Very Bright 5-3/4" LED headlight

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jseng1

jseng1

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After going through four miserable LED headlights I finally found one I'm happy with. Its super bright and totally blows away a halogen. It fits into the standard old style classic Bates headlamp shell although I did have to cut off the 3 prong plug and splice the wires. Its very reasonably priced at $35. Available from amazon (can't find it on ebay). Be carefull to match what you buy with the photo below because there are several available with this name and they look very different.

Search for this title in amazon:

COWONE Cree 5-3/4 5.75" LED Headlight​


Very Bright 5-3/4" LED headlight
 
Now I have found them on ebay as well:

Here is the 7" as a set for a jeep.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353594864606?epid=14015528750&hash=item5253e573de:g:iS4AAOSwUwdhATGo

Here is the 5.75 one:
www.ebay.com

5.75" 5-3/4'' inch Round 5D Black LED Headlight High Low Beam DRL for Motorcycle | eBay

New Arrival !!! Favorable price with Top Quality !!! Brand New, 5-3/4'' 5.75 inch , 75W, 5D Real Led Chips, 4000LM, High Beam+Low Beam+White DRL; Super Bright and Top Quality, Competitive Price, free shipping, 5 Years Warranty. Buy with Confidence, my friend !.
www.ebay.com

I tried the links, They actually work.
Dan.
 
Its a matter of safety - they light up the road like amazing. And the dim throws a very wide beam that lights up the sides of the road so you can see if anything is sneaking up on you. My low vibration Atlas will cruise at 75- 80 mph and after my last night ride which was too scary down a dark two lane road - I decided I had to do something.

In a headlamp shell they look fine. And they have better aesthetics without the yellow dots as with the one I bought as shown below (all black and white). Show me another that works as well with better aesthetics - I'm all for it.

Very Bright 5-3/4" LED headlight


Here it is on ebay for only $30

www.ebay.com

Black 5.75" 5-3/4 inch Motorcycle LED Headlight Halo Angel Eye Hi-Lo Sealed Beam | eBay

New Arrival !!! Favorable price with Top Quality !!! Brand New, 5-3/4'' 5.75 inch , 75W, 5D Real CREE Led Chips, 4500LM, High Beam+Low Beam+White DRL; Super Bright and Top Quality, Competitive Price, free shipping, 5 Years Warranty. Buy with Confidence, my friend !.
www.ebay.com
 
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Safety aside I'm with Allan, Just won't look right on a vintage bike.. Thanks for info thought might use it on something else
 
Good for you Jim.

I'm using one of the Cowone (or whatever their company name is this week) other ugly headlamp versions. Beats paying some prima donna close to $300 for Norton plug and play LED headlamp that doesn't fit the vintage bike theme either. I only care about what works right myself. It uses minimal power, it's round, mounts between the sanction tubes, and people don't pull out in front of me when it is On.

Besides all most vintage bike owners would ever see is my vintage aftermarket tail light. Just kidding. ;)
 
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Problem now is the Lucas stator etc isn't putting out enough zap to use its full potential. Its much brighter when connected to my car battery. Either the lucas system is weak or I've got to do some trouble shooting.
 
Plus 1 for Robs point.

I played around with some and am a convert:

I see the light...

No light meters were used in this test and no motorcycles were ridden, so please view it as the half assed test that it is: I just compared a standard 60/55 halogen to a “plus 50% brighter” halogen (forgot the make or source) to Paul Goffs latest 5K lumi LED. What I couldn’t show in pictures...
www.accessnorton.com www.accessnorton.com

LED Headlights Goff vs Cyclops

I received the Cyclops Ultra LED headlight ‘bulb’ today, so I stopped work and went out to the shed to fit it into the Harley. No can do. The Harley has a nice fashionable 5.sumthin inch headlamp and the Cyclops comes with a bit of ‘hardware‘ included. I tried y’all, but it would not go in ...
www.accessnorton.com www.accessnorton.com
 
Although undoubtedly very bright, many LED bulbs have a poor dispersal pattern and potentially dazzle oncoming drivers ( not ideal on a narrow road). For some the pattern for both High and dip is the same but the dip is just dimmer. For use as a daylight running light it's not so important so cheap ones are ok, but for night use I would now only buy products like this based on recommendations, such as FE's above.
 
jseng1 said:
Problem now is the Lucas stator etc isn't putting out enough zap to use its full potential. Its much brighter when connected to my car battery. Either the lucas system is weak or I've got to do some trouble shooting.
Click to expand...
75 watts is no joke. IIRC you don't run with a battery, right?
 
I am with Rob (robs ss). I have a Goff Daylighter easily fed by the Lucas 180 W stator.
Besides, I can fit it into a shell with a pilot light hole for daytime running light.Thus all vintage aesthetics satisfied.

