Headlight bulb upgrade - LED?

27013 Views 23 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Scrambler Garden Route, 7 mo ago

chuampis

Discussion Starter · Mar 27, 2017

Hello everyone!!! Im from Argentina, and i have an Scrambler Icon.
Im looking for some upgrade of the original headlight bulb. Im looking for some LED bulb or similar.
Does anyone do this?? In the Philips web page throw this results for my bike...
Philips Bulb Look-up | 2016 DUCATI Scrambler

And in the PIAA website i found the H4 (9003) High Output LED Motorcycle Bulb 6000k (Part No. 72214) PIAA | H4 (9003) High Output LED Motorcycle Bulb 6000k #72214

Anyone has experience with these or another bulb??

Thanks!

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

Brian the [email protected]

· #2 · Mar 28, 2017

I have been researching the LED and HID bulb upgrade for a while now, It seems that the LED H4 technology has nearly got there. Apart from the Fan assisted heat sink, which will prevent the back of the headlamp cover from being fitted after the Bulb Installation.
There is another LED bulb on the market that has a trailing ribbon heat sink, I think someone has installed this and cut a slot out the plastic cover so it fits.
Their main argument is . Will the LED bulb dazzle oncoming traffic at night when you have low beam selected ?
No one has provided any input on this and provided proof that it doesn't. As it will drive you mad at night time when oncoming traffic keep flashing you as they think you have your headlight on high - beam. I have also looked at the HID option, but I cant see where the little HID box can be hidden.
So a the moment I think I will go for the Philips Crystal Vision Ultra.

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Brian the [email protected]

· #3 · Mar 28, 2017

found this
DC 6-36V LED H4 Motorcycle Bulb Headlights Hi/Lo Beam 9003 White 20W Light Lamp | eBay

Derek

· #4 · Mar 28, 2017

At that money it's worth a try. If you buy one let us know how you get on with.

Brian the [email protected]

· #5 · Mar 28, 2017

Ordered but its a long wait of 4-8 weeks from China. I'm not expecting much, but worth a try

chuampis

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 28, 2017

Brian the [email protected] said:
I have been researching the LED and HID bulb upgrade for a while now, It seems that the LED H4 technology has nearly got there. Apart from the Fan assisted heat sink, which will prevent the back of the headlamp cover from being fitted after the Bulb Installation.
There is another LED bulb on the market that has a trailing ribbon heat sink, I think someone has installed this and cut a slot out the plastic cover so it fits.
Their main argument is . Will the LED bulb dazzle oncoming traffic at night when you have low beam selected ?
No one has provided any input on this and provided proof that it doesn't. As it will drive you mad at night time when oncoming traffic keep flashing you as they think you have your headlight on high - beam. I have also looked at the HID option, but I cant see where the little HID box can be hidden.
So a the moment I think I will go for the Philips Crystal Vision Ultra.

Thanks for your answer! Which model of Philips Crystal Vision Ultra fits on our bike, without modifications (cutting, no cover, etc).?

Brian the [email protected]

· #7 · Mar 28, 2017 (Edited)

Its the H4 bulb also known as the 9003
Cant seem to get them in the UK

Amazon.com: Philips 9003 CrystalVision Ultra Upgrade Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack: Automotive

Some things to compare are the Luminems, this is the light output.
A standard H4 puts out 1100-1500 lumens

I have seen some fan assisted LED bulbs with a 6000 luminems output but this is via 3 Chips, using one for low beam and two for high beam.

Its a bit hit and miss until someone finds one that
1. Fits.
2. Is bright.
3. doesn't dazzle oncoming traffic.
4. Lasts longer than a few months.

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chuampis

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 28, 2017

Brian the [email protected] said:
Its the H4 bulb also known as the 9003
Cant seem to get them in the UK
Amazon.com: Philips 9003 CrystalVision Ultra Upgrade Headlight Bulb, 1 Pack: Automotive

Great! im looking for this...
Amazon.com: Philips 9003 X-tremeVision Upgrade Headlight Bulb, 2 Pack: Automotive
Amazon.com: Philips 9003 CrystalVision Ultra Upgrade Headlight Bulb, 2 Pack: Automotive

is the correct bulb?

Brian the [email protected]

· #9 · Mar 28, 2017

Yes, the Crystal Vision Ultra will be the whitest, but when your headlight is off, you can see the blue bulb in your headlight.
Those are packs of two though. there should be some available as Single ones for motorcycles

chuampis

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 28, 2017

Brian the [email protected] said:
Yes, the Crystal Vision Ultra will be the whitest, but when your headlight is off, you can see the blue bulb in your headlight.
Those are packs of two though. there should be some available as Single ones for motorcycles

Perfect!! i will buy the twin pack i think, to have one for any problem.
Thanks!

starvmarv

· #11 · Jun 29, 2017

Brian the [email protected] said:
found this
DC 6-36V LED H4 Motorcycle Bulb Headlights Hi/Lo Beam 9003 White 20W Light Lamp | eBay

Did you ever get this shipped and installed?

RabbitThrottle

· #12 · Jul 21, 2017

I did an LED conversion to mine using the Cyclops 7000 lumen bulb and its definitely much brighter. It uses cree leds and was pretty cheap for the quality imo. The install was pretty involved and consisted of trimming a large hole in the back cover of the headlight and extending the bulb connector significantly to relocate it, I chose to bring it back behind the stem and is hidden by that snap on plastic piece. The ballast I secured to the wires on the right side of the fork behind the light. The only con is that the projection has a dark spot in the middle because of that ducati logo inside the headlight. Their kit comes with a spacer that you can install which may or may not improve the projection but I haven't tried it yet. Heres some pics.

