Headlight bulbs? What to use.

[Andrew Shadow]

The factory flasher is still installed on my bike, never changed, and no they don't blink any faster than the halogens did. Just buy the bulbs with the resister made in the bulb.

That is contrary to and defeats one of the reasons that you listed for switching to LED bulbs, which is to reduce the power consumption. Using LED bulbs with resistors does not reduce the power consumption. It draws as much power as the stock bulbs do. The point of the resistor is to increase the power draw to maintain the same load on the flasher relay otherwise it won't flash properly. Installing an electronic flasher relay allows the proper flash rate without increasing power consumption. This allows the use of LED bulbs without resistors so that the power consumption is reduced.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I guess we'll find out.

Let us know how they worked out if ever you think of it. They allow for a smaller and cleaner install. If they last just as long all the better.

 

[13ST1300PA]

Bulbs with resistors give you brightness, but don't save any power. The resistors use up that extra power savings to make the bike think it's got regular bulbs in them.

While that's true, it only happens when the lights go blinkity blink blinkity blink, and doesn't have anything to do with the driving lights (which don't have resistors) running the rest of the time. So an overall electrical savings over halogen which draw the same all the time. So unless your riding around with your blinker/hazard lights flashing all the time, less energy is being drawn.

 

[SMSW]

While that's true, it only happens when the lights go blinkity blink blinkity blink,

True, and indicator lamps tend to be fairly low wattage compared to headlight lamps. If your indicator is off 50% of the time (i.e. between blinks) then it is effectively running at half wattage from a load standpoint.

I think we have wasted more energy discussing this than is saved by LED lamps.

 

[Obo]

Canbus friendly LED's would normally have resistors on both portions. Yes, the 1100 & 1300's don't have Canbus, but the bulb makers make them to be as compatible as possible, including canbus vehicles.

 

[13ST1300PA]

I think we have wasted more energy discussing this than is saved by LED lamps.

Abolutely, I'm not trying to be argumentative or get an argument started. I'm just passing along information I know to be correct. Apparently, some people feel stronger about their LEDs than I do. I did me, ya'll can do you. So piece out, ya'll can have this.

 

[Al st1100]

And another point, if halogens are so great then why is everything automotive converting to LEDs....just sayin.

Why? Because they are trying to save electrical power. Electric power steering, transmission, windows, touch screens, navigation to name a few. Cars now a days have 30-50 electronic control modules, luxury models up to a hundred. Alternators can be up to 200 amp output. Thats why.

 

[Obo]

My 2 cents on why it's all going LED is simply $$$. You have a problem with an LED and you have to take it to the dealer or somewhere to be repaired. Almost all new vehicles had LED's built into the assembly. It's almost impossible for you to go buy a bulb (of any type) and change them out. I had an LED burn out in the side mirror that worked with the direction signal, and had to buy the whole assembly from VW as there was no bulby part to replace. Same as when you used to be able to buy a headlight and replace them yourself. Gone are those days. If you're lucky, it's still a bulb, but if you break the lens, it's almost always has to be the OEM fixture.

 

[SMSW]

LOL, It is all about efficiency. Halogen lamps convert a lot of the energy into heat. We could make most of the electronics in a car with relays (would be physically enormous), individual electronic components, or ics. The last are the most effficient - smallest, use and waste the least amount of energy, and cost the least.

We are all correct, just stating it different ways.

 

[wjbertrand]

No experience with LEDs in my ST1100 or ST1300, as they weren’t a thing when I owned those bikes. With my current Yamaha Super Ténéré, I tried a number of LED bulbs, including the expensive Cyclops kit. They all looked impressively bright looking at them but put less and more patchy light on the road at night in spite of looking blinding bright when viewed directly. This may be down to the projector design on the Yamaha’s headlights, dunno. I ended up installing a Morimoto HID system. Now I turn deer into venison jerky if they get in front of me!

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I ended up installing a Morimoto HID system. Now I turn deer into venison jerky if they get in front of me!

I am only familiar with older HID bulbs. They used to take some time to get to full brightness. This made them less suited for high beam use if they had to be dimmed often because they might not get up to full brightness before they are dimmed again.

Has that delay been eliminated with the newer HID systems?

 

[Obo]

I am only familiar with older HID bulbs. They used to take some time to get to full brightness. This made them less suited for high beam use if they had to be dimmed often because they might not get up to full brightness before they are dimmed again.

Has that delay been eliminated with the newer HID systems?

