LED Bulbs

[Andy Gallimore]

Anybody put LED headlight bulbs in a 2016 DL1000 ?

[timangus]

I did on my 650 and they great. I got them from Amazon. The only issue I have with them are they seem to be fan cooled and make a noise, but they are definitely brighter on the road and stand out to others.

[mr_diver]

And are illegal in the UK*

Didn't stop me fitting them, but I have to change them back for the mot.

*Legality depends on whether or not the reflector and lens are designed for the use of LED's which the stroms are not.
LED headlights are designed to integrate the LED into a sealed unit.

[UK_Vstrom650]

Ride magazine did a recent test on headlights, and their results said LED headlights in normal reflector lenses may look brighter, but the light they emit at night not only blinds other road users, but also gives out poor illumination of the road at night.

[wurzel]

I'm of the opinion that altering headlights on any vehicle in a way that can dazzle other users is inconsiderate and dangerous, I'm quite happy with the light on my Veek, other than the difficulty in adjusting the thing.

[kwackboy]

LED bulbs are undoubtedly brighter when fitted to a standard headlight but are rubbish in lighting the road ahead, some give out beams better than others but the majority are shite.
Also , as already said they are illegal in the UK and unless a standard fitment will fail an MOT test .

[mrp192]

Re the Ride magazine test mentioned above. The led bulb they tried in a standard SV650 headlamp unit was the first product ever to get all zeros in their product tests!
It’s worth  reading the test of the many different halogen bulbs they tried as the best weren’t the most expensive. Also the standard Suzuki one did quite well.

[timangus]

Mine was fitted by a dealer who did the MOT at the same time and they were perfect on the beam tester. They give a better light having ridden it at night and no flashing from other users. 

[kwackboy]

It won't pass the next MOT .. 

[Gassoon]

If they are illegal, then presumably there could be insurance implications...

[kwackboy]

That's a good question.
For insurance purposes it's probably another silly get out clause for them not to pay out. Who knows .  , but the implications of being stopped by a traffic cop would be maybe a PG9 .

[Gassoon]

For insurance purposes it's probably another silly get out clause for them not to pay out.

Yeah, I can just imagine the insurance assessor looking over a damaged bike and gleefully holding up the LED bulb!
''The precious! I have found you!''

[kwackboy]