Led Headlight Install - 5Th Gen

[Skids]

I've just finished installing my H4 LED headlights. Took me less than 50mins from start to finish, including removing the front fairing/headlamp assembly and replacing it.

This is the box the kit arrived in. Notice there are no CREE markings. That doesn't mean the kit isn't genuine, but it does make me wonder.

Inside, the box looks the same as zoomzoom's but there were no fitting instructions nor any specifications, and the ballast did not have the stickers either. So far, it's not looking brilliant. Anyway...

Bulbs look the same, and they do have CREE written on them.

Old bulbs removed & ready for install. Yes, I know it's dirty, but then 130000miles & at least 13 winters of almost daily commute mean she is my winter hack and I don't really care what she looks like as long as she goes well (which she does). Anyway, that's my excuse.

Unlike zoomzoom, my bulbs are a direct replacement with no issues with having to cut off tabs and replace with a retainer ring.

I decided to use sticky Velcro to attach the ballast to the side of the headlamp housing in case they bulbs don't work or I have issues with them. It's a simple job to remove and return to OEM then.

Different angle, showing the cables all connected. I put the rubber seal over the bulb once it was sited, and then carefully screwed the fan housing onto the back of the bulb. Both went on with no issues.

Bike reassembled and voila.....

Worked first time (unusual for anything mechanical with me).

The light comes on instantly, I mean instantly; there is a noticeable difference between these and incandescent bulbs. The same when switching to high beam. The light is also whiter than the Osram Nightbreaker+ bulbs I had fitted previously. You can't tell from the photo above but the difference between my 5th & 6th Gen (Osram Nightbreaker+ also) is very distinct.

I neglected to take a photo of the beam spread of my 5th Gen last night and the mornings & evenings are now much lighter for my commute, so it will have to wait until I next go out at night for me to give my full opinion on what improvement there may have been. I can report on any increase in flashes from oncoming motorists though and will do; I do not normally get any.

So, all-in-all, I am reasonably happy. Inexpensive, very easy to fit and what would appear to be an improvement in light output. However, I'm not convinced they are genuine CREE, so I guess time will tell if it matters.

Hope someone finds this as useful as I found the OP and the rest of the thread.

[zoomzoom]

Hey Skids

Thanks for posting up the pics of the install of the LED headlights on your bike. Glad to hear that the install was quick and easy. Honestly, I think I could have done the install in the same amount of time as you if it were not for a few small factors.

1. My 6 year old son Liam was my assistant, and being 6 he asks a lot of questions, and wants to know everything that is going on, from what does that __________ do, to what happens if you take __________ off/on first. I absolutely love the questions and always do my best to make sure that I answer the questions in a way that makes sense to him. As a result, what might only take 1 hour, almost always takes 3 times as long. LOL. Love the little guy though, and would not have it any other way.
2. Any time I remove anything on my bike, I feel an obsessive impulse to clean it first, and around it, and under it, and everything near it,.................. Well, you get the idea........... it's an OCD thing. I also felt the need to remove the gauge cluster and clean it, and wax the upper cowl mount, and clean all the wires, and........................... Honest, though, I do actually ride the bike, though I don't get the chance to put as many miles on her as I would have been able to before having kids. Lets face it, a motorcycle is not exactly a family oriented ( a single bike that is ) recreational device. LOL
3. When I did the install of the LED ballasts, I did them at work in the warmth of my shop at work (the bike was at my house) and then took them home to install them. As I mentioned in my post, I should have checked the location of the ballasts a bit more carefully before installing them so that they would clear the wiring harness on the left side of the gauge cluster. I must have moved three times to find a spot that worked. Measure twice, cut once advice my dad always used to give me was obviously not being adhered to in this case.

As I was gazing through the install photos you provided I noticed a few differences between your install and my own in regards to the kits themselves and our motorcycles in particular. I thought it might be helpful to point these out for any who might be interested.

The first thing I noticed is that the LED bulbs that came with your kit have the LOW beam diode sitting at a slight angle in reference to the center line of the bulb. This would likely cause a slight change in the beam pattern as the point at which the light emitted from the low beam diode would strike the reflector in a different location. My guess would be that this would cause the beam pattern to be projected slightly higher and further down the road surface in comparison to my bike. The reason I say this is because the LED bulbs in the kit I purchased have the low and high beam emitters sitting flat (or parallel if you like) to the center line of the bulb and thus hit the reflector in a different location. I'm not sure how much of a difference this would make but it might indeed cause a bit more glare toward oncoming traffic if the headlight beam is reflected out at a higher angle.

