LED upgrade

[ajs193]

I've upgraded my 2014 VStrom's headlights & sidelights to LED bulbs. Not been out at night with it yet but they certainly light up the garage better.

[Lincsman]

They look good, what bulbs did you get and was any modification needed to the electrical wiring.
Not being too great at electrics, I'm interested in doing the same to my 2016 model.

[ajs193]

No modifications needed, just a straight swap.  I struggled to get to the sidelights until I figured out how to take out the instrument cluster and it's panel, after that it was easy. Must add that I got the pictured sidelight bulbs from Halfords and they're slightly too long but I've some standard sized Osram ones on order

Headlights
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FDX33QV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sidelights
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07FDX33QV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[kwackboy]

How are the beams ? If they are wrong it'll fail an MOT.

[sjrainsford]

Quote removed

That's kind of a moot point anyway as they should fail the MOT regardless of beam angle.  Many testers of course probably turn a blind eye to them so long as the beam is near enough, but they are not road legal.  The headlamps are designed and aligned internally for Halogen bulbs.  And therefore are E marked for halogen bulbs only.

They do make a welcome difference though 

[Brockett]

My old eyes are often blinded by bright lights on approaching vehicles. If we all fitted much brighter lights we could maybe all clearly see the light blinded drivers swerving into our path .  I think it's better to slow down at night.

[Lincsman]

No modifications needed,

Thanks for that 

[Lincsman]

That's kind of a moot point

That's an interesting point. I have fitted LED spot lamps to my bike, which are lower down. Never thought about what you've mentioned. Maybe because I didn't know. I do now though.

[timangus]

Fitted same bulbs a year ago to my Strom. One has failed completely and the high beam light is constantly glowing. Also the noise of the fans is annoying. Now in Thailand looking for 55w H4 bulbs in a land of scooters who used 35w items.

[ajs193]

The headlamps are designed and aligned internally for Halogen bulbs.  And therefore are E marked for halogen bulbs only.

I wasn't aware of that, I'll keep the original bulbs for MOT time 

[joethebike]

I put a set of H4 LED bulbs in my 05 650 and they had plenty of light to show you had the lights on but had absolutely no travel compared with the halogen H4s, so they have been consigned to my other bikes which are never ridden at night. 
They do a good job though with their white light being very visible in daylight.

[RoadWarrior1978]

I have one major concern with converting to LED lights,  that is on a vehicle that has a stator type charging system, excess power is bled off by the Reg/Rec unit in the form of heat.

Trouble is that LEDs use alot less power than Halogen, so that leaves even more power for the Reg/Rec to dissipate,  which means more heat and heat is the biggest enemy of electronics after water.

Might be worth considering for anyone changing over.

[Lincsman]

Well after reading all the above, I think I'll be a coward and stick to the arrangement I have now.
If I'm honest I don't do that much night riding anymore.

[vstroman]

A pair of these might be enough, getting access to the sidelights looks very difficult.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-H4-OSRAM-NIGHT-BREAKER-LASER-BULBS-150-MORE-LIGHT-150M-DISTANCE-20-WHITER/173448204790?epid=9027026320&hash=item28625191f6&enc=AQADAAADAFjVrDbVsZ8oH%2F8PNHtt9VX4%2Fw7FZcmMuqsX8uaFEduVJZwEc9V3EAq0XpIC8tZmTIG%2Fx487xrft7FB36vLUia5SoF0CKWkqY4rffQu11EdeEOXabNOcBq8v%2FKRyuSB%2Bbr1x2tlDpLUZLpTOTmql5869WNQ4s%2F17qb52W9T0Gs6BuqcPgF%2BfLyhc8%2FHiCkn5qnrXM0lYyGaKjR1v6GeOlkTVsKWx9QjgvEUXmDFSVsU35dkyX%2Fk%2FcOXFA%2BokE8dSM3%2Fyc1ulDr%2BBpifIsCIfkWU3uKhzcuTxcqIVXHCwHzRk7qVbKXm1OpYvH2iXnoQUnK4UapsJveEDDUXN4dDDtZj%2Bkt45lGfoXJwuWNefwX3eMKEiMPIPGPGduV9KvXA4GpJzPs6sY1Wyrom937xwJjA8MiW4kqJyDRCuRdgvktZFwvGRIkPKQ2kOJpjt7pIdE5CPZc4tfWoiPrZtuo90qx0k3EQV02fugaZ%2BNnhJl9gyqsYzvBOcyJ9lon75IS6IgDj%2FyWEfMyCqcQL%2BdqcfnWHg%2BfGduzZ5mendBPOgWnDc1S%2F2hAq77blzjR6qfKI%2FVNpXoV0GOtafcrbFXP9STeCnTnvKpUSrmv39%2Fpa4pPluBdL2kYI7dugvOToSVoDR9ZyMmj48ZLQjLfhlngMeC02ML6je4Vu9M7xqt4i8rw78bmlcbHHayE%2B%2BvB8rQgQ5UCp%2FNy60Vn7CaZHk7EvYC60x5CSrBxxz8Irj5BKm7AXRWqAddiigfiH2PiEyxo8vkmeiggw8zL5hd3LQ7tgdNzTMAYs6Jtg%2FLT1SuECDPiJi67WEJwuiPfKpEx6Ym1FxSHVAyYQHbdGNQrsnYgNIdA7Xi1v3%2FSsEbWa2rrdW9G3U73M1OL8Yg%2Fz%2BkSAy%2FKn3fFYhx%2F%2FGxa8ClJ9aGgKSVIQgoX3n49NcOos7E5Kgx1pyULam%2FKCbnBE9YsEwkJ4VTb%2FULPRYqvuunYDJxrsRKx02llF%2FYzDv7FP%2B1PRxb6LRHzlsBB9no%2Bih5vd4F%2BkbZA%3D%3D&checksum=17344820479026d5432571fc40cda16a8561cdd44acd

[Ianmc]

In my opinion(for what it’s worth)the standard headlights on my Wee are spot on.They are the best on any bike I have ever had,and wouldn’t dream of replacing them.