LED headlamps for NT

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Personally, I wouldn't risk experimenting with any non-traditional bulbs in any vehicle headlamp. The reflectors are designed for the original bulb. People put HID kits in their headlamps (cars or bikes) that were designed for traditional lamps, and then blind oncoming traffic because the reflectors are designed differently for an HID bulb. An LED bulb isn't going to perform as intended, either, because you have light going in non-uniform directions, from a source that isn't a point source because you've got a cylinder with a bunch of LEDs around it.

I would only consider adding some extra lighting ('driving' lamps, 'fog' lamps) for being visible to vehicles and animals, provided I don't blind oncoming traffic. I think a lot of motorcyclists are selfish in their "I don't care, if it make me more visible, the h3ll with 'em" attitude. Personally, I don't want someone coming at me who is blinded and can't see where they're going. Seems counter-intuitive, safety-wise.
 

Phil Tarman

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I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I've got the original Denali D1s mounted with my fender mounting bolts. I have been told a lot of times that they make me much more visible in the daytime and they certainly make me more confident at night. I did get flashed at times a few times when I first added them back in 2010, mostly by trucks. It took me quite a while to realize that the headlights were aimed way too low and then when I corrected that, it was quite a while again before I realized that I had the headlights aimed way too high. When I finally got them aimed correctly, I've been able be seen and to see at night. When I was doing my BBG and on the long leg from Fallon to Baker at night, I was seeing deer in plenty of time to get slowed down and that was worth a lot.

If Sylvania (or anyone who's a respected maker of headlights) comes out with H7 replacements, I'd trust them to work in our reflectors. And I'd add them in a flash.
 
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mikesim

mikesim

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Personally, I wouldn't risk experimenting with any non-traditional bulbs in any vehicle headlamp. The reflectors are designed for the original bulb. People put HID kits in their headlamps (cars or bikes) that were designed for traditional lamps, and then blind oncoming traffic because the reflectors are designed differently for an HID bulb. An LED bulb isn't going to perform as intended, either, because you have light going in non-uniform directions, from a source that isn't a point source because you've got a cylinder with a bunch of LEDs around it.

I would only consider adding some extra lighting ('driving' lamps, 'fog' lamps) for being visible to vehicles and animals, provided I don't blind oncoming traffic. I think a lot of motorcyclists are selfish in their "I don't care, if it make me more visible, the h3ll with 'em" attitude. Personally, I don't want someone coming at me who is blinded and can't see where they're going. Seems counter-intuitive, safety-wise.
If you will re-read my original post, you will see that Osram/Sylvania engineers specifically designed these bulbs to have the SAME beam dispersement pattern as the halogen H7 bulb. They are seeking Federal approval as a replacement for the halogen bulb. Many new cars and bikes are now rolling out from the factory with LED's as standard equipment so LED's in and of themselves aren't bad. Misapplication can cause the blinding of oncoming drivers, but this won't occur with an LED bulb SPECIFICALLY designed to replace the halogen.

Mike
 

RedLdr1

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I'm going to see if anyone locally has them in the H11 size. I'm fairly sure I have enough space to fit them in my F-150. I'd like to see how they compare to the SilverStar Ultras I usually install to replace the bargain basement OEM bulbs...
 
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mikesim

mikesim

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I'm going to see if anyone locally has them in the H11 size. I'm fairly sure I have enough space to fit them in my F-150. I'd like to see how they compare to the SilverStar Ultras I usually install to replace the bargain basement OEM bulbs...
Your O'Reilly Auto Parts store in Woodstock can have 'em overnight for you as they are stocked in our Atlanta distribution center. The part number is H11LEDFOG and the line code is SYL. Other retailers may have 'em too, but they just were stocked this week at the O'Reilly DC's.

Mike
 

RedLdr1

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Mike,

Are these the Sylvania Zevo series LED lights? My local O'Reilly wasn't sure if the PN was correct and they are non-returnable. The Sylvania on line catalog isn't updated yet... It lists some info but loops when you try to go in for more details. :rolleyes1: I don't want to do a $149.99 plus tax "Aw crap!" purchase. My CFO would never let me live that down...:eek1:
 
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mikesim

mikesim

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Mike,

Are these the Sylvania Zevo series LED lights? My local O'Reilly wasn't sure if the PN was correct and they are non-returnable. The Sylvania on line catalog isn't updated yet... It lists some info but loops when you try to go in for more details. :rolleyes1: I don't want to do a $149.99 plus tax "Aw crap!" purchase. My CFO would never let me live that down...:eek1:
Yes, they are the ZEVO series. The p/n is correct and I don't believe they are non-returnable. I will check for you today. You can find them on our website oreillyauto.com Just type in the p/n H11LEDFOG in the search box and they will appear. If the store manager has any questions, have him call me at store 820.

Mike
 
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mikesim

mikesim

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Thanks, I'll try again...
They are in stock in the Forest Park, GA DC. They ARE returnable as long as they haven't been installed and the original packaging is intact.

Mike
 

RedLdr1

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They are in stock in the Forest Park, GA DC. They ARE returnable as long as they haven't been installed and the original packaging is intact.

