Speedmetal LED Headlights

[MnBueller]

Hey guys!
Long time no chat. Been busy fighting off Old Man Winter in these parts.
My lovely wife was good enough to buy a pair of Speedmetal LED headlight conversion bulbs for me for XMas.
I'm pretty excited about the increase in light output from these, but of course they are not a direct "plug 'em in and drive" install. They go into the housing just fine, but I am trying to figure out how to seal the housing around them. They won't fit under the stock rubber boots due to a large apparatus on the back of the bulb, and you couldn't anyway because that apparatus has to be exposed to the air to cool everything. I'm playing with making my own seal of some sort, but wanted to ask if anyone else has installed these and came p with a brilliant solution.[confused]

 

[Shawns]

Cut a circular opening in the rubber boot so it will pass through. This will allow the fans to breath.

 

[MnBueller]

Thought of that myself, but it's not very workable as you need a bit more material to actually go into the housing a bit to fit around the narrow part of the bulb while not blocking airflow. That is extra challenging due to the fact that the cooling part of the bulb is surrounded by the lip that the original boot snaps onto. Plus I'd like to keep the original boot in case I am forced to go back to plain bulbs. Might try to fabricate something with a piece of rubber roofing material...

 

[MnBueller]

Update #1
Plugged one of the lights in to see how it looked: I like the whiteness of the light and it looks like it's going to be brighter, but we'll have to wait till spring to see if that's true.
I tried my idea of using some rubber gasket material to make my own boot. Not a great solution. Lots of puckering around the flange that didn't look like it would seal very well, even with a hose clamp around it.
Next try: I ordered a couple of new OEM boots to see if I can cut a nice perfectly round hole for the bulb and then stretch them down to make them work. They are only $3.25 each, so a pretty cheap experiment.
I will let you know how it goes...

 

[Shawns]

There was a seller on e-bay that had them for normal headlights. Just a thought.

 

[MnBueller]

Thanks Shawns. I will take a look.

 

[worker88]

I just installed them for my low beam. I had the same problem and cut an X into the rubber boot then pushed the excess rubber inward. So far the output is ok but I can't give a full review yet as my low reflector is too faded from years of use. So I ordered a new headlight. Should arrive in a few days or so along with a follow up.

 

[MnBueller]

Good to know there is someone else trying this worker88. Le me know what you think when you get them out on the road.

 

[worker88]

I finally put the lowbeam bulb in with the new head light this weekend. I was very surprised at the light output. After coming from my faded and worn headlights, the difference is dramatic.

The output appears much closer to the high beam reflector but a wider spread. The hi beam even with its yellow bulb is much less noticeable when on now. I had to point my headlight lower than usual as it seemed nearly dangerous for other drivers at night. Still fine tuning how they are aimed, but so far they seem worth the price. Not completely in love with the LED blue look, but ill get used to it. Its also very noticeable how much it lights up reflective surfaces.

Rubber boot

Low

Low + High

Low

Low + High

Low

 

[MnBueller]

Thanks for the pics worker88![up]
I finally got mine in with the extra stock boots I bought, and so far so good.
I still wish I had more rubber material so they could have a bit more room to breathe, but I'll keep everyone updated if anything fails.
No pics for me yet, I still can't ride at night up here in the Great White North!

 

[Shawns]

Check these out. No extra wiring for a led driver. These have them all combined.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/131459319890?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Just food for thought. I ordered a set for my buddies fog lights, I'll let you know how they turn out.

 

[MnBueller]

Looks interesting Shawns. I'm guessing this market is going to blow up as more and more manufacturers figure out what a demand there will be for these. Keep us updated...

 

[MnBueller]

O.K. I have tried out the new headlights and have mixed reviews.
The LED bulbs themselves work just as advertised. Super bright and kind of a cool blue-white light.
I like the look of them, and I also like that they are drawing less current.
As for their performance in the dark...meh.
The low beams are noticeably brighter, on the street in front of me and the area surrounding the bike.
The high beams however still just seem to throw light out into space, without actually tossing any down the road as they should. I can see the reflective signs further down the road than before, but not much else.
I have played with aiming them a bit, but no luck in making it much better.
My final word then is that I believe it is a flaw in the design of the reflector rather than inadequate bulbs.
So buy them if you like the look and performance, not to fix your high beam's range.
Denali driving lights in the future for me!

 

[ConeyRampant]

I know this thread is old now, but I've wondering lately if LEDs are a better/easier choice for my '04 Firebolt (which still has the original light housings) than HIDs.