City Lights?

[C14_Rider]

I’ll repeat a post I put up a couple of years ago that the winner will be the guy who figures out how to remove those city lights completely and modify the housing to be able to shine a couple of those new 2” diameter HID’s through those holes.  Make them adjustable left/right to serve as deer-lighter ditch lights or driving lights depending on the situation.  May not be even close to possible, I don’t know.  Wish I had time to take on the challenge.

[SVonhof]

I’ll repeat a post I put up a couple of years ago that the winner will be the guy who figures out how to remove those city lights completely and modify the housing to be able to shine a couple of those new 2” diameter HID’s through those holes.  Make them adjustable left/right to serve as deer-lighter ditch lights or driving lights depending on the situation.  May not be even close to possible, I don’t know.  Wish I had time to take on the challenge.

Could be done if somebody had the time and money to fab something up. There is space back there. But why?

[C14_Rider]

Ah, to farkle or not to farkle, that is the question…

To put HID lights in a place where they won’t need to be cleaned since they would be protected?
To add improved lighting in a way that doesn’t look like an add-on and detract from the clean design of the bike?
Stealth?
But most important--
To turn something useless into something worthwhile.

[maxtog]

Ah, to farkle or not to farkle, that is the question…

To put HID lights in a place where they won’t need to be cleaned since they would be protected?
To add improved lighting in a way that doesn’t look like an add-on and detract from the clean design of the bike?
Stealth?
But most important--
To turn something useless into something worthwhile.

While waiting for you design that multi-hundred dollar conversion kit that requires 12+ hours of installation...  at least replace them with yellow/amber incandescent bulbs now (for $5) and you have at least made them go from useless to useful (making the bike stand out a bit more).

[ZG]

A couple questions for you guys, I want to get some "white" LED bulbs for my city lights... I just ordered up a set of the H4 bulbs from Murph and want my city lights to match the white color of the H4 headlight bulbs.
 
In looking at them so far I'm noticing that there are many different choices for how many LED's are on the bulb and that the more LEDs the more output. What is the output not to exceed?? How many LED's per bulb is best??
 
I'm thinking of going with these "5 LED" bulbs, am I right in my choice?? Would I be ok with watts, volts, etc?? Would they be too bright, not bright enough?? Any better options you'd recommend?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nokya-NOK6655-LED-Bulb-6000k-White-194-168-12256-2825-/380236257113?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5887d8d759
 
Thanks.

[maxtog]

A couple questions for you guys, I want to get some "white" LED bulbs for my city lights... I just ordered up a set of the H4 bulbs from Murph and want my city lights to match the white color of the H4 headlight bulbs.
 
In looking at them so far I'm noticing that there are many different choices for how many LED's are on the bulb and that the more LEDs the more output. What is the output not to exceed?? How many LED's per bulb is best??
 
I'm thinking of going with these "5 LED" bulbs, am I right in my choice?? Would I be ok with watts, volts, etc?? Would they be too bright, not bright enough?? Any better options you'd recommend?

H4 is just a headlight bulb size/type....  I assume you mean the Philips X-Treme Vision H4 bulbs that Murph and others sell   I do like them.

As I said in my other posts- LED lights are dreadful for some reason.  They are either too dim, have a narrow throw, or both.  I was extremely disappointed in what was supposed to be some of the brightest vehicle incandescent-replacement LED bulbs out there.  They weren't even half as bright as the bulbs they were meant to replace.  And cost tremendously more.  I am hoping someday the products offered will be improved- LED's *can* be very bright.  I have a LED Lenser flashlight that can nearly blind!

Personally, I don't see any point in the city lights at all, if they are the same color as the headlights.  Turning them yellow/amber is a definite improvement, but they are so close to the headlights that the impact is minimal.   Still, anything [legal] that makes the bike stand out from just white is worth it....

That said, it is true that even stock, the city lights are not the same whiteness as the stock H4 bulbs, and they will match less with the X-Treme Vision headlights.  If it is just aesthetics and you don't care about the safety aspects, then you might come out OK by going with LED bulbs because they will be a closer match- but be careful, a lot of them will be MUCH bluer, landing you will the exact same problem, just in reverse.   Long story short, my advice would be to just go to any local auto store and pop some amber bulbs and then you have a cheap, simple, easy change that improves your visibility and with no "matching" issues.

