now 1000+ lumen LEDs that will fit in this spot.
This could be a problem since the original H4 halogen bulb was ~900 lumens.
Such a bulb might cause too much glare and might draw too much attention.... Hmm....
Oh, that might be what you were looking for a conspicuously light (day time only)
Since the marker reflector does not have much focus you might get away with it.
And add a dimmer switch for night time use....

Just make sure that the boards with the LEDs are not wider than the base or it will not fit.
Otherwise, I would strongly recommend that you just stay in the 100 to 200 lumen region.
My 2 cents.....

 

[Obo]

I just looked and there are a lot of new LEDS that will fit in the marker location.

The original marker bulb is the 194 which is a 25 lumen bulb.
Upgrading to a 100 lumen LED bulb is a good match if you changed the H4 bulb to LED.

I have noticed that there are now 1000+ lumen LEDs that will fit in this spot.
This could be a problem since the original H4 halogen bulb was ~900 lumens.
Such a bulb might cause too much glare and might draw too much attention.... Hmm....
Oh, that might be what you were looking for a conspicuously light (day time only)
Since the marker reflector does not have much focus you might get away with it.
And add a dimmer switch for night time use....

Just make sure that the boards with the LEDs are not wider than the base or it will not fit.
Otherwise, I would strongly recommend that you just stay in the 100 to 200 lumen region.
My 2 cents.....

Similar to the headlights heat will be the major killer on larger LED's for the position lights. Unless you have tiny hands and are good at getting in there you'll have to remember that if the LED's overheat etc and die you'll have to strip some tupperware to get at them again.

 

[Catmandu2]

Well after about 2 fairly long riding seasons with my F2's,,, I just changed them out. Why,,, because the low beam on the right side dimmed right down,, and was on it's way out. Stands to reason that the left side may not be far behind. While pulling them,,, I did check to verify that it was not a ballast problem,, by hooking the LH ballast up to the RH bulb. The RH was still bad on low beam. I am very happy with how this set of F2's performed though. But,, because of the way the heatsink fans have sounded (briefly noisy on warmup) for the past year,,, I had procured another set of F2's (yellow box for $50.cdn), and had those spares on the shelf. LED's are supposed to last 1000 years,, I know,,, but I must have replaced half of the home and auto LED's that I have owned,,, so far. These F2's still cost me the same as a set of Silver Stars,,, so I am not complaining at all about the cost. They were much easier to swap out now,, then was the original set too install. This was because I left the original 3-prong adapter rings in place,,, and just pulled the bulb out. A couple of minor differences I note are,,, that the fans are nearly silent,, compared to the originals. The power leads are a bit shorter,, but that caused no problems. The pin coupling between the ballast and bulb is 4 pins, vs the originals 6 pin. Still have to aim and test,,, but I liked not having to play around with the boots and bail,,, cheers,, CAt'

 

[ST Gui]

They were much easier to swap out now,, then was the original set too install. This was because I left the original 3-prong adapter rings in place,,, and just pulled the bulb out.

Good to know! I've still got the G6s in my bike and don't know/remember if the same could be done with them. I put some F2s in my car and the base/holder/bulb works the same way as your F2s. It's much easier to twist then pull the bulb out than dealing with retaining rings. So two pair of H4 F2s are on my shopping list.

 

[Obo]

I put my F2's in a couple of weeks ago (along with the LED position lights, clear turn lenses, switchbacks and new turn signal flasher.)
After putting all the Tupperware back on to take it out in the evening to see the difference I seem to have forgotten to plug in the connector for the headlight adjuster motor. So I get to remove some of the Tupperware again this weekend to fix that oversight. <shrug>

 

[Catmandu2]

So I get to remove some of the Tupperware again this weekend to fix that oversight. <shrug>

When my headlight motor first burned out,,, I just reached in the front,,, and unplugged the connector to quiet it down. You should be able to plug it back in,,, with a light and a small mirror to find things first. It's worth a shot,, before pulling the plastic. Cheers,,, CAt'

 

[Greig]

