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LED Light Bar.. do you have it?

21K views 53 replies 13 participants last post by  mredlancelot 
#1 ·
https://www.kawasaki.com/Accessories/Item/EN650BGFBL/999940511

Does anyone have this installed? I haven't really seen pics of it up and running on a bike other than the regular pics of it on the kawasaki website.

If you have pics can you post it with the lights turn on? Night pics too if possible.

How do you like it? Does it give better night visibility?

Is it worth putting out the $400 for it?
 
#5 ·
I did retrofit a proper Bixenon HID in my headlight. As far as I know I'm the only to ever. It gives incredible light output. But, it's not a substitute for auxiliary lighting. The downside to my headlight is the sharp cutoff line. When I lean way over in really dark turns at night it creates a "dead" spot of light right into what I'm turning into. Generally I can see well enough beforehand, or I can flip the highbeam and it gives me total light. But, if there's a car coming I blind them if I do that.

I don't think the Kawi light bar is worth $400.00. Considering you can get a decent fog light/running light assembly for far less. I'm going to do just that and aim them down at about a 20' radius directly in front of me.
 
#4 · (Edited)
The OEM led aux lamps were too spendy for me... and I didn't care for the size/location of the OEM aux lamp switch supplied with their kit.

Buy two 10W (power consumption, not light output) LED driving lamps and fork-mount them on clamps with a handlebar-mounted switch (I think the total on this light mod was about $59).Accessory relay not included...full details in my thread:

Another Driving Light Mod
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=236321&share_fid=91409&share_type=t

Then I changed out the stock headlamp for a 3800 lumen Cyclops H4 (MSRP $65)
Lots of light...and the reason many of us change out the headlamp is it makes the color temperature (very white) match the driving lights.

NOTE: This fork-clamp mounting mod I did will not work if you have the OEM KQR windshield mount, as the clamshell fork surrounds used by Kaw completely cover the upper forks. If you have the Kaw windshield already I suppose it is possible, but not recommended, to locate the light clamps I used below the fork bracket due to concerns about limiting travel on the front suspension.

I'm currently looking into alternative mounting schemes to allow both the KQR shield and this light mod to peacefully coexist [emoji848].

Of course if you have engine protection bars (HB, R&G, etc.) it's very easy to mount the lights on the bars...

Ride safe!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#7 · (Edited)
It's quite possible. I understand what you're saying. No matter what I do there are scenarios that I'll shine into a driver's line of sight. But, I put my cutoff decently low so it's quick flashes.

I figure some decent fogs may give me line of sight into that void. I can see a turn well going into it. And it's mostly restricted to "deeper" turns where my bike is at a steeper angle. I'm not so worried about flashing oncoming cars in that regard, because I'm not planning on having high output auxiliary lighting. It would be akin to the normal headlight flashing someone.

I think it's a cheap enough modification to see whether it has a positive effect or not (I'm speaking of aftermarket lights, not the $400.00 light bar). The light output may not be enough to be beneficial, or too bright for passing motorist. I won't know unless I can try it and try different angles.
 
#10 ·
Is it worth putting out the $400 for it?


led's do not have enough lumens for night visibility to light the road, so no, they are only marker lights, if you want to light the road at night led's are not going to do it (not enough lumen output on them)
 
#12 ·
so you want me to remain silent and not tell the truth? and u call me a troll here?
I am not a troll, I know about leds and had them on my bikes, do some research on them lets discuss the number of lumens they output, put some numbers to your comment, lets see if they can light up the night time road as you seem to suggest that they can, but if I remain silent and that guy buys them thinking they will light up the road for him and they don't, then he should blame you for the mistake
 
#14 · (Edited)
Hmmm...it seems that a 'simple' question the OP posed has taken on the character of most oil threads (lol)...

The subject here is 'auxiliary lights', not headlights and they can be used for two purposes; as light sources to supplement a main headlamp to "fill in the gaps" and/or as a DRL/recognition light for better daytime conspicuity.

The OEM H4 lamp (60/55W- that's power, not lighting wattage) has on the average 1650 lumens on high, 1000 lumens on low beam.