Here is a shot of the two headlight bulbs so I can show you what I mean.

This is the bulb that came with my kit.

This is the bulb that you showed in your kit.

The other thing that I found interesting was that you mentioned that you did not have to cut the tabs off your bulbs to install them in your bike. I found this fact in particular to be curious because a standard H4 style bulb is not compatible with the headlight housing on my bike whereas it is on your bike. For curiosity sake I brought up the pictures of my install and took a look at the picture showing the back of the headlight housing. The first thing I noticed is that the spring clip that holds the bulb in place on your bike sits at a relatively horizontal angle in reference to your headlight housing. On my bike the spring clip sits at roughly a 30 degree angle form horizontal by comparison. It might appear that the headlight housing on the European VFR's versus the North American VFR's are slightly different. I also noticed that the part number, stenciled in white between the headlight holes, is different on your bike versus mine. I would wonder if there might also be a slight difference in the overall shape then of the reflector as well, especially given that a standard H4 style bulb fits the housing on your bike without modification. Hmmmm, INTERESTING. Personally I can't see the reflector being shaped any differently from country to country but, HEH, who knows.

Here is a shot of the back of the headlight housing off my bike

Here is the shot of the back of the headlight housing on your bike for comparison showing the different angle to the spring clip mounting location. You might also note that the positioning tab slots on your housing are also in a totally different location.

Perhaps there is a difference in the headlight housing from 98-99 versus the 2000-2001 VFR800. Hard to say, but they say you learn something new every day.

I for one will be very interested to hear your general impressions of the modification on your bike and how it performs. Thanks very much for sharing.

I also thought I might post up some information that was shared with me by a member on VFRW in the thread I had started over there. The members name is Allyance and he brought up an interesting point that I had not really considered in regards to the draw on the electrical system. Since the current draw on the LED headlights is substantially lower than the stock headlights this may cause an increased strain on the stock, dreaded R/R, as since there is a lower current draw with the LED headlights the stock R/R will have to shunt more voltage as heat. Here is a copy of the information that Allyance shared with me.

Might be a consideration for those considering this install on a bike with a stock R/R.

From VFRW member Allyance:

In the mean time I have been checking with Jack Flemming at RoadsterCycle.com about the problems with LED systems and our "balanced" charging system with standard R/R's.
The problem being that with the reduced wattage, the R/R has to shunt more power to ground.

With the 25 watt Cree systems and my LED Tail lights, I figure I was 98 watts lower than stock, which is a little over 8 amps LESS, which the Regulator has to compensate for.

I built a 24 watt dummy load to experiment with, got moderately hot, but I would need 2 of them to correct problem, no where to put them.

Jack contends this is a major problem for us with stock R/R's. here is his reply to me:

Hi Peter,
The only way I know of to deal with the LED lights is to go with a series type R/R like the SH775 that I now sell or the CE605SB that I’ve had for a couple years. The dummy load would also work and I have pulled my hair out trying to figure what kind of dummy to use without cooking it. The dummy load is going to get very hot. I never did come up with anything for the guys doing track days and unplugging their headlights. I wanted something that they could plug in to save their R/Rs. No luck. Or just keep the lighting stock if it’s a street bike.

Jack

If you go to his web site and FAQ's, you find this info:
What is a balanced charging system?
A balanced charging system is when the manufacturer designs lets say 25 amp charging system and the bike uses 20 to 22 amps of it to run the bike and charge the battery. The R/R only needs to get rid of 3 or so amps, so it is happy. Now if you take that same bike and run led taillights and marker lights and maybe some led headlights now your making the R/R get rid of lets say 10 amps, now its working hard and getting hot. Although it seems like your doing your bike a favor by thinking it's going to charge your battery better your actually slowly killing your R/R. Not to mention if you unplug your headlights for track days. Wow!!!!

[Mohawk]

Well I decided to play with my LED lights that have been sitting around since end of Jan..

So I fitted one in the left side of my car (UK Driving on left OK) took it for a drive with a friend & first thing you notice is how much brighter they are that standard halogen, you will see in these pictures. The left side of the road & footpath etc were so much ligther, even pedestrians were so much easier to see.

So I pulled over on a quiet country lane with no street lighting to take some pics. I stood in front of each headlight in turn to get the pics & block the light from one beam at a time.

