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+--- Thread: headlight not compatible? (/showthread.php?tid=4684)
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headlight not compatible? - GroovyBunny86_imp - 12-06-2020
Hey guys, so absolute nightmare. My 2014 CB has been in the shop since the beginning of June because i went to a mom and pop shop and somehow they have 5 star reviews but are lazy as all hell until you yell at them. I don't think they touched
my bike until i screamed at them to get my bike inspected so my registration wasn't late even with my 5 month pandemic registration extension... end rant....
but since he probably didn't touch my bike till now, he's saying the led headlight listed below i snagged on ebay (and i believe was recommended on here) is "incompatible"
and he can't find an adapter or bike with a similar headlight that he could snag parts from.... thoughts, is this accurate or is another case of extreme lazy and i should just take my friggin bike home!!!!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Halo-Headlight-LED-Headlamp-For-Honda-CB400-500-1300-Hornet-250-600-900-VTEC-VTR/183938412394?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
RE: headlight not compatible? - LongRanger_imp - 12-06-2020
If you’re that upset with them, get your bike back and have someone else figure out the headlight.
RE: headlight not compatible? - Lord Popgun - 12-06-2020
It says for CB1100 and comes with an adapter cable. I’d say do what LR says, or take it home, take the headlight apart and post some pics. Someone here will be able to help.
RE: headlight not compatible? - Tev62 - 12-06-2020
It should be very simple to see if the headlight is compatible yourself, just take it off and look to see if the connectors match. If you are shouting at a dealer to get stuff done your relationship with them is shot, I would take your bike and either do it yourself or find another shop.
RE: headlight not compatible? - Paris_imp - 12-06-2020
I suspect what they are talking about is not the headlight itself, but the halo ring. The headlight uses an H4 connection, which is plug-and-play. I have replaced maybe a dozen halogen H4 lights with H4 LEDs on my cars and motorcycles without any compatibility issues. They just work, that’s all.
The halo ring, however, requires a little wiring knowledge and some splicing, which may be beyond their ability or ambition.
RE: headlight not compatible? - j3gq_imp - 12-06-2020
While I agree with most of what's been said before, in particular get the bike out if you don't trust them ...., here is one caveat. I cannot find the source of this statement, but sb / somewhere had said that the harness in a CB11 fitted with LED lights is smaller wire gauge, because it carries less current. And if that's the case, regardless of connectors, adapters and all the rest, you may wonna sell your LED light, and spare yourself a lot of trouble.
Not to forget another aspect of this mod. A new H4 is 10 bucks, a new LED is how much ? (yes I know, they are lasting longer ... statistically).
RE: headlight not compatible? - Paris_imp - 12-06-2020
(12-06-2020, 03:03 AM)j3gq_imp Wrote: While I agree with most of what's been said before, in particular get the bike out if you don't trust them ...., here is one caveat. I cannot find the source of this statement, but sb / somewhere had said that the harness in a CB11 fitted with LED lights is smaller wire gauge, because it carries less current. And if that's the case, regardless of connectors, adapters and all the rest, you may wonna sell your LED light, and spare yourself a lot of trouble.
Not to forget another aspect of this mod. A new H4 is 10 bucks, a new LED is how much ? (yes I know, they are lasting longer ... statistically).
I think I said that in a post about splicing a Kisan headlight modulator into a ‘17 CB1100 EX. The ‘17EX comes with an LED headlight and I remarked that the wires were of a surprisingly small gauge. This presented no problems, except for making the crimp connectors work on two different wire gauges.
The ‘17EX does not use an H4, or any standard headlight connector. At the time I fitted my modulator on, I had to use the Kisan splice in option. Afterward, I had a very enjoyable email correspondence with the Kisan owner. I shared my pin diagram for the ‘17EX connector, and he identified the type, and sent me a spare to play with. Since then, Kisan has offered a plug-and-play headlight modulator for the ‘17EX.
RE: headlight not compatible? - Houtman_imp - 12-06-2020
I had a bad experience trying a LED on my 2013 and 2014 and went back to the H4 .
Unless you change the lens you could be disappointed in just changing the bulbs.
Sometimes mom and pop bike shop are not all that great , mom and pop diners might be a better shot.
RE: headlight not compatible? - GoldOxide_imp - 12-06-2020
(12-06-2020, 07:31 AM)Houtman_imp Wrote: I had a bad experience trying a LED on my 2013 and 2014 and went back to the H4 .
Unless you change the lens you could be disappointed in just changing the bulbs.
Sometimes mom and pop bike shop are not all that great , mom and pop diners might be a better shot.
I've always liked the H4 bulb and original bucket lens on the CB1100.
RE: headlight not compatible? - Paris_imp - 12-06-2020
(12-06-2020, 07:31 AM)Houtman_imp Wrote: I had a bad experience trying a LED on my 2013 and 2014 and went back to the H4 .
Unless you change the lens you could be disappointed in just changing the bulbs.
Sometimes mom and pop bike shop are not all that great , mom and pop diners might be a better shot.
This is true. If you replace just the bulb with an LED H4 bulb, and not the entire housing, you will not have the same beam pattern. The LED bulb used in a halogen reflector will not produce a uniform light distribution. There will be bright spots and dark areas. However, (IMHO) the overall increase in light, and the improved color temperature, justify the trade-off. You can achieve a better result by using LED bulbs which allow you to adjust the beam, like HIKARI H4 bulbs sold by Amazon, but the resulting pattern is never perfect.
On the other hand, our Hondas and most older motorcycles use standard 7 or 5.75 inch round headlights, or a rectangular light, and it is easy to simply drop in a complete LED headlight. The only bike I have trouble doing this with is my Royal Enfield Bullet, which uses an odd conical housing to hold the headlight inside the bucket. The housing is too shallow for the cooling fins on an LED headlight, but I am in the process of cutting away enough of a spare inner housing with a Dremmel tool to make it fit.