LED Globes

[Tony Smith]

All of the issues associated with trying to fit a LED bulb into the stock headlight assemblies is why I just gave up and installed a purpose built headlight assembly

And an exceptional light it is too.  I showed the specs to a friend who owns a truck and often drives at night. Whilst like most trucks his has spot lights, flood lights and "dip your bloody headlights moron" lights fitted the problem was those occasions when due to oncoming traffic all the "big" lights are off. He wanted good vision without blinding oncoming traffic and the "speakers" fitted the bill perfectly.

To return to the issues of fitting LED headlights to the R65, your problems may be lessened or compounded by whatever BMW fitted in your jurisdiction (and of course what those ever helpful POs did to the bike whilst in their hands.

in various locations BMW supplied the R65 with (what I call a component) headlight consisting of separate lens, and reflector, elsewhere got either a semi-sealed Bosch headlamp (which is now NLA world wide except for the individual in Switzerland who bought a quantity of them at an auction and who has beeen drip feedign them onto the market via eBay at around $AU200 each ever since. He selles them by Bosch part number so put that into Ebay search if you are well heeled and want one. They are "right dip" lenses so unlawful for Australia, Japan, UK etc that drive on the left.

For a period of time in the 90s BMW Australia was supplying a fully sealed beam for a time, when local supplies dried up there were no more. rumour has it that they were made for an indigenous car maker (Holden) who then decided to go with a more "standard" sized lamp body.

Finally, you get whatever a PO fitted when they either could not buy a genuine lamp, didn't like the price or wanted something better.

I have an original semi-sealed lamp courtesy of a former member here and whilst there was insufficient room for most fan-cooled LED bulbs, I was lucky enough to buy one that did fit. It had the micro-adjustment so you could correct beam cut-off (I thought they all did, but apparently not). As to what brand etc. I've no idea as I bought a number of cheap kits knowing that i would use them all, one way or the the other.

[mrclubike]

In the case Tony speaks of
After  someone installs the Emgo bucket  they could   get a standard Halogen H4 Headlight bucket from Hella or any other supplier and then fit a H4 LED bulb and carry the Halogen bulb as a spare
It is less expansive than the Speaker or Truck-Lite LED
I know Hella makes them for both right and left hand drive

 In any case one should update all the bulbs they can to LED (except the GEN lamp)
The difference it makes on the ability for your charging system to charge your battery at low RPM levels is significant
I know my battery voltage does not fall bellow 12.5   until my rpm falls below about 1000 rpm

[georgesgiralt]

Sorry,
I'm just back from a funeral.
On other bikes than the R6( the wiring use a printed circuit to connect various parts of the loom. This takes a lot of space in the headlight bucket and make installing the necessary voltage regulator difficult.
The bulbs Tony recommend are prohibited because the "fins" are metallic so prone to make shorts.
I'll make some picture of the bulb I  use, one on the shelf and one installed.
Have a nice day.
P.S. : reducing voltage is not a good idea. Because it increase current for a given wattage. Bear in mind that the produced heat W is known as W=RI²t where R is the resistance of the circuit, I is obviously the current and t is the duration in seconds of the use. So if you increase current, the I² term in the equation becomes huge....
Of course, this is not the whole picture because LEDs produce light at an electron level. So it is not only electricity at play here but also quantum physics. (and I'm not good at it ;-) )

[Tony Smith]

The bulbs Tony recommend are prohibited because the "fins" are metallic so prone to make shorts.

"Prohibited" you mean by government regulation? Where? Or an imperfect English translation? I Carefully checked the Braids on the bulb I installed in the GSA and there is no electrical connection to them at all.

P.S. : reducing voltage is not a good idea. Because it increase current for a given wattage. Bear in mind that the produced heat W is known as W=RI²t where R is the resistance of the circuit, I is obviously the current and t is the duration in seconds of the use. So if you increase current, the I² term in the equation becomes huge....
Of course, this is not the whole picture because LEDs produce light at an electron level. So it is not only electricity at play here but also quantum physics. (and I'm not good at it ;-) )

What you say is 100% correct for a resistive load such as a filament bulb. However ti does not apply to LEDs.

In fact LEDs have an interesting property in that they output a fairly high proportion of their potential output at relatively low output.  You can verify this yourself as the next time you notice the led in your hand torch getting dull due to failing batteries, take those batteries out and put them in a filament bulb torch - chances are there will be little more than a dull glow.

In terms of the lumen output of an LED, a (nominal) 12 volt led will output 90% of its potential lumen output  from 4 volts. This phenomenon is used by some manufacturers to enhance life expectancy by under-driving the LED

[BPT]

MrClubike - I agree with your ideas completely about your set-up but it's just not budget friendly for me at the moment, and I have some other projects to do before I could get into changing the headlight assembly.  If I was a daily commuter on mine it'd be a different story.

This particular bulb interested me because the reviews were good on its performance and it sounds to be plug & play.  I figured if I could get a decent one for $40 or less and not have to do much other than putting it in, I'd give it a shot.
My other question had to do with what interference Georgesgiralt was talking about but his explanation above sounds like what I suspected - that he meant airheads in general, since many of the others have the spaghetti bowl going on.