The pic sequence is as follows;-

Both low beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img843/3954/wy0i.jpg

LED low beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img834/1781/kmc9.jpg

Halogen low beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img36/3203/gp1x.jpg

Both HIGH beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img706/6000/fwis.jpg

LED High beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img571/7605/pmp3.jpg

Halogen High beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img21/9108/wpoi.jpg

But there are some issues. I replaced the right lamp for LED too & by chance due to a road closure had to take a cross country route on unlit roads. My halogens give a very destinct cut off for the low beam, the LED's have basically none.

When selecting high beam, not much extra light is projected either forward or up. So the LEDs generate a huge improvement in light colour & output, but the effect was not optimal.

Having put some thought into this I dug out a spare LED & a Halogen & measured the filiment centres of each bulb. The LED's are in the WRONG place. But NOT by much, so I removed the H4 locator ring that is held on by two screws & moved it to the back of the metal stub that it screws to, this moves the LEDs forward about 5mm, exactly matching the centres of the H4 Halogen filaments.

When I first got these I tested one in a spare headlight I have for my other bike, but its a EURO spec headlight, so does not have the left slash angle of a UK headlight, it is universal, so has NO slash. When first tested, I was impressed with the light output, but again did not see much change when selecting high beam. So as its pissing down with rain here, I decided to try that headlamp with my modified LED, all I can say is WOW.

In these pics the Headlight is just sitting on a workbench at the back of the garage. In the first pic you can see a sort of yellow cut off just level with the left mirror on my bike. The centre of the low beam is below this & reflects brilliantly off my insulation on the garage door.

http://imageshack.us/a/img842/5982/bdwr.jpg

The second pic shows the high beam & note the centre of brightness has moved above the cut off line & if you check the shadow of my screen on the door you can see how much more light is up there.

http://imageshack.us/a/img69/4587/6vyl.jpg

I'm very busy this week, but I may have some time Tuesday to test these in my car & get some more pics of the modified units.

YMMV :)

[Skids]

Well I decided to play with my LED lights that have been sitting around since end of Jan..

So I fitted one in the left side of my car (UK Driving on left OK) took it for a drive with a friend & first thing you notice is how much brighter they are that standard halogen, you will see in these pictures. The left side of the road & footpath etc were so much ligther, even pedestrians were so much easier to see.

So I pulled over on a quiet country lane with no street lighting to take some pics. I stood in front of each headlight in turn to get the pics & block the light from one beam at a time.

The pic sequence is as follows;-

Both low beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img843/3954/wy0i.jpg

LED low beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img834/1781/kmc9.jpg

Halogen low beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img36/3203/gp1x.jpg

Both HIGH beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img706/6000/fwis.jpg

LED High beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img571/7605/pmp3.jpg

Halogen High beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img21/9108/wpoi.jpg

But there are some issues. I replaced the right lamp for LED too & by chance due to a road closure had to take a cross country route on unlit roads. My halogens give a very destinct cut off for the low beam, the LED's have basically none.

When selecting high beam, not much extra light is projected either forward or up. So the LEDs generate a huge improvement in light colour & output, but the effect was not optimal.

Having put some thought into this I dug out a spare LED & a Halogen & measured the filiment centres of each bulb. The LED's are in the WRONG place. But NOT by much, so I removed the H4 locator ring that is held on by two screws & moved it to the back of the metal stub that it screws to, this moves the LEDs forward about 5mm, exactly matching the centres of the H4 Halogen filaments.

When I first got these I tested one in a spare headlight I have for my other bike, but its a EURO spec headlight, so does not have the left slash angle of a UK headlight, it is universal, so has NO slash. When first tested, I was impressed with the light output, but again did not see much change when selecting high beam. So as its pissing down with rain here, I decided to try that headlamp with my modified LED, all I can say is WOW.

In these pics the Headlight is just sitting on a workbench at the back of the garage. In the first pic you can see a sort of yellow cut off just level with the left mirror on my bike. The centre of the low beam is below this & reflects brilliantly off my insulation on the garage door.

http://imageshack.us/a/img842/5982/bdwr.jpg

The second pic shows the high beam & note the centre of brightness has moved above the cut off line & if you check the shadow of my screen on the door you can see how much more light is up there.

http://imageshack.us/a/img69/4587/6vyl.jpg

I'm very busy this week, but I may have some time Tuesday to test these in my car & get some more pics of the modified units.

