LED Conversion

Gulp!!

Truck-Lite 7" 12v LED Headlamp (Pair Priced)
Regular price: $1,499.99
Levine Price: $549.99



Think I'll go with the HID :woohoo:


Although that is for a pair, even one is rather pricey!!

Truck-Lite 7" 12v LED Headlamp
Truck-Lite 7" 12v LED Headlamp
Regular price: $749.99
Levine Price: $299.99

Light Source
10 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
Designed at 12.8v
4.5a (High Beam), 2.5a (Low Beam)


Edit:

Here's a link to a test done to measure current draw of a stock halogen on low beam, and a HID light.

forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1127143

4.7 amps for a halogen low beam.
3.7-3.8 amps for the HID (depending on bulb)
2.5 amps for the LED above on low beam.

$300 for a headlight is really going to hurt! :S

steell wrote:

Gulp!!


4.7 amps for a halogen low beam.
3.7-3.8 amps for the HID (depending on bulb)
2.5 amps for the LED above on low beam.

$300 for a headlight is really going to hurt! :S

I gulped too. The local salesman who quoted me $320 chuckled, said I wouldn't like the price. He is a biker also and wanted to put some on his bike. He decided a couple of fog lamps would do. I would rather spend the money on new shocks. I guess my halogen will work for a couple more years.
Tom

The game they are playing is to claim the price is justified by the "400 hour" life of a stock lamp compared to the LED which might be 10,000 hours. I think the 400 hour figure is BS. My wife's saturn has 140,000 miles on it and has the original bulbs. My chevy cavalier has 50,000 on originals.

The real problem with the LED headlights is power dissipation: with 4.5A through the LED's, the average voltage drop will be about 4V or more, so you have at least 18W. That would be nothing for a coil, but the LED lights are 10 LEDs which are very tiny in area, and the light itself is a poor heat radiator. The thing about LEDs is they are semiconductors, so the die temps have to be kept under about 150C or their lifetime goes away very quickly. I would like to know how they are getting the 18Watts out of the dies without some kind of aluminum heatsink assembly or fan.

Food, LED headlight, Food, LED headlight, decisions, decisions, well hell its only money.

Was less than that with a direct from Truck Lite OEM/military supplier discount, but damn.
Upside:Pretty much assures you are not going to see every other bike on the road with one just like it.
Downside:Gee Officer Friendly, out of the 10 bikes all riding together how could you pick out mine?

And yes Bountyhunter, the entire back is one big cast aluminum finned heatsink, no fan though.


PS: Not my bike, but I did purchase the light as a Christmas present last year, after staying at a Holiday Inn Express the night before.

Rainman wrote:

And yes Bountyhunter, the entire back is one big cast aluminum finned heatsink, no fan though.

Yep, you can't cheat physics......:laugh:

Turns night into day, uses no power, and does not cost anything. Only one light I know of does that, and it has gone to bed for the evening, but will be back at sunrise.

Rainman wrote:

Turns night into day, uses no power, and does not cost anything. Only one light I know of does that, and it has gone to bed for the evening, but will be back at sunrise.

Reminds me of the time that George Bush held a press conference announcing their new space mission would be to send a space ship to land on the sun.... one person stood up and pointed out the folly of that goal because the space craft would burn up.

The reply, of course:

"No it won't. We are going to land at night time."

:laugh:

This is, of course, just a joke.

I could eat Ramen Noodles for the next month or two. :laugh:

I am curious by the LED headlight. I was at least partially considering a beam like that, until I saw the price. I don't think I can exactly justify that price- especially when you factor in the price vs performance of a nice HID system.

True there are alternatives with better cost/performance justification, but the top half only low beam is kind of unique.

Unique is nice, I gotta admit! Will the heatsink work with the original shell?

Yes.