[shortyg83]

I wanted to go with a LED headlight. But I know that just changing the bulb to LED won't work correctly since the housing on these bikes is not made for led so it won't actually reflect them correctly. So I am trying to work out making a replacement bracket for the light.
Just starting this project so I still need to figure out how to make a bracket to mount this, but here is the approx way it will look when it is done.

 

[Saint]

That does look pretty cool and I'm interested to see the end result but why won't the LED reflect the light properly on it's own?

 

[shortyg83]

That does look pretty cool and I'm interested to see the end result but why won't the LED reflect the light properly on it's own?

Because the housing is made for halogen bulbs which distributes light differently than and LED.
They make LED bulbs that reflect better but you would have to find one that works perfectly in your bike.

 

[Djdavies]

Because the housing is made for halogen bulbs which distributes light differently than and LED.
They make LED bulbs that reflect better but you would have to find one that works perfectly in your bike.

It doesn't have to be anymore perfect than the halogen it was designed for. The challenge for LED designers is to spread a point source light to a diffuse one. There are perfectly good LED options for the H4 lamp, and what they may lose in perfect photometric matching to a tungsten filament, they make up for in lumen output and color.

 

[shortyg83]

It doesn't have to be anymore perfect than the halogen it was designed for. The challenge for LED designers is to spread a point source light to a diffuse one. There are perfectly good LED options for the H4 lamp, and what they may lose in perfect photometric matching to a tungsten filament, they make up for in lumen output and color.

I know with HID headlights if you install them without the proper housing they are actually illegal. I am pretty sure the same is true for LED. If you install an Led headlight in a housing that is meant for a different bulb you are actually changing a safety feature on you bike and making it no longer DOT approved.

The only legal way to install an LED headlight on your bike is via changing the entire housing.

Now that being said I know most people don't follow every law about modifications to their bikes or cars. But I just wanted to point out that there is a difference.
If you look online and watch actual videos about light spread then you will see most LED bulbs, while brighter, actually don't cover the same distance as the Halogen bulb.

 

[Djdavies]

shorty-

I think I actually started with the LED lamp you show in your pic. Then I tore into it only to see that elaborate contraption at the back of the housing. Didn't see a practical way to make it fit AND keep the adjustability of the beam. Anxious to see what you may come up with as I'd like to buy that lamp again and ditch the H4 LED I got, which works really really well, but it has a heat sink and a fan which is not a great solution in that housing!!

 

[shortyg83]

shorty-

I think I actually started with the LED lamp you show in your pic. Then I tore into it only to see that elaborate contraption at the back of the housing. Didn't see a practical way to make it fit AND keep the adjustability of the beam. Anxious to see what you may come up with as I'd like to buy that lamp again and ditch the H4 LED I got, which works really really well, but it has a heat sink and a fan which is not a great solution in that housing!!

I think I found a housing that is going to work well. It should arrive thursday so I will post pics up then and let ya know how I made out.

 

[Dlong]

I just ordered 7" LED headlight, 7" headlight bucket and headlight bracket. Will have pics up when I have them installed.

 

[pbrolli]

I just ordered 7" LED headlight, 7" headlight bucket and headlight bracket. Will have pics up when I have them installed.

do you mind telling me/us where u ordered them?

cheers

 

[Dlong]

I ordered it from Amazon.com cuz Amazon.ca doesn't have it.

 

[shortyg83]

Got the light installed. Not sure if I am going to install the grill or not yet.
There are so many wires inside the normal headlight cover I am lost on what to do with them. They are wire tied for now but will need to come up with a better idea.

 

[Djdavies]

Got the light installed. Not sure if I am going to install the grill or not yet.
There are so many wires inside the normal headlight cover I am lost on what to do with them. They are wire tied for now but will need to come up with a better idea.

Oh, the halo version. Kind of cool if that's the only light lit, as if it were a car, but your headlights on all the time. Also, no pics of the back in the housing?

 

[shortyg83]

Got the light installed. Not sure if I am going to install the grill or not yet.
There are so many wires inside the normal headlight cover I am lost on what to do with them. They are wire tied for now but will need to come up with a better idea.

Oh, the halo version. Kind of cool if that's the only light lit, as if it were a car, but your headlights on all the time. Also, no pics of the back in the housing?

I installed a switch to turn the low beam off /on. So I can use the halo as my day running light if i choose.
Here is the housing I used. But I had to change out the bolts to get it to work because the forks are further apart than that housing.
VOSICKY 5 3/4" 5.75 Inch headlights Daymaker Housing bucket for Harley Davidson motorcycle Black color https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9K06KD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Q8GozbD4QTPK8

 

[Benggolf]

Nice!

 

[Djdavies]

I installed a switch to turn the low beam off /on. So I can use the halo as my day running light if i choose.
Here is the housing I used. But I had to change out the bolts to get it to work because the forks are further apart than that housing.
VOSICKY 5 3/4" 5.75 Inch headlights Daymaker Housing bucket for Harley Davidson motorcycle Black color https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9K06KD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Q8GozbD4QTPK8

I misunderstood all of that and dint look at your pics closely. I thought you were jamming that lamp into the existing housing, not changing to a fork bucket. I was trying to keep my housing. Not sure why now.

It looks great.

 

[Runnin' Rebel]

That new headlight looks sweet, thanks for snapping some pics!

 

[chaseyracer]

shortyg83 - that looks great. How difficult of an install? Care to share links to where you got the stuff? I am looking to do that to mine, and also add the mirrors on the grips. And then after that, just work on getting a new seat once a good aftermarket comes out..

 

[shortyg83]

shortyg83 - that looks great. How difficult of an install? Care to share links to where you got the stuff? I am looking to do that to mine, and also add the mirrors on the grips. And then after that, just work on getting a new seat once a good aftermarket comes out..

Well it isn't super easy to be honest.
1. The brackets that attach the headlight bucket to the forks don't fit correctly I had to bend them and buy longer bolts to get them to work. I will likely try different brackets. I also had to buy spacers for the bracket becaust a 5.75" head light is smaller than the distance between the forks. You may be better off with a 7" headlight.
2. The stock headlight is 5.75" so that is what I replaced it with. This is a bit of a problem. The original headlight housing is gigantic, and Honda packed a ton of wiring in there. It does not fit in the new housing. Most of the wiring is currently behind the headlight housing now using zip ties and friction tape to try and make it all black.
3. The halo headlight doesn't work perfectly on the bike because our bikes have always on low beams. The Halo is made to be a day running headlight but is set to auto shut off when the low or high beam is turned on. So I had to add in a switch to disable the low beam if I want to use the halo.

 

[flyinbrianbmx]

I just ordered 7" LED headlight, 7" headlight bucket and headlight bracket. Will have pics up when I have them installed.

did you ever get this installed?