LED's

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JC Viper · #1 Unread post by **JC Viper** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:34 pm

Since my court date is in April 2007 I guess I can ride without an increase in insurance for now.

Anyway I was planning to buy these really bright LED 1157 bulbs since the regular ones aren't so bright: 1157-LX3 Luxeon LED bulb. http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/ ... roduct=CAR

They offer these bulbs in either red or white. My question is should I just buy the red one for use in both the red and clear lens (I have 2 lenses just in case) or buy both? I was told somewhere to match the LED with the lens color since the lens supposedly filters out other colors except red.

MontyCarlo · Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:42 pm

If you're going for those cheap LED bulbs, get the red ones, they'll work better in your lenses. Personally I wouldn't buy any of those. If you really want a good upgrade, save your pennies and spend the bucks on a BRAKE! L.E.D. taillight. They have a very large array of LED lights (= more light), and a built-in and adjustable modulation feature. The modulator is the best I've seen, with two separate strobe speeds before it goes solid. Very noticable.

http://www.homebody-design.com/catalog/ ... ection.htm

They might make one for your bike, or you can get one of the universal ones.

JC Viper · #3 Unread post by **JC Viper** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:48 pm

Yeah the first ones are cheap but even the LX3 Luxeon LED? I was told these are extremely bright.

Thanks for that suggestion, the light modulation sounds good but NY doesn't make it clear on whether it's allowed.

MontyCarlo · Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:25 pm

I didn't see the Luxeons, only the cheap ones.

Some states only allow the brake light to flash for the first 3-4 seconds. The BRAKE! is nice because you can adjust the duration (2 settings + off/no modulation) up to about 2 1/2 seconds. It starts by strobing at, oh, 240 Hz or so, then maybe 500 Hz 3/4 through the cycle, then to solid. It really stands out and says HEY! YOU! I'M BRAKING HERE! I doubt you'd get a ticket, it's obviously a safety device and couldn't be confused for the "flashing emergency lights" which clearly are illegal.

William · #5 Unread post by **William** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 1:29 pm

Personally, I would add LEDs in addition to the factory lighting. I have a tag bracket on my ST1300 that has LED strips on each side, top and bottom. They light up with the tail lights, and get brighter with the brake lights.

This increases the total lit up surface area, and you can still get a modulator and/or flashing LEDs for the factory tail light.

What I do is flash the brake lights myself before I actually start to slow.

On the Kawasaki KLR250 I had, I was able to mount 3 of the oval shaped 4-LED clusters to the plastic tag light cover. The middle cluster stayed on with the tail light, and the 2 outside clusters came on with the brake light. The added LEDs were brighter than the factory lights, and could be seen from much farther away.

I used to have pics of the KLR250 setup, but I can't find them now.

JC Viper · #6 Unread post by **JC Viper** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:35 pm

I already have a pair of S.O.M.A. LEDs as running and brake lights and two extra brake lights (not running lights). I find that these over power the actual taillight a bit.

Clear Alternatives also sells LED boards but they haven't responded back when I wanted to know how to install these. Anyone else have Clear Alternatives LED lighting?