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V11 with a front fairing: replacing the H4 Halogene by a Led; the owner's manual seems to be incorrect?


p6x

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7 hours ago, Pressureangle said:

I ran across something I've known for a decade, figured I'd present it for those who haven't seen it. I picked this thread at random as an LED lighting thread. 

I installed an LED in my '74 Aermacchi and it's enormously better than the stock sealed beam- or the more modern high output H4. But it was also very expensive. I chose it because I have only 140 watts of charging system to work with. 
I improved the light on my 1100 Sport by cleaning the inside of the lens; my '85 LeMans was *hugely* improved by adding a separate battery circuit and 30a relay to the H4. I haven't yet relayed the 'Sport, but I expect the same level of improvement. I don't LED.

https://danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html

I added headlight relays to both my '87 Lemans & '03 Lemans primarily to reduce voltage drop and improve hbar switch longevity.  More recently I added H4 LED's to those bikes to reduce charging system load and improve daytime conspicuity.  I'm reluctant to ride before sunrise or after sunset anymore but was caught once last Fall after sunset on the '87 with the new LED H4 and was please with the performance.  Although I have no idea of how long the bulb will last ...amazon $17.  So, I guess we'll see.  

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13 hours ago, guzziart said:

I added headlight relays to both my '87 Lemans & '03 Lemans primarily to reduce voltage drop and improve hbar switch longevity.  More recently I added H4 LED's to those bikes to reduce charging system load and improve daytime conspicuity.  I'm reluctant to ride before sunrise or after sunset anymore but was caught once last Fall after sunset on the '87 with the new LED H4 and was please with the performance.  Although I have no idea of how long the bulb will last ...amazon $17.  So, I guess we'll see.  

This comment actually brings something to light (I wish I'd thought that pun) that I hadn't considered; The editorial I linked to says, without saying, that an inappropriate lamp makes ineffective use of the reflector and that prevents the light 'getting where it's needed'. BUT. What if I never ride at night? What if I ride at night only in the city, or only below 45mph? I might make the argument that having more wasted light, or glare to oncoming traffic, is actually safer under these conditions. 
 

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