Tech Forums > SOHC/4 Bikes
The holy grail of headlights
Deltarider:
I like my incandescent bulbs in brake- and indicatorlights for... safety. The glow on-glow off effect they naturally bring, makes these lights draw more attention, They flame up and out and so are better noticed. Led is not lively at all, it is dead, it switches on in a nanosecond and there's no change in intensity whatsoever. Led maybe good for a taillight, but I even doubt that as LED is hardly noticed from an angle. I have learned my lesson. I almost ran in a bus with led brakelights I had not noticed. This has happened twice. I don't want to become rear ended. I stay with incandescent. I advise to check it out for yourself.
Mr.D:
--- Quote from: Nachtderuntoten on August 18, 2025, 08:19:51 AM ---
--- Quote from: Mr.D on August 16, 2025, 08:36:03 PM ---
--- Quote from: Nachtderuntoten on August 16, 2025, 05:08:50 PM ---
--- Quote from: Mr.D on August 15, 2025, 06:51:11 PM ---I did all my instrument lights, turn signals, and tail light with LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs.com
I'm very happy with them. I think I went with the 1157 Dual Function one (in red) for the tail light; the 1156 27 LED Tower (in amber) for the turn signals; and BA9s 4 LED bulbs (each in the correct color) for the instrument cluster.
I do remember one of the blue's I ordered for the high beam indicator was crazy bright, so I bought another one that's much more reasonable, though I forget which one it was. Anyway, they have a huge selection. Not the easiest website to navigate, but worth a look.
--- End quote ---
¿Did the red taillight bulb not give you a red lit license plate, lol?
--- End quote ---
Oh! You're right! I went with the white light!
--- End quote ---
Did you have problems with the white led creating a washed-out orangey light from the red taillight lens?
--- End quote ---
No, surprisingly I didn't have that problem at all. It looks great, just like original but brighter. I'm very happy with the amber ones in the turn signals as well.
pickleknuckles:
--- Quote from: Mr.D on August 18, 2025, 05:04:19 PM ---
--- Quote from: Nachtderuntoten on August 18, 2025, 08:19:51 AM ---
--- Quote from: Mr.D on August 16, 2025, 08:36:03 PM ---
--- Quote from: Nachtderuntoten on August 16, 2025, 05:08:50 PM ---
--- Quote from: Mr.D on August 15, 2025, 06:51:11 PM ---I did all my instrument lights, turn signals, and tail light with LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs.com
I'm very happy with them. I think I went with the 1157 Dual Function one (in red) for the tail light; the 1156 27 LED Tower (in amber) for the turn signals; and BA9s 4 LED bulbs (each in the correct color) for the instrument cluster.
I do remember one of the blue's I ordered for the high beam indicator was crazy bright, so I bought another one that's much more reasonable, though I forget which one it was. Anyway, they have a huge selection. Not the easiest website to navigate, but worth a look.
--- End quote ---
¿Did the red taillight bulb not give you a red lit license plate, lol?
--- End quote ---
Oh! You're right! I went with the white light!
--- End quote ---
Did you have problems with the white led creating a washed-out orangey light from the red taillight lens?
--- End quote ---
No, surprisingly I didn't have that problem at all. It looks great, just like original but brighter. I'm very happy with the amber ones in the turn signals as well.
--- End quote ---
Same experience here.
Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk
turin39789:
--- Quote from: pickleknuckles on August 18, 2025, 07:56:45 PM ---
--- Quote from: Mr.D on August 18, 2025, 05:04:19 PM ---
--- Quote from: Nachtderuntoten on August 18, 2025, 08:19:51 AM ---
--- Quote from: Mr.D on August 16, 2025, 08:36:03 PM ---
--- Quote from: Nachtderuntoten on August 16, 2025, 05:08:50 PM ---
--- Quote from: Mr.D on August 15, 2025, 06:51:11 PM ---I did all my instrument lights, turn signals, and tail light with LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs.com
I'm very happy with them. I think I went with the 1157 Dual Function one (in red) for the tail light; the 1156 27 LED Tower (in amber) for the turn signals; and BA9s 4 LED bulbs (each in the correct color) for the instrument cluster.
I do remember one of the blue's I ordered for the high beam indicator was crazy bright, so I bought another one that's much more reasonable, though I forget which one it was. Anyway, they have a huge selection. Not the easiest website to navigate, but worth a look.
--- End quote ---
¿Did the red taillight bulb not give you a red lit license plate, lol?
--- End quote ---
Oh! You're right! I went with the white light!
--- End quote ---
Did you have problems with the white led creating a washed-out orangey light from the red taillight lens?
--- End quote ---
No, surprisingly I didn't have that problem at all. It looks great, just like original but brighter. I'm very happy with the amber ones in the turn signals as well.
--- End quote ---
Same experience here.
Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk
--- End quote ---
They have one that is red with some white for the plate, but no experience with them. Has anyone tried this one?
https://www.superbrightleds.com/1157-led-bulb-dual-function-25-led-motorcycle-bulb-1157-19-red-leds-6-white-leds
Nachtderuntoten:
--- Quote from: Deltarider on August 18, 2025, 12:29:53 PM ---I like my incandescent bulbs in brake- and indicatorlights for... safety. The glow on-glow off effect they naturally bring, makes these lights draw more attention, They flame up and out and so are better noticed. Led is not lively at all, it is dead, it switches on in a nanosecond and there's no change in intensity whatsoever. Led maybe good for a taillight, but I even doubt that as LED is hardly noticed from an angle. I have learned my lesson. I almost ran in a bus with led brakelights I had not noticed. This has happened twice. I don't want to become rear ended. I stay with incandescent. I advise to check it out for yourself.
--- End quote ---
I can totally understand the safety aspect, but i disagree as to the source. LEDs do indeed have instantly on and instantly off capability, unlike incandescents, which, even when off yet are glowing due to leakage current; but the issue is more the light pattern of leds. Based on personal correspondence with Daniel Stern when i was looking for recommendations for leds for my CB750K2, he told me that the light pattern is flawed, stating,
‘The "LED bulbs" now flooding the market (like "HID kits" before them), claiming to convert halogen headlamps, are not a legitimate, safe, effective, or legal product. No matter whose name is on them or what the vendor claims, these are almost all a fraudulent scam. The overwhelming majority of them are not capable of producing the right amounts of light, nor producing it in the right pattern for the lamp's optics to work, let alone work well.’
In reference to taillamps, specifically, he stated (from personal correspondence),
‘As with the central stop light, the other signal lights on the car have to put out the right amounts of light through the right range of angles. The guy way up high in the driver's seat of a semitractor needs to be able to accurately see your brake lights and signals immediately…so does the guy two lanes over with his butt four inches off the ground in thedriver's seat of his Corvette. The difference between bright (brake or turn signal) and dim (park or tail) mode has to be adequate.’
This, i think, is more central to the argument/problem; not to mention that he stated to me the LEDs have ‘droop’ because as the bulb heats its light output dims.
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