I had an older HID system in my ZR7S that overcame that by a little motor that tilted the bulb upward slightly, thus changing the reflector point from ow to high beam. The bike had a single bulb headlight system, so that was the only solution. No idea how the new ones work.

 

[Oldbikefixr]

My 2 cents on why it's all going LED is simply $$$. You have a problem with an LED and you have to take it to the dealer or somewhere to be repaired. Almost all new vehicles had LED's built into the assembly. It's almost impossible for you to go buy a bulb (of any type) and change them out. I had an LED burn out in the side mirror that worked with the direction signal, and had to buy the whole assembly from VW as there was no bulby part to replace. Same as when you used to be able to buy a headlight and replace them yourself. Gone are those days. If you're lucky, it's still a bulb, but if you break the lens, it's almost always has to be the OEM fixture.

This 'trend' to complex unrepairable assemblies should chap a lot of heinies. Saves no one any money, inconveniences the vehicle owner.....but on the plus side, it DOES contribute to the trashing of our environment and corporate/dealership profits. It's become a progression....inaccessible oil filters and starters were a clue to things to come.

 

[Al st1100]

I am only familiar with older HID bulbs. They used to take some time to get to full brightness. This made them less suited for high beam use if they had to be dimmed often because they might not get up to full brightness before they are dimmed again.

Has that delay been eliminated with the newer HID systems?

All the cars I have seen with HID use a halogen bulb for hi beams , as far a I know.

 

[snowmoer]

For the Halogens, don't use the orange package Silverstar's. They burn out quickly. It even says it on the back of the package! Use the blue package. They give off bright white light and last just as long or longer than stock. I used them on my ST, and now use them on my Gold Wing. I get 30-40 K miles out of them on my wing. You can also get these at your local Wal Mart. No need to go through Amazon for stuff like this. Yes, you have to cut the bottom tabs off. I had an adapter on my ST to make them fit right with the tabs cut off.

LED headlights were beat to death on this site 15 years ago. Then, it came down to only one or two that actually worked. The problem then was the LED's were not in the right spot for the headlight housing reflector. You can have the brightest LED out there, but it is the reflector that shines it down the road. That is why I stick with Halogens. Plenty of light, the reflector was designed for them, and you can get them at any Wal Mart or auto parts store if one burns out when you are on a road trip.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

All the cars I have seen with HID use a halogen bulb for hi beams , as far a I know.

What I am referring to, and neglected to include in my explanation, is HID lights that were added as auxiliary lights that are switched on and off with the OEM high beams. The delay in them getting to full brightness made them less effective when the lights had to be dimmed often.

Having halogens for the high beam makes sense. I was not aware that this was the configuration used from the factory.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

LED headlights were beat to death on this site 15 years ago. Then, it came down to only one or two that actually worked. The problem then was the LED's were not in the right spot for the headlight housing reflector. You can have the brightest LED out there, but it is the reflector that shines it down the road.

The issue about the incompatibility between the early LED retrofit bulbs and the headlamp reflectors was a definite problem early on. The beam pattern from LED bulbs installed in a halogen reflector was terrible. This problem was solved several years ago and is no longer an issue if the correct design LED bulb is used. Initially there were precious few LED bulbs that met the requirements of reflectors designed for halogen bulbs to any satisfactory degree but that is no longer the case. LED bulbs designed to work properly in halogen reflectors are now widely available from many sources. They are still no where as easily available in retail outlets as halogen bulbs are but that is one of the good things about using LED bulbs in that no modification to the motorcycle is required. If an LED bulb fails while on the road it can easily be replaced with a halogen bulb that can be found anywhere.

 

[wjbertrand]

I am only familiar with older HID bulbs. They used to take some time to get to full brightness. This made them less suited for high beam use if they had to be dimmed often because they might not get up to full brightness before they are dimmed again.

Has that delay been eliminated with the newer HID systems?

That brief warm up is still an issue for lighting HIDs quickly in high beams. In the case of the H4s in my ST1300, the bulb would move back and forth to place the arc in the position of either the low or high beam. There were guards/shields to direct the light. Worked well. In the case of both my Super Ténéré and my Ford Mustang, the projector housing moves a shutter to direct the light for high or low. The Yamaha only uses a single filament incandescent bulb as OEM.

An HID arc more closely approximates a filament than an LED because it shines out at 360° and can be closely located and centered where the filament would be. The source however is kind of barrel shaped instead of cylindrical compared to an incandescent lamp though.

LEDs are the wave of the future with OEM designed reflectors to accommodate them.