I put my F2's in a couple of weeks ago (along with the LED position lights, clear turn lenses, switchbacks and new turn signal flasher.)
After putting all the Tupperware back on to take it out in the evening to see the difference I seem to have forgotten to plug in the connector for the headlight adjuster motor. So I get to remove some of the Tupperware again this weekend to fix that oversight. <shrug>

Hi OBO,
I have an 03 ST1300 and am thinking about doing a lighting conversion to LED to get better illumination from headlights, clear switchbacks that turn yellow when flashing, and strobe LED brake lights. Did you do the same to your bike? How difficult technically is this project? Roughly how much did all the parts cost? Would you be able to provide a recapitalize of the parts you used (assuming you’d recommend my going with them as well)?
Thanks

 

[Obo]

Hi OBO,
I have an 03 ST1300 and am thinking about doing a lighting conversion to LED to get better illumination from headlights, clear switchbacks that turn yellow when flashing, and strobe LED brake lights. Did you do the same to your bike? How difficult technically is this project? Roughly how much did all the parts cost? Would you be able to provide a recapitalize of the parts you used (assuming you’d recommend my going with them as well)?
Thanks

It's a relatively easy job (imho), even if you have to remove the fairings. You'll need a few different allen keys (or hex head sockets) and a JIS Phillips screwdriver (yes, you can use just a Phillips if you have to) and a couple of sockets or wrenches. The front stuff is basically plug and play once you strip the Tupperware off. Some say you can do it without, but for me I could get my hands in there, maybe remove stuff, but I'd never have been able to reinstall it.

Rear was easy. Remove side cases, 2 JIS bolts and 2 Hex bolts to drop the mud guard and unplug the bulbs, twist out, replace and reinstall.
I've seen rear flashing bulbs, but they seem to continuously flash and I've read some blow fuses so I decided against that and added a flasher and the extra LED assemblies. The flasher does a few fast flashes, then a couple of slow, then stays on. More light is good.

Front took a few hours (I did it over a few days) and rear took about maybe an hour or two (again over a few days.) You should be able to do it in a day or a weekend.

For the front lighting I did F2 LED's, switchback LEDs for turns, LED markers & a flasher relay suitable for LED's off Amazon. I already had the clear turn lenses from when I bought the bike that had never been installed.

Costs will depend on what you buy and how much you want to scour for a low price. Here's my rough breakdown - Cdn dollars:

Front:
F2's $63 (less $5 coupon) https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B078RHZGLP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I had some 3M Dual Lock velcro I used to hold the ballasts to the reflector. You could zip tie them as others have.
There are other places to get these cheaper, but these were sent via Amazon so I didn't have to wait months or pay customs.

Switchbacks $17 for the pair https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0861B51P8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These are a tight fit (long) and hit the lens face. When looking for a bulb you want something not too long and not too wide or it wont fit in the opening. I compared dimensions of the LED's to the stock bulbs to get an idea of what would work.

LED flasher $14 https://www.amazon.ca/Indicator-Fla...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
This is plug and play located on the drives side fuse box under the seat side panel.

194 LED marker bulbs $10 for a set. I went with a long glass type (there's lots of length in the headlight reflector) but I cant seem to find them on Amazon now. They were like this, but almost any 194 bulb will work. Just get the same color temp as the other bulbs so they all look similar. https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1PC-White-T...Light-Bulbs-/112948728332?hash=item1a4c44d20c

Clear lenses $45 https://www.amazon.ca/Mallofusa-Sig...rds=st1300+clear+lenses&qid=1606249409&sr=8-2
Again I already had mine so these may not be exact, but they look it. The quality of the casts on mine were not perfect where the bulbs go in and I had to trim them with an Exacto knife for the bulbs to fit right. They are not made to the same OEM quality orange ones for sure. I've read this about many of the online ones so I'd expect the same with nay your buy. I think they will be fine as they are not something you will fiddle with other than when you work on it.

Rear lighting components I already had from other projects but here's what I used.
Flasher unit, 2 red LED units (for under top case and above rear plate) and 2 red LED bulbs from Princess Auto for the brake light bulb replacement. I've yet to do the rear turn signals. FYI only the 2 LED units on the back flash with the brakes. The 2 main brake bulbs are just full on when you hit the brakes - no flashing for them.

