Papa54
Active member
I would like to install led's in my '13 FJR headlight, but don't want an experiment. Has anyone had a positive experience with a cetain brand and model type LED h4 bulb?
gen III led h4 headlight bulb recommendation
- Thread starter Papa54
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Niehart
Pie Smuggler
From my friend Harold who knows his stuff: I got OSRAM Night Breaker bulbs again. It looks like they no longer make the PLUS version and have replaced them with the UNLIMITED version. Basically the same specs as the PLUS version. I'm going on the assumption that they are still a longer lasting version than their original bulbs that didn't last very long, but I'm not assuming that unlimited is referring to their expected lifespan (that would be too good to be true!).
Pretty sure those are halogen bulbs and I think he's asking specifically about LED H4 bulbs that are worth buying (most either scatter the light or the light output is dim).
bluesdog
Well-known member
^^ what he said.
iirc, there have been a few who have been playing with LED/h4 replacements, but to my knowledge none have been satisfactory.
imo, the OEM halogens are pretty darn good, and those who wish for more illumination and conspicuousness add a set or two of aftermarket auxiliaries, such as Clearwaters.
iirc, there have been a few who have been playing with LED/h4 replacements, but to my knowledge none have been satisfactory.
imo, the OEM halogens are pretty darn good, and those who wish for more illumination and conspicuousness add a set or two of aftermarket auxiliaries, such as Clearwaters.
I haven't seen an LED H4 yet that mimics the design of the halogen bulb for both the low and high beam. The light dispersal and beam pattern are crucial to good lighting. Some of the LEDs seem to do OK with the low beam with the directional chip (similar to the halogen design) but none of them mimic the 360 degree filament of the halogen bulb for the high beam.
I'd like to run LEDs too but am waiting until someone builds a 'bulb' that actually out performs the halogens in both low and high beam.
While I'm waiting, I am running the Osram Unlimiteds and find them to be excellent for halogen tech and a noticeable upgrade over standard bulbs.
I'd like to run LEDs too but am waiting until someone builds a 'bulb' that actually out performs the halogens in both low and high beam.
While I'm waiting, I am running the Osram Unlimiteds and find them to be excellent for halogen tech and a noticeable upgrade over standard bulbs.
pcarnut
Well-known member
How's the longevity with the Osrams? I've got a set of Silverstars on my bench but have not put them in yet after hearing of shorter than stock life.
Top_Speed1
Panama Canal Crosser
I have LED's in my Beemers Hi-Beams (low beams are HID by default), they are super intense....
BUT! with the reflector for the FJR (being made for a filament) bulb that has it's light output/source very close-in towards the reflector, the current LED's offered are of no good! Trust Me! I'm the king of testing this stuff out on various toyz. The diode(s) are too far away from the reflector. What you end up with is wasted light scattered in a flood pattern, no long distance throw at all. It will look bright in a garage, but once on the street, it will all go to no-where's land.
Here's an FJR LED Headlight video that will help you understand...
BUT! with the reflector for the FJR (being made for a filament) bulb that has it's light output/source very close-in towards the reflector, the current LED's offered are of no good! Trust Me! I'm the king of testing this stuff out on various toyz. The diode(s) are too far away from the reflector. What you end up with is wasted light scattered in a flood pattern, no long distance throw at all. It will look bright in a garage, but once on the street, it will all go to no-where's land.
Here's an FJR LED Headlight video that will help you understand...
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Warpdrv
Well-known member
I got Justin's new LED's on the 15, with the 4 emitters on them.... on low beam they are pretty good, but not as direct as the standard H4 bulb.... They are a bit dispersed, but not horrible by any stretch of the means. I get plenty of good light from them to cover the road in the area I need.... I cannot give you much info on the high beams coming from them as it was not important to me - since IMO the high beams of the standard H4 bulbs was "OK" but not nearly enough light output for what I want from the bike on ANY given night period.
For that is the reason I went with LEDRIDER LR4's mounted to the mirrors on the 05 and moved them over to the 15's and I also added the LEDRIDER mini's with amber lens's for foggy broadcast and closer coverage of the road.
All in all I'm very happy with my setup and I get plenty of light for my needs with the fan mounted LED's I got from LEDRIDER, but I'm not the model bulb guy since I have all this additional coverage..... I think Top_Speed is right on track if your looking for a single bulb change they are OK, but don't give you everything.
For that is the reason I went with LEDRIDER LR4's mounted to the mirrors on the 05 and moved them over to the 15's and I also added the LEDRIDER mini's with amber lens's for foggy broadcast and closer coverage of the road.
All in all I'm very happy with my setup and I get plenty of light for my needs with the fan mounted LED's I got from LEDRIDER, but I'm not the model bulb guy since I have all this additional coverage..... I think Top_Speed is right on track if your looking for a single bulb change they are OK, but don't give you everything.
rbentnail
Economic Plankton
Papa54
Active member
Thnx to all... So far that's what I've been finding also... Light dispersion being a major fault. Hopefully that will get solved eventually. I like the low power draw of LED's, and that has a major play in my thinking. I'm working on an idea for keeping a rider cool, while traveling in major summer heat... FJR charging system capacity, being a factor in that.
