CREE LED H4 Headlight Installation

[Bert2006]

I EDITED THIS POST AS I HAD PART OF THE INSTRUCTIONS WRONG YESTERDAY. I was using the rubber protecting boot behind the headlamp bulb and you cannot use it as it will not allow the fan to cool the heat sink.

 

Was able to install my CREE LED H4 Headlight bulb yesterday.

 

It is an 1800lm bulb. Has hi/low beam.

6000k

20w for low beam and 40w with high beam on.

 

Had to split the fairing to get to the bulb and also install the other pieces that came with the bulb.

 

Going with the sequence of the pics below:

 

Pic 1 shows you what comes in the box. I bought a double set. This way I have a spare available.

Pic 2 shows the individual components, you get the H4 bulb, a fan and what looks like a ballast or driver.

Pic 3 shows the difference in size between a reg H4 and the CREE H4.

Pic 4 shows that I had to remove the 2 top bolts from the headlight housing so I could tilt it forward to get some space to work with.

 

After disconnecting the original bulb, I removed the rubber cover (do not re-use), opened the retaining clip and then removed the bulb from the housing.

 

To attach the LED to the housing you need to install the bulb in the housing like a normal bulb and replace the retaining clip.

 

Pic 5 shows the lamp in place with the fan attached. To attach the fan unit to the back of the bulb, simply screw it on the end of the bulb housing. Use thread locker (not the permanent stuff) so it does not vibrate free.

 

Next you need to figure out where the driver will be installed. I simply tie-wrapped it to a wire loom and then made my connections. There are three to make. a- connect fan to driver. b - connect bulb to driver. c- connect driver to stock headlamp connector from the bike.

 

Pic 6 shows where the driver is sitting.

 

Pic 7 show the led headlight on with (also) new led driving lamps.

 

Took about 40 minutes to install.

 

It looks like the low beam is very bright but there does not seem to be much of a difference with the high beam on, but that was just with an initial test in daylight in my garage. I will keep you posted on how it performs.

 

Detail to remember are making sure that nothing rubs against the fan that would stop it from spinning and use thread locker so it does not vibrate free.

 

Will keep the original bulb and rubber boot with me in case I have issues on the road as it would be simple to revert back to original if needed. Also, they now make a 2800lm version of this unit

 

Hope this is useful.

 

Edited March 13, 2016 by Bert2006
Had part of instructions wrong

[Prairiehammer]

So, this LED will replace ANY H4 halogen bulb?

 

Where does one find this LED H4 kit?

 

I know you said you had only tried it in the garage, but as with HID bulb conversions, the emitting point of the 'filament' is crucial when used with the stock reflector. That mismatched focal point has been the downfall of HID conversions. I am curious as to the focal point of this LED.

 

Watching this thread with anticipation of good things to follow.

[Bert2006]

Yes, it is a direct H4 replacement. I ordered from this site:

 

http://canadiancruisercustomizing.ca/products/afterburner-led-headlight-direct-replacment-lamps

 

They now offer the 2800lm units as well as the 1800lm ones, but the 2800lm use more power.32w on LB and 64w on HB, amp draw is still very low though. Looks like they are out of stock for the 1800lm ones.

 

[Flyinfool]

From the pics it looks like the rubber boot covers most of the heatsink on the bulb. Even with the fan will there be enough airflow over the heat sink?

Those Crees do get toasty.

[Bert2006]

From the pics it looks like the rubber boot covers most of the heatsink on the bulb. Even with the fan will there be enough airflow over the heat sink?

Those Crees do get toasty.

 

Thats a good point. I re-read the instructions and they recommend not using the rubber boot with these for the reason you state. Will be removing it tomorrow. Dont think water gets in there anyway. Thanks for pointing out.

 

[Flyinfool]

Your welcome

 

It was purely a good guess on my part.

 

Now I will be curious to see how you like it at night. Lighting up the road is the bottom line.

[Flyinfool]

So how well does it do lighting up the road at night at a distance.

[Bert2006]

So how well does it do lighting up the road at night at a distance.

 

I have not been able to get out yet with it. Spring melt has finally started here but too soon to hit the road on a bike, ice spots and plenty of potholes...