I had the wire laying around. Just tapped off one of the brake light bulbs up to the flasher unit under the seat and then back down to the top case and reflector lights that flash.

Flasher unit GS100A $16 https://www.amazon.ca/BlyilyB-Strob...289340330801&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_2

Rear light top (custom bracket from scrap I had - no welding required) $8 https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/2-1-8-in-led-mini-side-marker-light/A-p8553802e

Rear light / reflector bottom $10 (like this but in red) https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/2-7-8-x-2-1-8-in-led-amber-clearance-marker-light/A-p8873754e

Brake bulbs $8.83 each (sale) Princess Auto 8682346 (not the silver ones - see the below photo for the ones I got) They are like the Sylvania Zevos you can get at Cdn Tire for $30 https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/7443-sylvania-zevo-led-mini-bulbs-0202993p.html The silver ones from Princess Auto may work. You could always buy and try and take back if not happy.



Here's what the front and rear currently look like:




So in total about $200 (rear turn LED's will be about another $20ish)

 

[Greig]

It's a relatively easy job (imho), even if you have to remove the fairings. You'll need a few different allen keys (or hex head sockets) and a JIS Phillips screwdriver (yes, you can use just a Phillips if you have to) and a couple of sockets or wrenches. The front stuff is basically plug and play once you strip the Tupperware off. Some say you can do it without, but for me I could get my hands in there, maybe remove stuff, but I'd never have been able to reinstall it.

Rear was easy. Remove side cases, 2 JIS bolts and 2 Hex bolts to drop the mud guard and unplug the bulbs, twist out, replace and reinstall.
I've seen rear flashing bulbs, but they seem to continuously flash and I've read some blow fuses so I decided against that and added a flasher and the extra LED assemblies. The flasher does a few fast flashes, then a couple of slow, then stays on. More light is good.

Front took a few hours (I did it over a few days) and rear took about maybe an hour or two (again over a few days.) You should be able to do it in a day or a weekend.

For the front lighting I did F2 LED's, switchback LEDs for turns, LED markers & a flasher relay suitable for LED's off Amazon. I already had the clear turn lenses from when I bought the bike that had never been installed.

Costs will depend on what you buy and how much you want to scour for a low price. Here's my rough breakdown - Cdn dollars:

Front:
F2's $63 (less $5 coupon) https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B078RHZGLP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I had some 3M Dual Lock velcro I used to hold the ballasts to the reflector. You could zip tie them as others have.
There are other places to get these cheaper, but these were sent via Amazon so I didn't have to wait months or pay customs.

Switchbacks $17 for the pair https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0861B51P8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These are a tight fit (long) and hit the lens face. When looking for a bulb you want something not too long and not too wide or it wont fit in the opening. I compared dimensions of the LED's to the stock bulbs to get an idea of what would work.

LED flasher $14 https://www.amazon.ca/Indicator-Fla...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
This is plug and play located on the drives side fuse box under the seat side panel.

194 LED marker bulbs $10 for a set. I went with a long glass type (there's lots of length in the headlight reflector) but I cant seem to find them on Amazon now. They were like this, but almost any 194 bulb will work. Just get the same color temp as the other bulbs so they all look similar. https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1PC-White-T...Light-Bulbs-/112948728332?hash=item1a4c44d20c

Clear lenses $45 https://www.amazon.ca/Mallofusa-Sig...rds=st1300+clear+lenses&qid=1606249409&sr=8-2
Again I already had mine so these may not be exact, but they look it. The quality of the casts on mine were not perfect where the bulbs go in and I had to trim them with an Exacto knife for the bulbs to fit right. They are not made to the same OEM quality orange ones for sure. I've read this about many of the online ones so I'd expect the same with nay your buy. I think they will be fine as they are not something you will fiddle with other than when you work on it.

Rear lighting components I already had from other projects but here's what I used.
Flasher unit, 2 red LED units (for under top case and above rear plate) and 2 red LED bulbs from Princess Auto for the brake light bulb replacement. I've yet to do the rear turn signals. FYI only the 2 LED units on the back flash with the brakes. The 2 main brake bulbs are just full on when you hit the brakes - no flashing for them.

