New headlight bulb out there

[oldguy]

It's made by Cree, an LED, available so far only in H4 and looks very promising.
A friend just installed one on his new Triumph Explorer and I would say it may be slightly brighter than a DDM Tuning 55 watt HID setup I had on a recently sold BMW F800.
The bulb apparently has its own ballast and some sort of built in cooling fan. It's pricey at $70. I'm gonna get one from the local BMW dealer next week and will let you know.
My '04 has a 7" Suzuki headlight bucket and a relay kit, so should be a decent test example.
Jack.

 

[Redbone]

Sounds intriguing, looking forward to your thoughts on the ease of installation and performance. Oh, and pictures, we are a visual bunch you know!:biglaugh:

 

[robmac]

Is this it?

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=SL3498

 

[Biker Dash]

I would like to see a side x side comparison of that with the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra, one of the brightest h4 bulbs available in the stock wattage range. (also the current bulb in my bike)

I am very picky when it comes to bulbs. I do not like blue tint at all, but I do want very bright.

 

[oldguy]

No blue tint, bright white in color. I'm not familiar with the Sylvania bulb, but I do know my DDM Tuning HID set up was way brighter than any halogen bulb I have seen and this one would favorably compare bright wise.
Yes, that is the bulb on the link.

 

[robmac]

little bit of reading here re different globes

http://www.monsterlights.com.au/monsterlights_LED_headlight_testing.htm

After putting the eastern beaver relays in my standard set up I was really surprised how bright the normal globes became!

 

[sdt354]

I would like to see a side x side comparison of that with the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra, one of the brightest h4 bulbs available in the stock wattage range. (also the current bulb in my bike)

I am very picky when it comes to bulbs. I do not like blue tint at all, but I do want very bright.

That bulb rocks. Bro Mark gave me one a few years ago and it lights up the road great on low beam or high. Adjustment is also crucial to visibility.

 

[Fire-medic]

Sylvania SS Ultras I used on my GMC & didn't get much more than 12 mo out of them, They were better than stock, but I installed DDM 35 watt lows & fogs and the output was much better than the Ultras.

After several years w/the DDM's I am going to get them warrantied as they have lately been giving me issues. No complaints up until then. They claim a lifetime warranty, we'll see how they do.

 

[Biker Dash]

Sylvania SS Ultras I used on my GMC & didn't get much more than 12 mo out of them, They were better than stock, but I installed DDM 35 watt lows & fogs and the output was much better than the Ultras.

After several years w/the DDM's I am going to get them warrantied as they have lately been giving me issues. No complaints up until then. They claim a lifetime warranty, we'll see how they do.

I always found the SS Ultra bulbs to be considerably better than stock, so if these new ones are considerably better than the Sylvania bulbs I am running... HELL YEAH! Think I gotta get me three of them bulbs. (one for Woona, and two for Nightmare Moon)

Also, My Shadow with it's single pin crank, high revving nature, and solid motor mounts had one of them Silverstar Ultras in it. The bulb was in it for about 4 years, and never did it burn out before I sold it.

 

[oldguy]

Update:
Correction on the manufacturer, it's Cyron, not Cree, although apparently Cree is also making an led H4 replacement.
The install on mine was not strictly speaking 'plug and play.' My friend the engineer used two sided aluminum tape and did not use the existing spring holder common to H4's.
In the daylight it's very bright and I will road test it tonight and post my observations/opinions.
My friend above says he has done a side by side against HID and this bulb is brighter.
More to follow....
Jack.

 

[Lew L]

Wonder how this bulb would work /LAST With a pathblaser headlight modulator???

Lew

 

[oldguy]

Test ride last night, very impressive. No photos, as my camera is an early gen digital and would not produce anything worthwhile.
Hard to compare against the HID's on my BMW, because it was a two bulb headlight. I'm gonna call that one a tie. The bulb that was in the Max was a Hella 55\100 halogen and the Cyron led is way brighter.
I' happy with it and would buy it again.

 

[Biker Dash]

Test ride last night, very impressive. No photos, as my camera is an early gen digital and would not produce anything worthwhile.
Hard to compare against the HID's on my BMW, because it was a two bulb headlight. I'm gonna call that one a tie. The bulb that was in the Max was a Hella 55\100 halogen and the Cyron led is way brighter.
I' happy with it and would buy it again.

No hint of blue that you could see? I ask this again because any blue tint gives me a major headache after any length of time.

 

[Redbone]

Test ride last night, very impressive. No photos, as my camera is an early gen digital and would not produce anything worthwhile.
Hard to compare against the HID's on my BMW, because it was a two bulb headlight. I'm gonna call that one a tie. The bulb that was in the Max was a Hella 55\100 halogen and the Cyron led is way brighter.
I' happy with it and would buy it again.

Thanks for that comparison as it's what I run (not a Hella).
I've had my Ebay special (2 bulbs for $12-15 shipped) for 4 years now with separate high and low beam relays from Eastern Beaver. I still have the second bulb as a spare but I'll more than likely not have the luck I've had with the first. I had a couple silverstar ultras but they both burned out rather quickly after 1.5 - 2 months, last one in the middle of a 500 mile ride home.:damn angry:
I have a 55w HID setup I will install at some point but I'll probably go with a bigger 7" headlight lens if I do.

 

[oldguy]

Color wise almost exactly what I had with the 55 watt HID. No blue to my eye.
Re: the modulator, glad you asked. I was running a Kissan modulator with the Hella. When I asked Kissan about using the modulator with a bulb that has a ballast that fires, they said it should be fine. The tech guy at Cyron advised against using a modulator, so we disabled the Kissan.

 

[Lew L]

Thanks OG,

The PIAA bulb I use with the Modulator gets the attention I need during the day. Think I'll find another way to spend the money. Like better/ more LED's in the stop light circuit.
Lew

 

[HyperPete]

I've seen a number of LED setups on bikes and cars/trucks. While they appear to be very bright looking at them, I have not found that they project light forward very well. I'll stick to HIDs for now.

 

[oldguy]

Just a quick update. I did some riding out in the country( no streetlights) at night. Bottom line is the led doesn't throw the light as far as the hid's and is not as bright.
I'm installing a DDM Tuning 55 watt hid unit this weekend and will post the results.
Jack.

 

[DMAN999]

Just a quick update. I did some riding out in the country( no streetlights) at night. Bottom line is the led doesn't throw the light as far as the hid's and is not as bright.
I'm installing a DDM Tuning 55 watt hid unit this weekend and will post the results.
Jack.

I really didn't think it would have anywhere near the output I saw from the bikes using 35W or 55W HIDs at Thunder.
Those DDMTuning HIDs are really bright and throw the light quite a ways.
And from my experience as long as they are aimed properly they didn't blind me when they were in the opposite lane.

 

[Biker Dash]

I do hear really good things about the Harley Davidson LED headlight they have now. Waiting for someone around Waterville to get one of the LED headlight equipped ones so I can see if it is any better than what I currently have