Anyone tried the new HD LED Headlights?

[RX Therapy]

I ride My Street Glide 5 to 6 days a week and most days I'm not getting home until after dark. I would like to upgrade my headlight
with more than just an aftermarket bulb and noticed HD is offering an
LED replacement to the tune of $400++. Was looking for some feedback from anyone who may have made the upgrade, before
spending this kind of dough.

[EZE RIDER]

These new lights are only just available now (September 2010). Maybe you'll be the first. If you buy the headlight and running lights, it'll run you close to a grand. Pretty damn cool though. Oh Nathan have you seen these?

Click HERE

[SCHMIDTYS]

AND a lot less heat than the halogens !

[P3fltEng]

I have a set on my Road Glide, I found them on the web, I cannot find that site now, but I did find one that has the same lighting system I have. Custom made for whatever you drive.
I have mine set for the HID on low beam, I like to be seen. Works great.
Try this link: Electra Glide HID Lights
I paid 200 for mine, and what a difference, I will never use the stock lights again. Amazing.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by RX Therapy

I ride My Street Glide 5 to 6 days a week and most days I'm not getting home until after dark. I would like to upgrade my headlight
with more than just an aftermarket bulb and noticed HD is offering an
LED replacement to the tune of $400++. Was looking for some feedback from anyone who may have made the upgrade, before
spending this kind of dough.

LED's tend to be not as bright as conventional bulbs. Focusing the light for a headlight can be difficult too because LED arrays are big with not as much reflector as conventional bulbs. While LED's have a long life, they do get dimmer as they age. And they do fail, despite the advertising.

If you ride a lot at night, and I do, the best option that I have found is to replace the stock headlamp bulb with one of the aftermarket brighter and whiter bulbs like the Silverstar. These bulbs, available at auto parts stores and even Wal-Mart are a lot brighter than the stock Harley bulb. The next thing to do is to add a pair of 55w driving lights and wire them so that they do not go off when the high-beam is turned on. I have a small push toggle switch installed next to my high-beam switch. When running at night the twin 55w lamps are always on and the high beam is switched on and off as needed.

I have a pair of Harley's crash bar lights on my 2009 Dyna Super Glide. They really light up the road; projecting a wide beam that helps when making turns and cornering. At 55 watts each, they light up the road. I like them better than the light-bar style round lights that project light way down the road but are not so good at illuminating to the side of the bike. You know, those spots where the deer like to hide.

If you have a windshield, replace the plastic with clear, not smoked, not solar, not tinted - clear! If you wear a helmet with a visor the same applies. My daytime visor is lightly smoked and I mean very lightly smoked. At night it absorbs enough light to reduce my clear visual field by at least 40%. I use a clear visor at night.

Riding at night means that you need to be seen as much as you need to see. I just had one of those accent light kits installed. It comes with 139 white LED's, other colors are available, and it lights up the bike at night, making it a lot more visible to anyone looking at the bike from the side. The lighting is also visible from the front and rear, but it really lights it up in profile.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by P3fltEng

I have a set on my Road Glide, I found them on the web, I cannot find that site now, but I did find one that has the same lighting system I have. Custom made for whatever you drive.
I have mine set for the HID on low beam, I like to be seen. Works great.
Try this link: Electra Glide HID Lights
I paid 200 for mine, and what a difference, I will never use the stock lights again. Amazing.

I had a guy approach me coming head on last week at night. The bike had a HID headlight and it was so bright that I had a hard time seeing the road. I was in my SUV and slowed way down as he passed. By the time he passed I was using trying to only look at him out of the corner of my eye to avoid being blinded by the headlamp. I don't think that I had ever seen anything that bright on a car or a motorcycle.

In my opinion, that light was a threat not only to other drivers who could be temporarily blinded but also the rider who just might find a car with a driver who cannot see cross into his lane.

[P3fltEng]

Originally Posted by Pete

I had a guy approach me coming head on last week at night. The bike had a HID headlight and it was so bright that I had a hard time seeing the road. I was in my SUV and slowed way down as he passed. By the time he passed I was using trying to only look at him out of the corner of my eye to avoid being blinded by the headlamp. I don't think that I had ever seen anything that bright on a car or a motorcycle.

In my opinion, that light was a threat not only to other drivers who could be temporarily blinded but also the rider who just might find a car with a driver who cannot see cross into his lane.

I do agree with you that the light is bright. I will bet that the bike you saw did not have it adjusted correctly. I have had people ask me about it, but never anyone complaining that it blinds them. I made sure I adjusted it correctly before I was out on the road at night. That bike should have switched to the less bright side with oncoming traffic also.

[pb68slab]

Just changed my stock 55/60wt H-4 bulb to an 80/100wt. Much better! Cost , $5.95.

[Craiger]

Originally Posted by pb68slab

Just changed my stock 55/60wt H-4 bulb to an 80/100wt. Much better! Cost , $5.95.

I like that price a tad more !!

[Pete]

Originally Posted by pb68slab

Just changed my stock 55/60wt H-4 bulb to an 80/100wt. Much better! Cost , $5.95.

A lot of Harley Davidson motorcycle cannot use high wattage bulbs because they will overheat and melt the plastic light socket. My Dyna has such a small headlamp shell that it can't dissipate the excess heat.