LED Bulbs.. Is there a difference?

[Speedy]

I will let the pictures do the talking..
Below are photos of my mates 2017 TEX which I fitted the LED's to earlier today.
In the UK the MOT rules changed last March to allow the use of retro fitted LED bulbs in Motorcycles...
BUT they must NOT dazzle..
In other words the cheap crap that you can buy from web auction sites will NOT meet the standards...
There must be a well defined cut off as with the Halogen bulbs..

The bulbs I use are expensive at just over £50 for the pair BUT they pass the MOT without an issue!

Look at the photos and you make up your minds if there is a difference!

[Speedy]

Hi all,

Here are some real world photos..
Now the Bike was NOT a TEX..
It was my Honda CB1300 with a single headlamp..
There is a good chance the Triumph would be even better...
Have a look . . .
Below are the dipped images for Halogen (1st photo)
And LED (2nd Photo)

[Speedy]

Below are the main beam images..

1st photo is Halogen
2nd Photo is LED

[NiK]

Of course your pictures parameters (aperture, exposure, gain) were blocked to make such comparisons worthy?

Back in the days (before I got a Mk3 T12), I never could find a pair of LED bulbs that would work properly in the halogen designed headlight. It was always see nothing or blind everyone. I came to believe that it was a source light shape problem, the halogen's being a 360° segment, whereas the LED's are 2x180° points.

If you found the miracle bulbs, that's good news!

PS: I never really considered getting myself a CB1300, but thanks to you I know this bike is not for my usual night riding ;-)

[Speedy]

LED Bulbs have come a long way in the past few years..
The MOT compliant ones are very expensive..
The 2 for the triumph were over £50

The photo of My mates Triumph was taken to rule out camera exposure bias, as both bulbs are on the same photo.
The cut off pattern is just the same as with the halogen bulbs that were originally in.

Not only are the bulbs much brighter but they draw less that one quarter of the power that a Halogen bub does..
So in the case of the TEX its 24 watts (LED) versus 110 watts Halogen,

I totally agree that the cheap crappy LED's available on certain internet auction sites are rerrible..
That id why the MOT test allows only GOOD quality no glare bulbs.. The cheap ones that scatter the light will still fail the MOT

I dont know if I am allowed to post the link to where these are available.

But hopefully I can say they are in the UK

S

[XCaTel]

Originally Posted by Speedy

I dont know if I am allowed to post the link to where these are available.

Link away, it's just good info for others.

[CaptainTrips]

Originally Posted by Speedy

LED Bulbs have come a long way in the past few years..
The MOT compliant ones are very expensive..
The 2 for the triumph were over £50

The photo of My mates Triumph was taken to rule out camera exposure bias, as both bulbs are on the same photo.
The cut off pattern is just the same as with the halogen bulbs that were originally in.

Not only are the bulbs much brighter but they draw less that one quarter of the power that a Halogen bub does..
So in the case of the TEX its 24 watts (LED) versus 110 watts Halogen,

I totally agree that the cheap crappy LED's available on certain internet auction sites are rerrible..
That id why the MOT test allows only GOOD quality no glare bulbs.. The cheap ones that scatter the light will still fail the MOT

I dont know if I am allowed to post the link to where these are available.

But hopefully I can say they are in the UK

S

One of the British bike mags did a comparison on a bunch of LED replacement bulbs and found large differences between how well the beam pattern works, depending on the design of the reflector and the bulb. Their conclusion was that the LED arrays That most closely imitate the incandescent filaments work best. On my TEX I found that my LED replacements left an unlighted hole in the middle of the road closer in. I currently run with one of each type of bulb. Mix and match.

[Speedy]

XCaTel

The link to the actual compact H4 bulb is below..
I particularly like the fact there are no screaming cooling fans..
Have a read of the comments at the end and you will get a flavour of how good they are!

https://www.classiccarleds.co.uk/collections/headlight-led-bulbs/products/pair-of-compact-h4-p43t-472-hi-lo-beam-led-upgrade-bulbs

S

[CaptainTrips]

Those look quite similar to the ones I am using.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/9003-ignite-led-headlight-bulbs-2-pk-1202271p.html?_br_psugg_q=ignite+headlight+bulbs

[NiK]

Thanks to have refreshed my old expertise!
I had tried fan cooled bulbs (annoying at idle and moving parts mean lower life expectancy) and passive dissipation (the metal wig almost impossible to tuck inside the headlight covers).
I'm amazed that they can provide 3k lumens while being passively cooled. Like you said, they've come a long way!

Lastly, the price does seem fair to me. Quality doesn't come cheap.