LED headlights

[charlie b]

Well, I post this knowing that it has little importance for most here...but that never stopped me before

The Goose has a very weak alternator. It also has a sealed beam headlight and I have a Sylvania halogen light in there. Also not very bright even though rated for 55W. It is bad enough that with just the addition of two 10W LED spotlights idling will not charge the battery, ie, in traffic for an hour or so and the battery will drain to the point it won't start anymore.

So, I have been looking at alternatives. First, a sealed beam does not offer many options. So, I got a 'conversion' headlight from Summit Racing. It is basically a sealed housing that accepts an H4 bulb. So, now what.

The H4 bulb works and works better than the sealed beam unit, but, is still 55W. I will keep it in my spares on the bike for those times I will be riding long hours after dark.

I looked at HID and LED replacements. HID seem the ticket, at 35W and pick your color temperatures. LED lights were 20/30 or 10/20W combinations. So, with the current draw being all important to me I went with the LED. The two I chose between were the ADV Monster and the Cyclops. I chose the cyclops due to the slightly lower temp rating (less blue color).

 

[charlie b]

So, got the light and installed it. Will get a picture in the next couple of days.

The bottom line here is, the LED headlights do NOT project a lot of light. They are more like floodlights. A lot of light in front and to the sides. This is what I was expecting so it was great for my purposes.

Other effects. Cutoff. The ADV Monster light is supposed to be better for this, but from web photos not by much. If you really like that sharp line cutoff you get from your H4 bulbs, then do not get an LED. Does it affect other drivers? After a few days I have not been flashed by an oncoming driver. It is a little deceiving because there is light projected above what you would consider a cutoff, but, it is much lower intensity that the main part of the beam, so, must not be annoying to oncoming drivers. If I have the high beam on I sometimes do not get flashed either (I did with the halogens).

Wide beam. This is what I like about the LED. Tons of light to the sides. Enough to light up animal eyes at 100yds or more. This is my primary concern when riding at night. No, can't 'out drive' the headlights unless I am going way over the speed limit so they are good enough. But, the side light is great, especially for turns.

And the main reason I got them...low current draw. Now my alternator can charge the battery under all conditions, even with the high beams on, driving lights and my heated gloves (also have some huge LED tail lights).

 

[RedLdr1]

The only technical "negative" I have read about LED headlights is like HIDs they may need a different headlight reflector to be effective. On the Expedition forum a guy replaced his backup lights with LEDs and it reduced his field of vision! A swap to a different LED brought it back to about stock... The placement of the LEDs on the stalk is apparently what drives how effective they worked in his case. He didn't do any light meter testing, he just parked the same distance from his garage door for the comparison. My Clearwater Krista LEDs put out more light than the NT's stock headlight so I know LEDs can be very effective. One of my upcoming projects is replacing the stock fog light assemblies in my Expedition with the Krista's.

 

[charlie b]

Yes, you can get dedicated LED headlight units. They run a bit much for me to get them, well over $400. Those Krista's should be good at those prices.

The setup I have works the way I want it to so I am happy with my $90 cost (half for the reflector and half for the bulb).

 

[bicyclist]

After all these years, nobody has come up with a more powerful replacement for the stock alternator? Who makes it?

edit: answered my own question.

http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/Articles.asp?ID=135

 

[charlie b]

Yep, also over $400

 

[JQL]

HID with Rainx applied frequently on the lens also increases the amount of light especially in the wet

 

[bicyclist]

Yep, also over $400

in traffic for an hour or so and the battery will drain to the point it won't start anymore.

Well, ya can climb down off some of yer pile and upgrade the alternator or be sure to park on a hill.

 

[KazooST]

One of the things I did not like about my first Sprint was the projector headlights. Installing HIDs gave some improvement, but the severe vertical cutoff REALLY shortens the range of the beam on the inside of curves if the bike is leaning. They may work well in cars, but cars don't have to lean to turn a corner.

Triumph dumped the projectors and went back to reflectors with the Sprint GT. Big improvement!

 

[DirtFlier]

I'm not at all familiar with Guzzi electrics so this is purely a SWAG of a solution.

Most 3-phase charging systems run three wires from the alternator to some sort of reg/rec. And the reg/rec has two additional wires that run from it into the main wiring harness: one is ground and the other is positive (the charging wire). If you connect new wires to the positive and ground wires (make soldered, t-junctions!) coming from the reg/rec, then run those back to the battery posts you'll have a much better chance of keeping the battery charged. All you've done is offer a parallel and much cleaner path back to the battery without affecting the existing wiring. All the instruments, lights, ignition, and other items needing 12v work the same as they did before.

Inside the main harness, there is no single, undisturbed positive wire that runs from the reg/rec to the battery positive post because anything that needs current is tapped off that same line. And with the passage of years and years, all the connections inside the main harness lose efficiency so adding these two wires actually makes it better than new.

I tried this simple fix on a '97 PC800 that I rode for over 10-years. At idle, voltage measured at the battery increased by 0.5v and going down the road it was up by 0.7v, measured with a multimeter strapped on the bike. Not enough to blow any bulbs but enough to make the headlight noticeably brighter. And most importantly, it helped keep the battery charged when I was wearing my electric vest & electric gloves. The absolute worst scenario was waiting to turn at a long stop light, brake light and turn signal ON plus my electrics.

ps. the new positive wire needs an inline fuse since it's hot all the time. If you decide to try this, disconnect the battery before clipping the positive wire from the reg/rec!

 

[charlie b]

Well, ya can climb down off some of yer pile and upgrade the alternator or be sure to park on a hill.

What pile? I don't spend money on stuff when I don't need to. This is a good example. Instead of spending $400 for an alternator I spent $100 to upgrade my headlight, which needed an upgrade anyway. Before the upgrade I spent $5 for a voltmeter and when at stoplights I just keep the revs up a bit, till the voltage hits 12V. Now I don't have to do that anymore. Easy peasy.

You may have noticed I also do not have Givi bags or Russell seat or Denali aux lights or Zumo GPS or any number of more expensive items of gear. I do spend money when I need to, like my Gerbing heated gloves or North Face sleeping bag.

The second part to this is I like making things work, especially when it is much cheaper than the commercial products.

The older Guzzi alternator is famous for it's low output, much the same as Beemers back in those days. If it were a simple fix to up the output it would have already been done

So, I am happy with my results and the light output I have. Again, it is not for everyone and will NOT outperform a good HID or halogen setup. It does highlight that for optimal output you need to have a reflector matched to your bulb, whether it is LED, HID or halogen.

 

[charlie b]

I commute before sunrise. Other than that I do not ride much at night.

 

[bicyclist]

What pile?

The older Guzzi alternator is famous for it's low output, much the same as Beemers back in those days. If it were a simple fix to up the output it would have already been done

What pile? That one you're smiling down from.:wink:

It is a simple fix, a little cash and screw on the new alternator.

My /5 has a ferocious 180 watt alternator. When I get around to it's rehabilitation, it'll get the 400 watt upgrade.

Heavier wiring will aid the anemic output of your lights.

 

[charlie b]

Don't need no stinkin high output alternator any more

Already have heavier wiring and relays. They did not do much to help the old sealed beams. The LED's don't care