LED lights on a bike?

[MedicalBiker]

What are people's thoughts on them, I quite like the look of some headlights I've seen on bikes I've passed on the street, they're so nice and bright. Just can't seem to find anything about being able to fit them on my ickle 125.

I'm not mechanically gifted enough to consider LED indicators yet because of the relay change which just totally baffles me.

Just gauging what the opinion are on them

[ZX-7R]

I'm old skool,i like my twin headlamps with both lights working on low beam,and never had no problems with this old technology.
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Current Bike - 2000 ZX-7R

[Tamsin]

Do Not Want!

LEDs are a nightmare environmentally too and throw off weird light wavelengths....

[talkToTheHat]

As was designed to fit the bike. Cheap ebay tat is likely less visible than stock or will have worse beam pattern. Indicators are a major pain in the ass as you either need a flasher that can do LEDs or to have load resistors which just eat the energy LEDs save. Converting a single H4 headlight to LED usually goes badly. Try osram nightbreakers or phillips xtreme power bulbs.

I did run LED spotlights though, one pointed very low and left as dip supplement and the other wired to come on with main beam. Ten quid lights of ebay did the job.

21w incandescent indicators, with a good polished reflector work well. Ive not seen LED's as good.

LED running lights on mirrors, handguards, luggage, anywhere that makes the bike look wide are good things to have if your fashion sense can stand them. Make sure you don't distract from the brake light.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[Going]

If they came as standard, yes. Otherwise only as auxiliary items that won't affect my normal running lights.

[Beehive Bedlam]

Not unless they are standard because they look cheap and shit.

[Rogerborg]

Don't put a LED bulb into an incandescent housing. It's less of a point source and the beam pattern will be all over the place.

Auxiliary LEDs, sure, the more the merrier.

https://i.imgur.com/ettxlwj.png
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Barnoe]

Some bikes ive seen where i live look good, the owners have gone with the idea that its safer to be seen.

However there is a fine line between a few extra lights for safety and going too far and looking like a mobile Christmas tree :/

would i put some on my bike?.... probably not at this time.
I wouldn't rule it out if they was easy enough to fit without changing too much
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You know you are old when you're told to slow down by your doctor and not the police.

[Rogerborg]

[Fizzer Thou]

I bought a pair of red LED tail lights for the dirt bikes recently,mainly because the alternator output of the XR is only 80w and I need the power for the 35/35w headlight and the AC horn

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/Workshop/20151231_115042_zpsb84rthjr.jpg

But they looked a bit flimsy and may well be a bit prone to vibration,so I filled the gaps with clear silicone

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/Workshop/20160119_100204_zpsz5dckdit.jpg

They work quite well

https://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/WiNot_Rhencullen/Workshop/20160120_153754_zpsjyevsjsh.jpg
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[bigup]

if the bike came with LEDs then fine

otherwise I stick to bulbs, rather be seen then have tiny led indicators which make the bike look nicer!

[MedicalBiker]

Ergh! The LEDs through the housing look like a UFO.

So does that mean on some of the newer bikes I see that have that sort of white/blue light (which seems to have become the norm on new cars) are actually not LEDs but just higher W bulbs?

Definitely help with being seen that's for sure!
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Currently riding: 2010 Honda CBF 125

[Rogerborg]

[Silver_Fox]

Borgy, what lights do you use?

[Polarbear]

Had loads on my 1500 Goldwing. It was like a Christmas tree when all lit up
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[weasley]

Replaced mirrors with ones that had light fittings. Replaced regular amber lamps with white LEDs. Wired as DRLs.
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8706/17138397507_c8ae35ca5f_z.jpg

Replaced rear light with an LED unit
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5120/5843037355_51834932bf_z.jpg

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5275/5843037537_66b99d7360_z.jpg

I'm mulling LED indicators but only if I can find properly bright, wide-angle ones. Sort of thinking about LEDs for instrument lighting but so faff. I will not use an LED headlight bulb because the headlight reflector simply isn't designed for it. I am daydreaming about a retrofit HID projector set-up, but there's plenty else to do first.
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[weasley]

[Rogerborg]

[Silver_Fox]

Thanks for the detailed response

[Fizzer Thou]

[Fizzer Thou]

[RhynoCZ]

[weasley]

[stonesie]

All of them, the only incandescent bulbs on my bike were the rear indicators and high beams so they've been changed.
Rear indicators replaced with Panigale 899 led ones.
High beams replaced with H11 led because the normal bulbs were crap, the high beam was no higher than the dipped beam so pretty useless, the LED's have raised it and made dark country lanes much nicer to ride down.

https://imageshack.com/a/img903/353/Bc8hbM.jpg
https://imageshack.com/a/img907/7601/LgN3FF.jpg

If the dipped beams were incandescent then I would probably not have fitted LED replacements to those because they would have destroyed the beam pattern.

[Fizzer Thou]