Many small LED bullet lights (like the Mondomotos MM10, etc.) consume 10W each with an output of about 1000 lumens and these type of lights are available in 10°, 25° or 40° beam spread pattens depending on if you want a spot, general-purpose, or floodlight. Many folks choose 25° as a happy medium.

We also know lumens isn't the Holy Grail of lighting...it's what you do with it. Mounting location, reflector type and aiming also play critical parts in the equation...this is why an LED main headlamp conversion can be tricky as the stock reflector was designed for use with a halogen lamp.

Turns - especially at significant angles of bank - exposes one of the potential downsides of some LED headlights/aux lights as you get a very sharp cutoff that doesn't illuminate the turn in the road well. My Harley Ultra has all-LED lamps (OEM) and I noticed it immediately.

My 'fix' was to re-aim the aux lamps out and up a bit to compensate for this...as many of you have done.

The most impressive headlight I've ever seen on a motorcycle is on my BMW K1600 - the Adaptive Headlight. While the high beams are traditional H7 halogens, the low beam (center of the three lights) is a Xenon projector assembly that actually shines up into a servo-controlled mirror. Using the velocity and bank angle sensors in the bike it actually moves the beam to track up, down, left or right depending on speed, turn rate/bank angle and vehicle loading. Damn witchcraft and the coolest light you've ever seen...but spendy. You actually see the turn with no 'cutoff' like other lights.

BTW...another cool tech-toy that can be used with many LED aux lights is a controller like the Skene Designs IQ-275 Intelligent Lighting Controller. This tiny box handles 2 channels with a total of 288W of load and allows you to pick up to 3 different LED light intensities for your aux lights (switch selectable) that are user-programmable in 10% increments...and is available with an 'alert' option. The Alert option wires to your flash-to-pass trigger - tap it twice and the lights give a quick burst-strobe at 100%. At a starting price of $70 for the base model controller it gives you the option to have low-intensity DRLs and something brighter for nighttime.

Ride safe!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
Hmmm...it seems that a 'simple' question the OP posed has taken on the character of most oil threads (lol)...

The subject here is 'auxiliary lights', not headlights and they can be used for two purposes; as light sources to supplement a main headlamp to "fill in the gaps" and/or as a DRL/recognition light for better daytime conspicuity.

The OEM H4 lamp (60/55W- that's power, not lighting wattage) has on the average 1650 lumens on high, 1000 limens on low beam.

Many small LED bullet lights (like the Mondomotos MM10, etc.) consume 10W each with an output of about 1000 lumens and these type of lights are available in 10°, 25° or 40° beam spread pattens depending on if you want a spot, general-purpose, or floodlight. Many folks choose 40° as a happy medium.

We also know lumens isn't the Holy Grail of lighting...it's what you do with it. Mounting location, reflector type and aiming also play critical parts in the equation...this is why an LED main headlamp conversion can be tricky as the stock reflector was designed for use with a halogen lamp.

Turns, especially at significant angles of bank, exposes one of the potential downsides of some LED headlights/aux lights as you get a very sharp cutoff that doesn't illuminate the turn in the road well. My Harley Ultra has all-LED lamps (OEM) and I noticed it immediately.

My 'fix' was to re-aim the aux lamps out and up a bit to compensate for this...as many of you have done.

The most impressive headlight I've ever seen on a motorcycle is on my BMW K1600 - the Adaptive Headlight. While the high beams are traditional H7 halogens, the low beam (center of the three lights) is a Xenon projector assembly that actually shines up into a servo-controlled mirror. Using the velocity and bank angle sensors in the bike it actually moves the beam to track up, down, left or right depending on speed, turn rate/bank angle and vehicle loading. Damn witchcraft and the coolest light you've ever seen...but spendy. You actually see the turn with no 'cutoff' like other lights.

BTW...another cool tech-toy that can be used with many LED aux lights is a controller like the Skene Designs IQ-275 Intelligent Lighting Controller. This tiny box allows you to pick up to 3 different LED light intensities for your aux lights (switch selectable) that are user-programmable in 10% increments...and is available with an 'alert' option. The Alert option wires to your flash-to-pass trigger - tap it twice and the lights give a quick burst-strobe at 100%.

