Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted August 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 6, 2014 I'd say something here...but then I've got two CompuFire series reg/recs it now looks like I'm going to have to pull out and replace with either OEM or something else. Early adoption does carry some risks. Ciao, Come on, go ahead and say it, you know you want to. "I told you so!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer digitallyhip Posted August 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 6, 2014 Bought the original $70 eBay kit in January, replaced a fan and bulb, 2x, since. So the right fan started acting noisy a few weeks ago, I let it go since it was still working and you can't hear it once the bike is started. Today, the left light flickered on the way home and died before I got there. It was 105 degrees F on the freeway but I never got bogged down in traffic, 75 mph the whole way. I think that's 2 bulb/power units now, 2-3 fans, in 8 months? I'm done, I'm emailing them to ask for a refund, going back to halo's until there's a proven plug'n'play LED solution. Any updates ? About to pull the trigger on one of these kits. Anybody else having problems ? I bought the lifetimeledlights.com version for my 6th Gen. Higher price, but they are beautifully made and just work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNRabbit Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 I bought the lifetimeledlights.com version for my 6th Gen. Higher price, but they are beautifully made and just work. How long have you had them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer digitallyhip Posted August 8, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 8, 2014 I bought the lifetimeledlights.com version for my 6th Gen. Higher price, but they are beautifully made and just work.How long have you had them? Two months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted August 8, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 8, 2014 I bought the lifetimeledlights.com version for my 6th Gen. Higher price, but they are beautifully made and just work.How long have you had them? Two months How does the fans cool with the housing sealed ? I dont see how any air can move like that . Not just yours but all I have seen . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer digitallyhip Posted August 8, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 8, 2014 I bought the lifetimeledlights.com version for my 6th Gen. Higher price, but they are beautifully made and just work.How long have you had them? Two months How does the fans cool with the housing sealed ? I dont see how any air can move like that . Not just yours but all I have seen . My take on it is this: what you can see in the photo is the back end of the heat sink which has the fan mounted to it. I haven't looked to see whether that fan sucks or blows, but regardless there is airflow across the heat sink. Nothing was remotely close to hot after an hour of use on a (for Vancouver, BC) hot day, so I am not worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 For the price of these LED kits and all the uncertainty of reliability/beam pattern/etc, why not just go with one of the HID projector retrofit kits? If i did more night riding I'd be looking into one of the Moritomo projectors. http://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-retrofit-kits/bi-xenon-morimoto-mini-stage-3-kit-h1.html#.U-Ubm_ldWCY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted August 8, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 8, 2014 I bought the lifetimeledlights.com version for my 6th Gen. Higher price, but they are beautifully made and just work.How long have you had them? Two months How does the fans cool with the housing sealed ? I dont see how any air can move like that . Not just yours but all I have seen . My take on it is this: what you can see in the photo is the back end of the heat sink which has the fan mounted to it. I haven't looked to see whether that fan sucks or blows, but regardless there is airflow across the heat sink. Nothing was remotely close to hot after an hour of use on a (for Vancouver, BC) hot day, so I am not worried. 10-4 For the price of these LED kits and all the uncertainty of reliability/beam pattern/etc, why not just go with one of the HID projector retrofit kits? If i did more night riding I'd be looking into one of the Moritomo projectors. http://www.theretrofitsource.com/complete-retrofit-kits/bi-xenon-morimoto-mini-stage-3-kit-h1.html#.U-Ubm_ldWCY Nice stuff !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted August 9, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted August 9, 2014 I have to admit I would like to know WHY it seems that the kits like the one I installed originally seem to be failing. I am still running the original LED kit that I installed over 6 months ago and I still have yet to have any indication of a problem. The only thing that comes to mind that is different with the Lifetime LED's is that the heat sink and fan unit are all one piece from what I have seen and thus I think there is more airflow around the heat sink. The various versions of the eBay kits like the one I installed originally have a fan that is screwed to the base of the bulb and fits quite tightly atop the rubber headlight grommets. This might lead me to believe that