Servicing LED lights

While perusing LED bulb threads came across an entry that indicated the LED headlight bulbs in the 2016/17 models are not serviceable.

Is that correct?

So if you lose a light for whatever reason you would have to buy the entire headlight assembly and replace?

Cheapest of those I could find online was ~$860. Yamaha list price well over $1200. I know LED's last much longer but it is a manmade part and stuff fails occasionally. If you had that done at a dealer I could see easy $1500 to replace that assembly.

Sort of takes some of the steam out of wanting that LED bike now.

I have a 2015 F150 and the early LED assemblies allow for bulb change, but later models do not.

The reason the early adaptations of LED headlights were serviceable was because the designers were not sure how long these new tech high lux LEDs would last. But building them to be replaceable add costs to the part up front, so since it was found not to be a major warranty repair risk they changed to non-serviceable units.

Any failure of a non-serviceable LED headlight would be considered a manufacturing defect and a warranty repair. It would make spending the $360 for 4 year YES warranty extension a no-brainer, IMO, which it really was already considering all the recently added electronica: YCCT (throttle by wire), electronic cruise control, electronic suspensions, etc., etc.

Fred I have to agree with the YES warranty. Its just that I have been changing headlights since the 60's on everything I have owned with two and four wheels and to not have that option just seems a little strange.

Guess its time to embrace the technology and quit being an old fart. I see people baking their Corvette headlights in the oven so they can separate the lens off and replace those so that could be an option with the FJR.

I can say that I have 20-year-old LED's still operating perfectly.

I have some LED's in a piece of electronics I built that have been running 24/7/365 for the last six years with no break and in a chassis that runs at 35C.

I'm not much of an electronics designer compared to the guys at Yamaha, I really wouldn't sweat this. Those LED lights may outlast us all.

audiowize said:

I can say that I have 20-year-old LED's still operating perfectly.
I have some LED's in a piece of electronics I built that have been running 24/7/365 for the last six years with no break and in a chassis that runs at 35C.

I'm not much of an electronics designer compared to the guys at Yamaha, I really wouldn't sweat this. Those LED lights may outlast us all.

Click to expand...

Ok, great, don't sweat it. But I'm still curious since the OP's question is still not answered. The question was:

"While perusing LED bulb threads came across an entry that indicated the LED headlight bulbs in the 2016/17 models are not serviceable. Is that correct?"

So glad I bought a 2015 FJR.

Dave

rbentnail said:

audiowize said:

I can say that I have 20-year-old LED's still operating perfectly.I have some LED's in a piece of electronics I built that have been running 24/7/365 for the last six years with no break and in a chassis that runs at 35C.

I'm not much of an electronics designer compared to the guys at Yamaha, I really wouldn't sweat this. Those LED lights may outlast us all.

Click to expand...

Ok, great, don't sweat it. But I'm still curious since the OP's question is still not answered. The question was:

"While perusing LED bulb threads came across an entry that indicated the LED headlight bulbs in the 2016/17 models are not serviceable. Is that correct?"

Click to expand...

Yes, it is correct. My 2016 owners manual says there are no owner serviceable lights on the bike. The LED headlights are amazing.

They are serviceable. You just have to replace the entire headlight bucket to do that.

Hammer Down Brown said:

rbentnail said:

audiowize said:

I can say that I have 20-year-old LED's still operating perfectly.

I have some LED's in a piece of electronics I built that have been running 24/7/365 for the last six years with no break and in a chassis that runs at 35C.

I'm not much of an electronics designer compared to the guys at Yamaha, I really wouldn't sweat this. Those LED lights may outlast us all.

Click to expand...

Ok, great, don't sweat it. But I'm still curious since the OP's question is still not answered. The question was:
"While perusing LED bulb threads came across an entry that indicated the LED headlight bulbs in the 2016/17 models are not serviceable. Is that correct?"

Click to expand...

Yes, it is correct. My 2016 owners manual says there are no owner serviceable lights on the bike. The LED headlights are amazing.

Click to expand...

No serviceable lights on the bike? None? The LEDs last a lifetime? I have a real hard time believing that. I have to replace LED indicating lights all the time at work.

How many people with 2nd or 3rd Gens have lost their LED dash backlights and indicators? Because those are all non-serviceable and we all know how many first Gens burnt out those incandescent bulbs.

I'd be curious to know what kind of LED's you're replacing, Russ. I've "been into" electronics for 40 years and have never had an LED fail electrically unless I did something stupid or while experimenting. The only ones I've ever seen fail in equipment/electronic devices were mechanical failures (solder joint typically)...

I guess I could throw my $0.02 in here as well, however - if they're going to be non-serviceable, they should be warranted for the life of the vehicle. They are, after all, critical safety items..

I've seen dozens of Hi-brightness LED's failed, in traffic lights.

Furthermore, solder joints failing from thermal cycling or whatever has the same result to the end user.

Time will tell if the FJR LED headlight design is durable.

If the LEDs were socketed the most likely failure point would be the socket.

SunRider said:

I've seen dozens of Hi-brightness LED's failed, in traffic lights.

Click to expand...

Good point - now that you mention it, I have too, and also on tail lights for trucks/busses.

I wonder if those failures are actually the LED, or a mounting issue. They could also have inadequate cooling - that will kill them for sure.

See, now folks are starting to get what I think the OP was getting at. I see traffic lights with LEDs out all the time and they don't have the vibrations a motorcycle does to affect them. Trucks, buses, cars- all with LEDs out. TO ME, all the speculation of "it must be the socket" or "it must be a solder joint" or "maybe it overheated" or "it must be the Hand of God" is all bullshit. The LED is off when it's supposed to be on when I might be doing something like coming home from work at 1:30 in the morning or I suddenly might be without a turnsignal in downtown Raleigh- a nightmare!. Yeah, ok, any bulb might (and will at the most inopportune time) crap out. But to have non-serviceable bulbs is bogus as hell to my wallet.

Folks seem to be focusing in on headlights but according to H.D.Brown's post above, none of the LEDs on the vehicle are serviceable. So if a headlight goes out for whatever obscure reason, an entire bucket assembly gets purchased. What about a taillight or rear turn signal? Replace the ass end? Front turn signal requires replacement of a complete side fairing? Geez, yoose guys got way deeper pockets than I do. And what are you going to do on the road, 600 miles or more from home, if/when a bulb dies? Park the bike until the new parts are shipped from Japan on the Sea Turtle Express? I know from experience that right now I pull into an Advance Auto and get what I need. The guys and gals there will lend me whatever I need to get the bulb replaced. They did it, albeit with more than a little rib poking (rear taillight, waayyy back in there) but we all had a nice chuckle and they got me on my way, when I was a long way from home.

Ride more - worry less!!!

I didn't mean to start a "thing" about the owner serviceability. I was just quoting from the owners manual page 7-35.

Yeah, well... you gave birth to it. It's your baby!

:lol: