NT700V LED Headlight Conversion For Under $30

[Brillot2000]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Anyone wishing to perform this conversion. Jump directly to Post #65 and work your way backwards from there for what bulbs to purchase and the Installation Procedure

Hello All,

I just finished converting the headlight on NaTalie into a LED Headlight over the weekend. Please take a few moments to review the pictures of this process, Flickr Album - HONDA NT700V LED Headlight Conversion.

A few teaser pictures:







Here's a parts list for this conversion for under $30:

• Infitary H7 LED Headlight Bulbs Hi/Lo beam Auto headlamp, 6500K 8000LM
• Auxbeam Rubber Housing Seal Cap Dust Cover Headlight for LED Conversion Kit, Pack of 2 (70MM)

I would rank this conversion on a difficulty scale for 1 to 10, 10 being the most difficult. This project would be a 9 to 9.5 as the removal of the headlight assembly is required and requires all the bodywork to be removed to get to the headlight assembly and then remove it. Also, the LED Bulbs require modification to be able to fit into the headlight assembly, the link to the online album will show all the required modifications as a breif overview. Removal of the aluminum heatsink material is required in the shown areas. Removal of the OEM dust covers from the OEM cable assembly is a must in order to connect the wiring as shown in the provided images.

The entire process took me about 3 hours to complete as I had to figure things out as I went along. I am quite pleased with how everything came out and with the looks of everything.

I have not had a chance to see if the headlight height requires adjustment or how bright it is after dark. In the dark garage, everything looks great. In the daylight, the brightness is considerable more noticeable on both beams.

Disclaimer:

This process is not recommended for a Novice to perform or those shy around tools. A skilled person with some mechanical knowledge could perform this process with minimal issues as I have already figured out most of the difficult aspects of this process.

Let me know if any of you have any questions regarding this process.

The future is so bright that I have to wear shades.

 

[Brillot2000]

I am pleased to announce that I did test the lighting after dark. Only a minor adjustment was required to correct the headlight aim. There's a significant increase in the light levels on both beams. I will be interested to see how other drivers react to new levels of brightness.

 

[Brillot2000]

A quick update. This morning I rode to work there was dense fog on most of the way in. The Fog made it difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the high beam as all it did was scatter the light. The low beam had plenty of enough light to light my way. When I was able to use the high beam breifly, I could see highway signs about a quarter mile away being illuminated in these conditions. It should improve on a day with normal conditions.

Tomorrow and Wednesday are forecasted for a high percentage rain, so I will have to take the truck to work. I may not get a chance to check the high beam correctly for a few days.

So far everything is looking good and are meeting my expectations.

 

[mikesim]

How did you get the plug thru the 1/4" hole in the boot without tearing it? Does it stretch that much?

Mike

 

[Brillot2000]

These boots are made of silicone. How the hole is made or cut is quite important to prevent tearing. My first attempt at making the hole was done by poking a hot soldering iron, which caused it to tear about an inch or so. My second attempt was done by using an end mill on my mill. The hole was pretty round this time around. However, it only tore about an 1/4" when stretching it to get the connector through it. Wrapping the electrical tape around the caps several times was enough to seal the areas around those tears.

If a leather punch or hollow punch was used to make a slot or hole, then they might not have torn as easily. The cuts would have been close as possible to perpendicular of the cap's surface.

 

[Sojourner]

Y'know, I hesitate to poo-poo on someone else's thread, but......

There's a lot of crap showing up on Amazon, just like there has been on eBay for some time. OEM parts have to meet FMVSS standards. This junk doesn't. I always watch the wording of the product descriptions, and shy away from any ad that was written by someone for whom English is obviously not their first language. If the company isn't legit enough to have a decent translator, I consider it suspect.....I assume it's made in something closer to a sweatshop than an actual original-equipment auto parts manufacturer. Now, if Hella or Sylvania come out with H7 LED replacement bulbs.....now you have my attention.

I also don't like increasing light output greater than what was allowed by U.S. regulations, regardless. I don't appreciate getting shined by oncoming traffic, so I do unto others.....

 

[Brillot2000]

Y'know, I hesitate to poo-poo on someone else's thread, but......

There's a lot of crap showing up on Amazon, just like there has been on eBay for some time. OEM parts have to meet FMVSS standards. This junk doesn't. I always watch the wording of the product descriptions, and shy away from any ad that was written by someone for whom English is obviously not their first language. If the company isn't legit enough to have a decent translator, I consider it suspect.....I assume it's made in something closer to a sweatshop than an actual original-equipment auto parts manufacturer. Now, if Hella or Sylvania come out with H7 LED replacement bulbs.....now you have my attention.

