LED headlights?

[Rocket Racer]

http://www.chromeglow.com/catalog.asp?prodid=714432&showprevnext=1

just wondering if anyones got as far as trying LED lighting front and rear. A mate mentioned it in passing the other day (we were talking about Alton generators...exciting stuff ) and in the context that an LED lighting set up draws bugger all power, could be run as a total loss wiring set up without needing to resolve the joys of the prince of darkness dynamo's leaving us with a flat battery

I got caught out yesterday on my ZB33 by unexpected heavy rain bringing forward dusk and had a dead dynamo and a flat battery stuck in rush hour traffic all with their lights on and me only vaguely visible. Thankfully my mag was oblivious of the rain that dyed my hands black and filled my boots so I did get home, but it wasnt much fun.

So really need to revisit the whole charging/lighting issues that I've tried to ignore since the eighties.  
I'm thinking LED headlights may also be a bit more durable than our incandesant bulbs too.

[muskrat]

Looks good RR, but that's a lot of blown bulbs to make up that cost  .
Cheers

[Rocket Racer]

there are also bulb options which are a lot cheaper, including dipping bulbs, but the bases are hardly lucas and whether any are suitable another question

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/367256008/high_power_led_motorcycle_headlight.html

[bsa-bill]

Don't know about LED headlight, somehow LED light while bright seem to lack penetrating power, maybe it's the blue cast   

[BSA_54A10]

Generally LED globes do not work properly with old reflectors
I did a test of a few replacement globes for stop tail lamps many years ago and decided the <bulbsthatlast4ever.com> replacement tail lamps were the only option worth fitting.
I also wired the bike a bit differently so that I can turn on just the tail lamp , pilot+tail or Head+tail.
Thus when ( If hopefully ) I get in a no power situation I can go to tail only so that I can be seen from behind as hopefully I can see what is approaching and react accordingly.

[TimK]

The options I can find for LED headlights look expensive and difficult to fit in a standard headlamp shell. Has anyone tried HID lamps? The info I can find seems to indicate that you can get a good light out of a 35W bulb.

Tim

[bsa-bill]

Hi Tim - sorry mate you lost me with HID, brains not working, memory to full or it's new to me, would you care to elucidate



OOPS sorry folks, ignore the above , I just googled it -Xenon of course

[iansoady]

You need to have self levelling headlamps with HID. Don't think that was fitted to any BSAs....

[alanp]

Don't bother to try HID on your BSA, the reflector is totally unsuitable and this applies to most modern bikes as well if the bike wasn't originally fitted with them.
On modern bikes with HID bulbs etc in non-HID reflectors, yes, you will see better but anyone else coming towards you will pay the price.
I had to take them off my modern BMW when, even following my mates on dipped beam, they complained that it was pretty awful in their mirrors.
Even though you see them sold on ebay etc they are not road legal in this country without the correct system installed by the manufacturer no matter what those selling them say.
Alan

[chicago]

hi,

"I got caught out yesterday on my ZB33 by unexpected heavy rain bringing forward dusk and had a dead dynamo and a flat battery stuck in rush hour traffic all with their lights on and me only vaguely visible. Thankfully my mag was oblivious of the rain that dyed my hands black and filled my boots so I did get home, but it wasnt much fun."

ive got a cree xml t6 push bike light that i use for my mountain bike and they really are excellent. i know theyre not meant for motorbikes but might be worth carrying one for just a situation like yours as an emergancy measure just to get you home. they have a seperate battery pack and will burn for 3 hours on full or i think 12 hours on medium. they really are bright and would equal most modern car headlights (ubelieveably good).
ebay item number 140744146377
youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luaASDQ058E

[Hubie]

I am currently running LED lighting (6v) on all but my headlamp.  The whole lot came from Paul Goff and works great.  It allows me to run a stronger bulb in the headlamp and with a belt drive dynamo (+20% speed) I get full power on my headlamp in top gear from only 30mph.  I will eventually step up to 12v with an Alton alternator and remain with LED's bar the headlamp.  I shall be fitting a belt drive dry clutch first though!!

Cheers,
Hubie.