perhaps the eBay kits are having issues with cooling due to lack of air flow. I have put about 4500 km's on my bike so far since installing the kit and last weekend I did about 1300 km's over the course of three days, and each day the temps were a scorcher at around 100F each day. I must admit however that if I had it to do all over again, I think I would choose the Lifetime LED's, as I think the design seems a bit more well thought out and the heat sink looks as though it would just function more adequately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted August 9, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 9, 2014 I think it is just bad quality control and poor engineering. Those cast threads the fan screws on to were mostly non-existent on one of my original bulbs, I had to Gorilla glue it on. The retaining ring was mounted upside down on the first kit, ok on the second. I also thought heat, but my first bulb died in February/March when it wasn't over 60 deg and a fan went bad after only a week. The power units were different mfgs between the two kits and they were not interchangeable. The plugs and wiring were the same, but the first unit wouldn't power a 2nd kit bulb and a 2nd kit power unit wouldn't light up a 1st kit bulb. I suspect the voltages may be off just enough...makes you wonder if they accounted for that when putting the kit together? LIve and learn. I do know I don't want to go back and am willing to spend $ to get a good quality LED bulb kit. For now I put the last good bulb in, I'll see how long that lasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted October 7, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2014 Hey guys, I checked in with ZZ the other day via PM but I figured I'd take a look at the thread. My set from Lifetime LED is working great. Unfortunately I only have ridden the VFR at TMac for a day before the Catskills trip from which I haven't yet returned. Of course I'd occasionally go turn them on while I was in the garage for something else, and they continue to impress me! So this trip is knocking on the door of 2000 miles as I type this, and zero issues with the Lifetime LEDs. When I was at the Catskills hotel with VFRpwr (Rob), we parked side by side and turned on the lights for a side-by-side comparison, and I have to say I was really surprised by the result. He turned on his 6th Gen lights (Considered to be an excellent OE setup) and mine completely drowned out his. It was night, and there was a solid wall about 30-40 feet ahead. His looked pale yellow compared to my bright, crisp white and only the outer edge of his beam was visible with mine on. I thought with all my rebuilding and rear raising my beam would be way off, but I guess my attempt to properly aim was successful because they were pretty even, and on high beam. I may have mentioned in an early report, but at TMac I was riding second behind Wera803, and he said that on low beam they really aren't visible during the day. High beam definitely is, but in a group I leave them on low. Most of this trip has been solo highway, and I'm burning them on HIGH! No one has cut me off! I rode in the rain yesterday, they sat outside in the rain in Catskill, and Lifetime LED has a video of their unit with fan running and light on submerged in a tank of water. So I'm not concerned about rain. Yeah the Lifetime LED are pricey, but if they are going to honor that Lifetime Warranty then not really that expensive, imo. Plus, once you put in a couple-3 sets of Philips Ultra Star (or whatever they are called) that barely last a year, or some projector kit with not a lifetime warranty, are you really saving any money or hassle? Just my $.02 I just noticed that they have some motorcycle specific options now. Like this one: https://www.lifetimeledlights.com/led_lights/led_motorcycle_lights_led_motorcycle_headlights It doesn't look to have a fan, and the wiring is a DIY, but it's a bit less $... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 7, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2014 I know that the US and UK versions of the VFRs have different headlamp bulb setups plus associated wiring, but I'm wondering if this will fit a UK 6th Gen (4 x H7 bulb as standard)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted October 7, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2014 H7 is a standard designation, yes? So any H7 should fit if that is what came from the factory... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 7, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2014 That's what I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted October 7, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2014 LIve and learn. I do know I don't want to go back and am willing to spend $ to get a good quality LED bulb kit. For now I put the last good bulb in, I'll see how long that lasts. Just thought I'd answer this question...6 weeks. I'm going to give the Lifetime LEDs a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 7, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 7, 2014 Perhaps not.....Lifetime LEds are quoting $130 to ship to the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted October 8, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 8, 2014 Ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted October 8, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 