Member Contributer Rush2112 Posted January 16, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 16, 2014 Sent this to Lifetime LED: Hi, There's been lots of talk on a motorcycle forum I frequent (VFR Discussion.com) about LED H4 kits out on the market these days. I found yours through a web search and a different car forum, and I like your design and of course the lifetime warranty. Just curious about a few things: Can you give me the overall dimensions? Specifically how much of the unit is sticking out from the headlight shell? Honda bulbs aren't exactly H4, but with standard bulbs we just clip off or bend back the bottom two locating tabs and they fit fine with the spring clip holding it in place. Will this affect the warranty at all? Does your unit have a separate power regulator or ballast to mount outside the headlight shell? Looks like all the other kits are designed like that, but yours isn't pictured this way. You forgot to ask if it is "Genuine Cree LED" and if their legal team can prove it... JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoOp Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Just wanted to clarify my descripton of color. Im a photographer and we describe color a little differently from other people. The standard lights are yellow, like school bus yellow, to my eyes. As we head towards whiter color we are moving towards blue onthe color spectrum, thus I described them as Bluer... They are not blue, no one looking at them is going to think blue, and normal people (not weird photog bike people like me) would just call them white. I havent done an actual color temp test on them (why mix biz and pleasure if you dont have to) but id guess in the 4300 to 4500 range. so pretty damn white. By the way put the other one in the other night and its even more amazing with 2. Mounted the right ballast to the inner fairing as well. Re did my alignments (the manual has the sweep adjustment a little weird BTW) and its fantastic at night now. Im actually looking forwards to coming home late this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted January 16, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 16, 2014 Sent this to Lifetime LED: Hi, There's been lots of talk on a motorcycle forum I frequent (VFR Discussion.com) about LED H4 kits out on the market these days. I found yours through a web search and a different car forum, and I like your design and of course the lifetime warranty. Just curious about a few things: Can you give me the overall dimensions? Specifically how much of the unit is sticking out from the headlight shell? Honda bulbs aren't exactly H4, but with standard bulbs we just clip off or bend back the bottom two locating tabs and they fit fine with the spring clip holding it in place. Will this affect the warranty at all? Does your unit have a separate power regulator or ballast to mount outside the headlight shell? Looks like all the other kits are designed like that, but yours isn't pictured this way. You forgot to ask if it is "Genuine Cree LED" and if their legal team can prove it... JK I never saw any claims on the manufacturer of the LED... But I get your point. Thanks PhotoOp, I just hate those stupid blue headlights, and I wanted to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted January 16, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 16, 2014 Ah flashlight is $240 bucks ?? Email a friend Review this item Price Your Price: $239.00 Availability: In Stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted January 17, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 17, 2014 Sent this to Lifetime LED: Hi, There's been lots of talk on a motorcycle forum I frequent (VFR Discussion.com) about LED H4 kits out on the market these days. I found yours through a web search and a different car forum, and I like your design and of course the lifetime warranty. Just curious about a few things: Can you give me the overall dimensions? Specifically how much of the unit is sticking out from the headlight shell? Honda bulbs aren't exactly H4, but with standard bulbs we just clip off or bend back the bottom two locating tabs and they fit fine with the spring clip holding it in place. Will this affect the warranty at all? Does your unit have a separate power regulator or ballast to mount outside the headlight shell? Looks like all the other kits are designed like that, but yours isn't pictured this way. Another question to ask might also be this. On the other kits the cooling fan is removable and is installed on the bulb base after the rubber headlight seal is put on. The Lifetime LED bulb looks as though it is all one unit which may make the rubber headlight seal difficult to install without modifying it in some way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted January 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 17, 2014 Might be tough to get the rubber over the fan, but I think it will stretch. Here's their email reply: I have attached the H13 dimesions, it is basicly the same for the H4. There is a driver box that has to be mounted near the light, its small about credit card sized 3/16" thick. Warranty is fine if you clip the tabs. Brief, but to the point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Mohawk Posted January 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 