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In a pinch, I could probably a make clip if I had to, but I certainly wouldn't enjoy doing it!
Out riding last night, I finally had a chance to get on some absolutely dark roads...wooded area, no traffic lights, no ambient traffic. Not even any road lines!
This is where I've started to wonder how well the throw of the LED bulb compares to the stock...and I'm honestly not sure if it's an improvement.
With the LED, I find that I begin to over-ride the low-beam at around 25 mph, maybe 30. I can't remember how I did with this on the stock bulb; I never bothered to check. (For that reason, it will likely be going back in this weekend, just to compare).
The LED low-beam produces a nice, wide, evenly-lit field with no hotspots, which terminates at a distinct line about 32 feet out from my front axle.
(I measured). At just 22 mph, I'm covering that distance about every second. Beyond that line is a black abyss, which I don't remember having to deal with on the stock bulb. Maybe I was just using the high beam more often? I just can't remember. With either bulb, the high-beam solves all problems, and this is where the LED is absolutely fantastic. But if I find that the low-beam throw seriously outperforms the LED, I may go back.
We'll see!!
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Randy,
Thanks for the pic. I see it now.
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Jim with the conditions you described.. No ambient light, no traffic lights, wooded, absolutely dark road..I would never be on the low beam..that would be 100% high beam for me and I have mine set to show me the longest distance on the road it can.
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(09-24-2015, 11:20 PM)Jim21680_imp Wrote: In a pinch, I could probably a make clip if I had to, but I certainly wouldn't enjoy doing it!
Out riding last night, I finally had a chance to get on some absolutely dark roads...wooded area, no traffic lights, no ambient traffic. Not even any road lines!
This is where I've started to wonder how well the throw of the LED bulb compares to the stock...and I'm honestly not sure if it's an improvement.
With the LED, I find that I begin to over-ride the low-beam at around 25 mph, maybe 30. I can't remember how I did with this on the stock bulb; I never bothered to check. (For that reason, it will likely be going back in this weekend, just to compare).
The LED low-beam produces a nice, wide, evenly-lit field with no hotspots, which terminates at a distinct line about 32 feet out from my front axle.
(I measured). At just 22 mph, I'm covering that distance about every second. Beyond that line is a black abyss, which I don't remember having to deal with on the stock bulb. Maybe I was just using the high beam more often? I just can't remember. With either bulb, the high-beam solves all problems, and this is where the LED is absolutely fantastic. But if I find that the low-beam throw seriously outperforms the LED, I may go back.
We'll see!!
That sounds like my experience with the stock bulb at the factory headlight setting. I didn't like it at all. A quick adjustment of the bucket's angle cured that and gave me a beam that reaches out farther, without the abrupt "line of darkness". I think the factory setting was far too low for safe night riding.
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Well I've had the LED in the headlight for about a month now, so here is my "long term" update:
With late-afternoon daylight becoming increasingly scarce this time of year, I've been enjoying a bit more nighttime riding lately.
As I mentioned previously, after the initial install, I took out the LED and swapped back to the OEM bulb for a couple days, just to see how it compared. Regarding coverage and throw, both bulbs ended up being about the same, with that extinction line about 32 feet out.
However, I must admit that after using the LED for a short time, it made the OEM bulb seem totally, inadequately dim.
It wasn't long before I swapped back to the LED, but I did take other people's advice, and rotated the lamp up a few degrees. This one, seemingly insignificant adjustment made all the difference in the world. The extinction line is now probably 50 feet out, and it makes nighttime riding much more comfortable. I'd recommend almost anyone consider doing this, even with the stock light. It doesn't take much to make a noticeable difference and improvement.
One other thing I've noticed is that the LED does not seem to make any noticeable improvement in daytime visibility.
It's not any worse, either, but what I'm saying is that from 100 yards away, both bulbs look like the same little white dot, just different color whites. In my opinion, the orange running lamps on both sides of the headlight are a much more prominent and noticeable feature.
So, in conclusion, I will propose to all that this specific LED lamp is definitely a worthwhile consideration for anyone looking to improve their nighttime vision and visibility. With a slight adjustment to the lamp angle (and to the retaining clip), it is remarkably more effective at illuminating the road ahead, and it makes nighttime riding really enjoyable. For the price of about $50 bucks to my doorstep, I think it's some of the best money I've spent on this bike. If you get one and don't like it, you can only blame me!
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Not sure how I missed this thread, but I'm finding some good info here. Jim, in the other thread, you mentioned an H7 bulb. Is that really what you got? The website link you posted (Advmonster?) shows a discontinued product, or maybe they're all out of stock. All it says is "Not Found" in big red letters. I also see that on this thread, you posted about an H4 bulb, which is obviously correct for our motorcycles.
I see the retaining spring y'all are talking about, but I don't understand what the problem is. If it's the same type of bulb (the H4), wouldn't that be a universal fit around that ring?
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Oops! Yes, the H7 reference was a mistake...it was the H4 bulb that I purchased. (Maybe I can go edit that later).
I see the link to the bulb I purchased is no longer active. This was the "H4 Rev2" bulb, and I believe the $40-dollar H4 currently on the website is the older Revision 1.
Looking around, I noticed that on Wednesday of last week, someone on Advrider mentioned their "H4 Rev3" would be coming out in a couple of weeks.
http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/ad...05/page-50
"SanJoh" seems to be a product rep for either Advmonster, or the company that makes the lights...but it sounds like it's worth waiting a short while to see what comes out.
As for the retaining clip, the heat sinking on the LED bulb occupies the same space as part of the retainer clip, which is not a problem with the heat-sinkless OEM bulb.
Looking back, I wish I had just bent it out of the way, rather that cut it, but it works just the same. Honda designed a "handle" into the clip, so we could change bulbs with just our fingers. With the modification I made, I simply need a small screwdriver.
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I sent an email to the folks at the ADVmonster website, with in an inquiry into the new H4 LED bulb that's on its way to the market.
They say it'll be available very soon, even before the end of the year. With that in mind, I think I'll give this one a try when it come out.
For what I expect will be a $50-$60 dollar experiment, it's prudent to at least give it a try. If I'm not happy with it, I now have a solid (albeit expensive) backup plan, with the full-bucket swap that the other member did on his 2014 model. I really look forward to getting this upgrade, as I believe it will make quite an improvement on how much I enjoy this riding this bike after sunset.
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Well folks, it's ordered! The air has lately been a bit frigid for my riding tastes, but I'm very much looking forward to giving this new lamp an evaluation.
http://stores.advmonster.com/h4-r3-led-headlight/
Stay tuned for an update.
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(01-11-2016, 04:03 PM)Bob Sdaman_imp Wrote: Well folks, it's ordered! The air has lately been a bit frigid for my riding tastes, but I'm very much looking forward to giving this new lamp an evaluation.
http://stores.advmonster.com/h4-r3-led-headlight/
Stay tuned for an update.
I just ordered one too. I was going to wait for your update but my lack of patience got the best of me. I'll update with my results as well.
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