I've put LED'S in my taillight and turn signals already. I'd like to do my gauges as well but the headlight was the last big thing as far as power draw.  I didn't want to have a wonky beam just to save power, so that's why I've kept the regular bulb so far.  But it sounds like technology *might* be catching up and maybe there is a simple and suitable alternative available in LED bulb form now.

[georgesgiralt]

Hello !
I've been asked privately as what Evitek bulb i choose in the F2 range.
As the F2 refers to the technology used by Evitek, I obviously choose to buy one that fits on my headlight bucket, so an H4 bulb.
Here is the link to the bulb in question and it provides some pictures also.
https://evitekhid.en.alibaba.com/product/60825282607-806384579/36W_6000LM_Auto_lighting_system_Motorcycle_Car_Headlight_C_ree_F2_LED_Headlight_Bulbs_with_driver.html?spm=a2700.icbuShop.41413.7.139512407ZbFp0
Enjoy !
Have a nice day
P.S. I choose to respond in the forum in order to future queries being answered using the search engine.

[BPT]

Thanks for the info Georgesgiralt!

Their site is confusing to navigate and I saw 3 or 4 H4 versions but couldn't figure out the differences, or if they were actually all the same.     Thanks!

[Luke D.]

Good day everyone, I don't mean to hijack this thread but I figure it has to do with LED lights so it might be okay.  I bought a Monster LED light and thought it worked very well, however, the fan has become very loud to the point of every time I turn the key and the light goes on I say, "Contact" because it sounds like and one prop fighter plane starting up.    It has also started acting up by not having the high beam setting all of the time.  Okay short story long   I saw that MRclubike bought a new bucket to fit a really cool light.  I am looking to do the same thing.  Mrclubike has a regular R65, does anyone know if the regular R65 has the same bucket as the LS version?  I checked out the website he posted for the new bucket he bought and it says it will not fit the LS but I tried the regular r65 and it said it would not fit that one either, but seeing as how he did it, it must work.  Thank you all for your help.

[Bob_Roller]

Headlight buckets are the same on the standard R65 and LS version .

[Luke D.]

Sweeeeet. Thank you very much Bob_Roller.  Looks like my LS is getting a face lift......or eye lift?    a new light.

[mrclubike]

  I saw that MRclubike bought a new bucket to fit a really cool light.  I am looking to do the same thing.  Mrclubike has a regular R65, does anyone know if the regular R65 has the same bucket as the LS version?  I checked out the website he posted for the new bucket he bought and it says it will not fit the LS but I tried the regular r65 and it said it would not fit that one either, but seeing as how he did it, it must work.  Thank you all for your help.

It will work but you have to add some spacers to the sides of the bucket
I found some thick fender type washers at the local Farm And Home store
I JB welded one on each side to take up the space
I then cut some small groves into the spacer to grip the rubber washers that are sandwiched in between the bucket and the ears

[Luke D.]

Mrclubike,  thank you for the heads up with the washers.  I just need to find a light that I like as I just received the bucket yesterday   We are supposed to have crappy snow/rain for the next week so Ill have some time to figure it out and get it all ordered.  Cant wait to ride.

[jp9094]

I also am interested in changing my "83 r65 LS over to LED's. I came across the following apparently "plug and play" H 4 LED headlight bulb : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Plug-and-play-led-motorcycle-headlight-H4-HS1-hi-low-8w-scooter-motorbike-headlamp-motorcycle-Accessories/32796692230.html?spm=2114.10010108.100009.4.51506520ZgjYvL&traffic_analysisId=recommend_2037_null_null_null&scm=1007.13482.91320.0&pvid=98bc90f2-30be-4b1a-8f96-93cb23475634&tpp=1 but know nothing about it. Has anyone had any experience with it??

Thanks in advance!

[skippyc]

8 watt is not very bright I have a 20w led in mine it is good for day and around town at night but not for the open road.

[Tony Smith]

I came across the following apparently "plug and play" H 4 LED headlight bulb : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Plug-and-play-led-motorcycle-headlight-H4-HS1-hi-low-8w-scooter-motorbike-headlamp-motorcycle-Accessories/32796692230.html?spm=2114.10010108.100009.4.51506520ZgjYvL&traffic_analysisId=recommend_2037_null_null_null&scm=1007.13482.91320.0&pvid=98bc90f2-30be-4b1a-8f96-93cb23475634&tpp=1 but know nothing about it. Has anyone had any experience with it??

I agree with SkippyC that 8 watts is grossly inadequate. My bicycle's 1,000 lumen "Magicshine" headlight is significantly more powerful than that.

That said, too much wattage is just as big a problem as the R65 headlight bucket is relatively small and is not ventilated which means that the bulb has to transfer heat to the air trapped inside the bucket and then that hea has to transfer to teh outside wolrd via the outer surface of the bucket. Neither a very efficient or "powerful" means of handling heat. I would go for nothing more than 20 watts. You will need a fan cooled lamp as the passive coolers (except for those using multiple braided metal strips) will be way too large - many fan cooled models will likewise be too long.  #####The only braid cooled lights I have the braid is electrically isolated, I've seen comments elsewhere that in some lamps tthe braid may be connected to ground (which should be harmless) or in others connected to 12 volt +ve (which is idiotic)#### Also note that the braid cooled bulbs I have are H1 pattern and fitted to the GSA.

Given how cheap AliExpress is, you could do what I did and buy 3 or 4 different type lamps and use the one that fits/gives the best light and pattern.