17, 2014 FYI I got mine from Formula-J87 on the bay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer apexandy Posted January 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 17, 2014 Might be tough to get the rubber over the fan, but I think it will stretch. Here's their email reply: I have attached the H13 dimesions, it is basicly the same for the H4. There is a driver box that has to be mounted near the light, its small about credit card sized 3/16" thick. Warranty is fine if you clip the tabs. Brief, but to the point. Thanks for posting this… I have very little room behind my light and this will definitely tell me wether or not it would fit :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted January 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 17, 2014 FYI I got mine from Formula-J87 on the bay. Ordered a set of high beams ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted January 17, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 17, 2014 Since I had a spare set of bulbs that I had ordered for my wife's bike and have not yet installed them I thought I would take the time to measure it to see if there are any differences compared to the Lifetime LED bulb. If anyone would like any other measurements I would be happy to take some. As my caliper is not exactly digital the measurements to the center line of the diodes for the low and high beams may be a bit off, but you will get the idea. It would appear that the bulbs I purchased originally the measurements are smaller in overall dimension, but the distance from the bulb mounting retainer ring to the base of the fan are only 4 mm larger on the Lifetime LED bulb. I would venture this won't cause much of an issue. The fan assembly itself is about 11 mm wider,but again, I don't see that being a huge problem either. Please pardon the quick sketch, as I did not have a ruler handy. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted January 17, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 17, 2014 Thanks a bunch, ZZ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted January 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 Add one more to the stack. These come in below the EC and LIfetime sets at $120. With the ubiquitous Cree chips they match the output of EC and the various ebay sets. 1 year warranty. I've used these guys before. I bought all my mini LED lights for my dash, and also my tail and turn signals (F/R) from them. Based on pictures, measurements look to be similar to zoomzoom's ebay set. They are currently out of stock, however... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted January 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 The guy on Ebay still has them . http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Universal-Car-Truck-H4-1800LM-50W-Cree-LED-HeadLight-Head-lamp-H-L-Beam-W-/141105877873?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20da90d371&vxp=mtr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRC46 Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Just got my eBay Cree's the other day and will be installing this weekend. I'll post how it works out for me. Anyone here do a tail light LED conversion? Details? Nice job zoomzoom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted January 18, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 I have converted the tail/brake lights on my bike to LED towers, but not the turn signals. I didn't do the signals as I felt they were brith enough as they were and I didn't want to have to worry about the flashing speed because of the reduced amperage draw from the LED's. I can't say for certain that the tail/brake LED is brighter, but to me it does look that way. The LED tower bulbs were a gift from another VFRW member so I'm not sure what the bulbs cost but my guess is that they were around $20 each (Canadian) so the upgrade is not inexpensive, but as with the headlights they do draw almost no power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted January 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 Just got my eBay Cree's the other day and will be installing this weekend. I'll post how it works out for me. Anyone here do a tail light LED conversion? Details? Nice job zoomzoom. Yep, it did them all. Eventually I swapped for a Thurn clear tail light and front signals. The tail uses a flat board of LED's, no replacement bulb style LEDs. (If you're interested-http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/classifieds/item/2421-thurn-clear-tail-light-5th-gen/) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted January 18, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 In an effort to make things a bit easier for those who have come to find this thread just recently I thought I would recap a few of the LED headlight supplier links that have been posted so far. There is a large range of costs and warranties so there are numerous options to choose from. Each of the kits have their merit but in terms of design, I think there are only two real different styles given the companies listed here. All the listings here sell a kit that is very similar in style and components with the exception of the Lifetime LED's. All the other manufacturers have a bulb (with separate and removable cooling fan assembly) and power supply (ballast), whereas it would appear the Lifetime kit has the bulb, cooling fan and heatsink all in one package (though it would appear that the cooling fan assembly is not removable which might make the installing the bulb more difficult ) and a separate power supply (ballast). 