LED Headlight coming soon, maybe..

[supertux1]

Not DOT approved may be something an insurance company likes to pick on if you ever have a claim, just like the non-DOT helmets.
I wouldn't want to be the one to test that though.

 

[rippin209]

I was going to order this bulb, but the webpage see pic, point #6 says it is not DOT approved and for off road only, does this make a difference?

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That's the first time I've heard that. Plenty of people here say their the best and use them in there daily rider, no one has reported back about any technical or legal problems with them. I'm frugal so I got a pair of Evitek G6 for half the price of one Cyclops but I haven't had the opportunity to compare them side by side

 

[Wildfire]

I would love to be proven wrong, but I don't think any aftermarket LED conversions are DOT approved.

 

[misterk]

Cool, thanks for replying, I will go ahead and order, the 3800 lumen is out of stock till end of march, so i bought the. 7000. I assume is 3800 is good the 7000 will better??? The only concern is blinding oncoming traffic at night.

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[turbodieseli4i6]

I believe the 7000 is supposed to have a better cut off. I have one waiting to be installed, but have been too lazy.

 

[ste7ios]

I would love to be proven wrong, but I don't think any aftermarket LED conversions are DOT approved.

You're right... No retrofit / conversion kit will never get approved by DOT, ECE, etc. Lighting is not only a matter of a bulb but the whole headlamp, the optics (reflector, lenses, etc).In general, every light source has different properties, different requirements of optic and other components. A proper solution would be a replacement of the headlight with one compatible with the light source. Our headlights are compatible only with Tungsten-halogen bulbs.Also consider that this is a huge market, and no company produces and sells any kind of those kits as an aftermarket solution. It doesn't worth it. The cost would be really too high to design a new headlight for every bike out there, not to mention that it's technically impossible to create HID headlights for a motorcycle because they need space to meet all the requirements (reflector, lenses, ballast, level and direction system). Only BMW K series has a proper HID headlight with a very smart patent (and again, a lot of space)...We may only expect some LED headlights aftermarket solutions (it's simpler than HID) but the cost is still very high. So...That's why, all of retrofit / conversion kits are produced in China. They saw a good opportunity for big profits here and they grab it, ignoring consequences, legislation...You may tell, who cares about legislation, approvals etc. but there are many problems with them. Glare is one of them. Not all people can realize it because their eyes are still in good condition. But people of some age, or with eye problems can be momentary blind by bad lighting. You don't want this...There can be also electrical problems due to high interference. Recently in our local forum we had a case with engine problems due to the LED turn lights. They removed them and everything is ok now!Anyway, if you try it, buy a tested solution by other riders, a solution that you know it works without problems...Other (proper) solution is to try those performance Tungsten-halogen bulbs like Philips X-tremeVision Moto, Osram Night Racer etc (sacrificing bulb lifetime. More performance = less lifetime).

 

[rippin209]

That's a lot of useful info, it's true that the housing on any US model and any of the older models that came with halogen bulbs isn't designed for the reflection pattern of a led but I've ridden mostly in the dark with my led headlight for months now and haven't had anyone flash their lights at me. The angle of the housing is adjustable and from what I remember most getting the Cyclops did have to adjust theirs, I used a different brand and got lucky but I was prepared to adjust the angle if necessary. Like anything else it's not for everyone but done properly it can be done without any negative effects to you or others

 

[MiG Angel]

My experience with the cyclops bulb hasn't been the most positive. I've had it for a year now and the cutoff is so bad and beam scattered that it is hard to adjust to a good angle without being flashed. I get flashed almost nightly and the beam is aimed even lower than normal. I'm not loving it. I wouldn't buy again.

 

[Ruggybuggy]

Yes there are no DOT approved LED bulbs and the headlight was never designed to have an LED bulb installed. Some poor quality bulbs that have the wrong placement of the LED will result in scattered that will blind oncoming traffic. Now that being said I'm been running a LED in my NC for a couple of years with no issues. There is a sharp cut off line with no scattered light so on coming traffic is not effected. They're adjustable so that you can position the LED in the correct position so it can be tailored fit to the housing it is installed in. The resulting light is whiter and the amount of light on the road is better than the stock bulb. I have better light on those dark rainy night where the "yellowish" stock bulb's light would be sucked into the black pavement. As far as the police and DOT, do it wrong and draw attention to yourself and you may have a problem. I've never had an issue with mine and never have been flashed by other drivers. It comes down to common sense and knowing what your doing. If you install a LED bulb and the result is a poor cut off line return them or throw them in the garbage. You need to have a sharp cut off line and adjust them correctly. Disregarding a bad light pattern (scattered light) is rude and dangerous to other drivers.

 

[rippin209]

My experience with the cyclops bulb hasn't been the most positive. I've had it for a year now and the cutoff is so bad and beam scattered that it is hard to adjust to a good angle without being flashed. I get flashed almost nightly and the beam is aimed even lower than normal. I'm not loving it. I wouldn't buy again.

Have you tried turning your led 90° at a time and checking the beam pattern? It sounds like it isn't positioned properly, just a thought because that's the first I've heard of that problem for that brand specifically, from what I remember everyone that said they were gong to install a Cyclops led either gave it praise or didn't report back and left us hangin but didn't report any problem

 

[MiG Angel]

Have you tried turning your led 90° at a time and checking the beam pattern? It sounds like it isn't positioned properly, just a thought because that's the first I've heard of that problem for that brand specifically, from what I remember everyone that said they were gong to install a Cyclops led either gave it praise or didn't report back and left us hangin but didn't report any problem

Thanks for the suggestion. I may be a special case, I work nights so do a lot of miles at night. I took the bulb out today and tried different things to no avail. I compared it with other bulbs and it seems installed correctly. I wasn't able to turn it 90 degrees just 180 and that made it much worse.

 

[rippin209]

Thanks for the suggestion. I may be a special case, I work nights so do a lot of miles at night. I took the bulb out today and tried different things to no avail. I compared it with other bulbs and it seems installed correctly. I wasn't able to turn it 90 degrees just 180 and that made it much worse.

I leave my house at 0300 or earlier so I'm with you on that. What year is your NC700X? And where are you located? The U.S. still hasn't gotten led stock so I think they all have the same housing here. It could be possible that the unit you got is defective somehow. Either way I would email the manufacturer and see what they say about it. Good luck, I wouldn't give up on it, my led isn't much brighter then my stock bulb but the color difference is a huge help.

Thanks for the suggestion. I may be a special case, I work nights so do a lot of miles at night. I took the bulb out today and tried different things to no avail. I compared it with other bulbs and it seems installed correctly. I wasn't able to turn it 90 degrees just 180 and that made it much worse.

 

[MiG Angel]

I leave my house at 0300 or earlier so I'm with you on that. What year is your NC700X? And where are you located? The U.S. still hasn't gotten led stock so I think they all have the same housing here. It could be possible that the unit you got is defective somehow. Either way I would email the manufacturer and see what they say about it. Good luck, I wouldn't give up on it, my led isn't much brighter then my stock bulb but the color difference is a huge help.

Mine is a '14 fast approaching 50,000 miles near Monterey, CA. You're totally right about the color, the bulb doesn't seem to throw further but what I do see I see clearer.

 

[rippin209]

Mine is a '14 fast approaching 50,000 miles near Monterey, CA. You're totally right about the color, the bulb doesn't seem to throw further but what I do see I see clearer.

I'm doing my 50,000 maintenance right now, (a couple hundred miles early) oil and plugs tonight air filter valve adjustment lubing the cables tomorrow morning. Mine is a 2012 I got two years ago with 5,000 miles exactly after my test ride