LED Headlight?

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GregsBuddy
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LED Headlight?

Post by GregsBuddy »

Maybe this has been covered before.
What is the consensus for the best LED aftermarket product? I installed the LED running light updated for the front unused turn signals and it really helps daylight visibility of my silver 170i.
'09 Yamaha TMAX Large sport scoot.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

Yes, this has been covered in several posts, but...

In my experience, an LED headlight conversion is much brighter, uses less power, produces almost no heat, costs less, and lasts longer than an ordinary halogen bulb. On the negative side depending on the particular LED design, they have a more scattered light pattern due, I think, to a headlight reflector not optimized for LED. The scattering is less pronounced when more LED elements are used around the circumference of the bulb. I had one that had 5 elements that was not too bad. Even though the light pattern may not be the best, the ultra bright headlight is more readily seen by other motorists, particularly in the daytime. With all that being said, most LED conversions won't work in a Buddy because the speedometer assembly in the headlight housing sits too close to the headlight housing which interferes with most LED cooling fans. There are LED conversions that don't use a cooling fan, but instead uses long metal braids as a heatsink, but I've never tried one of those.

Another alternative to halogen is an HID conversion. They provide a better light pattern because their light emissions are more like a regular incandescent bulb. The HID bulb does not have anything hanging off it's backside so as to cause interference. The only problem is if the bulb has high-beam/low-beam capability, there is usually some kind of metal shield around the bulb which is too big to fit in a standard bulb opening without modifications to the reflector housing. I currently run HID in my Blur and was attempting to use one in my Buddy, but the HID kit that I received was defective and has to be returned. And yes, I did have to do a slight modification to the reflector housing in order to make it fit.

Last thoughts - I've been using 6000K light temperature (bluish white) LED and HID conversions and even though they are brighter than halogen, sometimes there is a visual impression that there is less light being thrown out. I don't know if this is due to the scattering or reflector design, or maybe something else. I'm thinking maybe a light temperature in the 4300K range (more in the yellow range, like a halogen) might give good results in both light pattern and perceived brightness. I'm going to try that next seeing how inexpensive HID conversions are.

Others may have different experiences and opinions on this.
Some people can break a crowbar in a sandbox.
GregsBuddy
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Post by GregsBuddy »

Thank you very much for your detailed response. Reading other posts by you it's clear that you're an informed scooterist.
I like working on my scoot's and read quite a bit. My search skills are not so great in this or the MV forums. I tend to find a lot of nonsense.
I had the top cover off the 170i yesterday and there's very little room up there for anything aside from the incandescent bulb that comes with the scoot'. My daughter rode behind me on the 170i yesterday and the headlight is quite dim. A change to LED is in the cards...
'09 Yamaha TMAX Large sport scoot.
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babblefish
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Post by babblefish »

I just tried installing an HID conversion in my 2008 Buddy and I can tell you that it doesn't work. It fits OK, and the harness plugs right in, but the non-FI alternator doesn't make enough current at start-up to ignite the HID bulb. It could be the particular HID kit that I bought, but not really sure. I'm pretty sure the 170i FI engine has a more robust alternator to handle the requirements of FI, so an HID conversion might work in that case.
Some people can break a crowbar in a sandbox.
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