1. eBay seller wyfb that I linked to in the original post. Cost $79.95 ( 2 Year Warranty ) http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Universal-Car-Truck-H4-1800LM-50W-Cree-LED-HeadLight-Head-lamp-H-L-Beam-W-/141105877873?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20da90d371&vxp=mtr 2. VLEDS.com. Cost $119.99 (1 Year Warranty ) http://www.vleds.com/bulb/h4-cxa-2000lm.html 3. Electrical Connection.com. Cost $149.95 (1 Year Warranty ) http://www.electricalconnection.com/other-lighting/led-hl-h4.htm 4. eBay seller electradecenter (UK site for overseas buyers) Cost £47.56 (1 Year Warranty ) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281225023832?var=580265646215&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 5. Lifetime LED's. Cost $149.00 ( Lifetime Warranty ) http://www.lifetimeledlights.com/H49003-LED-headlights-_p_59.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Skids Posted January 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 Nice one zz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRC46 Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Install went by the book, no problems at all. Tested lights afterwards in the garage and they are indeed bright. Thanks ZZ for the great post. BTW what was the @Rush2112 ??? HUGE Rush fan. If anyone needs a pair H4 retaining rings I have a new set that I don't need. I bought a new pair not realizing I had put in retaining rings years ago and forgot about them. If you're interested I can email a picture, I paid $10 so I will sell them for the same in US and Canada shipped free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted January 18, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 Install went by the book, no problems at all. Tested lights afterwards in the garage and they are indeed bright. Thanks ZZ for the great post. BTW what was the @Rush2112 ??? HUGE Rush fan. Only in the last few days have I learned to use the "Multi-Quote" function of the website. What can I say, I'm SLOW and technologically illiterate at times. LOL. Like most adults nowadays, I think my 4 year old daughter knows more about computers than I do. :) I think when I used the @Rush2112 earlier in the thread I was responding to another members question or comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rush2112 Posted January 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 Install went by the book, no problems at all. Tested lights afterwards in the garage and they are indeed bright. Thanks ZZ for the great post. BTW what was the @Rush2112 ??? HUGE Rush fan... YOU ARE NOT ALONE MY FRIEND! Only in the last few days have I learned to use the "Multi-Quote" function of the website. What can I say, I'm SLOW and technologically illiterate at times. LOL. Like most adults nowadays, I think my 4 year old daughter knows more about computers than I do. :)I think when I used the @Rush2112 earlier in the thread I was responding to another members question or comment. Hey... I resemble that remark... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer zoomzoom Posted January 18, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 Install went by the book, no problems at all. Tested lights afterwards in the garage and they are indeed bright. Thanks ZZ for the great post. BTW what was the @Rush2112 ??? HUGE Rush fan.If anyone needs a pair H4 retaining rings I have a new set that I don't need. I bought a new pair not realizing I had put in retaining rings years ago and forgot about them. If you're interested I can email a picture, I paid $10 so I will sell them for the same in US and Canada shipped free. Hey MrRC46 I would take you up on that offer. PM me with details and I will be happy to pay for em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer JZH Posted January 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 18, 2014 Mr. McKinnon, Thank you for submitting your questions to us regarding this matter. Your observation is spot on and we are unable to verify whether the units actually use genuine Cree LED chips. Cree sells many LED’s through distribution who sell to companies, that most likely aren’t selling their products on ebay. With that said, I also cannot confirm 100% that they aren’t genuine unless the product was thoroughly reviewed. Cree’s legal department is well aware of the issues that similar listings are causing consumers and is trying to fight as many of these instances as they can. My best recommendation for you would be to try to contact the actual manufacturer of the product you are looking to buy and gather as much information as possible in order to make a well informed decision. I also will forward the below information on to our legal team so they can add this to their list of items/companies to check up on. Good luck in your search and thank you for bringing this to our attention. Thanks and Regards, Jeff Martin Customer Service Representative - Product Returns 919-407-5983 Email: Jeff_Martin@Cree.com Troublemaker! It was always obvious to me that Cree did not