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LED spotlights

4K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  Furball Zen 
#1 ·
I am looking for ideas for some lights for my Shadow for next year. The old style spots I had looked good but light output was not so great. I'm thinking somewhere around 1500 2000 lumens.
 
#3 · (Edited)
not tried these ones

MZ 15W 1300lm 6000K White Spot Beam Car LED Working Lamp - Black (10~30V) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

Marsing 25W 1500lm Waterproof 3-Mode White Light Motorcycle LED Bulb (12-60V) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

I do have these and have them set quite low and have fitted flat beam filters on so they run full time without blinding oncoming traffic and they are great to fill in under the headlight, I went 55/100 watt bulb for throw on high beam :)

MZ 10W 800lm 6500K LED White Light Round Spot Work Lamps - Black (2 PCS / 9~45V) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

without spots



with spots on



Spots only



mounted with the flat beam filter

 
#13 · (Edited)
1500-2000 lumens too bright? that's foolish.

If you run in the late night or early morning the more light the better. Nearly no cars on the road, and its easy to turn off auxiliary lighting if you do meet oncoming traffic. During hunting seasons my HID's on my truck arent near enough. My little brother got a 50in light bar and put it across the top of his truck... its in the 35000-40000 lumen range I believe with the sides made to be flood lights and the center a spotlight. It lights up enough to actually be useful, we can see to set up decoys, potential hunting spots, even when driving down the road at 3am its handy to be able to see 1/2mi+
 
#5 ·
I ran into a guy that had one of these on his bike.
http://www.strobesnmore.com/Strobes-N-More-EFlood-5000-Lumen-Flood-Light.html
5040 Lumen with half the leds spot and the other half flood.
What he did was wire the light up to his hi/lo switch on his bike, spot was on with the low beam and then when he hit the hi beam both the spot and flood would come on.
With the extra 2500 Lumen's spot beam on with the low beam bike headlight it really lit up the road and was not blinding to oncoming cars but if he hit the hi beam it would even blind someone in a 18 wheeler. I road with him one night out on HWY 1 just north of Fort Bragg,CA and my 85w headlight bulb was a joke next to his bike.

ROD
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the suggestions everybody. These will give me something to ponder while I heal up. I met a guy a couple of years ago, riding a big KTM Dual Sport and asked him about the led lights he had mounted on his handle bars. Dual lights with 4 leds in each light, putting out 3,600 lumens each. From 10 feet away, in the daylight, they hurt your eyes.
 
#7 ·
Subscribed to this thread, because I have been looking for LED updates to my driving lights.
Would actually rather keep my original almost-flat-back chrome housings that came on the bike, but one of my winter projects is update / soup up or replace the factory ACE driving lights.
Can't use deeper light housings, because of windshield fit issues.

Good luck in your search.
 
#9 ·
These LEDs amaze me. I was an electronics hobbyist 1973 to just recently. When LED's came out in the early seventies they were a wonderful innovation but they were a dim little indicator. Red was the only available color. Nowdays, where are they NOT used?
 
#10 ·
I gotta tag this discussion so as to follow it...
I`ve been thinking along these lines for my LED application...
Thanks for bringing it up;)
 
#11 ·
Here's a nice set I've been eying on eBay; 55W quartz bulb, small size, chrome:
New Motorcycle Hot Rod Spot Fog Light High Power Lamp Chrome Harley Davidson | eBay

I used to have a similar set, with a different housing, but someone stole one of the 'shrouds' from just one of them, so I can't use them anymore. Wish I could find another set like them, though, at the price I got them, since they were nice and small, but I liked the style of the ones I got before, and just haven't found them again, except a LOT more expensive.
 
#12 ·
I installed a 55W Hi\LO beam HID headlight kit in my 04 Spirit 1100 and I LOVE IT! (I also have a VTX housing upgrade to my bike LOVE IT!) HID is Not hard to wire and not too expensive they are $35 to $45 on e-bay for a single Hi\Lo bulb, 55W ballast and all the wiring. It should be wired from the battery to the ballast and controlled by a relay off the old headlight plug in order to prevent pulsing. This made my 110Watt Halogen Hi beam look stupid but it only uses 55W max not 110. I was so impressed I put a set in my cars low beam and did my moms also and she said she can finally see now at night. I like the previous post about the led spots and think that is the next step for me but the HID upgrade was money well spent. I can see way out in front with low and WOW! with high and no blinding of cars. I got the one with the shroud over the bulb and it works better than one without just make sure it is right side up when installed (Dont ask me why I say that LOL). I think my next step is the 2" LED spots because my HID now drowns out my punked Kuryakyn 20W driving lights even on low. Visability at night on a bike is "Life Safety" - never out run your headlight with your braking distance! (Seeing less distance than it takes to safely stop the bike) that is the mistake many make and end up road kill along with the deer they hit or corner they miss. God bless all and Keep the handlebars off the ground :)
 
#14 ·
High Power 3535 Chip 1157 Dual Color Switchback LED Turn Signal Light Bulbs

I put these into the stock turn/run lights on my 2000 ACE. I really like these. Found this set on Amazon, I'm sure there are more sources of supply.

They run as a bright white light (driving light) until you hit the turn signal, then the the side you're turning flashes yellow/off as a normal turn signal. Just put these in place of the stock 1157 bulb, no mods.

On mine I put in a set of smoke lenses so the white light of the running light looks white. Beam is scattered (not directional) but there's not much power. I've never had anyone oncoming flash their brights, or seen any reason for complaint. I think it's mainly the extra white color that makes the difference.

I put these on in late summer, so I can't say how long they last yet. For now, I really like the extra light coming from the front both day and night. I think this is way better than the incandescent bulb with yellow lens on stock bikes.

IMHO - this is what the bike should have from the factory.
 
#15 ·
I run two LED spot lights that I just swapped out this past year and I really like'm.

I got mine off Amazon for $38 or so. They are 2150 Lumens each and I could run without my headlight if need be, they are so bright. I tipped them down to avoid blinding oncoming traffic and they are still like airplane landing lights.
I have the same lights on my truck also. I hit a deer a few years ago and these really help seeing them during the early morning commutes to work in the dark. I believe they are 30 degree angle projection, so ya, they really light up the road ditches too!
 
#17 ·
I have a friend who helped design the electronics on the Space Shuttle, I was going to go LED last year and he said to wait. A few weeks ago he told me that now MAY a good time to possibly enter because the industry is finally starting to define itself with good products. I've seen the prices coming down a lot in commercial/residential with many new products but still skeptical if its time to pull the trigger with motorcycle LED lights yet. I'm will try to stay away from China rubbish, nothing worse than going dark while riding!
 
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