 

Will hopefully be able to go out in a few week and will certainly post the results. It does light up the inside of the garage though:whistling:

 

[djh3]

Will hopefully be able to go out in a few week

Your road and bridge dept must work a whole lot faster than ours.

[JohnT]

Would a set up like this draw enough load to "fool" the blown headlight warning circuit? Or does the board still need to be soldered?

[Bert2006]

Would a set up like this draw enough load to "fool" the blown headlight warning circuit? Or does the board still need to be soldered?

 

 

Its a non issue on the 2nd gen as that circuit is not on those bikes, but may be an issue for 1st gens:confused24:

 

[Flyinfool]

I never tried to measure just how much current it takes to keep the reserve lighting module on a 1st gen happy.

[Bert2006]

Had promissed an update, so here goes.

 

Was out tonight adjusting the aim for the headlight with bike in the driveway and using garage door to aim lamp. Had to use low beam as opposed to high beam to aim it. There is not much difference with high beam on but the low beam is brighter than halogen lamp. I left it a bit higher than normal on the adjustment and will see when I run at night if cagers protest or not. So in the end it seems that the same issues with HID will exist with this bulb.ie:reflector not very usefull for high beam.

 

Also, no interference with the radio at all.

 

Was out today during daytime and cagers actually moved further on their side when meeting me, so it seems to get their attention. Had passing lamps on too.

 

[saddlebum]

I never tried to measure just how much current it takes to keep the reserve lighting module on a 1st gen happy.

There is an interesting thought. I imagine using an amp meter and a variable load such heavy duty rheostat light load knob which is available on some of the older AVR machines (assuming of course the normal carbon pile for load testing battery's is a bit too heavy) should tell an interesting story. Unless of course that spec is readily available some where.

[dacheedah]

Have you ridden at night with the led, can you compare it with hid?

[Bert2006]

Have you ridden at night with the led, can you compare it with hid?

 

Not yet, will update as soon as that happens:canada:

[stanG]

Just note on these units. I saw the earlier post and purchased the 2800ln unit. I have to admit that the quality of the bulb and ballast is good and for the most part plug and play. You do need to do a little modification to the plastic panel behind the reflector housing to get clearance for the heatsink and fan on the bulb and you do have to make the reed switch modifications and reserve lighting unit modifications to get the thing working on a first gen. Without the reserve lighting unit being unplugged the bulb will stay on high beam. That could the problem that you are describing.

 

Bottom line, after all this I didn't find the bulb to be as bright as the Silverstar Ultra that I have been using. So since I always drive to work in the dark, I removed the LED and reinstalled the Silverstar. So if somebody wants one of these bulbs for about 40 bucks let me know.

 

On a side note, I did install the Rigid Dually Floods as driving lights mounted on the crash bars and they are excellent and super bright. I am giving serious consideration to using a combination of a pair of these, one spot, one flood, mounted in the headlight location and configured for HI/LOW beams. Any comments?

[djh3]

HMMM I'm thinking. I have an HID and wonder how it is is in comparison.

[Bert2006]

Ok I finally got to ride at night. It is an improvement from the standard halogen I had before. Low beam is stronger than before but high beam not as much asside from better illumination next to front wheel. I suspect that similar to having HID the reflector is not designed for these LED units. Aiming the lamp is a bit different and had to place the low beam a bit higher as high beam was useless for aiming it. I also installed LED driving lamps and those illuminated the side very well.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

On a side note, I did install the Rigid Dually Floods as driving lights mounted on the crash bars and they are excellent and super bright. I am giving serious consideration to using a combination of a pair of these, one spot, one flood, mounted in the headlight location and configured for HI/LOW beams. Any comments?

 

This is an interesting idea...and I'm familiar with the beam patterns on these Rigid Duallys.

 

I think you will find that the spot would need to be pointed slightly downward as a low beam to keep from blinding the opposing drivers. Flood beam off for low beam. You can also wire in a series power resistor to create a 'dimmer' circuit for the LED.

 

Then flood beam comes on for high beam. Spot stays on...(or goes to bright)

 

I think you really need 3 of them, so that on high beam you have a third spot beam (aimed higher) for high beam use along with the other two.