YMMV :)

Out of interest m8, where did you source your bulbs? Any chance of piccies similar to the ones of the LED diodes themselves to compare with the OP and mine? I am concerned that the angle on my low beam will prove to be its downfall.

Thanks.

[Mohawk]

Hi Skids, mine look just like ZoomZoom's a couple of posts above mine.

[Skids]

Hi Skids, mine look just like ZoomZoom's a couple of posts above mine.

Ok, where did you source them then please?

[Mohawk]

Skids, I got them from the bay via seller J87 ??? in the USA. I'll try & pop some pics tomorrow & the sellers full ebay name, I did post it earlier in the thread.

I may have a spare set for sale, as I'm looking to change my car at the moment. I bought a 3 pairs (so 6 bulbs), one set for VFR, one set for car & a single for my other bike & that left me a spare just in case !

So if they work as I expect with the adjusted mounting tab, then cool :)

[Guest]

The question of the reliability of the cooling fans seems quite valid as they look very similar to the 'standard' 12v fans used in many computer systems on processors and other high current devices (powerful gaming video cards etc)., and are not usually designed for outdoor or harsh environments.

If this kit is primarily developed for installation in cars, with sealed connectors and devices, then it should survive in a motorcycle fairing as cars also get their fair share of water splashed up under the bonnet (especially if jet-washed or fully valeted).

It's worth regularly monitoring the functioning of the fans, as I expect that the bulbs may overheat and burn out if they're not working and that could be expensive.

I agree that any saving of power is worthwhile, especially high current devices such as headlamps which (at 12v 90w) equates to a 7.5 amp draw for standard headlamps or greater when all filaments are alight; however, the quoted 25w per bulb is not the only current drawing device in this kit, as ballasts also use some power as will the two fans, so the total draw will probably be in the region of 60w not 50w. (N.B. I expect that the ballasts required on HiD systems will be similar or worse than these LED kits, and still far better than the original Tungsten Halogen bulbs).

Lastly, the Cree brand of high power LED bulbs is well known and respected and I have had held torches, cycle lamps and also underwater torches that use these bulbs. Most of the new generation of high power underwater torches (nee Strobes / Flashlights) use the Cree modules, so I'm seriously considering fitting this or a similar kit to my 2000 VFR FiW.

[Skids]

...I did post it earlier in the thread.

Yea, I know, but 20 pages......

I may have a spare set for sale, as I'm looking to change my car at the moment. I bought a 3 pairs (so 6 bulbs), one set for VFR, one set for car & a single for my other bike & that left me a spare just in case !

So if they work as I expect with the adjusted mounting tab, then cool :)

Ok, I may be interested, depending upon whether or not these bulbs maintain a decent cut-off or not.

I'll try and check tonight.

The question of the reliability of the cooling fans seems quite valid as they look very similar to the 'standard' 12v fans used in many computer systems on processors and other high current devices (powerful gaming video cards etc)., and are not usually designed for outdoor or harsh environments.

If this kit is primarily developed for installation in cars, with sealed connectors and devices, then it should survive in a motorcycle fairing as cars also get their fair share of water splashed up under the bonnet (especially if jet-washed or fully valeted).

It's worth regularly monitoring the functioning of the fans, as I expect that the bulbs may overheat and burn out if they're not working and that could be expensive.

I agree that any saving of power is worthwhile, especially high current devices such as headlamps which (at 12v 90w) equates to a 7.5 amp draw for standard headlamps or greater when all filaments are alight; however, the quoted 25w per bulb is not the only current drawing device in this kit, as ballasts also use some power as will the two fans, so the total draw will probably be in the region of 60w not 50w. (N.B. I expect that the ballasts required on HiD systems will be similar or worse than these LED kits, and still far better than the original Tungsten Halogen bulbs).

Lastly, the Cree brand of high power LED bulbs is well known and respected and I have had held torches, cycle lamps and also underwater torches that use these bulbs. Most of the new generation of high power underwater torches (nee Strobes / Flashlights) use the Cree modules, so I'm seriously considering fitting this or a similar kit to my 2000 VFR FiW.

Thanks for that m8, and welcome!

[Mohawk]

The fans aren't an issue from an environment perspective, they are from a longevity one, due to their small size & high rpm. PC fans have been used for cooling bike RR's etc for many years, I had one on my old RR for a couple of years & that was an old one I salvaged from one of my old CPU coolers.