Well, you were compelled to do just that, poo poo on someone else's thread. You are entitled to your opinion as is everyone else here. Instead of quoting regulations or standards you could have shied away from this thread entirely if you didn't agree with it.

A lot more companies than you think are using Chinese labor to build their products or parts, including Honda. I have received parts that I ordered from the dealer that clearly had "Made In China" printed on them.

FYI, Sylvania does offer an H7 LED Replacement bulb set retailing for $150. Information regarding them can be found in this thread LED headlamps for NT. Mikesim shared his experience regarding these and let every one know that they retailed for $150. You are more than welcome to go that route and perform your own installation and then share it with the group. If you so desire.

What I used or the method I went about doing my conversion may not be for everyone here. Nor is it being implied that everyone out there has to do it this way. I did it because I wanted to have all LED Lighting on my bike like I do on the NC700X.

I only wanted to share my experiences and excitement with the group. Instead I got pooped on. :butt1:

 

[mikesim]

Brillot, I would not necessarily say that you were pooped on, Soujourner was just offering a different opinion which is what we do here. I would tend to agree with him on some Chinese parts however. Not all Chinese parts are created equal. If they are manufactured by a reputable company who has some knowledge of the products they sell then you have some reasonable assurance that they will perform as intended. I find however that too many Chinese products are offered for sale that are designed to merely attract buyers with no thought to performance. Sadly, shoddy products are all to common from China.

Mike

 

[Thumpn]

I can see both sides on this issue:

Installing cheap LED units that don't have good light dispersion and blind other drivers is not good (the local rednecks in this area have started putting huge LED light bars on the front their smoker trucks and they are blinding us all - I hope the law enforcement folks start cracking down on these folks). I have also installed some cheap LED's that have very spotty light patterns and spread the light out in broad patterns that are not useful.

I do believe that it is fine to install LED's that have good control of the light patterns and good vertical cut offs - why should we motorcycle riders be the "dimmest bulbs" on the highway?

I don't yet have experience with changing H7 bulbs - but I have a lot of experience with the H4 bulbs and LED conversions.....and there are both good and bad units on the market.

I also have learned that a lot of the claims by the "cheap" units may not be accurate - the service life and output claims are often made on the basis of what others claims.....and there likely is not testing to establish these claims.

Pull your bike to a wall and check the beam pattern (especially the vertical cutoff on the low beam) before you take the bulbs out - then do the same after you have installed the LED units. If the vertical cutoff is gone or significantly higher than it used to be - you are likely going to be blinding to other drivers. If you see that the new beam shines brightly into rear view mirrors, and you see bright shadows of cars on bridges and signs at night as you are following other vehicles........you are likely shining too much light upward.

 

[Brillot2000]

I can see both sides on this issue:

Installing cheap LED units that don't have good light dispersion and blind other drivers is not good (the local rednecks in this area have started putting huge LED light bars on the front their smoker trucks and they are blinding us all - I hope the law enforcement folks start cracking down on these folks). I have also installed some cheap LED's that have very spotty light patterns and spread the light out in broad patterns that are not useful.

I do believe that it is fine to install LED's that have good control of the light patterns and good vertical cut offs - why should we motorcycle riders be the "dimmest bulbs" on the highway?

I don't yet have experience with changing H7 bulbs - but I have a lot of experience with the H4 bulbs and LED conversions.....and there are both good and bad units on the market.

I also have learned that a lot of the claims by the "cheap" units may not be accurate - the service life and output claims are often made on the basis of what others claims.....and there likely is not testing to establish these claims.

Pull your bike to a wall and check the beam pattern (especially the vertical cutoff on the low beam) before you take the bulbs out - then do the same after you have installed the LED units. If the vertical cutoff is gone or significantly higher than it used to be - you are likely going to be blinding to other drivers. If you see that the new beam shines brightly into rear view mirrors, and you see bright shadows of cars on bridges and signs at night as you are following other vehicles........you are likely shining too much light upward.

Well put and many thanks for being open-minded to the subject.

Yes, there are boatloads of inferior products flooding the marketplace. The consumer has been aware of this and has to choose the product that will meet their needs. Being an engineer and my experience with LEDs, I chose the best units I could find that would meet the requirements of the application.

