LED headlight

[bwringer]

I ordered an H4 LED from ADVmonster.com this morning -- they are still showing out of stock, but I contacted them by chat and they said the new units are on the way and will arrive any time.

A report will be forthcoming... as I mentioned, I have my doubts they'll fit in a GS headlight shell, but I'll try it and see. Worst case, it ends up in my V-Strom, which uses two H4 bulbs.

Here's a shot of some random citizen's V-Strom with an AVmonster LED on one side, and a halogen on the other.

[Grimly]

I see Flashbang Electronics are doing them from China.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2014-New-Plug-Play-H1-H3-H7-H8-H9-H11-9005-9006-HB3-HB4-2400LM-WHITE/1950835400.html

Obviously, that's where ADV's are coming from, and hopefully from a main producer, but too many times I've bought mains LEDs from China and every time the regulator circuitry has popped. Oddly, all of my low-voltage ones still work, being fed via buck and boost drivers on anything from 1.2V to 36V.
Often, the ali-oops sourced ones are second-rate, but not always, so I'm wondering if it's worth a punt. For twenty-something bucks and free shipping, I might give it a go.

[knotscott]

I don't know how it compares to an LED, but the Sylvania Xtra Vision H6024 XV halogen sealed beam headlight was much brighter than the stock GS headlight, and is a direct plug in replacement for the stock light. It was like $15 at Advance Auto Parts.

[Steve]

If a sealed beam headlight was stronger than your stock light, there was definitely something wrong with your stock light.

Yeah, the "Extra Vison" line tends to be a bit brighter, but the sealed beam part leaves a LOT to be desired, mainly in the pattern it throws on the road.

Personally I usually go for lights that do NOT meed US-DOT specs, as I feel they are kind of goofy.
I prefer E-Code (European Code) lights, which are MUCH better. Some of them also happen to meet DOT specs, that's OK, as long as they also meet E-Code. I find it interesting that in most European countries, if you import a US-spec automobile, one of the first things you have to do to get it registered over there is to change the "inadequate" headlights.

.

[Cassius086]

Of course. Lumens, schlumens.

But ADVmonster is a well-known vendor -- they are very active over on the ADVrider.com forum, and believe me, if there was one particle of a problem with these things or with the vendor, the inmates over there would be howling for blood. These guys are very tough on their bikes, and they're brutal if a product doesn't exceed expectations. There are over 400 posts and no dogpile has started yet, so it's a very solid product.

So far, the reports are absolutely glowing. As noted, there's a heat sink on the back of the unit that sticks out a little more than a stock H4 bulb, so they don't physically fit in all bikes, or you may need to modify a boot or retainer. If they fit, they work extremely well.

Here's the thread over on ADVrider -- there are lots of photos showing the lighting pattern, color, and strength in various bikes. It does seem clear that the H4 LED puts out more light than the incandescent, and the ADVmonster unit gets around the design problems that a lot of other LED units have (fragile moving parts like tiny cooling fans or servo-operated shields for high and low beam, questionable quality, poor light pattern, wonky color):
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=976505

Brian is dead on right about those inmates over on ADV. They will jump all over vendor for failing to deliver a quality product in a heart beat!! I am pretty active over there as well, and those guys and gals can be merciless.

[bwringer]

The ADVmonster LED isn't perfect, but it's closer than the others I've seen. The biggest flaw is the size of the thing.

So far, I haven't seen an H4 replacement without an obnoxiously large heat sink or fan setup. The LEDs produce far less total heat than a halogen (they only draw 20 watts on high or low as opposed to 55/60 watts), but the heat they do produce MUST be moved away from the emitters efficiently. (Halogens actually depend on extremely high temperatures to work efficiently.)

ADVmonster could certainly do a better job of explaining their product -- information is scattered all over the thread. Basically, the H4 replacements come with a light shield installed that may or may not be needed in your setup. Try it both ways and see which light pattern you prefer -- in some headlamp assemblies, the pattern without the shield on low beam can blind oncoming drivers. In others, it's fine. There's a ton of variation because there are hundreds or thousands of different OEM headlamp assemblies.