The system uses a max 2.2amp per bulb on high beam, which is low & high together ! The ballast as you call it, more a voltage drop box has a safety feature if there is no draw on the fan circuit, the bulb comes on at full power for a second or two, then drops to a lower power level. we assume this is a safety feature, but if you are paying attention when you switch your lights on its also an indicator to the driver of fan failure !

When testing for the pics the other evening, the back & front of the bulb unit gets quite hot, hot enough to not want to hold it with bare fingers for more than a couple of seconds to get it out of the headlamp when I'd finished !

[Mohawk]

OK got home earlier than expected & decided to swap the LED's for the set I modified. The results are much better, so here are a couple if pics taken in the same place as the first car ones, similar damp conditions.

The cut off slash is very much improved & selecting high beam actually does something, I think they could be moved even further forward but will look at that later, For now I have a distinct low & high beam ;)

LEDs both sides low beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img819/9786/a2xu.jpg

LEDs both sides high beam

http://imageshack.us/a/img208/6036/l1yn.jpg

Compare to the pics from earlier post.

[zoomzoom]

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

My personal favorite now that a few other suppliers have been mentioned would have to be the Lifetime LED's if for any other reason than the warranty. On the Lifetime LED website there is also a video of the bulb with the integrated fan running while completely submerged in water. This should help alleviate any concerns about the weatherproof nature of the product. They are more expensive than the kit I purchased but there is the consideration of peace of mind........

[BonusVFR]

Thanks ZZ................am still looking at this mod.

[Skids]

Managed to take the bike out for a quick run in the dark just now.

Firstly, I headed up the road and turned around and headed back where my wife was waiting to see if the lights were too dazzling...they weren't apparently. She even bent down to put her head at car drivers height and they were still ok.

I then went out on a short ride down some nearby unlit country roads. I'm not sure what to make of my initial impressions, but here goes; the light is incredibly white, so everything stands out very well on low beam, much better than incandescent bulbs. The light doesn't seem to penetrate as far ahead as I thought it might but this could be an illusion and I really need to do a side-by-side test with another conventionally light 5th Gen. High beam fills the gap ahead but again, not as far as I'd imagined it might. I could be wrong of course and it wasn't more than 2 miles on the back roads.

When I got home, I tried to see the beam pattern on our side wall, but there's not much room and the bike ends up only 15 or so feet away. There's no sharp cut-off at the top at all and the light just fades as you move up the wall...I'm wondering if my headlamps need adjusting upwards???

Also, when I got back into the garage, I can see the bulbs are rotated ever so slightly to the left as you look at them, perhaps only 2 or 3 degrees but it's definitely there. When I have more time this weekend, I may try unscrewing the mount as Mohawk did and see if refitting it makes a difference.

So, all-in-all, I'm still not convinced these are genuine CREE LED bulbs; they don't seem to fit quite right, the high beam is angled and the box was not the same as the advert and there were no instructions. On the up-side, the light is superb, far, far better on low beam for illuminating nearby objects completely but until I can do a proper comparison, I'm going to reserve my judgement.

I'll hopefully head off to work on it tomorrow (roads frozen over today) and see how I get on with the cage drivers.

[zoomzoom]

Hey Skids

I too have noticed that the bulbs are sitting slightly at an angle. When I look closely at the pics of the rear of my headlight housing with the stock HONDA 45/45 W H4 style bulbs I noticed that even those bulbs did not sit perfectly vertical. I think it has more to do with the placement of the tab detents in the headlight housing itself. In North America where we drive on the opposite side of the road to the UK, the bulbs are canted slightly to the right when looking at the headlight housing from the back. This might serve to ever so slightly project the beam pattern away from on coming traffic. Perhaps a design flaw, or maybe it was intentional. Hard to say.

[Mohawk]

Here are a couple of pics of my bulbs, one std, one modified by moving the plate to the rear of the mounting lug. As measured properly now, this moves the led forward 3mm, further than stock. Just be careful if you try this I sheared 2 screws as they held with some thread lock that might be super glue.

http://imageshack.com/i/n8pcfpj

http://imageshack.com/i/0r6zrxj

http://imageshack.com/i/5g7okkj

YMMV

[JZH]

