(NGC) BMW laser headlights

[Gliderjohn]

Very cool stuff.
https://www.bmwoffreeport.com/blogs/827/how-bmw-lasterlight-work-and-what-are-benefits/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0dSgSrPHQ
GliderJohn

[Knuckle Dragger]

Sounds great in principle, however I've found that with physically smaller light lenses that just a small amount of bug-splatter (a huge problem in Spring & Summer where I live) reduces overall output dramatically.

Larger light lenses suffer less from this problem, as its spread over a larger, more diffused surface area.

[Perazzimx14]

Fahrvergnügen

[Wayne Orwig]

Just what we don't need.

One of my pet peeves:
In days gone by, incandescent lights did not have a sharp cutoff. This was actually a good thing IMHO. When an approaching vehicle, on low/dipped beam, would go over hump in the road, you were on the 'edge' of that bright light, so you would get brighter light, but not blinding bright. Now with the bulbs being so small and bright, they are doing all they can to manage the cutoff, and it is becoming more and more of a 'cliff'. Above the cutoff there is no light, below it is blindingly bright. An approaching vehicle with dipped lights goes over a bump and you get 'flashed' with max lumens, back to nothing. Annoying.
Which may or may not relate to this bizarre tech.

What DOES relate to this tech, is the life of the light. Generally speaking, LEDs last for a lifetime or more. But WHITE LEDs have a layer of phosphor in them. As the LED ages, moisture and other things change the phosphor and it changes to not work as well with the light spectrum hitting it. So this oddball light implies that it has phosphor that is out in a larger light housing, not sealed in the LED. Sounds like a recipe for a short life. So those cool looking lights become an over priced liability years down the road. You dump the car because you don't want to spend $4000 or $5000 replacing a headlight. Someone buys the used car and drives it with the crap lights until there is a crash. Wonderful. Might be OK in German if they have safety inspections. But here in Georgia, they don't care if you have no brakes and bald tires.
Manufacturers should be forced to warranty safety items like lighting and such for 25 years. That will keep them from doing that stupid crap.

   
 

[TN Mark]

Many things are better on paper than I reality. Like the difference between Halogen, HID and LED motorcycle headlights. IMHO, HID was a nice step up from Halogen. My bike came stock with factory HID and I can't see ever changing it over to the next 'upgrade' which was LED. For many, LED has been more for Show than for Go. The LED light is so focussed as to leave the 'light spill' to the sides nearly dark. The industry responded with 'Adaptive' LED lights. More money to try and put back what the LED took away. Too bad the adaptive LED lights only fill in the sides when you're turning. Many times dangers come at us from the side of the roads which is kept dark by many LED systems.

No comment on the BMW Laser lights until they actually hit the market. I'd certainly hope they offer more function than most LED systems provided.

[Lannis]

Manufacturers should be forced to warranty safety items like lighting and such for 25 years. That will keep them from doing that stupid crap.

 

Well, I suggest that WE force them to do it by not buying their product if they don't!   We've got the power, if we'll just tamp down our save-a-nickel greed for a bit and demand something better than what we're getting .... 

Lannis

[Motormike]

Well, I suggest that WE force them to do it by not buying their product if they don't!   We've got the power, if we'll just tamp down our save-a-nickel greed for a bit and demand something better than what we're getting .... 

Lannis

Hasn't worked for the last 50 years and won't work now. Not with BMW at least.  Price a replacement for a R1200gs LED headlight.  Make sure you're sitting down...$1800 dollars for a headlight!!!  But wait...there's more! New for 2021, the GS has an adaptive headlight with a motorized mirror so the headlight turns into the corners with the bike.  How much is that piece of needless Teutonic wizardry going to cost? 

[Lannis]

Hasn't worked for the last 50 years and won't work now. Not with BMW at least.  Price a replacement for a R1200gs LED headlight.  Make sure you're sitting down...$1800 dollars for a headlight!!!  But wait...there's more! New for 2021, the GS has an adaptive headlight with a motorized mirror so the headlight turns into the corners with the bike.  How much is that piece of needless Teutonic wizardry going to cost?

Well, you'll be happy to know that I, personally, am doing MY part to assure that BMW does not make obscene profits off of their headlights stuffed full of Teutonic wizardry!   I simply refuse to give them any money.   Of course, they refuse to sell me a car as a result, so it works out great all around, and I'm contributing.

My brother bought a 750-series BMW sedan some years back.   I never saw so much quantum-effect-widgetry and automatic nose-wipers and things like that on a car.  I was riding with him, looking it over and playing with the stuff, and I wondered "How much do you think it would cost to fix this electronic stuff if it quits working?"

He said "I'm not going to find out.  The LAST thing I'd ever do is keep this car until any of that stuff started failing!"  And that includes the headlights ....

Lannis

[paul in rochester]

...and to think I was nervous about buying a Jackal with...GASP...
Fuel Injection!

[Solorider73]

Hasn't worked for the last 50 years and won't work now. Not with BMW at least.  Price a replacement for a R1200gs LED headlight.  Make sure you're sitting down...$1800 dollars for a headlight!!!  But wait...there's more! New for 2021, the GS has an adaptive headlight with a motorized mirror so the headlight turns into the corners with the bike.  How much is that piece of needless Teutonic wizardry going to cost?

I was thinking the same thing when I saw the new GS headlight.  It'll probably cost double. 

[Motormike]

LED's in general last a very long time. I know nothing about their construction, but would expect the little square diode board I see in an LED bulb to hold up much better than a filament bulb.  They'd better, as they cost considerably more.  And of course, on a BMW product, make that exorbitantly more!

[Tusayan]

If there’s any technical judgement that BMW can screw up, they will do it. They are lost when it comes to rational technical choices, unless of course the rationale is poor technical choices leading to more money in their pocket, paid by a naive and gullible customer base.

[GeorgiaGuzzi]

I am only interested in this for the possibilities of mounting the laser headlights to a sharks head! Mwahahahaha!!!

[Wayne Orwig]

I am only interested in this for the possibilities of mounting the laser headlights to a sharks head! Mwahahahaha!!!

Sharks with freaking lasers attached.
Mwahahahahah!