LED light replacement (Buddy and others)

pinthea · Post by **pinthea** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:15 pm

Hi,

Looking for some comments from the members on this question.

On my Buddy 170i I am looking to replace my stock bulbs with LED bulbs, with the intent of eventually doing the Voodoo upgrade for running lights, etc...

First let me say that I understand I will need the universal flasher relay, and that I should consider voltage regulation if I don't get LEDs that have a wide tolerance for voltage fluctuations.

My question is about the existing bulbs that came stock... As I examine my 2012 Buddy 170i, I notice the following:

Front DOT bulbs:
2 bulbs
clear lens
colored bulb
bulb glass is slightly larger than the ones in the front deadlights and the ones in the rear running lights

Front deadlight:
2 bulbs
clear lens
colored bulb
bulb glass is the same size as the rear running bulbs, smaller than the front DOT bulbs

Rear running:
2 bulbs
clear lens
colored bulb
bulb glass is the same size as the front deadlight bulbs, smaller than the front DOT bulbs

The questions I'm looking for insights on are the following:

1. Do we know whether the bulb color is AMBER or RED?

2. All bulbs appear to be 1156 type, with differences in size of the glass bulb itself; can I just use the same 1156 LED in all 6 spots?

3. Is there a regulation that all 6 MUST BE amber/red, or would it be better to use white color for any or all of them? (It seems that for running deadlights, white might be better?)

Thanks in advance for your perspectives!

spr0k3t · Post by **spr0k3t** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:02 pm

Before you go and replace the lights with that of a specific color, you should go over lighting restrictions for your state and local laws. In my area, no other lighting can be white other than the reverse, license plate, and headlight for any vehicle if the indicator lens is clear. If your lens is amber, you should go with an amber bulb, red lens would be best with a red bulb. The lens will filter out any colors it can and only show what color the bulb is giving out. You would think white would be the best light for everything, but it's not. A white bulb behind an amber lens looks "meek" and not nearly as bright as an amber bulb behind the same lens.

I've done quite a bit of research on the bulbs for the RH50 and posted that here: topic22343.html Much of the information I've found is the same as the Buddy.

ThreeSheets · Post by **ThreeSheets** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:48 pm

http://autolumination.com/has every style bulb in LED, and they are quality. I've used them in various vehicles always with great results.

VSP · Post by **VSP** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:16 pm

1. Do we know whether the bulb color is AMBER or RED?
Amber.
2. All bulbs appear to be 1156 type, with differences in size of the glass bulb itself; can I just use the same 1156 LED in all 6 spots?
The "deadlight" and rear bulbs are 1156 BA15s. The DOT bulbs are 1156 BAU15s (also called 7507).
3. Is there a regulation that all 6 MUST BE amber/red, or would it be better to use white color for any or all of them? (It seems that for running deadlights, white might be better?)
Varies from state to state. You'll have to check your local codes.

Demo_Nic · Post by **Demo_Nic** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 4:49 pm

I'm still a little confused. I know I'm suppose to get the 1156 BAU15 for the stock blinkers and deadlights but there are so many to choose from such as 11, 19 or 45 led ones. Are they all okay or am I suppose to use a certain one? Which one do you recommend?

spr0k3t · Post by **spr0k3t** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 5:23 pm

You need to look at the measurements. The bulb type will definitely fit the socket, but will the bulb fit the housing. The best thing to do is take a measurement of the bulb with a set of calipers to get an exact reading. From there, find the max width of LED bulb that will fit the same dimensions.

ed85379 · Post by **ed85379** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 6:30 pm

Demo_Nic wrote:I'm still a little confused. I know I'm suppose to get the 1156 BAU15 for the stock blinkers and deadlights but there are so many to choose from such as 11, 19 or 45 led ones. Are they all okay or am I suppose to use a certain one? Which one do you recommend?

My recommendation for the dead-lights, if you have them on as running lights is:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... -x45-T.htm

The 1156 version, of course.

Demo_Nic · Post by **Demo_Nic** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:08 pm

Thanks Ed and Spr0k3t. Does anyone happen to have a picture of their buddy with white bulbs on their dead lights? I'm trying to decide whether to use amber or white LED's for the dead lights. I can see the amber ones on Lil Buddy's avatar but haven't found one with white lights. Thank you so much!

k1dude · Post by **k1dude** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 12:55 am

Ouch. $50 before shipping for deadlight replacement?

ed85379 · Post by **ed85379** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:35 am

Demo_Nic wrote:Thanks Ed and Spr0k3t. Does anyone happen to have a picture of their buddy with white bulbs on their dead lights? I'm trying to decide whether to use amber or white LED's for the dead lights. I can see the amber ones on Lil Buddy's avatar but haven't found one with white lights. Thank you so much!

