Lighting Upgrade Questions

[88bmwjeff]

I’m in the middle of a mechanical refresh on my ’88 R100 RT and I’m waiting for my drive shaft to be rebuilt. While I’m waiting, I’ve done what I can, but I’m now thinking of lighting upgrades. Specifically, upgrading to LED lights. Has anyone found a good LED replacement bulb for the turn indicators? What about an LED H4 replacement bulb for the headlight? Has only tried Motorrad Elektrik complete replacements reflector/bulb? http://www.motoelekt.com/lighting.htm With regards to the taillight, I'm leaning towards the LED one sold my Motorrad Elektrik.

I know this topic has been discussed, but I couldn't find a recent thread.

 

[pauls1150]

Cyclops and SpeedMetal both have H4 LEDs. The issue would be making it, and its driver, fit inside your headlight.
Maybe the Motorrad Elektrik is truly a drop-in replacement?

If you LEDize the turn signals, your flasher will blink very rapidly, due to the decreased load; that's why they sell resistors to put in parallel with the LEDs - to suck more current (which then becomes wasted heat) and fool the flasher. You gain "bulb" life, but NOT "decreased current" here.

 

[88bmwjeff]

Cyclops and SpeedMetal both have H4 LEDs. The issue would be making it, and its driver, fit inside your headlight.
Maybe the Motorrad Elektrik is truly a drop-in replacement?

If you LEDize the turn signals, your flasher will blink very rapidly, due to the decreased load; that's why they sell resistors to put in parallel with the bulb - to suck more current (which then becomes wasted heat) and fool the flasher. You gain "bulb" life, but NOT "decreased current" here.

My goal is to have brighter lights. I'm not too worried about decreased current. Weiser Technik has LED drop in replacements for the standard turn indicators, which would work for the rear lights. But, the RT indicators are unique and I may just have to stick with standard bulbs there.

I noticed these on Amazon, which seem to indicate they are a direct replacement for the bulb with no additional "driver."

https://www.amazon.com/AUXITO-Headl...6&s=automotive&sprefix=,automotive,467&sr=1-5


I noticed these turn indicator bulbs for both 1156/1157 (I can't remember off hand what the bike uses)

https://www.amazon.com/AUXITO-1157-LED-Bulb-White/dp/B092CXPJZJ?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

 

[20774]

A member wrote about LED upgrades to /6 and /7 bikes in the Jan 2021 Owners News. As I recall, he had some good solutions but the headlight upgrade didn't go so well. This issue is in the archives on the main MOA website.

Snowbum also has a section on LEDs.

 

[stevenrankin]

Headlight only

I am going to comment on the headlight only. Almost all of the direct LED bulb replacements DO NOT work with the stock BMW reflectors. They will give a very disrupted beam pattern that will not illuminate the road at night or will blind oncoming drivers.

I don't know anything about Motelktic's headlight replacement unit but, if it is designed properly, it should give a clean crisp light pattern at night, I hope would be similar to the stock incandescent system.

If like me you don't ride anymore at night and just want daytime visibility, any LED replacement bulb will work just fine, just don't get caught in the dark.


Okay, of all the LED replacement bulbs I have tried, Cyclops is one of the ones I have found comes closest to the proper night time beam pattern. NOT perfect but close. It does have a power source that makes for crowded conditions inside the headlight or at least in my 84 and 78 headlights. For a 88 bike, most of the clutter has been moved out of the headlight under the gas tank.

Five years ago, a lighting company did a very good video explaining the difference between LED replacement bulbs in cars, and why most don't work. It was worth watching as it explained the optics of filament in an incandescent bulb placement within a reflector system versus a three or two LED arrangement. A google search might pull it up. St.

 

[skibum69]

Adding aux lights is also an option. I put a set of cheap LED's on my R65 and it made all the difference.

 

[pauls1150]

Those Auxito bulbs look interesting, I may order up a pair of their 1157 replacements. But one of their pictures - heat dissipation - shows heat flowing out thru the two contacts in the base... This could be a Not Good Thing.

I wasn't aware of Weiser's airhead turn signal replacements; just be aware that the airheads had at least two, maybe more, different sizes of lenses over the years.

 

[88bmwjeff]

A member wrote about LED upgrades to /6 and /7 bikes in the Jan 2021 Owners News. As I recall, he had some good solutions but the headlight upgrade didn't go so well. This issue is in the archives on the main MOA website.

Thanks. I forgot about that issue and it answer's some questions.

 

[robsryder]

Here is what I've done to both of my airheads (R100RS and R100GS/PD); the incandescent H4 bulb was replaced with an H4 LED with a flexible heat sink (similar to that shown in the link below), and I added supplemental LED aux lights (see link below). For the aux lights, I added a bit of clear silicone (link below) where the wire exits the housing; previously I have found that to be a failure point in a driving rain storm.

Be aware that the H4 LEDs are not at a "point" as an incandescent filament would be; rather the LEDs are located near the foci of the parabolic reflector. The result is the head light output will be somewhat more dispersed and less focused down the road. The head light will appear to be brighter to oncoming drivers. I used my garage door in the evening to adjust the head light so the bulk of the illumination is directed down the road, not in the eyes of oncoming traffic!

The aux LED spotlights provide illumination down the road. The result is more light output and it is easier to see the road during evening driving (which I try to do little of) and higher visibility to oncoming drivers (without blinding them). The triangular light pattern is more distinctive the a single light. Overall the current consumption is less than that from an incandescent bulb.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LA5UNT6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VL4H78W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Hou..._r=K2WG81QHHAB49SN5EW1W&qid=1681040598&sr=8-2