 

Or maybe, use a spot pointed low for low beam, and another spot beam comes on for high beam...aim it up higher.

 

The spot beams dont provide much light to the sides....so the flood beam could be a fill-in when needed.

 

Edited May 24, 2014 by tx2sturgis

[stanG]

Yeah, I was thinking about using the spot for HI and the flood for LOW with the angles set appropriately then using a relay circuit to power both bulbs when on HI beam. I have the floods as driving lights so I am getting good side illumination already. I've got lots of time to think about it as I am likely reserving this as winter project.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Yeah, I was thinking about using the spot for HI and the flood for LOW with the angles set appropriately then using a relay circuit to power both bulbs when on HI beam.

 

 

It's your project of course...but the flood beams project too much light in the eyes of oncoming drivers. I dont recommend it. Spot beams are able to be aimed so that the main part of the beam is low and straight ahead. But the flood beams scatter light everywhere!

 

There is a possible answer: Dimmers. Make one or buy one that can adjust the light output and you might be able to use both on high beam at max, and then use both on low beam at very reduced brightness.

 

I dim my single Rigid Flood (on the sidecar of my Ural) and use it as a visibility light most of the time...and only occasionaly crank it up on high.

 

[Seaking]

I've had the LED headlight installed for a while and can compare it with the stock, 80/100 and HID headlights that I had in there before.. Here's my personal opinion on the lights based on my personal experience with them.. (yours may very well differ)

 

The installation is super simple. How long will it last is another story.. I always carry a spare H4 with me anyway.. my 2006 is equiped with Custom Dynamics LED highway lights.. expensive but awesome bright, wide spread of light and reliable.

 

LED compared to:

 

55/65 H4: The LED headlight is much brighter and reaches further down the road, whiter colour than the yellow temp colour of OEM bulbs.

 

HID: By far the brightest and farthest reaching headlight I've had installed but unfortunately, one problem after another with two sets required me to remove it and give up on HID for a while.

 

80/100 H4: The LED headlight is close to the brightness of this bulb but slightly less reach than the 80/100 bulb. After running with HID this was the closest I could get to the light reach on the highway. The OEM 55/65 seemed painful dim after running with brighter whiter lights.

 

The LED headlight seems to be so far the better balance of all the headlights used thus far. Whiter and brighter than stock, not quite as bright as HID. Just about the same reach as the 80/100 but with a heck of a lot less power consumption.. If the components can last a few years of all weather, all temperature riding, I'll be a happy camper.

 

Aiming can be tricky, it seems to put the light in the oddest place (some people may not notice it though). I did the typical aiming procedures but found it too low on the highway. I asked a friend to sit on the side of the highway in his midsized car and made approaching runs towards him, adjusting the light until he found it too bright.. Doing this with the high and low beam allowed me to set the light for maximum reach on low beam without disturbing oncoming traffic (every one hates being flashed by oncoming cagers) and maximum reach for high beam. Oncoming Miatas and other smaller cars are S.O.L. for being low to the ground cars.. sorry.

 

Overall, so far I'm happy with the LED, good lighting, fair price and ease of installation. If you're going from OEM headlight, you'll enjoy the improvement. If you're replacing your HID, you'll probably find it a little dimmer. The only factor to be discovered is how durable and long lasting it will be.

[Tisunac]

After having problems with the charging (turned out it was the rectifier/voltage regulator) I took a closer look at my lights, making sure I don't overload my system. With all the additional lights (front and back) I needed to get read of something. Than I realized - instead of taking off my LED marking lights, or HD brake lights, or trunk brake bar, I've replaced my 50W passing lights with 11W passing lights. I can see the difference in the intensity of the lights but the 11W ones are still plenty bright. Moreover, at night my 50W were too bright (cars were constantly flashing their lights) and they were "overpowering" my headlight. Now, they add more "light coverage" without being too bright. And I'm sure oncoming cars are happier, too.

 

Another benefit - the 11W ones are under $10 for both at Lowe's!... Can't beat that....

 

BTW, you can find a 9W LED par36 online for about $25 a piece and that was my plan (they would be about as bright as 50W halogen) but after installing 11W halogen there's no need for me to spend more money for the LED's.

[DMV_STREET_KING]

Great write up. I will definitely be doing this!