7000 Lumen H4 LED Headlight Bulb

Auto part Engine Carburetor Automotive engine part Vehicle

Auto part Clutch Engine Transmission part Gear

Bicycle part Technology Tire Vehicle Spoke

Auto part Steering wheel Steering part Wheel

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starvmarv

· #13 · Jul 21, 2017 (Edited)

RabbitThrottle said:
I did an LED conversion to mine using the Cyclops 7000 lumen bulb and its definitely much brighter.......

Awesome detailed pics. Geez there is no room there. Where I live it's very humid and rain is unpredictable. I remember I had a car with stock Xenon lights, had to replace a bulb. I didn't close the dust cover all the way. Which resulted in bad immediate condensation to the point where a couple drops of water shorted out the ballast.

I am trying to avoid that with my Scrambler (although I think I'll be alright with the LED water proof bulb and ballast). Still the condensation sucks., so I'll probably do the same mod but find some sort of way to seal it.

Let us know if you run into condensation and pics of night output would be much appreciated

Is the LED double sided on the bulb or just the top? Does it shine the entire bucket, or just the top portion?

RabbitThrottle

· #14 · Jul 23, 2017

I still haven't gotten around to take a night pic because my phone sucks at taking pictures in low light but I will post one up when I can. The bulb does have LEDs on both sides and lights up the entire bucket also still haven't had any condensation issues. I'm going to try to design a cover on Solidworks and 3D print it when I can but I dont think it will give any problems if the original cover is cut to precisely around the bulb to minimize the space for water to enter. It has a heatsink and fan to blow the air out so that helps in keeping water from going in from there and also I dont think fully sealing it is a good idea because of the heat that will build up in there after a longer ride.

starvmarv

· #15 · Jul 24, 2017

RabbitThrottle said:
..I dont think fully sealing it is a good idea because of the heat that will build up in there after a longer ride.

This is true with LED. Are you located in an area with high humidity? I wanted to look at the bucket myself before ordering.

I just removed the headlight from my Cafe Scrambler, and I found there was no way to remove the headlight without removing the entire front fairing and turn signals. At least it made getting to the C clamp 4 Hex screws easier. My goodness there zero room there (inside and outside the bucket). I have maybe half an inch of space between the dust cover and middle fork support.

What did you wrap your h4 connector with?

starvmarv

· #16 · Jul 27, 2017 (Edited)

Just got done installing ADV Monster H4 R3 (3rd gen) LED. (I had their R2 [2nd gen]. also fanless, on my old Triumph Thruxton and had zero issues). On the Cafe i had to take out the entire front fairing to take out the bucket. But now that i know how to do it, I can probably do it again in about 15 minutes. As i stated before, there is almost no room so LED choice is very limited. I didn't want to risk my headlight to condensate so i ordered an LED bulb that i wouldn't need too much modification to the dust cover. I originally was going to use the included grommet, but it didn't work out. So i used a couple layers of Duct Tape and it seems to be pretty well sealed.

Anyway, the output is freaking amazing!. It has one LED at the top and one at the bottom. The top LED is the Low Beam, and the bottom is the High Beam (both LEDs are on during High Beam operation).

I aimed the headlight so that i do not blind people (it helps that only the top LED is on on low beam). It has a nice cut off line as well Only time will tell how long these will last, but it's got solid reviews.

I did have to extend the H4 connector from outside the bucket. I just made sure all the connectors were not exposed and taped enough layers so that water wont go in.

A few pics for now, but will make a vlog and upload to youtube.

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RabbitThrottle

· #17 · Aug 16, 2017 (Edited)

starvmarv said:
Just got done installing ADV Monster H4 R3 (3rd gen) LED. (I had their R2 [2nd gen]. also fanless, on my old Triumph Thruxton and had zero issues). On the Cafe i had to take out the entire front fairing to take out the bucket. But now that i know how to do it, I can probably do it again in about 15 minutes. As i stated before, there is almost no room so LED choice is very limited. I didn't want to risk my headlight to condensate so i ordered an LED bulb that i wouldn't need too much modification to the dust cover. I originally was going to use the included grommet, but it didn't work out. So i used a couple layers of Duct Tape and it seems to be pretty well sealed.

Anyway, the output is freaking amazing!. It has one LED at the top and one at the bottom. The top LED is the Low Beam, and the bottom is the High Beam (both LEDs are on during High Beam operation).

I aimed the headlight so that i do not blind people (it helps that only the top LED is on on low beam). It has a nice cut off line as well Only time will tell how long these will last, but it's got solid reviews.

I did have to extend the H4 connector from outside the bucket. I just made sure all the connectors were not exposed and taped enough layers so that water wont go in.

A few pics for now, but will make a vlog and upload to youtube.

I used some wire covering that I got from an old engine harness. I'm in new jersey and have ridden in wet roads, humid days and even light rain and haven't had any moisture issues. I'm sure I'll get caught in rainy conditions eventually and that'll be the true test. Can you share a picture of the bulb inside the housing with the light off to see how far back the led is positioned.

starvmarv

· #18 · Aug 16, 2017

RabbitThrottle said:
... Can you share a picture of the bulb inside the housing with the light off to see how far back the led is positioned.

Sure no problem..attached. The LED chip is before the shroud

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RabbitThrottle

· #19 · Dec 30, 2017

Finally got before and after pictures. The difference while riding is even more significant.

Electronics Technology Photography Machine Automobile repair shop

Photography Vehicle

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Derek

· #20 · Dec 31, 2017

The LED light seems to have a less well defined dip cut off and certainly looks like it needs aimed down a bit - or is that the main beam?

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