Mike

Thanks, Forest Park is a loong way south of me....thru Atlanta no less. :eek1: I'll just go back to my local store, number 1384, and see when they can get them in.
 
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Mike, what’s the difference between the RainX wiper blades in your store and the $10 RainX bladed at Wal-Mart?
 
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:hijacked:

Let's get back on topic. I am a firm believer in LEDs. I used to design and build custom LED Boards for vintage motorcycles for over 10 years. It got to the point that market started to produce decent replacement LED bulbs at a price that I could not compete with. I was also purchasing many of them to evaluate them and I found many that were pretty good, which I used them myself in my vehicles.

I widely used a verity of H4 LED Bulbs, which is the most common bulb used in motorcycles. I found a few that I liked very well. The NT as I mentioned is a different animal that will present its own unique set of challenges.

There's page upon pages of H7 LED Bulbs available on Amazon. Amazon H4 LED Search Results for kits far under $150, some for about $20.

The problem is that the build qualitity of many of these can be all over the place. You have to look at the bulb's construction and if they have the ballast on-board as a first level. Major concern with using any of these with NT is the air of the cooling fans cannot be forced into the headlight assembly. This over time would fill up the inside of the headlight assembly with dirt and debris. This is one of the unique challenges the NT headlight assembly imposes.
 
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mikesim

mikesim

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Thanks, Forest Park is a loong way south of me....thru Atlanta no less. :eek1: I'll just go back to my local store, number 1384, and see when they can get them in.
Forest Park is the distribution center, that's who your store orders from. They had 37 on hand when I checked this morning so they can have em overnight
 
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mikesim

mikesim

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Mike, what’s the difference between the RainX wiper blades in your store and the $10 RainX bladed at Wal-Mart?
Clay, I don't know. We sell the Latitudes, I don't know if that is what Wally World sells, but I will look next time I go to Wal-Mart.
 
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I have not tried fitting LED's to my NT, as I could see that the rubber seals just don't provide the needed room for the stuff on the back of the bulbs (heat sink, box, wiring).

I have done a lot of trials with the H4 lights in my car and other bikes.

I first bought some cheap LED units ($20 a pair) that had fans and boxes. They were bright - but the light output was very spotty and the beam pattern was bright in some areas and dim in others....it was irritating.

I have been using this "cheap" unit for about a year in my Little 250 Ninja Cafe' bike.....it actually works pretty well.
https://www.amazon.com/LASFIT-Headlight-Kits-COB-Adjustable-6000K-Dual/dp/B01H8VILH2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495624880&sr=8-2&keywords=lasfit+h4

I then tried a self contained light that had a fan that went inside the reflector....nothing was sticking out the back. It has a lot of light right in front of the bike - but the light only comes out the top of the bulb and it leaves the light dim on the bottom of the reflector and doesn't make your bike very visible to traffic in the daytime. The light pattern threw a lot of light directly in front of the motorcycle and to the sides, the low beam cutoff was good - the long range light was not as good as the stock bulb. The big problem with this bulb is that it coats the inside of the light housing and lens with a hazy film in a very short amount of time - and even after several cleanings and 20 hours of use it continued to smoke up the inside of the light.
http://stores.advmonster.com/native-h4/

The latest versions of the H4 bulbs do mimic the location of the filaments better, and they are better at controlling the light output - but they are not perfect. The LED emitters are spread apart a small distance and all the light shines out the sides - so there is a narrow band at the top and bottom of the reflector that don't get any light. The LED's put out more light in front of the bike - but on high beam I am not sure if they shine down the road as far. It could be that the short distance light is so intense that your eyes adjust to the brightness and limit how far you can see long range - but all the lights I have tried don't seem to shine long range as far.....but they all seem to put out more light in the short and medium range.
I have these in my car right now - and they work very well. The downside with these is that they do not come apart to allow you to install the rubber seal....I had to modify my seals to work. http://www.xenondepot.com/H4-Xtreme-LED-Motorcycle-kit-p/xt-led-h4-mc.htm

And I have this LED from Superbright LEDS in my Cafe' bike, and it works well and doesn't use the box on the wire so it takes up less room in the headlight bucket. This one does come apart and works with the stock rubber seal.
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/motorcycle-led-bulbs/motorcycle-led-headlight-conversion-kit-h4-led-headlight-bulb-conversion-kit-with-compact-heat-sink/3930/8566/

I am sorry if most of this information is not of much use on the NT - but at this point I just don't see any good way to install LED's in the NT housing with the stock rubber seal. Maybe somebody will devise a good way to modify the rubber seal.

Maybe HID is a better way to get more light in the NT as the bulb doesn't have the heat sink on the back of the bulb?
 
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This has been a very informative thread.
It would seem easy to replace a bulb with an LED. We do it in our homes all the time. Much harder when the details are considered.
Unless some of these issues get fixed, I think I will stick to OEM bulb with aux Denalis. With the Denalis turned on the light output is good and it gives that triangle of lights to help others see me.

Brad
 
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