The vertical cutoff also has a lot to do with the design of the reflector and the configuration of the LED Bulb to be used. The verticle light cutoff in my set up is very close to the stock pattern when projected onto my garage door from about 20 feet away. I had to adjust the headlight aim slightly for the new bulbs. I do not let the light pattern go last the second panel from the ground, this is typically the rear window and windshield height of the average automobile these days. Set to this height the light from the low beam will not send a significant amount of light to blind oncoming traffic. Most people forget this important step, most likely to their own ignorance.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Thanks for the interesting discussion! And thanks, Brillot, for breaking some new ground. If nobody ever tried anything new we'd all still be using carbide miner's headlamps on our fuel-injected bikes.

 

[Brillot2000]

This morning I rode NaTalie and the ambient weather conditions were ideal for testing out the headlight in real-world conditions. The light pattern cutoff on the low beam was where it needed to be at in traffic conditions and not blasting the interior of the vehicle in front of me. The high beam level came above the cutoff of the low beam as it is supposed to do. While the high beam was on, it was able to illuminate reflective highway signs about a 1/4 mile away. As the sun was raising, the drivers in front of me were taking notice of the high beam and moving aside to allow me to pass them.

I would say that this LED conversion has met all the requirements set forth and exceeded all expectations. I am looking forward to many years of use and the miles to come.

 

[tomouley]

Great write up Brillot and thank you for sharing. I intend to try this mod in the coming weeks on my NT if it ever stops snowing up here in central N.Y. I have a quick question about the silicone covers. Not sure how much heat is generated by the LED lights but I’m sure those boots are pretty air tight. Is this a concern about overheating in summer months? Thanks Thomas.

 

[Brillot2000]

Great write up Brillot and thank you for sharing. I intend to try this mod in the coming weeks on my NT if it ever stops snowing up here in central N.Y. I have a quick question about the silicone covers. Not sure how much heat is generated by the LED lights but I’m sure those boots are pretty air tight. Is this a concern about overheating in summer months? Thanks Thomas.

Thanks for the kudos. It is greatly appreciated.

The boots fit snuggly. However, they are not 100% watertight as I had to make a hole to pass the cables through them. The OEM dust covers were also taped around the cables to attempt to seal them. I am sure that they were allowing air to pass through them. These boots that I chose and installed should offer the same level of protection.

How the hole is made in these boots are important. I would recommend a hollow hole punch or leather punch to make the holes. Also soaking the boots in hot water prior to passing the cables through them will possibly help with the elasticity of the material when you have to stretch them to get the wire ends through the hole.

These covers completely cover the LED Units and enclose them into the headlight assembly. The fans on these units will recirculate the air within the headlight assembly. Do not be alarmed, the headlight assembly has two vent tubes. I do not think that there be a danger these units overheating as they only use 30 Watts of power each compared to halogen units that used 55 Watts each that they replace. Also, the reflector acts as a heatsink to help dissipate the heat.

I have used many LED Headlight Bulbs on various different bikes without any issues or overheating. So Cal Summers are hotter and drier than most parts of the country and they performed well under these conditions.

 

[Brillot2000]

Hey, all this has been a topic discussed time and time again.

This technology has been improving since I did my LED Headlight upgrade. I came across a set of LED Replacement bulbs that look like they will be a "Plug-N-Play" setup not requiring all the modifications that I have illustrated in this thread.

If I were to do this conversion all over again. I would use these LED Replacement Bulbs available on Amazon. AUTENS LED Headlight Bulbs H7

These look like they can be installed and use the stock dust caps. After installation, you should check and adjust the headlight aim as required.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Bruce, let us know how these work! They sound good.

 

[Brillot2000]

Bruce, let us know how these work! They sound good.

If you have any issues, let me know.

Just as a reminder, removing both mid-cowls will make the installation go a lot easier. Also it will be less frustrating and there be very little swearing involved.

 

[Brillot2000]

I ordered a set of those Replacement LED Bulbs that I recommend for myself to tryout with the removed headlight assembly that I have in storage. I want to see if these are any better than the ones I’m currently using now.

Here’s what these look like.







The build quality looks good visually. I powered one up using my bench top power supply and it only drew slightly over 1 Amp @ 14 VDC. Bright as hell to say the least. Putting them into the NT reflector will tell all.

 

[Sunny]

waiting for the results

 

[Brillot2000]

waiting for the results

I posted the results of my functional testing using the removed headlight assembly that had. I also took pictures of the bulbs and the headlight assembly. This video will speak a lot louder than those images.

AUTENS LED Headlight Bulbs H7 Headlight Conversion Kit 6000 K

Request granted.

The proof is in the pudding.