Keep the rubber side down... Papa54
Keep the rubber side down... Papa54
Top_Speed1
Panama Canal Crosser
Major summer heat? Well just going from Halogen to LED is not going to do it, but ...a Veskimo will!, quite pricey but dis is da king!
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Nanahanman
Well-known member
Light dispersion is why headlight optical systems need to be designed with all components in mind.
LED H4 retrofits do not work properly and poor light dispersion is the result. This may not be a problem for the rider but will be a problem for oncoming drivers.
The whole point of a well designed headlight is to put the light where it needs to be and keep it out of other drivers eyes, not just have a bright light source!
As for the charging system, seems to me Yamaha has designed one that works just fine with the load.
This whole LED retrofit thing is a waste of time
tbonesullivan
Active member
I haven't tried with the motorcycle, but with car headlights and even brake lights, the problem is light dispersal. The FJR reflectors are not designed for LED bulbs, and there has yet to be an LED bulb that really can replace an H4. With Brake lights it's better, and not as much of an issue, because they are more about being seen than about throwing light in front of you.
Nanahanman
Well-known member
Good point on the brake lights.
The LED retrofit brake light bulbs have improved over the first generation, which were an anemic point source of light that were not as bright as stock and could not be seen at a slight off angle.
Complete waste of $$
My last bulbs were the Nightbreaker Plus version and I had over 400 hours ( 3 years time for me) on those and they were still working fine. I figured I'd be pro active and change them out with the newest Unlimiteds before burnout. Was pleased with the longevity of the NB+'s considering the noticeably better lighting. The Unlimiteds are even better and I'm expecting them to last at least as long. Well worth the life span tradeoff.
The Top end Philips version is basically identical to the Osram but I have not used them so can't judge their longevity. Plus, they are a bit more expensive than the Osrams.
Great supplier:
https://www.powerbulbs.com/us
Great testing site:
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/76760/car-bulbs-2014-halogen-headlight-bulb-reviews
Twigg
Just an old, bald man!
This is an area where the theory seems to mitigate against the fitting of LED headlight bulbs, but in practise it is not an issue.
I have the 4 emitter LEDs from ledrider.com (Justin).
The beam patterns, as viewed against the standard wall are, it has to be said, more dispersed than halogen, with much less of a clearly defined cut-off. This has led to some folk being wary of fitting them.
However, my concern is not what they look like against a garage door, but how they perform on the road. That is ... do they give more light, or better light? Do they distract or annoy on-coming traffic? Do they save power?
The answers, after extensive testing under many different road conditions and weather are this:
These bulbs offer a light output of 2200 lumens each. That is compared with halogen at around 1600 lumens. The color temperature of the bulbs is about 6000k. Bright white with no blue. This is a high contrast temperature, well suited to motorcycle needs to see the surface of the road clearly. There is good, wide coverage on low beam and decent projection on high. Certainly better than halogen. They are almost completely immune to vibration, and will be expected to last the life of the bike.
They consume about 20W each, a power saving of 80W total, or a whole heated jacket.
When I ride at night no one ever feels the need to flash their headlights at me. That was the biggest worry, considering the possibility of stray light being an issue. In theory it should be an issue, in practise it appears not to be. Also, the bulbs give out plenty of light. If you are wanting to be cautious you could adjust them down a little from normal, and still be better off.
I have the 4 emitter LEDs from ledrider.com (Justin).
The beam patterns, as viewed against the standard wall are, it has to be said, more dispersed than halogen, with much less of a clearly defined cut-off. This has led to some folk being wary of fitting them.
However, my concern is not what they look like against a garage door, but how they perform on the road. That is ... do they give more light, or better light? Do they distract or annoy on-coming traffic? Do they save power?
The answers, after extensive testing under many different road conditions and weather are this:
These bulbs offer a light output of 2200 lumens each. That is compared with halogen at around 1600 lumens. The color temperature of the bulbs is about 6000k. Bright white with no blue. This is a high contrast temperature, well suited to motorcycle needs to see the surface of the road clearly. There is good, wide coverage on low beam and decent projection on high. Certainly better than halogen. They are almost completely immune to vibration, and will be expected to last the life of the bike.
They consume about 20W each, a power saving of 80W total, or a whole heated jacket.
When I ride at night no one ever feels the need to flash their headlights at me. That was the biggest worry, considering the possibility of stray light being an issue. In theory it should be an issue, in practise it appears not to be. Also, the bulbs give out plenty of light. If you are wanting to be cautious you could adjust them down a little from normal, and still be better off.
pcarnut
Well-known member
Nanahanman
Well-known member
A strong argument for sure.
As for distracting other drivers, the lack of evidence doesn't prove a theory.
Not sure power saving is really an issue but your other points are well taken.
ionbeam
2 FUN
On a Gen I which is ridden in all weather and extensively at night where supplemental lighting is beneficial, the extra watts saved are significant. It may not be helpful to the average rider, but to someone that travels extensively or competitively it's a much better way to get almost 100 watts in place of a short lived high output aftermarket stator.
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