[ZG]

H4 is just a headlight bulb size/type....  I assume you mean the Philips X-Treme Vision H4 bulbs that Murph and others sell   I do like them.

As I said in my other posts- LED lights are dreadful for some reason.  They are either too dim, have a narrow throw, or both.  I was extremely disappointed in what was supposed to be some of the brightest vehicle incandescent-replacement LED bulbs out there.  They weren't even half as bright as the bulbs they were meant to replace.  And cost tremendously more.  I am hoping someday the products offered will be improved- LED's *can* be very bright.  I have a LED Lenser flashlight that can nearly blind!

Personally, I don't see any point in the city lights at all, if they are the same color as the headlights.  Turning them yellow/amber is a definite improvement, but they are so close to the headlights that the impact is minimal.   Still, anything [legal] that makes the bike stand out from just white is worth it....

That said, it is true that even stock, the city lights are not the same whiteness as the stock H4 bulbs, and they will match less with the X-Treme Vision headlights.  If it is just aesthetics and you don't care about the safety aspects, then you might come out OK by going with LED bulbs because they will be a closer match- but be careful, a lot of them will be MUCH bluer, landing you will the exact same problem, just in reverse.   Long story short, my advice would be to just go to any local auto store and pop some amber bulbs and then you have a cheap, simple, easy change that improves your visibility and with no "matching" issues.

Yes Max, I ordered the "Philips X-Treme Vision H4 bulbs" from Murph.
 
I agree the city lights most likely don't do much in terms of function, that's why I want them to match "color wise" the new headlight bulbs I just ordered, I don't want amber.
 
So how about my other questions, any issues with volts, watts, etc if I go with the ones I posted the link too? I also found them for a bit cheaper that appear to be the same bulbs (link below), but does brand matter or are they all just the same??
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TWO-x-12V-Wedge-LED-Bulbs-6000K-White-194-168-171-Size-/250811611815?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3a65897aa7
 
Thanks in advance! 

[C1xRider]

Jay,

There is no issue with voltage.  The city light bulbs are rated at 5 watts (each), and the 15 LEDs of the one in your link should be well below that (like half), so you should be OK there too.

One thing to watch for with LED lights is the rated / advertised life expectancy.  The method some use to get brighter output is to increase the current through the LEDs, but that causes them to burn out quicker.  I notice that seller does not list life expectancy, or current rating.  However, at $0.99 each, you could buy a bunch of them, and just swap them if / when they go.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

My LED city lights have already had several of the individual LEDs "dim out"  they still light up but are very diminished.  I am looking for something different like orange or a bright amber to give a contrast.  Having the white looks good, but they just blend in once the HIDs
are on.

[stevewfl]

I found some city lights!

[ZG]

Jay,

There is no issue with voltage.  The city light bulbs are rated at 5 watts (each), and the 15 LEDs of the one in your link should be well below that (like half), so you should be OK there too.

One thing to watch for with LED lights is the rated / advertised life expectancy.  The method some use to get brighter output is to increase the current through the LEDs, but that causes them to burn out quicker.  I notice that seller does not list life expectancy, or current rating.  However, at $0.99 each, you could buy a bunch of them, and just swap them if / when they go.

Thanks Rob! 

[ZG]

My LED city lights have already had several of the individual LEDs "dim out"  they still light up but are very diminished.  I am looking for something different like orange or a bright amber to give a contrast.  Having the white looks good, but they just blend in once the HIDs
are on.

How many LED's per bulb are on yours Jeremy? I've seen everything from 1 to 32 per bulb so far in my search... 
 
How long were you running them before the LED's started going out?

[Jeremy Mitchell]

How many LED's per bulb are on yours Jeremy? I've seen everything from 1 to 32 per bulb so far in my search... 
 
How long were you running them before the LED's started going out?

I have six per, for mine and I think three on one side have gone dim.  I have put at least 15,000 miles on my bike since I put them in back in February or March and my city lights spend a lot time in the on position without the bike running since my son loves to sit on my bike and hit the stebel.   

