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1992 K75 Standard LED headlight conversion
- Thread starter 105643
- Start date
pglaves
#13338
It has been a long time since I looked at K75 conversions. When I did the big issue was the dual (low beam, high beam) configuration of the H4 bulb. It was very problematic with HID. I don't know about LED but what you are looking for would be a dual beam substitute for an H4 bulb.
A couple thoughts (though I had an "S" model)
1. Get a decent quality LED bulb (I've successfully used Cyclops LED's in the past). The H4's seem to do best when the low beam has a small cut off shield over one of the LED's. This prevents a good amount (but not necessarily all) scatter.
2. Active cooling seems to be better for longevity of the LED, compared to passive, but you may encounter space limitations.
3. HID is pretty much dead as LED's have gotten that much better.
4. You may want to also think about getting an Eastern Beaver H4 relay kit - this will reduce the voltage drop to the headlight (since on the K-bikes, the headlight switch doesn't use a relay). There have been some forum posts on here where people describe losing several volts with the older wiring. Your new LED may not care, as it could have a voltage regulator built in.
1. Get a decent quality LED bulb (I've successfully used Cyclops LED's in the past). The H4's seem to do best when the low beam has a small cut off shield over one of the LED's. This prevents a good amount (but not necessarily all) scatter.
2. Active cooling seems to be better for longevity of the LED, compared to passive, but you may encounter space limitations.
3. HID is pretty much dead as LED's have gotten that much better.
4. You may want to also think about getting an Eastern Beaver H4 relay kit - this will reduce the voltage drop to the headlight (since on the K-bikes, the headlight switch doesn't use a relay). There have been some forum posts on here where people describe losing several volts with the older wiring. Your new LED may not care, as it could have a voltage regulator built in.
105643
New member
Thanks, Paul and DRNEO66. From what I have read, the latest generation of LED H4 replacements have the dual (low beam high beam) issue addressed. Thanks for the tip on watching out for "scatter".
I still have HIDs on the 650 V-Strom that work pretty well. When they break I will think about LEDs for that bike too. Will post updates here, as I find things out.
Bill Yarian
I still have HIDs on the 650 V-Strom that work pretty well. When they break I will think about LEDs for that bike too. Will post updates here, as I find things out.
Bill Yarian
In my view the real advantage of LED's is that they require less wattage, draw on the battery/charging system. On my R100RT I did put a LED bulb in the headlight as the charging system on the Airheads was much weaker than on the K bikes and I had put a bigger LED headlight on the R bike sidecar rig I had. Running both tended to draw down the battery, when in town driving. Do your homework and check the various ones out there. Some of the units take up more room in the headlight shell and others have the fan built right into the bulb itself, so it is just a plug & play. That is the style I used on my R bike, the brand name escapes me at this time but it worked well.