Ride safe!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Agreed. I strongly advise against putting HIDs OR LEDs into a non-HID/LED housing. If the housing was designed for halogen and uses a reflector, use halogen only. Otherwise you are glaring all over the road and losing 'usability'. This is why I am going to go with a projector retrofit thanks to Illustratingbrandon's HowTo. You can however, in most cases, get away with using a halogen PROJECTOR with HID's (I do this on my ZX6R).

Back to the LED bar though...I honestly don't think it's worth it but I haven't seen them in person. I just can't imagine the LED's being that great. Going by the info above, if it was like 2000 lumens then yeah...
 
#16 ·
Ilya:

Yup...but a few of us have found the 3800 lumen Cyclops LED as an effective retrofit. YMMV, buyer beware, yada yada. They include spacers with the latest lamps to adjust low beam cutoff that really helps with the stock reflector.

Compared to the OEM halogen I like what the Cyclops does and I was very careful looking at beam pattern and headlight adjustment. All I can say is that particular conversion worked well for me...but other have different opinions.

That being said I likely wouldn't have a bike without some kind of aux lamps as a supplement regardless of the main headlamp type.

Ride safe!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#17 · (Edited)
I was looking on the Twisted Throttle site, as I had to remove my fork-mounted aux lights to accommodate an OEM KQR windshield mount. I've been looking for an alternative mounting scheme to have both of these accessories and ran across this:


http://www.twistedthrottle.com/dena...or-select-kawasaki-yamaha-star-cruisers-black

It's listed as compatible with the Vulcan S so I ordered one to try...I'll give it a go and report back...

Another option might be to use their universal articulating offset mounts and bolt them up high to the fork braces; this might eliminate the headache of running the left aux light wiring, as the Vulcan S only has a single caliper on the right (which gives us an easy route for wiring on that side, following the brake hose, but not the left); would need to do some measuring to see if they would clear the windshield/mount:

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/dena...i-dm-d1-d2-d4-dr1-dx-auxiliary-led-headlights

Ride safe


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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#22 ·
I was looking on the Twisted Throttle site, as I had to remove my fork-mounted aux lights to accommodate an OEM KQR windshield mount. I've been looking for an alternative mounting scheme to have both of these accessories and ran across this:
I mounted my lights in this area.
There are brackets for the side reflectors already there. They're held on with M5 nuts that can be removed easily.

My lights came with adjustable brackets that screw on with M6 hardware so I drilled the existing bracket hole out to 6mm. The only downside is the rh bracket that also doubles as a brake line retainer is thin and flimsy compared to the lh side so I quickly knocked up a backing bracket to give it more strength.

I'll post up a picture later to show what I did.

It is possible to get LED lights that can be used as headlights. Some of the ones I've seen I'd doubt would make their claims but the makers of my riding lights also offer a pair of 4.7" lights that put out 80w/7500 lumens each (adjustable). These are an 8 degree pencil beam and are often used as headlights on custom built cafe bikes.

I don't think many people understand how far the LED technology has come.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Some folks have used the spacing washers, some have not.

In my case, I put the bike in the driveway about 25' from the garage door (on a paddock stand to keep it upright), turned the OEM headlight on and marked the cutoff with blue painters tape on the garage door. This gave me a reference point. If you don't have a garage door or wall handy a large piece of cardboard makes a suitable aiming target. 25' is a fairly standard distance for most bikes for headlight calibration.

I then removed the headlight bucket and swapped the halogen lamp out for the Cyclops.

I was able to aim the headlight down just a bit to match the existing mark on the garage door without utilizing the spacers.

Of course, your results may vary depending on how your suspension is set up; if I couldn't go low enough the next step was to try the spacers...

This procedure is also useful when you add aux lights so you can see the additional beam spread and cutoff for comparative purposes.