Another interesting detail on their product is that there are four emitters, two on each side of the "stick" in the center. On high beam, one pair is lit, on low beam, the other pair lights. In other designs, there's a shield that moves with a motor or solenoid -- I consider this a deeply flawed design, because delicate moving parts just don't belong in something that operates in an environment this harsh yet so critical to safety. Automotive HID systems usually use a motor or solenoid, but they're designed from scratch and they're hellishly expensive.

Retrofit HID setups, especially the cheap ones, have proven to be unreliable. Or at least not reliable enough to satisfy me.

The ADVmonster H4 LED is solidly designed and made, and is cheap enough ($48 delivered) to be worth a try. Sure, you can get a light that's similar on AliBaba, and it's very likely made in the same factory, but I'd much rather order from a well-known vendor who can deal with any quality issues for me. I know for a fact I can use it in my V-Strom, so being able to try it in my other bikes is just a bonus.

My goal is more along the lines of brighter and higher-quality light -- from my perspective, the power savings are just a bonus.

[Dogma]

Well I am going to wait for Brian's report. If he likes it, I will try it. If, for some reason, I don't agree with Brian's report, I will have one of these available, while I get the Truck-Lite unit.

.

I look forward to comparing them head to head at BC next summer. Or sooner, if an opportunity presents itself. Remind me to ride the 1000G (TruckLight gen 7, for those who don't already know) for that reason. I'll probably forget by then.

[reliant_turbo]

i hate that they use such high color temperature for most automotive LED applications.

i prefer 4500k, maybe 5k max in alot of my LED flashlights.... many of which have the same Cree XM-L2 LED that they use in their design.

even though the actual lumen output is less than a cool white (6k+ color temp), they color is much more natural when compared to natural sunlight, so the colors are more accurate and my brain doesnt have to work harder to recognize what im looking at.

i regularly want to strap my homemade pocket flashlight to my bike and use it cause it blows the 8" stock headlight out of the water even though it would blind all the oncoming traffic. i stuffed a 5000k color, Cree MTG2 (6v, 3a, 2000 lumen single LED) in a light that is around 8" long.



Brian

[Gorminrider]

That's an excellent point,reliant-turbo - Who cares how bright they are if you need a bumblebee's eyes to see properly in their wave-length. But they are getting better.. a ton of other excellent points here-you guys have really been thoughtful about it!

Rant: Me, I'm not trying to save electricity on my bike, so I am puzzled by the led craze except in large arrays of daylight running lights. I don't think I am seeing any further down the road to any good purpose, than 20 years ago, because if the road curves or lifts, it's all for nought...otherwise, I fear a sort of an arms race and a vicious cycle of having to brighten up to see anything. ....Either that or it's another thing to blame the baby-boomers for- as their eyesight gets weaker, headlights get brighter.

[robertbarr]

.Either that or it's another thing to blame the baby-boomers for- as their eyesight gets weaker, headlights get brighter.

Hey. HEY. Just because my ophthalmologist is on my speed dial...

Can WE help it if designers continue to kiss our fannies, like they have for decades? Some day, later generations will have the jobs and the 401k's and they'll hear their favorite band's early works on commercials for digestion aid products. You just wait. We might squint and fart our way down the highway, but it'll be in vehicles designed around US until the death rate finally catches up.

When will devices be designed for a younger crowd? Only the actuaries know for sure.

[Dogma]

i hate that they use such high color temperature for most automotive LED applications.

i prefer 4500k, maybe 5k max in alot of my LED flashlights.... many of which have the same Cree XM-L2 LED that they use in their design.

even though the actual lumen output is less than a cool white (6k+ color temp), they color is much more natural when compared to natural sunlight, so the colors are more accurate and my brain doesnt have to work harder to recognize what im looking at.

i regularly want to strap my homemade pocket flashlight to my bike and use it cause it blows the 8" stock headlight out of the water even though it would blind all the oncoming traffic. i stuffed a 5000k color, Cree MTG2 (6v, 3a, 2000 lumen single LED) in a light that is around 8" long.



Brian

Well, that raises an interesting question. Which "white" is the human eye most sensitive to at at the edge of illumination?

My personal preference is shifted away from the warm side. I hate yellow illumination.

[Steve]

And that brings up another point: human eye sensitivity.

Research has shown that the human eye is most sensitive to a slightly green-ish yellow color, much like the color of true amber fog lights.

