LED tail/stoplight bulb (2015)

[commando6868]

I just ordered one of these:

http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.c ... s-shop.php

Special red and white bulbs for all motorcycle combined stop/tail lamps

Offset or parallel pin combined red/white SMD LED bulbs for Lucas MT110, 210, 211, 477/1, 582, 518 type stop/tail lamps and many, many others

Direct replacement ultra low power consumption LED bulb.

33mm (1 1/4") long. 21mm wide (13/16") Standard BA15 cap.

Special design shines bright red rearwards/outwards to light the whole lens for stop/tail and white downwards for bright number plate illumination.

6 and 12v, Positive and Negative Earth available.

Has anyone else been running with one? Just wondering if they are more visible than a halogen. They are not cheap, but if there is a chance it might prevent being rear-ended, (again) on my bike it is worth the money.

 

[Deets55]

I'm using the brake/stop in my MKII. Even though the red leds face downward it does not seem to make a difference. Very bright. I am also using the pilot LED bulb in my headlight, it has a blue tint and is also bright. I replaced my instrument bulbs w/ LED's from Superbright.
With tail/brake, instruments, and pilot I draw 0.2 amps

I can't get a good tail light pictures because the LED's are so bright the picture is distorted on on phone camera.

Pete

 

[850cmndo]

Part number for those instrument lights please?

 

[Deets55]

They are wedge type bulbs, 75 lumens I believe. I think only some Velglia's use them. I'll check the numbers when I get home.

Pete

 

[Deets55]

850cmndo,

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... ifications

My wedge bulb holder is plastic and does not go to earth at the instrument case, so with a positive earth system all I have to do is flip the bulb around to have it work properly. I don't know how the bayonet bulb holders are. If they get grounded to the instrument case a regular negative earth LED bulb may not work. If the holder has two wires and does not go to earth at the case, reversing the wires should work on a (+) earth system. The instrument bulbs from Classic Dynamo was a little dim and had a hot spot. Good luck.

Pete

 

[Danno]

SuperbrightLEDs is not too far from here. I might drop in on them sometime and pick their brains re; positive ground systems and possible replacement for standard tail/stop lamp bulbs. I replaced the signal bulbs on the other bike with their LEDs.

 

[PeterJoe]

You could always replace your turn signals with some nice aftermarket turn signals that have red lenses (either LED or Halogen). Then you can rewire your turn signals using 2 double pull double throw miniature power relays. In doing this the rear turn signals double as brake lights. Just think it would be three times brighter than the original single brake light setup. Not only that you can adjust the angle of your turn signal for optimum visibility.

If anyone is interested in a setup like this I can draw and post a wiring diagram.

 

[850cmndo]

850cmndo,

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... ifications

My wedge bulb holder is plastic and does not go to earth at the instrument case, so with a positive earth system all I have to do is flip the bulb around to have it work properly. I don't know how the bayonet bulb holders are. If they get grounded to the instrument case a regular negative earth LED bulb may not work. If the holder has two wires and does not go to earth at the case, reversing the wires should work on a (+) earth system. The instrument bulbs from Classic Dynamo was a little dim and had a hot spot. Good luck.

Pete

Thank Pete.

 

[concours]

SuperbrightLEDs is not too far from here. I might drop in on them sometime and pick their brains re; positive ground systems and possible replacement for standard tail/stop lamp bulbs. I replaced the signal bulbs on the other bike with their LEDs.

I spent hundreds with them retrofitting entire fleet ( cars and bikes) . Many failures. Swapped back till some longevity is ironed out. YMMV

 

[Mr. Rick]

Riding back from the river with a bunch of vintage bike enthusiasts at dusk running full lights, I hit the brakes and blew the main fuse.
Some good-natured comments about Mr. Lucas and Brit bikes in general were made, as they helped load me into the rescue truck. (Now I carry a spare fuse)
From this, I surmised that the incandescent bulb was pulling too much current and decided LED was in my future, so I contacted Bulbsthatlastforever last March and rec'd this response"

Thank you for contacting Bulbsthatlast4ever with you your inquiry.

We are in process of closing down Bulbsthatlast4ever sometime this year. We are in negotiations with British Cycle Supply (BCS) about the possibility of them acquiring all our remaining inventory. This has been moving at a slow pace to say the least.

I am unable to say when the negotiation will be completed and when these units we available again. All I can say is call BCS to express your desire to purchase this item and inquire about when these will be available again.