I think you should consider what you want them for. If you just want them to increase your visibility to other drivers in front of you, then amber is fine. If, however, you want to increase your own visibility of the road, go for white. I recommend those because they are *bright*

spr0k3t · Post by **spr0k3t** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 2:38 am

Yeah, those suckers would be bright... 200+ lumens in comparison to an incandescent 85 lumens if you are lucky. You could go with regular amber and call them fog lights... no just kidding. They are bright, just not as bright as you would find from a standard 35W halogen rated at closer to 450 lumens (rough estimation based on home halogen lighting standards).

pinthea · Post by **pinthea** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 3:04 am

ed85379 wrote:
Demo_Nic wrote:Thanks Ed and Spr0k3t. Does anyone happen to have a picture of their buddy with white bulbs on their dead lights? I'm trying to decide whether to use amber or white LED's for the dead lights. I can see the amber ones on Lil Buddy's avatar but haven't found one with white lights. Thank you so much!
I think you should consider what you want them for. If you just want them to increase your visibility to other drivers in front of you, then amber is fine. If, however, you want to increase your own visibility of the road, go for white. I recommend those because they are *bright*

Ed, which bulbs did you get for DOTs and rear signals?

pinthea · Post by **pinthea** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 3:14 am

I see lots of Oregonians on here, here you go, in case you were wondering what color LEDs are legal:

http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/816.html

Demo_Nic · Post by **Demo_Nic** » Tue Jul 10, 2012 3:17 am

I mostly want them to increase my visibility to other drivers so I will stick with amber. Thank you for the advice.

amy · Post by **amy** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 2:11 am

I just had these installed today. I don't know what the bulbs are, I just know they are B R I G H T and I love them!

If anyone wants the deets contact http://www.twistnscoot.com/ in Decatur, GA.

ed85379 · Post by **ed85379** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 5:51 am

pinthea wrote:
ed85379 wrote:
Demo_Nic wrote:Thanks Ed and Spr0k3t. Does anyone happen to have a picture of their buddy with white bulbs on their dead lights? I'm trying to decide whether to use amber or white LED's for the dead lights. I can see the amber ones on Lil Buddy's avatar but haven't found one with white lights. Thank you so much!
I think you should consider what you want them for. If you just want them to increase your visibility to other drivers in front of you, then amber is fine. If, however, you want to increase your own visibility of the road, go for white. I recommend those because they are *bright*
Ed, which bulbs did you get for DOTs and rear signals?

I never replaced the rears, so they are still stock incandescent. For the DOT lights, I got the MATRIX II Leds from autolumination.com. I got those when I got the original ones from them for the dead-light positions, but I wouldn't buy from them again. Besides an awful customer service exchange I had with them, they do not keep the bulb images updated and accurate, and not to mention their site is exceedingly poorly designed.

thatvwbusguy · Post by **thatvwbusguy** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 5:03 am

In the photo above, it looks like the headlight was replaced with a multi-element high output LED. This could be dangerous and is definitely illegal because of the way the LED bulb focuses it's beam as compared to a standard filament bulb like the stock halogen headlight bulb.

While it may appear that the LED is brighter during the day, it will create a much different output pattern, cutoff and focal length of the headlight while riding at night. As a general rule, the focal length of this type of LED bulb will be much shorter than a stock halogen filament bulb because of the way the light is reflected off of the silver parabolic reflector at the back of the headlight.

If you only ride during the day, there is no need to worry about the LED in the headlamp. But when riding at night, this could be a major safety concern.

The best bulb I have found for 50cc scooters is the PIAA Super Plasma GT-X HS1. They are not cheap, but the lumen output and color temperature are really good and it won't overtax the charging system on any scooter.

amy · Post by **amy** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:04 pm

thatvwbusguy wrote:In the photo above, it looks like the headlight was replaced with a multi-element high output LED. This could be dangerous and is definitely illegal because of the way the LED bulb focuses it's beam as compared to a standard filament bulb like the stock halogen headlight bulb.

While it may appear that the LED is brighter during the day, it will create a much different output pattern, cutoff and focal length of the headlight while riding at night. As a general rule, the focal length of this type of LED bulb will be much shorter than a stock halogen filament bulb because of the way the light is reflected off of the silver parabolic reflector at the back of the headlight.

Yep, you're right. I rode it at night for the first time last night and while I could see the ground around the scoot well (probably because of the dead light LEDs), it was difficult to see much of the road ahead of me. I have reached out to my dealer to find out what his thoughts are and to see what options I have. Thanks!

skully93 · Post by **skully93** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:41 pm

keep us updated! I'm always interested in these threads.

I haven't modified mine yet, but it's only a matter of time (and a little money...)

thatvwbusguy · Post by **thatvwbusguy** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:04 pm

I am going to try these 3W LEDs in the deadlights on my wife's Buddy 50. The output of these is a more focal 320 degree pattern that closely mimics a standard filament bulb. In theory, this should work much better than the multi-element LEDs.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo ... -lens/921/

For the deadlights, I will use the cool white color, since it should match the color temp of the PIAA Super Plasma GT-X HS1 fairly well.

I use one of these bulbs (an 1157 dual intensity) for the tail/brake light on my Zuma 125 and it is definitely brighter than the stock bulb was.

Once I get them ordered and hooked up, I will post some photos.

