Topic: Has anyone tried this type of headlight set up?

[KevinD]

I wanted to know if anyone has taken the simple three prong headlight set up and modified it out for what it takes to switch to a double led light set up.  The first photo is just a possible direction for the lights purchase and the last three is the end result I am shooting for.  The lights are cheap made in china type so not a heavy cost to attempt.  If you've done it any ideas on how to go about it and what kind of problems may I run into during the process.  It should be possible and I think it looks pretty good for a mod.  This is not going on a stock bike so I am not going to take a sweet original and butcher it.  The bike has a ton of mods on it now which is coming together pretty well.  Any and all info is appreciated.

[calj737]

Typically those LEDs are NOT DOT approved as headlights. They are designed as projector lights and do not illuminate the road properly. Whether they would be considered street legal in your state depends entirely upon your laws. I can tell you where I live, they would NOT be issued a state vehicle safety inspection sticker. Unless you greased somebody's palm pretty darn well....

[mrfish2]

Typically those LEDs are NOT DOT approved as headlights. They are designed as projector lights and do not illuminate the road properly. Whether they would be considered street legal in your state depends entirely upon your laws. I can tell you where I live, they would NOT be issued a state vehicle safety inspection sticker. Unless you greased somebody's palm pretty darn well....

I'm not sure about Virginia Cal, but in NC if your vehicle/bike is more than 35 years old we don't have to have it inspected and so the DOT never has to see those headlights. Maybe where Kevin lives that have a similar rule. I agree though projector LED's do not illuminate the road as well as a halogen does, they're more focused and don't light up the sides of the road well.

[zammykoo]

Aside from legalities, the biggest thing you need to watch out for is the combined wattage of both LEDs that will draw from your electrical system. Typically you'd want to stay around the same as the factory wattage rating at 35w.

And I will echo the above posts about illumination. I have tried LED setups on my cars but did not get the desired output. Brightness was comparable to halogen but the beam pattern was very narrow and do not light up the sides of the road. This is just the nature of LEDs as they are very directional.

Wiring should be straight forward. I don't know what that kit includes, but if it come with a wiring harness make sure it has a relay that you can connect your switches/battery to. You might have to make a custom harness if it's not direct plug and play. I have done many wiring installs so I like to keep aftermarket wiring separate from factory stuff, with connectors, just in case I want to remove later on.

[KevinD]

Thanks for all the responses.  After reading everything I decided I may want to go with a different approach to the whole double headlight aspect and go for the single. What I found was a 4 1/2 inch Harley fog light that may fit the bill. I am attaching a photo of what I am thinking and the light itself. I found a pair of these for 30.00. What I think is key is that the light is only about 2 3/8" deep so that should work with the example I am posting along with this. The lumen value is 1260LM and it is rated as Power: 30W. It also states that the lens design allows the light to focus on the front and sides of your path. If anyone has done this set up let me know how it worked out for you or any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Deltarider]

I can't figure out what you want. Is it you wanna make your bike look different?

It also states that the lens design allows the light to focus on the front and sides of your path.

Yes and will make America great again. Just another statement.
Or do you wanna have a good, tested and legal headlight. Then you may read this http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,10138.msg72473.html#msg72473 (and the reaction that followed.)

[KevinD]

I can't figure out what you want. Is it you wanna make your bike look different?

It also states that the lens design allows the light to focus on the front and sides of your path.

Yes and will make America great again. Just another statement.
Or do you wanna have a good, tested and legal headlight. Then you may read this http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,10138.msg72473.html#msg72473 (and the reaction that followed.)

Short answer yes, I am looking for something a different and trying to keep functionality as high as possible.  Due to living in AZ I think I will be legal either route I take on the light.  That last post that you supplied the link for had some great information and I do appreciate.  Because I had seen this set up on other build in the last group of images I felt that due to these being new Harley lights I may get a good balance of form and functionality.  Just trying to throw ideas out there and see what sticks.  I have a pretty close to fully stock 75 cb550 that I am really happy with currently and wanted to go a little different custom route on this bike.  Thanks again for the info.

[Deltarider]

Keep us informed about your findings.

[calj737]

Well the power draw is something of a concern still. 2x30W is 60w and thats essentially running your bike on HI the entire time. I wonder if theres a way to illuminate only 1 fixture on low, and 2 on high?

The fact that this is a "fog" light by your description leads me to believe it won't cast sufficient intensity far enough ahead. Fog lights really only have a projection of a very short distance.

You might return to your idea of "projector" style lights in the low wattage arena and just roll the dice on them providing enough illumination for your needs. I get the whole 2 light thing, it can look pretty cool on a custom bike. And if its not a legal issue for you, then why not have a little exploration in fun?

There are other "driving light" units out for modern bikes that may also be usable. See if something like this might work for your interests. These units are only 10w each and will scorch the road ahead of you. Pricey, but custom costs!
https://www.ascycles.com/2/BMW-Motorcycle-LED-Lights/ProductID/46229

[Airborne 82nd]

How about Honda's two light setup? do the 360 rotate to see the lights better. They may be a little large ( I didn't read the spec.) but street legal. You can hide a lot of them by how you mount them.

http://powersports.honda.com/2016/ruckus/360.aspx