Speedmetal LED headlights for Stelvio

[Phil_P]

Here's what the catalog says:

<snip>

My only comment was that my pocket flashlight has a very bright white beam, runs for many hours (don't know how many yet) off a pair of AA batteries so the current draw can't be much, they don't get hot, and a pair of them mounted on the front of my bike would provide me with all the light I want or need.   I don't understand why something exactly like them couldn't be powered off of a bike battery.

Lannis

I am just in the process of adapting a pair of bicycle lights (cheap far east imports) to use on the Guzzi. Taking the circuit and swirch out the aluminium can and running a down voltage converter to run them off the bike power.

They throw a good amount of light, and are a phenomenal bang per buck at about $25 the pair.

May just rig them for high beam, depending how my other lighting experiments go.

Phil

[Wayne Orwig]

My only comment was that my pocket flashlight has a very bright white beam, runs for many hours (don't know how many yet) off a pair of AA batteries so the current draw can't be much, they don't get hot, and a pair of them mounted on the front of my bike would provide me with all the light I want or need.   

Unhook your headlight. Duct tape those to the handlebar. Go for a night ride.
Report back.

I suspect you will find they aren't as bright as you think. Plus the light is likely all in a small spot.

But I would like to know. Try it.

[Lannis]

Unhook your headlight. Duct tape those to the handlebar. Go for a night ride.
Report back.

I suspect you will find they aren't as bright as you think. Plus the light is likely all in a small spot.

But I would like to know. Try it.

Hmm, I guess I'd better make good on my claim then .... !    The headlights are easy enough to unhook - matter of fact, if you don't check regularly, they'll unhook themselves (part way) and melt the connector block ....

Lannis

[190 Octane]

Cyclegear doesn't show what the H4 bulb looks like on their website.  Could someone that has ordered an H4 led from cyclegear post a pic when they receive it?

I'd like to know if I could mount it in my headlight without trepanning the headlight bucket like the HID bulbs require.

[Cage Free]

Cyclegear doesn't show what the H4 bulb looks like on their website.  Could someone that has ordered an H4 led from cyclegear post a pic when they receive it?

I'd like to know if I could mount it in my headlight without trepanning the headlight bucket like the HID bulbs require.

My H4 bulb looks just like the one pictured on the CG website. Since its the H7 one pictured maybe only one side looks like that but mine is exactly the same on both sides. If your bike uses metal spring type retainers for the bulb no trepanning will be required and no $25. words like trepanning will be needed. ;D

[Triple Jim]

I've let all my MagLites die, they're pathetic compared to these

There are some reasonably good LED bulbs that fit Maglite flashlights.  There are also some not very good ones, but with some research you can find a good one that lets you keep the old well made things in service.  I have a 2 D-cell Maglite with an LED bulb that you can run all night without running the battery down.

Sorry for the hijack.

[Lannis]

There are some reasonably good LED bulbs that fit Maglite flashlights.  There are also some not very good ones, but with some research you can find a good one that lets you keep the old well made things in service.  I have a 2 D-cell Maglite with an LED bulb that you can run all night without running the battery down.

Sorry for the hijack.

That's good to know.  I'll look into it .... !

Lannis

[charlie b]

Unhook your headlight. Duct tape those to the handlebar. Go for a night ride.
Report back.

I suspect you will find they aren't as bright as you think. Plus the light is likely all in a small spot.

But I would like to know. Try it.

I have tried it.  When looking at aux lights I got cheap (I do own a Guzzi :)  ).  So, Costco had CREE LED flashlights, 3 for $20.  I bought three packs for around the house.  So, I took two of them and put them on the goose.  The only difficulty was voltage level.  I made up a voltage reducer and installed it inside the fairing.  To eleminate the batteries I direct wired through the back end.  The barrel of the flashlights are empty but gave me a good way to clamp them to the bike.  I have about 10,000 miles on them now.

You can see then here.




From the front (headlight is on high)



Sorry no pictures in the dark.  They are not good for distance but are great at wide angle, ie, seeing animals at the side of the road.

