Disappointing result LED (H7) upgrade

[LeRoi50]

Hello fellow S10 riders,

I recently posted with a question about upgrading to H7 LED "bulbs".
I had larger caps printed and ordered some Osram Night Breaker road legal H7 Gen2 LED "bulbs".

But.... I've been running them for a week now and I'm disappointed with the result, I would have expected much more light.
It did get me thinking to when I was installing the "bulbs", I wondered why the actual LED's were not pointing up and down when installed....so not in a vertical plane.
I would think they should cast their light up and down in the reflector or am I mistaken?
Because now the Osram "bulbs" have the LED's tilted about 30 degrees off the vertical plane/upward....do I make sense?
I tried to reposition the H7 installation ring with the tab but it seems solid on the inner housing so I thought that it must be correct.

Can anyone tell me what way they should be pointing and if the ring with the tab is adjustable??

Regards,


Martin

 

[Chav]

Headlight conversions to LED retrofits are not a perfect solution but if done carefully they can be an improvement over stock. I chose to do the LEDs mainly because the retrofit allows for easy of repair on the road.
I did a write up talking about your exact question so take a read and see what you think. https://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?threads/leds-in-the-super-tenere-projectors.34273/#post-519166

My opinion is the issues with the ST and headlights that it’s suspension travel combined with a projector lamp causes it to be difficult to aim the light correctly. I split the difference by aiming each beam slightly differently but improved rear shock will be my ultimate solution.

 

[Jlq1969]

I think the problem with your Osran lamps is that they are “legal”….that legality means that the power is low (I think I read 19W, but I don't know if each one is 19W…or both)...on the market there are 35W and 55W H7 lamps “W in each one”
In the magnifying glass reflector, the LED pills must be located on both sides (not above and below), and the LEDs must generate a 180 degree beam of light (forward and backward. The magnifying glass is responsible for redirecting that beam of light and transform it into a circular beam (in high light)....in low beam, the actuator simply covers half of the magnifying glass

 

[bimota]

i have been running these below for 6 years now and are ok

NOVSIGHT H7 LED Headlight Bulbs Kit 72W 9000LM Hi-Lo Beam 6500K Super Bright 2x | eBay

【IP68 Waterproof】 The NOVSIGHT H7 LED bulb has been rigorously tested for durability and Waterproof, you can drive in all kinds of weather conditions, whether it is raining, snowing, or heavy fog. 【NIGHTEYE Wrranty & Service】 NOVSIGHT LED BULBS Products are strictly tested for sale!

www.ebay.co.uk

rob

 

[Jlq1969]

Look at Bimota's publication (KIT 72 W)... that is, 36w “each”

 

[TenereGUY]

Take it for a ride where you have trees, mountains or something going up from the roadside. I found that from the factory that my headlights were pointing way to high and most of my light was not going on the road or projecting forward where I needed it. My Oxilam LEDS didn't seem a whole lot brighter until I lowered the aim of the beams. That made a huge difference.

 

[Jlq1969]

Osram has a specific use for those leds lamps

 

[~TABASCO~]

Hello fellow S10 riders,

I recently posted with a question about upgrading to H7 LED "bulbs".
I had larger caps printed and ordered some Osram Night Breaker road legal H7 Gen2 LED "bulbs".

But.... I've been running them for a week now and I'm disappointed with the result, I would have expected much more light.
It did get me thinking to when I was installing the "bulbs", I wondered why the actual LED's were not pointing up and down when installed....so not in a vertical plane.
I would think they should cast their light up and down in the reflector or am I mistaken?
Because now the Osram "bulbs" have the LED's tilted about 30 degrees off the vertical plane/upward....do I make sense?
I tried to reposition the H7 installation ring with the tab but it seems solid on the inner housing so I thought that it must be correct.

Can anyone tell me what way they should be pointing and if the ring with the tab is adjustable??

Regards,


Martin

What you mentioned totally makes sense.... I encountered this recently with a friends bike. I called the folks that sells the bulbs and told them that there light instructions are wrong and the bulbs sit in the housing about 30* off.... and not aligned horizontal.... They admitted to me they do not make the light "kit" and they know it's wrong and just offered to send it back....... That is SO strange to sell a product they know is not correct as critical as headlights...

I opened up the little slot a bit bigger to allow it to 'click' over to the true horizontal position. Once this was done the lights performed MUCH - MUCH better..... So if you keep these bulbs, you might want to try this or have a friend help you... Also as others have mentioned, If your not using external driving lights, you might want to get "the best you can" and the most power you can push with the H7...

Also make note.... the kit you bought, and the kit I bought, are probably BOTH made at the same factory in china. What you describe is what I ran into.... Just sold by different folks around the world... If you decide to 'go more powerful' , make sure it's not yet the same light from the same factory..... The same BS engineering.......... What I received was a joke -



BTW - if folks what virtually the most light out of the stock fixtures (headlights), just install 50W HID bulbs. Ha-Ha... (Not LED). Ive used many-many sets of the 35W and they are really good... Ive bought one set of the 50W to try out... Its really just to much light... Ha-Ha
This is more of the old type technology, but you can get a ton of out put for not much money... And there is basically no "aligning" issues because the HID bulb is actually a bulb 360*. I have an old Phillips HID bulb in a bike that has been installed for 24 years... Still works like the first day... Of course a Phillips bulb is not a $8 bulb from China... LOL....

 

[Cycledude]

i have been running these below for 6 years now and are ok

NOVSIGHT H7 LED Headlight Bulbs Kit 72W 9000LM Hi-Lo Beam 6500K Super Bright 2x | eBay

【IP68 Waterproof】 The NOVSIGHT H7 LED bulb has been rigorously tested for durability and Waterproof, you can drive in all kinds of weather conditions, whether it is raining, snowing, or heavy fog. 【NIGHTEYE Wrranty & Service】 NOVSIGHT LED BULBS Products are strictly tested for sale!

www.ebay.co.uk

rob

I bought those same bulbs and used them for about a month, they appeared to be very bright but they were actually worse than the stock bulbs for riding after dark so I took them back out.
But now after reading some of the comments in this thread I just might try installing them again and hopefully be able to position them a little different next time to see if they will light the road any better after dark.
Currently I am running the Cyclops LED kit, it’s much better than stock but after dark I always wish they were a little better.

 

[WJBertrand]

I tried a few different LED headlights and in spite of looking blindingly bright, just didn't put much light on the road. No amount of fiddling with the rotation of the bulb or aim was satisfying. I finally ended up installing a HID system, which to my eyes works a lot better than LEDs in the Tenere's projector headlight assemblies and are a real improvement over OEM.

 

[LeRoi50]

Headlight conversions to LED retrofits are not a perfect solution but if done carefully they can be an improvement over stock. I chose to do the LEDs mainly because the retrofit allows for easy of repair on the road.
I did a write up talking about your exact question so take a read and see what you think. https://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?threads/leds-in-the-super-tenere-projectors.34273/#post-519166

My opinion is the issues with the ST and headlights that it’s suspension travel combined with a projector lamp causes it to be difficult to aim the light correctly. I split the difference by aiming each beam slightly differently but improved rear shock will be my ultimate solution.

I read your post and it is the issue I have, I will play around with the bulbs and see if I can improve the output.
Thanks!

 

[LeRoi50]

Thanks for all the replies, it helped!
Especially Chav's post which he linked to in his reply.