But, I do not fault anyone wanting to light up the road better, or stop faster, which is why my Atlas has non-original TLS.

Slick
 
I installed an LED for a few reasons: reduced current draw on my Alton alternator, better daytime visibility to other motorists (I run high beam during the day, really not bothered by what others think), and good visibility after dark.

I found a high lumen output H4 bulb on Amazon, specifically designed for motorcycles, that works on both positive and negative ground. I have at least 5 other friends in Ontario with Nortons now running the same bulb. All are very happy with it for the same 3 reasons I listed.

As far as I am concerned - if you are going to ride your bike on modern roads with traffic, aesthetics are secondary to safety. I have reconstructed knee and a limp to show for trying to run a purist set-up....

My $0.02 - FWIW
 
maylar said:
75 watts is no joke. IIRC you don't run with a battery, right?
Click to expand...
No battery, magneto ignition - very basic and simple. So the standard 180 watt early Commando charging system should be plenty - right? But I've noticed my light flicker from bright to dim while riding (mostly dim now) and I suspect my podtronics is failing or failed or working at reduced output. I've swapped out the stator and rotor with no improvement. I'm no elecrical expert. Whats the basic output test with a standard multi meter?

Can anyone recommend a more reliable unit than the podtronics? Something thats just as simple (one component and small or smaller)?

Cliffa - Some sealed beam LEDs have a really good dispersal pattern and can make a flat wide low beam that spreads out to the sides better than I've seen before - and the beam stays low so it doesn't blind oncomming traffic. Then the high beam blasts a concentrated down the center of the road when you need it (along with the wide low beam).
 
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Jim,
I’m pretty sure at least one person on the forum uses some sort of step up transformer to stabilize the voltage to his EI when his charging voltage dips below 12 volts. Maybe that will help with your lighting problem.
Pete
 
Oh boy can somebody recommend a reg/rect solution without a sword measuring battle breaking out? :)

I ran batteryless with a magneto and a MAP cycle MINI-MITE battery eliminator reg/rect long ago. It never worked well for the lights at low RPM. If you want reliable lights adding a battery powered circuit charged through the PODtronics reg/rect can work. It does not have to be a big battery. It just has to be big enough to handle the regulated charge voltage from the PODtronics and supply enough power for your LED lights. Of course with a battery you introduce the possibility of creating a short moving wires around while it is connected, but that is the price of having a good lighting system. Using a 3 pole ignition switch and fuses can help save you from most shorts.

I use a Tri-Spark MOSFET reg/rect. It's a better stabilized regulator than the PODtronics, but the PODtronics should work. I think the Tri-Spark is also smaller than a PODtronics, but not by much if it is.
 
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jseng1 said:
Can anyone recommend a more reliable unit than the podtronics? Something thats just as simple (one component and small or smaller)?
Click to expand...
I run a square industrial full-wave bridge rectifier (same function as the original Lucas rectifier) and a Zener diode. I have found that the current and voltage outputs are better than the Podtronics. A 120 watt alternator should be more than enough to run an LED headlight. Full draw on my bike (steady state riding) is about 48 watts (H/L & T/L on, EI, voltmeter, electronic instruments). I see 14.4 volts once the battery is replenished.

It doesn't get much simpler... plus it will work without a battery when a capacitor is fitted - something that I have seen advised against with other 'All-In-One' solutions. Not sure how important the capacitor is in your application, given you are using a magneto.

I do get the fact that positive earth zener's are getting hard to find, but I am thinking that your very abbreviated electrical circuit would not be hard to change to negative ground if it is not already.

FWIW
 
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I just ran the charging system through the tests recommended this forums "technical information" below.
Schwany said:
Oh boy can somebody recommend a reg/rect solution without a sword measuring battle breaking out? :)

I ran batteryless with a magneto and a MAP cycle MINI-MITE battery eliminator reg/rect long ago. It never worked well for the lights at low RPM. If you want reliable lights adding a battery powered circuit charged through the PODtronics reg/rect can work. It does not have to be a big battery. It just has to be big enough to handle the regulated charge voltage from the PODtronics and supply enough power for your LED lights. Of course with a battery you introduce the possibility of creating a short moving wires around while it is connected, but that is the price of having a good lighting system. Using a 3 pole ignition switch and fuses can help save you from most shorts.

I use a Tri-Spark MOSFET reg/rect. It's a better stabilized regulator than the PODtronics, but the PODtronics should work. I think the Tri-Spark is also smaller than a PODtronics, but not by much if it
Click to expand...
Does the mosfet have a capacitor for use without a battery?
 
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