Topic: CB750K LED Headlight ?

[John G]

Anyone have an affordable LED headlight upgrade suggestion? 

[Deltarider]

No. They all suck one way or another. Just fit an European lens* instead of that low quality sealed beam you guys had for generations. And have a proper H4 like Osram or Philips. No irritating oncomers and streetlegal.
* Marchal, Cibié, Bosch, Hella, they're all good and when it's about being seen, opt for yellow.

[willbird]

No. They all suck one way or another. Just fit an European lens* instead of that low quality sealed beam you guys had for generations. And have a proper H4 like Osram or Philips. No irritating oncomers and streetlegal.
* Marchal, Cibié, Bosch, Hella, they're all good and when it's about being seen, opt for yellow.

Is this a good example ??
HELLA 002395991
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hla-002395991

[John G]

An H4 bulb and my heater jacket when needed may text my amp's. I'll have to check on that. You know, I hate electrical stuff.

[John G]

So I had a Harley light I modified to fit the Honda light housing. It's an H4. Now to make sure I'm not going to pop a fuse. Hahaha

[spotty]

just about any of the 7" LED replacement units available on Ebay will fit but as mentioned above " they all suck in one way or another " .......bit harsh, they all have limitations but i'll never go back to normal bulb headlights,
the ones that are an actual bulb replacement are improving all the time and are chalk and cheese compared to what was available 15 years ago, much brighter and when used with a decent reflector can greatly improve both the brightness and beam on the road
the total insert ones are what i use, they replace the entire lens, reflector and bulb and usually have a halo ring that can be connected to either running light circuit or some have a split ( left/right) halo in white or amber that can be used in conjunction with or instead of separate indicators. there are several different types of the 'sealed beam ' units, i have one with a cluster of normal looking LED's and a projector beam in the middle. works great at night for letting people know i'm there ( lights up the inside of the car in front )
to be honest the ones i use are not great in unlit areas ( like out in the country at night ), the main beam is quite diffused so you're lighting up the tops of trees as much as the road, but i do my level best never to leave the city , especially at night, theres nothing out there of interest to me. but in the city or even in the country during the day you will dazzle oncoming traffic. i know some people would say this is being obnoxious but if they've seen the light then they've seen me and are less likely to run over the top of me
another bonus of LED's whichever type you use is the much lower draw on your wiring etc, way less chance of a meltdown.

[Deltarider]

It's the old argument of brightness again. Believe it or not, during daytime I run a 21 Watt Ba9s yellowish halogen bulb in the parking light socket European units happen to provide. That's enough to be seen and you will stand out as a motorcyclist. You want to be noticed, you don't want to annoy oncomers. There are documented cases where irritated oncomers have steered their vehicle too close, to teach that biker a lesson. Recent research have proved again - as a matter of fact, it's just out - that blinding by too bright lights is the #1 annoyance in European traffic and it is so by far. In most countries the headlamps of locomotives are not spectacular bright and most I've seen were yellowish. For a reason.
What good is brightness, when you yourself become blinded by road signs that, overfed by your output will throw extra light back in your face, resulting in a longer period for your eyes to adapt again?
This brightness thing is just a childish fantasy that some folks' mind will drool on, especially when they are looking for something to do with their bike, no matter what. Realise that for many, buying new stuff, is no more than an antidepressant and it is known to be addictive.
My tip: optomise, but respect the law.

[MauiK3]

I have a Euro type light too. I run a low wattage bulb in the park socket for daytime. I've thought of trying some of the LED H4 type bulbs but have not done it yet. I have had great performance on my ZR2 Colorado with LED replacements as well as my 21 Jeep Wrangler, good pattern, good light cutoff.

[willbird]

I have a Euro type light too. I run a low wattage bulb in the park socket for daytime. I've thought of trying some of the LED H4 type bulbs but have not done it yet. I have had great performance on my ZR2 Colorado with LED replacements as well as my 21 Jeep Wrangler, good pattern, good light cutoff.

There are a few YouTube videos where the person goes through a selection of bulbs and tests them. They are really eye opening because some of the offerings truly suuuuck.

Bill

[Tim2005]

I've tried quite a few different LED bulbs in an H4 unit. Some are dreadful, some are pretty good, the best I have found so far by a mile is a Philips Ultinon bulb, it's a very worthwhile upgrade

[Deltarider]

I've tried quite a few different LED bulbs in an H4 unit. Some are dreadful, some are pretty good, the best I have found so far by a mile is a Philips Ultinon bulb, it's a very worthwhile upgrade

Overlooking the market and having seen test results, the Philips Ultinon* is about the only one I could recommend. That is, if you really must. Personally I don't need it. 'Ultra-bright' is not what I want* and frankly it's one of those products to solve 'a problem' that doesn't exist. Also I have my doubts results will be satisfactorily in OEM style headlights. Tim is in the UK. US consumers will no doubt opt for the inferior Chinese junk because it's 'more' for less, as they see it.
* The best bulb Philips had IMO, was the first model X-treme vision Moto H4 that offered a lot of light where you need it and appeared lightly yellowish to oncomers and in rear view mirrors. This had been the best possible outcome for motorcyclists, their research had shown. Later models Extreme Vision lacked this somewhat yellowish/orangish appearance.

[Bankerdanny]

Serious question: how much riding do you actually do on dark roads?

When my bike was here in the Chicago area, 99% of riding was on well lit streets and highways, so I didn't really need a great beam pattern. In this scenario even mediocre LED assemblies provide sufficient light at night and are FAR more visible to oncoming traffic during daytime riding. For me, the no better than sealed beam night time light was more than offset by the bright, very visible white light thrown off by the LED that made me easier to see in the daytime when I do most of my riding.

However, in 2017 when I was riding through pitch black Arizona desert, not a street light or even barn light with 500 feet of the road, the less than ideal low beam from my cheap LED came back to bite me. Fortunately high beam was excellent and the lack of traffic meant leaving it on was not a problem.

[HondaMan]

I've had good night vision using the H4 bulb of 55/60W in the 750. It's about 5w more power usage than the OEM Stanley bulb, doesn't cook the wiring or headlight switch. I still use the dual headlight relays (like those on my website) anyway, as the Honda handlebar switches are maxed out at 60W due to the type of contacts they have (simple copper, and small), so they will slowly give up over time, melting their plastic mounts. The relays prevent that issue.

The heated vest/jacket thing usually maxes out the alternator, though. When first introduced in 1973 they required the bikes be ridden with the headlight off. They have improved somewhat since then, spreading more heater lines with less wattage used over the body, but most still max out these older, smaller alternators. The 500/550 can't support them at all.

[gearsoup]

I still use the dual headlight relays (like those on my website)

Is your website back up and running?

[MauiK3]

I have not tried an LED because of my day time riding.
And yes, there are many poorly made bulbs out there, you get what you pay for.

[newday777]

I still use the dual headlight relays (like those on my website)

Is your website back up and running?

It was 3 weeks ago.... I haven't been back on since I placed the order.

[HondaMan]

I still use the dual headlight relays (like those on my website)

Is your website back up and running?

Yep!