I will be hitting autozone and oreilly's tomorrow to find a suitable replacement.

[B.D.F.]

The limitation on how big a replacement LED you can use will end up being the bulb housing in the C-14 itself. The more LEDs in the replacement bulb, the bigger it is going to be. Unfortunately I do not know of any clever way to measure or test the fit without actually having the LED and trying it. Obviously a direct replacement LED for the lamp number will fit but there are other, larger versions available that may fit.

As others have said, the replacement LEDs also come with different mounting types, different angles and different LEDs that cast a different beam. Again, the only way to really know what works well in a given vehicle is to actually try different types.

Brian

How many LED's per bulb are on yours Jeremy? I've seen everything from 1 to 32 per bulb so far in my search... 
 
How long were you running them before the LED's started going out?

[Jeremy Mitchell]

I have found a light made by Slyvania (168NA) it is supposedly the exact same size as the 194 but produces almost twice the light.  It is rated at 38 lumens (most 194 are rated at 20-25 lumens).  It is a 4.9 watt bulb compared to the 194's 3.7 watt, so I will pick a set of these up tomorrow and post some pics of the results.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/_/N-5yc1s?itemIdentifier=16909

[ZG]

The limitation on how big a replacement LED you can use will end up being the bulb housing in the C-14 itself. The more LEDs in the replacement bulb, the bigger it is going to be. Unfortunately I do not know of any clever way to measure or test the fit without actually having the LED and trying it. Obviously a direct replacement LED for the lamp number will fit but there are other, larger versions available that may fit.

As others have said, the replacement LEDs also come with different mounting types, different angles and different LEDs that cast a different beam. Again, the only way to really know what works well in a given vehicle is to actually try different types.

Brian

Brian,
I've seen some LED bulbs in my search with multiple LEDs on the front face vs others with only one on the front face and the rest surrounding the sides like the ones I posted in the links. Are you saying that more on the front face is a better option? Like these on this link below??


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2X-SUPER-WHITE-T10-6000K-LED-LIGHT-BULBS-1206-SMD-6-LED-/230662277029?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35b48b07a5

[B.D.F.]

I did not mean to say that but I think it probably is a better option on the C-14. I think only front facing LEDs will be effective in the C-14 city light housings and any LEDs mounted sideways will not actually make any useful light.

I am running the ones that came with the HID kit I got from A&R in one of the group buys on the old forum. To be honest, I never even look at them and really only know they are still working because I can see light in front of the bike when I turn the key on at night. But I do not know if any of the LEDs have dimmed or failed as Jeremy mentioned. ??

What I thing would be a better option is LEDs that pulse. Not flash but change light output from, say, 60% to 100% at some high pulse rate that catches the eye's attention. When you look directly at them they appear to put out steady light but the peripheral vision actually sees the pulsing light. I have seen LED strips that do this and was very impressed with them but I think that is really for another thread.

Brian

Brian,
I've seen some LED bulbs in my search with multiple LEDs on the front face vs others with only one on the front face and the rest surrounding the sides like the ones I posted in the links. Are you saying that more on the front face is a better option?

[ZG]

I did not mean to say that but I think it probably is a better option on the C-14. I think only front facing LEDs will be effective in the C-14 city light housings and any LEDs mounted sideways will not actually make any useful light.

Well based on that I just bought these on ebay, pack of 4 bulbs with 6 LED's on the front face. Tough to go wrong for $8 shipped, I'll keep you guys posted when they arrive...
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3984Q2em1439Q2el2649QQitemZ330592877117QQsspagenameZSTRKQ3aMEWNXQ3aIT
 
Thanks for all the help as always!     

[Jeremy Mitchell]

Those are very similar to what I have.  Decent output and the best thing is they are cheap. If and when they burn out, throw another in.

[ZG]

Those are very similar to what I have.  Decent output and the best thing is they are cheap. If and when they burn out, throw another in.

Agreed! That's why I went with the 4-pack, they had a 2 pack for a couple bucks less but I figured I'd double up for future spares if needed...