I had the wire laying around. Just tapped off one of the brake light bulbs up to the flasher unit under the seat and then back down to the top case and reflector lights that flash.

Flasher unit GS100A $16 https://www.amazon.ca/BlyilyB-Strob...289340330801&ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_2

Rear light top (custom bracket from scrap I had - no welding required) $8 https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/2-1-8-in-led-mini-side-marker-light/A-p8553802e

Rear light / reflector bottom $10 (like this but in red) https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/2-7-8-x-2-1-8-in-led-amber-clearance-marker-light/A-p8873754e

Brake bulbs $8.83 each (sale) Princess Auto 8682346 (not the silver ones - see the below photo for the ones I got) They are like the Sylvania Zevos you can get at Cdn Tire for $30 https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/7443-sylvania-zevo-led-mini-bulbs-0202993p.html The silver ones from Princess Auto may work. You could always buy and try and take back if not happy.



Here's what the front and rear currently look like:




So in total about $200 (rear turn LED's will be about another $20ish)

Fantastic recap. Thanks for taking the time to share the info.

Did you find that the conversion made much of an improvement in illumination over the stock lighting?

 

[Kevcules]

It's a relatively easy job (imho), even if you have to remove the fairings. You'll need a few different allen keys (or hex head sockets) and a JIS Phillips screwdriver (yes, you can use just a Phillips if you have to) and a couple of sockets or wrenches. The front stuff is basically plug and play once you strip the Tupperware off. Some say you can do it without, but for me I could get my hands in there, maybe remove stuff, but I'd never have been able to reinstall it.

WOW......Impressive write up! I'll keep this info for future lighting changes. I already have the LED headlights, marker lights up front and brake light.

Makes a big difference when driving at night!

Take Care

 

[spiderman302]

In the city you may not perceive the improvement because of the street lights.

Makes a big difference when driving at night!

on dark roads. Go out and find a dark road and you will see !!! ......
It really lights up the sides of the road better as well as you can see twice as far.
Just make sure that you adjust the edge of the cut off to the far horizon and below the eyes of opposing drivers on a flat straight road.
It also helps during the day making you more visible to other drivers.
The high beams are stunning.
On lesser bikes it frees up power for extra farkels (heated gear).
If you get back into a vehicle with standard halogen bulbs you will wonder how we ever survived with such poor lighting.......

 

[spiderman302]

in post 496 the bottom picture of the brake light and running lights look the same because the camera changed the exposure.
If you look at the floor it is brighter with the running light and the floor is darker with the brake lights....
The combined brakes lights are much much brighter than the running lights.........

 

[ST Gui]

Did you find that the conversion made much of an improvement in illumination over the stock lighting?

Speaking for myself the difference between LED and halogen bulbs is night and day. And that's going from 55/60W H4s (not the stock wimpy 45/45W candles) to LEDs. I have no idea what of the lumen output of 55/60W to G6 Eviteks (predecessor to the F2 LEDs) or the wattage equiv. of the G6/F2 LED.

Putting the earlier G6s in my bike and F2s in my car the improvement is amazing. Wide coverage flat cutoff on the top of low and high beams. A solid improvement of road lighting and the increase in distance for seeing anything reflective is awesome.

On two occasions I've seen pedestrians' shoes reflected when they were wearing all dark/black clothing. I would have got a lot closer before seeing them with my old lights. There's no way I'd willingly go back to halogen.

 

[Obo]

Fantastic recap. Thanks for taking the time to share the info.

Did you find that the conversion made much of an improvement in illumination over the stock lighting?

I already had done the H4 upgrade from the stock bulbs and had no issue with those. The new F2's are different. Part of that is the light is more white vs yellow. The lows seem to light the sides better and I think it's a mix of color and more light output as the throw pattern from the reflector has not changed (other than any minor difference from how & where the bulb sits vs the OEM style.) I find the high beams are great for distance, but not as good to cover closer and the sides. It would be nice if the highs were a combination of low and high. Out on the highway I want to see both the far Bambis and those waiting to pop up and say Boo from the nearby ditches. I'll concur though the high beams illuminate so bright the white speed signs almost to the point they make your iris's close to darken the rest of the "world."

