The LED we've been waiting for!

[BlackBike]

Speaking for myself (non rx3 owner, yet) the dim weak yellow incandescent bulb looks like a joke next to the bright aux lights (I also have auxiliary led pair but cheap ones for a cheap bike). Will be replacing h.l.bulb upon delivery.

[woodlandsprite]

hey Detours,
Did you buy the entire headlamp assembly when you switched to the newer model one?
I've noticed some bubbling on my reflector from the higher wattage bulb I'm running *sigh* looks like i should take your learning and install an LED

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by RedHawk47

Is that what is the problem with the OEM blub? I know that it is only 35w, but is it also an incandescent blub and not a halogen?

I haven't worried about it too much because I have aux LEDs, but this LED bulb looks worth trying.

Halogen bulbs are incandescent bulbs. An incandescent bulb produces light by heating a tungsten filament to emit light, or incandescence. I used the term incandescent bulb to distinguish it from the LED bulb, which employs light emitting diodes.

http://www.topbulb.com/blog/whats-di...ndescent-bulb/

The stock HS1 bulb is a Phillips 12636, which is an incandescent halogen bulb. Virtually all of the incandescent headlight bulbs I see for sale are now halogen bulbs. The main problem with the stock halogen bulb is the 35/35W power output.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by detours

Since it was so late, I was not able to try out the new LED on the road. Hopefully I can give it a good road test tonight. But based on the focus, intensity and light pattern at 25 feet, I have high hopes for it. I'll be checking for roadside illumination and distance.

That's great. Thank you for all your research.

If it's not too much trouble, I would also love to know how well this LED bulb works with the original headlight reflector.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by woodlandsprite

hey Detours,
Did you buy the entire headlamp assembly when you switched to the newer model one?
I've noticed some bubbling on my reflector from the higher wattage bulb I'm running *sigh* looks like i should take your learning and install an LED

I think we now have sufficient evidence from several independent reports; the heat from a 55/60W H4 bulb will damage the plastic reflector. Did you remove the back of the headlight to help dissipate the extra heat? If so, did you remove the back of the headlight before, or a while after you had installed the H4 bulb?

I haven't noticed much more, if any additional "bubbling" of the top of the reflector in my original headlight assembly after I removed the back of the headlight. However, I wonder if this damage will occur if the headlight assembly is vented prior to installing an H4 halogen bulb?

[detours]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

I wonder if this damage will occur if the headlight assembly is vented prior to installing an H4 halogen bulb?

I cut open the back of my stock reflector at the same time I installed my 55W Silverstar, and it still bubbled. Maybe it saved the reflector a little, but it still yellowed and bubbled.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by detours

I cut open the back of my stock reflector at the same time I installed my 55W Silverstar, and it still bubbled. Maybe it saved the reflector a little, but it still yellowed and bubbled.

Thank you for verifying this matter.

It is now obvious the heat from a 55/60W H4 bulb will damage the plastic reflector. However, I have ridden my RX3 for 14,000 miles, and the damage to the reflector has not noticeably increased after venting the back of the headlight. Nevertheless, I think an LED bulb is still the best solution to prevent any damage to the reflector.

[SpudRider]

I bought a new, spare, original headlight assembly from Taobao. If anyone is interested, I would like to trade this original headlight assembly for one of the new headlight assemblies, so I can experiment with the two of them.

[detours]

Originally Posted by woodlandsprite

hey Detours,
Did you buy the entire headlamp assembly when you switched to the newer model one?
I've noticed some bubbling on my reflector from the higher wattage bulb I'm running *sigh* looks like i should take your learning and install an LED

I bought the new style headlight assembly a few months ago, when I installed my previous LED. I believe the new assembly throws more light to each side, but I can't be sure because I changed both at the same time.

[detours]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

If it's not too much trouble, I would also love to know how well this LED bulb works with the original headlight reflector.

I already put the 2nd LED in my wife's TU. Maybe I can steal it back for a quick test. It's easier to open up her headlight than mine

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by detours

I already put the 2nd LED in my wife's TU. Maybe I can steal it back for a quick test. It's easier to open up her headlight than mine

If you have time, I would truly love to hear your comparison of the beam patterns for the two headlight assemblies.

Thank you for all your contributions to this forum. Your status in The Cult of The Zong continues to rise daily, comrade.

[detours]

I put the GENNSI LED in the 2015 reflector and the results aren't very good on low beam. Sorry for the poor pics, but hopefully you can see enough of the beam pattern.

There are two big problems with the GENNSI LED in the 2015 housing:

1. The low beam is blocked by the large hump around the lower running light, leaving a giant shadow in the bottom center.
2. The light distribution is much narrower than the 2015.5 reflector, due to the space taken up by the side LEDs in the housing.

The high beam pattern in the 2015 is a little narrower than the 2015.5 reflector, but looks fine. The LED makes a huge improvement over stock.

Apart from these issues, the light output is still very good. But if you have a 2015 reflector, you'll have to decide if the low beam pattern is any better than what you have now.

[detours]

I took Red 5 out for a night run and gave the new LED a good road test in my 2015.5 reflector. I ran it on city roads with streetlights and unlit rural roads with a few blind curves.

The light is more obviously blue reflecting off road signs than it was in my parking lot. In terms of color temp, I prefer a 5000K white light over this 6000K, but I'm not complaining. I'm just glad it's not any bluer.

The low beam provides excellent light to both sides of the road, actually better than the high beam. The cutoff works well but offers enough light bleed to light up the signs and road markers in the distance.

The high beam provides even better distance lighting and good side lighting, but not as good as the low beam. I'm still pleased with it and I think a pair spotlight LEDs will do a great job lighting the roadside, when the high beam is on.

IMO, if you have a 2015.5 reflector, there's no question that the GENSSI will be an excellent LED for you. If you have a 2015 reflector, it will probably be an upgrade for you. But the 2015.5 reflector is so much better, you should consider purchasing one from CSC for $120. I'm so glad I did. I would not go back.

http://www.cscmotorcycles.com/HEADLA...-p/z27-103.htm

[SpudRider]

Thanks for posting the great photos and detailed description of the light patterns.

Does the Gennsi Elite LED bulb project the high beam as far down the highway as an H4 halogen bulb? My primary complaint with most LED headlight bulbs is the short forward projection of the high beam.

[keithmaine]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Thanks for posting the great photos and detailed description of the light patterns.

Does the Gennsi Elite LED bulb project the high beam as far down the highway as an H4 halogen bulb? My primary complaint with most LED headlight bulbs is the short forward projection of the high beam.

+1