make the kit, or the bulbs, as claimed by the seller. Quick-buck artists are always trying to piggyback off of the hard work and success of reputable companies like Cree, Philips, Bosch and the like. I guess if it's cheap enough, people will buy it anyway... Ciao, As was mentioned by the representative from Cree, HE clearly CAN NOT say with 100% certainty that the bulbs and/or LED diodes were or were not made by CREE. LOOK at the highlighted portion of the email. Jeff Martin did mention that he would pass the matter on to his legal for verification. If the parts were not made by Cree and there is a patent infringement issue then it is up to the legal department at Cree to do something about it. What does this mean for those of us who purchased the product linked to in my original post, well, maybe the warranty will not be upheld by the manufacturer in question or supplier who sold them in the first place. Mind you, removing the tabs from the bulb so that they fit in our headlight housings will likely do that anyhow. The whole Cree issue and who made the kit aside, the kit and/or kits on the market, have proven to provide adequate illumination and indeed better illumination than the stock halogen bulbs, according to the opinions of those who have installed them on their bikes. I think it safe to say now, that with more people other than just myself having installed a kit in their bikes, and having found comparative results, the actual manufactures of the parts in the kit is a mute point. There are numerous links to other manufacturers now that sell kits with very similar looking bulbs, so can you say with 100% certainty that NONE of these manufacturers are indeed using Cree products in the manufacture of their products? Be careful how you answer that, as it could be considered slanderous. Can I say that the company I chose to purchase my kit from uses Cree LED's in the manufacture of their product, NO. Can I say that none of the companies mentioned in this thread use the Cree LED's in the manufacture of their products, NO. Speaking strictly for myself, I purchased the kit in an effort to increase the effect the headlights on MY motorcycle and to make it easier to see in the dark. The LED headlight kit has done exactly that. If you disagree that the LED's do not provide better illumination than stock bulbs once installed on YOUR bike, for whatever reason, feel free to post up your findings on the thread. My original reason for creating this thread was to highlight that I installed a headlight replacement kit on MY VFR800, and that I was impressed with the results. As I have seen and benefited from many a useful post on this site, I thought I would share my findings. I don't know what Rob said when he approached Cree with his concerns, but the Cree representative was only discussing the "genuine Cree LED chips", not the "units" holding them. Was Rob's "observation" that Cree doesn't make LED bulb kits? The Cree chips themselves are not particularly expensive, so they could very well be genuine. But as I said before, it is highly unlikely that any of these kits are actually manufactured by Cree, nor the bulbs (units) used in them. Despite what you may think, plastering someone's registered trade mark all over your Chinese-manufactured product (even if it contains genuine Cree LED chips) is illegal, unless you have obtained a license to do so from the owner of the trademark. That is because, as I have mentioned before (and your statements and those of others in this very thread demonstrate), doing so makes buyers falsely believe that Cree manufactured the kit or the bulbs. To the extent they do believe that, and that deception caused them to buy the kit, they have been ripped off. Would you have purchased this kit if you had known that the manufacturer/seller was deliberately trying to deceive you about its origins? Perhaps at that price, it would not have mattered (it certainly didn't deter Mohawk). You mean libelous, by the way; slander refers to an oral statement--and there are many exceptions to both. Suffice it to say, I'm not particularly worried about getting sued by fly-by-night illegal LED bulb sellers on eBay for raising legitimate questions about their products... Ciao, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted January 19, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted January 19, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRC46 Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Install went by the book, no problems at all. Tested lights afterwards in the garage and they are indeed bright. Thanks ZZ for the great post. BTW what was the @Rush2112 ??? HUGE Rush fan... YOU ARE NOT ALONE MY FRIEND! Only in the last few days have I learned to use the "Multi-Quote" function of the website. What can I say, I'm SLOW and technologically illiterate at times. LOL. Like most adults nowadays, I think my 4 year old daughter knows more about computers than I do. :)I think when I used the @Rush2112 earlier in the thread I was responding to another members question or comment. Hey... I resemble that remark... Yeah, me too. My five you old will be teaching me stuff soon. She can barely read and she navigates menu's and apps like a pro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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