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New user
Posts: 2
| Working on a project to color match the rear and turn signal lenses like Mike's Vision over at HMD. The bike is stripped out right now for a major redo (paint, VFC III, IAV, 2nd Air filter, WD pipes, etc).
I have read a number of Nozzledog's posts and TimVision11 as well on their LED projects. I was not really looking for the exact outcome so wanted to see any one has simply changed over from the standard 3157 bulb to an LED, keeping all functions as is with a single color?
If so, could someone provide guidance on parts and instructions for doing a change over? Seems there are a multitude of led bulbs and from the sound of it, even the more expensive ones have been finicky. Also, it seems that going with red on all of them would be best since this is ultimately what the lens color will be.
Any suggestions welcomed.
Thanks! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1066
Peru, IN | I don't know where you live but around here, you need amber front turn signals. Not saying you'll get stopped without them (I'll tint mine eventually) but just something to keep in mind. I'd say red front turn signals would be bad pretty much anywhere in the States. |
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Tourer
Posts: 466
Grand Cane, LA | I have done what your talking about but still have amber LED bulbs in the front as that is what is legal. The only thing you have to do besides change the bulbs is add the resistors so that the bulbs don't hyper-flash. Pretty simple really. I will have to look up who makes the bulbs I used, but I believe they are the SMT style which are the brightest on the market right now. I have tried the cheap ones and they are not bright at all. |
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| a clear led or white is best cause our lens are not designed for LEDs. If your going to smoke the lens for sure you will loose light coming threw so don't do red please |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1066
Peru, IN | Nozzledog did a nice write up on LEDs. |
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Tourer
Posts: 466
Grand Cane, LA | Actually johnnyvision, you want to use the same color LED as the lens because the other colors of the light spectrum of the white LED are absorbed by the lens so if you use a red LED it is actually brighter since all the light is passing through the lens. What you want is a higher lumen light source which you can get in an LED and not in a incandescent and your lights will appear brighter. |
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New user
Posts: 2
| Wow... great comments thanks guys. I tried some 3157 LEDs from ebay. No such thing as plug and play there. No flash, no running light period. Thought it might be that the resistor was missing but surprised I did not get any illumination. yes. tried them both ways since they can be put in backwards. That's why I came to the experts!
I read Nozzledog's tech notes. That's what got me thinking I was missing something. I figured I would take a shot at the color match. Will go back if I feel there is a loss of visibility but here in Florida half the idiots driving cars don;t know what turn signals are anyway so it really is all about situational awareness when you ride here.
ATVTinker: appreciate the advice. Looking for a simple plug and play if there is such a thing. Assume this will work for fronts as well as rears? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 208
Wichita, Kansas | For a long discussion on LEDs go to the Vision Tech Reference page 3, and there is a whole piece on replacing bulbs with LEDs. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 612
| For what it's worth, I have tried two different brands of LEDs behind my front clear turn signal lenses. The first set, are AO switchbacks, but the white is way too BLUE for my liking.
I currently have had some Samsung AW switchbacks installed, and they are very bright, and whiter looking, but now 3 of them have had a flicker when they warm up after a minute. The vendor has already replaced two of them, and they seem to be doing alright. I believe he is waiting to receive my RMA on the two I replaced before sending me out a third replacement bulb.
I tried installing load equalizers, but they did nothing for the flicker, which is obviously a fault with the bulb itself, given that only one or two rows of LEDs actually flicker, not all of them. I'm using GLighton's sequencing harness, and it appears to negate the need for a load equalizer to stabilize the flash rate, as it has always been normal without them.
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LED Replacement