As for the new rear replacement bulbs, it's not just the camera exposure that gets tricked. The new bulbs are bright (the package says 6W) and it makes the other 2 assemblies seem almost dark now vs before I replaced the bulbs. I played with the bulbs for a bit to make sure I had them in correct etc as up close it's hard to discern the difference between running and brake as the running is very bright. I'll try it for a while more and make my final decision. For now, if I didn't have the other lights and flasher I'm not sure I'd keep the bulbs I have as although stunningly bright, it's not a major difference between the running and brake brightness. I'd have rather had it a bit darker for running and super bright for brake to get attention. In the end even if you don't make it brighter, adding more lighting is good just to make you more than a single red spot in the back end. I feel the same about the front which is why I usually add something to the forks to make a triangle of light (even if it's just a white high intensity marker light.) Chances are the rear bulbs will stay and I will either add more rear lighting or upgrade the brightness of the 2 assemblies I already have.

Hope this answers some of the questions.

 

[Greig]

Red vs White/Clear pulse brake LEDs - The original incandescent bulbs are clear, but I see many people replacing them with red LED strobes vs white/clear LED strobes. Is there are reason for using red ones? They end up creating a red glow over the license plate vs. white.

 

[ST Gui]

Is there are reason for using red ones?

A crude explanation from a layman:

A colored lens is a filter that passes light of a similar color/frequencies and absorbs or reflects other colors/frequencies.

Incandescent bulbs produce a wide spectrum of light (remember the prism thing from way back) and a high amount of it in the red region. So behind a red lens you still get a lot of light while white light isn't passed through but the red portion is.

LEDs in many/most cases produce a narrow spectrum or frequency of light i.e. a blue LED produces blue but no red light. White LED produces less red light so when the white light isn't passed though there's much less red light to get passed. So to get red light you use a red LED.

LEDs from different manufacturers may behave slightly differently behind a colored lens. The general rule of thumb is to use an LED of the same color as the lens that will be in front of it.

Some members let the red light hit the plate and haven't been stopped. Others have added a strip of a few white LEDs below the tail light lens. Still others have used white LED license plate bolts to meet legal requirements.

 

[Greig]

A crude explanation from a layman:

A colored lens is a filter that passes light of a similar color/frequencies and absorbs or reflects other colors/frequencies.

Incandescent bulbs produce a wide spectrum of light (remember the prism thing from way back) and a high amount of it in the red region. So behind a red lens you still get a lot of light while white light isn't passed through but the red portion is.

LEDs in many/most cases produce a narrow spectrum or frequency of light i.e. a blue LED produces blue but no red light. White LED produces less red light so when the white light isn't passed though there's much less red light to get passed. So to get red light you use a red LED.

LEDs from different manufacturers may behave slightly differently behind a colored lens. The general rule of thumb is to use an LED of the same color as the lens that will be in front of it.

Some members let the red light hit the plate and haven't been stopped. Others have added a strip of a few white LEDs below the tail light lens. Still others have used white LED license plate bolts to meet legal requirements.

Terrific response. Thanks for explaining it to me.

 

[ST Gui]

One more thing – in the above solutions it's usually unnecessary to block the window for the plate illumination. The light from any of those white LED solutions is enough to overcome the red and keep it all legal if that's how you roll.

I haven't been stopped but then I'm usually home sipping hot chocolate by sunset cuz that's when the mutants come out and I have to keep the generators running.

 

[Obo]

Red vs White/Clear pulse brake LEDs - The original incandescent bulbs are clear, but I see many people replacing them with red LED strobes vs white/clear LED strobes. Is there are reason for using red ones? They end up creating a red glow over the license plate vs. white.

Even more simply put white (bluish) LED's tend to blow out the red and orange and make them more pink and yellow as if the plastics have sat in the Sun fading for years.

I agree though there are some places that if you don't have a white light on your rear plate you are subject to fines. If you are worried you can add in illuminated bolts on your rear plate, something like these. (but in white not blue)