As far as a replacement Plug & Play LED bulb for the actual headlight goes, there is really nothing on the market that is even close to working correctly. The stock headlight bulb has carefully designed reflective baffles within the bulb that guides the beam output back to the silver parabolic reflector, where it is shaped to properly light the road in front of your scoot.

The lack of this internal reflective structure is the reason that there are currently no stand alone LED replacement bulbs that will work properly for our headlights (and also why all of the cheap HID retrofit kits that some folks install tend to glare all over the place and are illegal in most states).

thatvwbusguy · Post by **thatvwbusguy** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:25 pm

The 3W LED deadlight bulbs are installed and work even better than I thought they would. Here is a link to the install post with photos: topic23373.html

amy · Post by **amy** » Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:48 pm

Welp.

After two weeks of riding around with the LED headlamp, I decided it wasn't for me.

Although it the light was super bright (street signs reflecting back were BRIGHT) and the light sort of "sprayed" outwards, I felt I could not see things in/on the road as well as I like, and the high beam is really important to me, as I flick it to "alert" cars that I am on the road/coming around a low vis curve/corner.

With the LED I just didn't get the visibility I feel I need at night for safety.

Sooo...today I got a halogen back in the headlamp and even just shining into my parking garage and on a wall I feel like it travels much farther forward and reflects more powerfully off the wall than the LED did.

I did keep the "dead light" LEDs installed though. They look awesome and light up around the scooter very nicely.

basilfawlty · Post by **basilfawlty** » Fri Sep 14, 2012 4:26 am

I ordered these inexpensive bulbs on ebay.

They're not quite as bright as the stock bulbs. Check out the video comparison.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/w5RplM7cA_U?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

thatvwbusguy · Post by **thatvwbusguy** » Fri Sep 14, 2012 5:10 am

The eBay bulbs would probably work pretty well if they were also installed in the deadlight position as turn signals.

I should have some amber 1156 3W LED bulbs for the rear turn signals in the next couple days. I was following my wife the other day and noticed that the rear turn signals are not as bright as I would like them to be.

I am not 100% sure if the depth of the 3W bulbs will work for the front DOT turn signals, but I will check. I will also try to remember to post a video of the rear signals with one LED and one stock bulb for comparison purposes.

BANNER2054 · Post by **BANNER2054** » Fri Sep 14, 2012 4:10 pm

[quote]The 3W LED deadlight bulbs are installed and work even better than I thought they would. Here is a link to the install post with photos: topic23373.html[quote]

I looked at getting these bulbs too. Has anyone installed them in the rear blinkers? I went with another bulb that has a Cree LED chip. 3W for the rear blinkers and 7W projection bulbs for the deadlights. The 3W will not fit in the blinkers; plastic reflector housing is in the way. It’s like the socket is too deep, had a difficult time getting the stock bulb out of the socket as well; since the socket is so deep the glass of the bulb is tightly up against the plastic reflector housing. The 7W fit the deadlights but mine are not wired up yet. I tested them in the reverse lights on my car to see if they worked and how bright they look. WOW, completely lite up my neighbor’s house across the street. I'll post a pic once they are wired up. I’ve got LED reflectors ordered to replace the front fork and side license plate reflectors and a chrome license plate holder that as an LED light in it. Still shopping for brake modulator, LED marker lights to dimly illuminate the floor mat, cup holder on the Gen-U-Bin and down light the tops of the front and rear fenders. I want to wire in everything at once and put a switch in for the accent LEDs. It’s a work in progress....

thatvwbusguy · Post by **thatvwbusguy** » Sun Sep 16, 2012 2:58 am

The 3W LED bulbs are too long to work in either set of turn signals. Back to the drawing board to find something brighter than stock that will fit in the shallow lens.

In more positive news, I installed the brake light modulator from superbrightleds.com and it works great. Only one wire to tap into and the strobe effect is great:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo ... odule/194/

For less than $10.00, it is probably the best bang for the buck as an easy to install safety upgrade.

pinthea · Post by **pinthea** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 5:42 pm

BANNER2054 wrote:
The 3W LED deadlight bulbs are installed and work even better than I thought they would. Here is a link to the install post with photos: topic23373.html[quote]

I looked at getting these bulbs too. Has anyone installed them in the rear blinkers? I went with another bulb that has a Cree LED chip. 3W for the rear blinkers and 7W projection bulbs for the deadlights. The 3W will not fit in the blinkers; plastic reflector housing is in the way. It’s like the socket is too deep, had a difficult time getting the stock bulb out of the socket as well; since the socket is so deep the glass of the bulb is tightly up against the plastic reflector housing....
This was exactly my problem with the rear LED replacement. Every set of 1156's I tried that were LED seemingly have a base that's a tad too short. Thought about whittling/carving away some of the silvery plastic to make enough of a dimple for the LED's to seat fully, haven't done it yet. My luck, I'll break something...

Modern Buddy

LED light replacement (Buddy and others)

LED light replacement (Buddy and others)

Re: LED light replacement (Buddy and others)