For those who insist on having blue-ish lights because they are "closer to daylight in color", consider the success of all the "Blue Blocker"-type of sunglasses. Why do they work? Because they block the ultraviolet and blues that scramble inside the human eye, causing strain and fatigue. Why filter all the other colors out of an incandescent bulb so that it looks blue, when blue is not the best color for vision?

The "color" of the lighting for any particular 'job' will depend on the job. For lighting the road under normal, dry conditions, something in the 4-5000 K range works well. For visibility in poor conditions, something closer to 3000 K works well. There was a time that I did not agree with that, but have had some proper "true amber" fog lights, and they showed me the difference. I have ridden with my wife's and son's LED lights, as well as my other son's car with HID lighting, and really like the light they put out.

However I still say that just as important as color is the pattern on the road. Most of the OEM lighting leaves a LOT to be desired there.

.

[60ratrod]

I will say that being in the aviation community in the navy, I can tell you that I prefer a more amber/yellow light. Blue irritates my eyes something horrible. Thank god that being an ordnance tech I get to use red lights. It's way easier on my eyes. I just wish I could change the gauge/button/panel lighting in my 07 silverado to red

[mikerophone]

Think I'll try one of these LED's out as well, I'm currently riding with 6500K LED driving lights and the yellowish hue of my H4 incandesant just doesn't quite look right with them.

Back when I owned VW's I would often upgrade the headlight housings with Hella's or E-Codes. I agree with Steve, the DOT spec just doesn't stack up against the E-Code.

But to each their own, around here I've seen quite few yellow HID/LED's in the "ricer" civics.

[Highway_Glider]

The ADVmonster LED isn't perfect, but it's closer than the others I've seen. The biggest flaw is the size of the thing.

So far, I haven't seen an H4 replacement without an obnoxiously large heat sink or fan setup. The LEDs produce far less total heat than a halogen (they only draw 20 watts on high or low as opposed to 55/60 watts), but the heat they do produce MUST be moved away from the emitters efficiently. (Halogens actually depend on extremely high temperatures to work efficiently.)

ADVmonster could certainly do a better job of explaining their product -- information is scattered all over the thread. Basically, the H4 replacements come with a light shield installed that may or may not be needed in your setup. Try it both ways and see which light pattern you prefer -- in some headlamp assemblies, the pattern without the shield on low beam can blind oncoming drivers. In others, it's fine. There's a ton of variation because there are hundreds or thousands of different OEM headlamp assemblies.

Another interesting detail on their product is that there are four emitters, two on each side of the "stick" in the center. On high beam, one pair is lit, on low beam, the other pair lights. In other designs, there's a shield that moves with a motor or solenoid -- I consider this a deeply flawed design, because delicate moving parts just don't belong in something that operates in an environment this harsh yet so critical to safety. Automotive HID systems usually use a motor or solenoid, but they're designed from scratch and they're hellishly expensive.

Retrofit HID setups, especially the cheap ones, have proven to be unreliable. Or at least not reliable enough to satisfy me.

The ADVmonster H4 LED is solidly designed and made, and is cheap enough ($48 delivered) to be worth a try. Sure, you can get a light that's similar on AliBaba, and it's very likely made in the same factory, but I'd much rather order from a well-known vendor who can deal with any quality issues for me. I know for a fact I can use it in my V-Strom, so being able to try it in my other bikes is just a bonus.

My goal is more along the lines of brighter and higher-quality light -- from my perspective, the power savings are just a bonus.

I am tempted to get one for the GK. I installed extra lights in the rear of the bike and I am drawing way too much power.



The only things I am concerned about are:

One the huge radiator on the tail end. Being inside the fairing there is no wind.

I know, I know....There is no wind in a bucket either.

Buckets are made of metal. The radiator would be very close to the plastic fairing (I have to go and check how much room there is actually) But then there are wires in a bucket....IDK.

How hot do they get anyway?

The other is loosing the rubber cap on the back of the lamp. Is it a big deal? I mean water does get inside the fairing....


EDIT:

Just read part of the ADV tread. The boot can be modded.

2nd EDIT:

Phew. 33 pages to read. The only references to heat (I found 2) is that it ain't that hot.

Now I need to check available space.