They also make the bike very visible to others, day and night, which was my main goal (according to those who have ridden in front of me).

[charlie b]

Forgot, current draw for those is right at 1A. 

I will be looking to refit the headlight with a new housing and an LED headlight.  Need reduce the current draw a bit more  :)

[Wayne Orwig]

Forgot, current draw for those is right at 1A. 

I will be looking to refit the headlight with a new housing and an LED headlight.  Need reduce the current draw a bit more  :)

With that setup I would go with an HID High Low. They are 35 watts, down from the 55. And the light output is amazing. And as cheap or cheaper than LED.
 

[LowRyter]

No luck installing the Cycle Gear LED in my V11 Sport.   Once I got it hooked up (and the light seemed real bright) I couldn't close the headlight bucket.  :-[.   It was much too fat and little too long.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAG4kxpYcFE

[charlie b]

I need to replace the housing first.  Sealed beam stuff sucks.

And I have thought about HID.  Will depend on which draws less current.

[redhawk47]

I asked CycleGear some questions about the Speedmetal LED blub, and got some answers.

RH: SKU : web2046547
Is this blub DOT "approved"?
Does it have real high and low beams, with low beam cut-off?
Does it have a cooling fan? How is it cooled?

CG: These lights are not DOT approved for street use.  They are a single blub and do not adjust for high and low beam.  There is no cooling fan. 

RH: You wrote: "They are a single blub and do not adjust for high and low beam."
I know that this would be true for the H7 bulbs. Is it also true for the H4 bulbs? They are normally high/low dual filament.
What is the color temperature? 

CG: This would be the same for all of the blubs this product offers.  Unfortunately we do not have the color temperature information available.

IMHO: These are not acceptable bulbs!
Now to decide between the ADVmonster and the Cyclops which is a bit brighter, and a bit warmer light, but twice the money.

[rodekyll]

It's nice that they didn't weasel on the DOT and hi/lo questions -- so many act completely clueless when you ask what ought to be a basic question.  It would have been nice to know the color temp, although I've seen enough bulbs to be able to guess the temp with fair accuracy.

Did they offer any lumen/lux or downrange distance figures for the light?

I agree that the bulb is not what you want for a main headlight.  I mentioned in another led topic that I have bought the truck lite series 7 7" module with high/low and a built in cutoff.  I have not yet installed it on account of I might have to put it on my boat to get around town in the dark (rain joke).  But I did get impatient to see what the light looked like.  So I poked around for a spare battery I could use as a direct hookup.

All I had handy was the 9v transistor radio battery that I'd pulled out of my fluke meter because it was going flat and getting twitchy on the ohms.  I thought "hold my beer, I'm going in . .  "  Both the high and low beams light up using a partially-flat 9v battery connected directly to the leads.   ;-T

[Madtownguzzi]

Cycle Gear also has a HID kit that I have been thinking about for my V11 EV.

http://www.cyclegear.com/SPEEDMETAL-HID-Light-Kit

[Wayne Orwig]

I put a pair of HIDs in my Stelvio about 3 years back. Got them for a very good price from DDMTuning. Awesome. They have an effective hi/low cutoff, and do a great job of lighting up the deer on my midnight ride home from work. There is the additional benefit that they don't melt the reflectors, which is a good thing too.

[charlie b]

I do really like the low current draw on the LED bulb I got.

http://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/3600-Lumen-LED-Headlight-bulb-for-DirtbikesDual-Sports_p_97.html

This one does not have a good low beam cutoff, it is a low beam just not a clean line.  I have not been 'flashed' by any oncoming traffic so don't know how irritating it is for oncoming.

The range on it is not the great, even on high, probably due to being in a reflector made for halogen.  It does do what I wanted.  A good spread of light and road lit for more than 300ft.  And did I mention low current draw :)

I'd use HID's if I wanted some more range out of it (or dedicated LED headlight assemblies).

FWIW, these things make road signs light up like spotlights.  The larger signs close to the road can be 'blinding'.