If you need further assistance, feel free to contact me directly.

Thank You,

Bruce Branstad (Your Illumination Has No Limit!)
Sales
Website: http://www.bulbsthatlast4ever.com
E-mail: sales@bulbsthatlast4ever.com
Help-Line: 818-239-2683

So I contacted BCS, bought the kit for just over $100 with shipping, put it in tonight, and thought I'd share some observations.
I wanted to keep the stock parts, so I bought a used assy, since this routine requires permanently modifying things.
Before you get too far into the install, find the tiny screwdriver you'll need to hook up the supplied wires to the board.
The instructions for the later square 914 taillight like I have are not quite correct: you must use the shorter screws supplied, not the longer ones.
The OD of the nylons spacers is slightly too big; I ground off part of them, to permit fitting up.
The back of the circuit board, even with the spacers, is scary close to the steel bracket; I glued a pc of 1/8" rubber to the bracket to prevent contact.

Except for these small issues, it was pretty straightforward, and it's plenty bright. Hoping the main fuse appreciates the effort!

 

[Danno]

SuperbrightLEDs is not too far from here. I might drop in on them sometime and pick their brains re; positive ground systems and possible replacement for standard tail/stop lamp bulbs. I replaced the signal bulbs on the other bike with their LEDs.

I spent hundreds with them retrofitting entire fleet ( cars and bikes) . Many failures. Swapped back till some longevity is ironed out. YMMV

Haven't swapped any of the Norton bulbs out yet, but no failures on the ZX-14 in a cluple of years use.

 

[J. M. Leadbeater]

I assume that if one replaces all ones bulbs with leds then there is no longer any requirement for 180watt single phase or 3 phase alternators ??

 

[zefer]

Pete I'd like to see the wire diagram for the rear running light/brake/turn signal modification please

 

[maylar]

Long ago I replaced the single contact sockets in my blinkers with dual contact and fitted 1157 or similar dual filament bulbs for running lights. The load with lights on was so high that the bike wouldn't run, and that was with points ignition. Oops. Had to undo that mod lol. But now with LED bulbs available, it'd be feasible to do this.

I changed the wiring on my bike to negative earth so I could use the common LED bulbs in my blinkers and tail light. Turned out that they weren't bright enough for my liking, and I put incandescent bulbs back in the rear where I really want visibility. It seems that technology has advanced in the last few years, and maybe I'll revisit that.

I'd also like to get something brighter for the very lame instrument lights in my Smiths gauges. Gonna check that out.

 

[Lovel]

I just wanted to add to this thread as I recently purchased a rear lightboard with combined stop an tail for a Lucas L917 rear lamp in an effort to minimise the draw when at idle eg, at traffic lights with headlights on and brake lever applied the left hand indicator would not flash unless I increased the revs slightly. I ended up searching on here and never really found the answer TBH, so have posted a few photos FYI. The fitting of the mounting screws were a slight pain as you can see the PCD for the board mounting holes fall very close to the fold in the metal backing and a little amount of fettling is required. I didn’t want to butcher the original rear too much and if I wasn’t happy I could resort back to the original which has lasted all these years. Works fine but in reality I still get the slow flash on the left hand indicator unless i increase the revs slightly. Ah well next stop headlamp bulb.

Part No.8

http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/led-bulbs-especially-for-motorcycles-shop.php

 

[Triton Thrasher]

the left hand indicator would not flash unless I increased the revs slightly.

Sounds like the battery is ready to be thrown away and replaced.

 

[concours]

"Works fine but in reality I still get the slow flash on the left hand indicator unless i increase the revs slightly. Ah well next stop headlamp bulb."

That is the built-in voltmeter I rely on to confirm my system condition.

 

[cyclegeezer]

If your left side is the only side slow flashing, check the bulb wattage on the right side and make sure the left side is the same. If the bulbs don't draw enough current to heat up the bimetallic strip in the flasher, they will slow flash. It could also be a faulty ground on the left side, front or rear.

 

[Lovel]

Sounds like the battery is ready to be thrown away and replaced.

Battery is brand new. Electric system unmolested and pretty good shaped after a very close inspection and overhaul using the original components and old points system, idles beautifully and runs sweet otherwise, just a tiny annoyance with the l/h indicator, it works just not at 800rpm and headlights on. 1200rpm works no problem

 

[EstuaryBoy]

In accordance with above, have you tried running a (temporary) dedicated earth wire to the affected bulb??