Ride Safe!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#20 ·
if you're trying to light up the night time road ahead of you forget it, these won't do it, all you got here is led marker lights
 
#21 · (Edited)
if you are trying to be seen on the road at night, when an oncoming vehicle is approaching you, they won't see the led marker lights from a distance because of the headlight, the marker lights will only become visible and distinctly noticable from the headlight at about 100 feet or less, and I went to that web page and it does not give the watts output info on them

edit: on 2nd thought, 100 feet is generous, try 50 feet, because the headlight is going to impair any light coming from those weak leds
 
#23 ·
Cpt.:

Good thought!
I originally considered using the fender mounting bolts but doubted their ability to handle additional vibration/stress without cracking the fender.

I'll examine the reflector mounting points - the question still remains on the best way to route the left-side wiring. How did you route yours?

Ride safe!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#24 ·
I have them installed. Are they worth cost, that is a decision each person has to make. For me, yes.

The pics below were taken in my driveway on an uphill slant. Sorry angle is not exact, guess my one-handed photographer skills need work. They do help at night, more so with width, but they also help light things up ahead too.
 

Attachments

#25 ·
I have them installed, I don't have any comparison point but I like having them:
- It does provide much wider lighting than just the headlight, helps seeing things on the side of the road, and see a bit better ahead of curves at night. I believe it also helps seeing a bit further in a straight line, but the main thing you notice is the wider field of view
- It makes you much more visible at night and during the day, I leave mine ON all the time, and been told that those make you definitely more visible to others

I initially thought Kawasaki was making a huge profit on those, but maybe not after all as the bulbs are very expensive PIAA lights, FWIW

Maybe not the most cost effective thing I bought for the bike so far, but I don't regret it as half of my riding is at night
 
#27 ·
- It makes you much more visible at night and during the day, I leave mine ON all the time, and been told that those make you definitely more visible to others
Exactly the reason I had them installed as well, purely to make me more visible, and they're on all the time. Just want to swap out the headlamp with a bulb that matches their blue color.
 
#29 ·
So, I had some kind of cruiser (big cruiser - one of those Goldwing types) with what seemed like a very similar LED light bar behind me today on the highway. Honestly, at anything other than like 30ft, I couldn't even tell he had additional lights...it was just one big light behind me. So as far as it helping you be visible on the road, I don't think it helps in that regard. Just thought I'd toss that in here.
 
#36 ·
To clarify, his LED lights did not in ANY WAY add to his visibility. Not until I could make out the LED Lights themselves which was when he got within 30-40ft (or so) of my rear bumper. He was likely running an HID or LED bulb in his main headlamp as it was a bright white, not a yellowish halogen color. So, perhaps if he was running a halogen bulb then his LED's would have differentiated themselves at a greater distance.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Cpt. :

Ahhh...I love it first thing of a morning; a new day, quiet cup of coffee on the back deck, and reading all the new posts from our friends on the other side of the International Date Line [emoji16]

That pic tells me EXACTLY what I wanted to know. Nice landing lights. The cable to my LED aux lights are smaller, but I'll put them in a jacket that's more substantial for protection and route as you have done.

Thank you!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#37 ·
Thanks for the compliment.
Feel free to browse the folder on Photobucket for my bike. It's not locked. I already took photos of how to arrange the clamps for the shield in a previous thread.
Just so you know my bars are set as low as possible without tank slapping at full lock. Any higher and it might start to angle the shield forward more.
 
#35 ·
Appears to be a Slipstreamer Stealth SS-20 (smoke); but the Vulcan S is not listed as compatible in their application chart:
SS-20: Stealth - Slipstreamer Inc.
That being said, Cpt. Is a pretty handy guy; I'm sure he'll share how he did it...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice, their installation video seemed pretty simple and straight forward.
 
#38 ·
I got one of those slip streamers also. 3 problems:

1) I didn't like the way it sat in front of the headlight. So I cut mine so it would sit behind/on top of the headlight.
2) You will find like I did that you will have to re-tighten the screws that hold it to the handlebars after rides. Very annoying.
3) WTF is up with the stripes? I took mine off.

I eventually took it off and got the kawi large windshield.
 
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