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Can i use an LED H7 Bulb On my bike without conversion kit?

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Fatharleyride...
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PostPosted: 10:23 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Can i use an LED H7 Bulb On my bike without conversion kit? Reply with quote

I was under the impression that to use an LED bulb you need to use a conversion kit for your bike if it's not made for LED Bulbs. Then i saw some H7 LED bulbs with the standard 2 pin configuration on ebay?

so surely these bulbs would just be plug and play as a standard H7 bulb? Or do i infact need a conversion to use a LED bulb?

Thanks
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tom_e
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PostPosted: 10:32 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm running H4 LEDs in my standard setup, they're designed to be completely plug and play no need to mess with anything.
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 10:34 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

How many lumens do they get? If it's nowhere near 1500-1600lm, then don't bother, it will be crap. Good/bright enough LED bulbs cost a small fortune. Thumbs Up

No conversion kit needed.
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Fatharleyride...
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PostPosted: 10:36 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

tom_e wrote:
I'm running H4 LEDs in my standard setup, they're designed to be completely plug and play no need to mess with anything.


That's good. Have you noticed a big imporvement on lighting ? i'm currently using Osram Nighbreakers H7 Halogen Bulbs.

They are very bright but i think LED is much more noticeable due to the colour mainly
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 10:41 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

We're talking £100+ LEDs.

tom_e wrote:
https://www.horizonleds.co.uk/exterior-leds/cree-led-headlights/h4-led-headlights-headlamps/h4-cree-philips-led-headlight-kit-g4

Beam pattern is pretty much the same as using normal bulbs but the throw is much better.

If you're thinking of throwing in some £4 bulbs, fuggedabudit. They're not bright enough, and they're not a point source so they won't reflect properly.
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Last edited by Rogerborg on 10:43 - 09 Sep 2016; edited 1 time in total
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Fatharleyride...
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PostPosted: 10:42 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rogerborg wrote:
tom_e wrote:
https://www.horizonleds.co.uk/exterior-leds/cree-led-headlights/h4-led-headlights-headlamps/h4-cree-philips-led-headlight-kit-g4

Beam pattern is pretty much the same as using normal bulbs but the throw is much better.

If you're thinking of throwing in some £4 bulbs, fuggedabudit. They're not bright enough, and they're not a point source so they won't reflect properly.


The ones i was looking at are about £20 and look farily decent, 6000k i think?
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 10:46 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fatharleyrider wrote:
The ones i was looking at are about £20 and look farily decent, 6000k i think?


That is the colour temperature, not the brightness!

Brightness is measured in lumens (lm). Read my post.

https://cdn3.craftsy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/color-temp.jpg
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Fatharleyride...
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PostPosted: 10:55 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="RhynoCZ"
That is the colour temperature, not the brightness!

Brightness is measured in lumens (lm). Read my post.

https://cdn3.craftsy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/color-temp.jpg[/quote]

My bad, it says 900lm, guess that's pretty naff?
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 10:58 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, 900lm is not enough. A standard H7 bulb is about 1500-1600lm. Anything less than that would mean worse visibility. Thumbs Up
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Fatharleyride...
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PostPosted: 10:59 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

RhynoCZ wrote:


Brightness is measured in lumens (lm). Read my post.

https://cdn3.craftsy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/color-temp.jpg


i've found some with 1400 lumen, cant seem to see anthing with more
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Hahadumball
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PostPosted: 11:32 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rover%C2%AE-Headlight-9600LM-4800LM-Bright/dp/B01I4MRMWY/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1473417134&sr=8-18&keywords=led+bulb+h4

these are "half decent" led bulbs

as are these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NIGHTEYE-Headlight-Conversion-Driving-8000LM/dp/B01J7KJF0E/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1473417134&sr=8-17&keywords=led+bulb+h4

these are shit:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/VEHICLE-AUTO-Light-Bulb-Lamp/dp/B00C2IT9Z0/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1473417102&sr=8-29&keywords=led+bulb+h4
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RhynoCZ
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PostPosted: 11:51 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

I checked the ebay.co.uk and I found 4000lm and even 8000lm. Even 4000lm seems a bit excessive. The legal limit for a conventional bulb (CZE, not sure about the UK) is 1500lm (+/-10%). A xenon light is betwewn 3000-3200lm (google). So the 4000lm should be very, very bright. The 8000lm seems impossible to even imagine. Also, there's this thing, that with higher the colour temperature, less lumen get out of the bulb, so at 6000K the 1400lm bulb could emit the same amout of light as a standard 4200K bulb that emits the declared 1500-1600lm.

Oh, one more thing, even 3000lm is very bright, so do not turn it on when the bulb is not seated in the headlight and do not look directly into the headlight, you may go blind if you do so. Thumbs Up

TL; DR: If I'm not mistaken, the 6000k 1400lm LED is a direct swap for the 4200k 1500lm bulb you have there now, which means there will be no difference. Well the colour temperature of the bubl will change, obviously.

EDIT: While I was typing that and checking the ebay, Paul gave you quite the same answer first. Thumbs Up
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tom_e
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PostPosted: 12:08 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

SkyWaterFriend wrote:


I didn't even know you could get that style of LED lamp in a headlight fitting, I use similar ones for my side lights but they'd be as much use as air con in the arctic for actual headlights.
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ADSrox0r
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PostPosted: 17:07 - 09 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

Couple of years ago i tried three different types of LED H7 bulbs for a review. My conclusion was they all gave the impression of giving off a lot of light but when it came down to hard and comparative night testing on country roads the LED bulbs could not project as well as the halogens.

In the end I fitted HIDs and never looked back since.

Disclaimer: LED technology is moving at a rapid pace and H7 LED bulbs may now be up to par if they are of a more recent generation. But I was not willing to throw more money at the experiment as it was getting costly.
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iooi
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PostPosted: 07:01 - 10 Sep 2016    Post subject: Reply with quote

SkyWaterFriend wrote:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rover%C2%AE-Headlight-9600LM-4800LM-Bright/dp/B01I4MRMWY/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1473417134&sr=8-18&keywords=led+bulb+h4

these are "half decent" led bulbs


Review....
Quote:
Well built product. Feels solid. Very bright!! As bright as the HIDs I had installed prior to these.

I decided that I wanted to be able to use my high beams more often (even though they are avg at best)...
So switching to LEDs in my fogs was a must bc HIDs are not designed to be switched on and off going from
high beam to low beam.

I will say though that if you put these bulbs into any kind of reflector housing you will get a bunch of scatter.
These should really be used with a true projector style low or fog. In my current fogs there is a lot of scatter s they are really TOO powerful.

High beams would be a great application for these bulbs.

I have 5k HID lows right now and these are as perfect a match to those as I could have hoped!

Only time will tell if these hold up to the elements here in England.


Which makes no sense at all.

Why fit them to your Fog's (another twat using them when they should not) when you want to use High beam more Laughing
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