The other thing that I found interesting was that you mentioned that you did not have to cut the tabs off your bulbs to install them in your bike. I found this fact in particular to be curious because a standard H4 style bulb is not compatible with the headlight housing on my bike whereas it is on your bike. For curiosity sake I brought up the pictures of my install and took a look at the picture showing the back of the headlight housing. The first thing I noticed is that the spring clip that holds the bulb in place on your bike sits at a relatively horizontal angle in reference to your headlight housing. On my bike the spring clip sits at roughly a 30 degree angle form horizontal by comparison. It might appear that the headlight housing on the European VFR's versus the North American VFR's are slightly different. I also noticed that the part number, stenciled in white between the headlight holes, is different on your bike versus mine. I would wonder if there might also be a slight difference in the overall shape then of the reflector as well, especially given that a standard H4 style bulb fits the housing on your bike without modification. Hmmmm, INTERESTING. Personally I can't see the reflector being shaped any differently from country to country but, HEH, who knows.

The US headlight standard (aka "DOT") is different from the European headlight standard, even for LHD countries. The relevant markings on the backs of the headlight housings are "A" (country code for the USA) and "UK" (country code for the UK). The most obvious difference is that in Europe there is a distinct cut-off, whereas in the US there is a design element that is supposed to direct a small amount of light upward to help illuminate overhead road signs. Yes, really.

As for RHD countries, such as the UK, the reflectors are completely different, as are the bulbs' positions within those reflectors. Somewhere on the Web is my photographic comparison of ST1300 UK, US and German-spec headlamp units (all of which I have used in my US-spec ST1300, which now resides in Italy). Otherwise, the RHD and LHD "euro" standard appears to be similar, albeit mirror images of each other.

I don't know about the other types of bulbs, but H4s used on Honda motorcycles in the USA, Japan and Australia are not the same as the H4s used in the rest of the world. They have a different base, such that they cannot be interchanged easily (without snipping tabs or modifying headlight units), as the wattages of the different types of H4 are different.

Earlier in this thread Cree confirmed that they didn't make the H4 "bulbs" in these kits (though they did say they could not determine the authenticity of the actual LED chips without examining them).

Ciao,

[Skids]

Rode to work & back in the daylight today with not a single flash from any cages.

Also noticed an above average number of drivers moving out of my way. I usually get a few, especially on dual-carriageways (2-lane highway) but today the number was noticeably higher.

After 45mins, when I arrived at work, the rear of the bulbs was not hot but the reg/rec was, not badly so, but hot. Same on the way home.

I also had a thought on the way home too....someone raised earlier a concern that the reg/rec will need to deal with the excess voltage because of the reduced draw of the LED's, but 5th Gens have a headlamp OFF switch, so the system must be designed to deal with absolutely no draw from the lights. That should surely mean that the reduction due the LEDs has little/no effect on the reg/rec????????

[Veefer800Canuck]

We don't have the headlight OFF switch in North America. FYI.

[Skids]

We don't have the headlight OFF switch in North America. FYI.

Ok.....good for us, perhaps not so good for you guys.

[Burkov]

Mi bike is from the US too, and i dont have a flick button for high beam.

I have seen that button on all bikes from europe.

You can see it here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-VFR800-VFR-800-FiW-Left-Hand-Switch-/400169123760?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts_13&hash=item5d2bf03fb0

[zoomzoom]

In an effort to make things a bit easier for those who have come to find this thread just recently (considering there now appears to be 20 some odd pages of information and opinions) I thought I would recap a few of the LED headlight supplier links that have been posted so far so that the newcomers don't have to go searching through all the posts. There is a large range of costs and warranties so there are numerous options to choose from.

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

6. Ebay Seller dmihawk. Cost $79.98 US (No warranty listed that I could find, but it might be hiding in the links page somewhere)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181269034356?item=181269034356&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:L:OC:US:3160&vxp=mtr

[Jon28]

This has been a great thread. I'm staying tuned to see the longevity reports before I pull the trigger!

[Mohawk]

So after a LONG time, I finally fitted my LED bulbs, as per everyone else I had removed the fairing to do this & did some spring cleaning whilst it was off. So no pics of the strip etc as others have covered it, so here is the result. I also added a 5 bulb LED that I had spare from my instrument light install as the parking lamp. Please not the camera picks up more light than the human eye & the drive is a down slope, with bike on main stand, so low beam is higher than it would normally be from in front. I could not see the flair that the camera shows in the low beam shot !

Parking Lamp

Low beam looking at bike

Low beam from lip of screen

High beam from lip of screen

High beam looking at bike

Instruments with new LED bulbs

[Switchblade]

Dam nice !!!