8, 2014 I just noticed that they have some motorcycle specific options now. Like this one: https://www.lifetimeledlights.com/led_lights/led_motorcycle_lights_led_motorcycle_headlights It doesn't look to have a fan, and the wiring is a DIY, but it's a bit less $... I got an email reply from Lifetime today on these m/c specific bulbs. These are 1400/1800 LM, so about 2/3 of the regular H4 LED bulbs. The driver for the H4M is not built into the bulb housing but is already wired inline. They now come with the standard H4 connector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted October 8, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 8, 2014 I just noticed that they have some motorcycle specific options now. Like this one: https://www.lifetimeledlights.com/led_lights/led_motorcycle_lights_led_motorcycle_headlights It doesn't look to have a fan, and the wiring is a DIY, but it's a bit less $... I got an email reply from Lifetime today on these m/c specific bulbs. These are 1400/1800 LM, so about 2/3 of the regular H4 LED bulbs. The driver for the H4M is not built into the bulb housing but is already wired inline. They now come with the standard H4 connector. From the website: Voltage Lumens: 1400LM for the low beam and 1800LM for the high beam Why such low output? Is it because there is no driver? Seems a little pointless as a replacement bulb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted October 8, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 8, 2014 Yeah, standard H4s are the way to go IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrcapn Posted October 9, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted October 9, 2014 Yeah, standard H4s are the way to go IMO. What about their new M/C bright bulb, 3200/3600 lumens. Too much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OntarioHawk Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 I installed the H4 bulbs from ADVMonster in mine. They only have a heatsink, no fan and I was able to fit the stock rubber boot over top of them. I've been happy so far. They seem bright and the beam pattern isn't too scattered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoOp Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 Well, it's finally happened. The other of my eBay LEDs finally died on a ride the other day. They have been pretty good for a cheap test but I think I'm going back to standard bulbs. I like the extra light and the whiter color but the failure mode is just too unsettling and they aren't commonly available enough to replace on a tour. Not to mention the whole reason I wanted them in the first place was for a wider lighting pattern (so I can see leaned over) and that's a goal better achieved with auxiliary lights anyway. So for the record. My eBay LEDs survived a little less than a year in use, and about 6000 miles split 50/50 between short commutes and 2-300 mile a day trips. I had the first style like the op. One failed about 4 months ago, low first then high beam. The second one failed this week (mid corner mind you), just low for now but not going to bother waiting for the high to go this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted October 12, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted October 12, 2014 Hmmmmm, there appears to be a common thread happening here. Please pardon the pun. So it would appear that there are now 3 people that have noted failures to the LED kit and all have used the same kit that I used from the same eBay seller. Technically I guess that would be a total of 6 failures as vfrcapn has had 4 failures (if I recall correctly, 2 bulbs, a fan, and a power supply)and I am beginning to wonder about the longevity of my own kit. Are there any other members out there that have suffered an issue of any sort with their LED kits. I'm wondering if the failures seem to be limited to those who purchased the same kit I did originally or if the failures are occurring from other manufacturers as well?? So far, it would seem that all those who have installed the LED headlights have been impressed with the light color, output, and beam pattern. When I looked at the kits originally there seemed to be only one style of bulb/fan/heatsink combo, and they all looked like the kit I installed originally. After looking at the way the kit installs in our bikes (with the bulb base a little buried in the rubber grommet on the rear of the housing) I am beginning to wonder if the base of the bulb is just not exposed enough for the fan to evacuate the excess heat and the LED's are failing. Anyone have any ideas?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoOp Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I thought about hear being an issue but given the way they die, a flickering on and off over bumps on mine, I'm wondering if it's a vibration issue. Maybe these lights just aren't designed to take the frequency of vibration our bikes deliver? Either way I'm still happy I tried them. It was a fun cheap thing to play with and along the way I found the adapter rings so I can run standard auto h4 lights. I set up a buddies ctx700 with Piaa led driving lights and they are amazing. I think that's my next stop. Even with the LED headlights I'm still envious of his massive light coverage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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