6Th Gen: Led Headlight Conversion

I've decided to upgrade to LED headlight bulbs on the 06' VFR.

I have H4 LEDs rated 3000lm low, 3600lm high. Both of which are cooled by fan and heat sync.

Now, on the Honda we all know that the H4 only uses the low-beam, and then it uses the H7 on the high-beam. I've seen the attached diagram used to hard-wire both Low and High to work simultaneously on the H4, along with running the H7. So, in theory, you'd have 6 filaments running at once on high-beam, and 2 on low-beam.

Honestly, having the amount of Lumens that these bulbs do... I only need to be running an H4 in each bucket hi/lo and have no use for the H7. Plus, I don't want to be completely illegal / obnoxious with that much light coming from the front of my bike.

I have 2 different ideas.

-Leave the stock wiring in-place, and the stock relays.

1. Unwrap both High and Low beam leads.

2. Remove power lead from the H7 connector.

3. Place it into the open clip on the H4 connector.

At this point, the High/Low will operate on 1 bulb, with 1 connector, using the OEM harness and relays and you will have an un-used ground left on the H7 harness which can be plugged back into the H7 and left alone.

OR-

Do steps 1 through 3 above.

4. Splice the low-beam power lead and run a jumper from it, to the H7 connector where the old high beam lead was removed.

5. Install a low-wattage, low-lumen H7 LED as a "running light" (can be white or amber in most states).

At this point, your High/Low will operate on 1 bulb, with the 1 connector, using OEM harness and relays and you will have a running lamp in the old high-beam slot which will be on at all times.

-----------

I figure LED's run a lot cooler, and draw a lot less than a standard halogen, so it shouldn't damage the harness or housing in any way, and might prevent future damage to the R/R buy lowering over-all draw.

The one thing I want to figure out is... if I run a 5 pin relay and run the low-beam through it (like in the picture)... can I get it so that the low beam and running lights are on all the time, and then when I hit high-beam it's JUST the high-beam on...

If I can figure out how to get that to work, I may put an in-line switch to the driving lights... that way they can be controlled by a switch as a "fog light" and will kick off automatically when the high-beam is turned on.

This setup will be the most "legal"... Lows on all the time, driving light optional, and high beam is ONLY the high-beam when turned on. (Plus, I can run yellow H7's as driving lights, which is what I do on my car in the fog lights.)

Thoughts?

[image: post-26909-0-37451300-1410447660.jpg]

This is what I'm thinking:

[image: post-26909-0-20729900-1410456527.jpg]

It looks right and a great idea.

Kept a eye on the total wattage .

WATTAGE / LUMENS:

LED H4: 40/30w 3600/3200LM HI/LO 6500K x2 = 80/60w 7200/6400LM HI/LO

LED H7: 6w 260LM Single Yellow 2000K x2 = 12w 520LM Driving

H4: 60/55w 1650/1000LM LO only 4000K x2 = 120/110w 3300/2000LM

H7: 55w 1450LM HI only 3500K x2 = 110w 2900LM

Function:

Stock:

Low Beam ON = 110w on low beam circuit (2 H4s, 2 filaments total) / 2000LM

High Beam ON = 110w on low beam + 120w on high beam circuit (2 H4's, 2 H7s, 4 filaments total) / 4900LM

LED:

Low Beam ON = 60w on low beam circuit (2 30w H4 LEDs, 2 LEDs total) / 6400LM

Low Beam ON + Driving Light ON = 72w on low beam circuit (60w 2 H4 LEDs + 12w 2 H7 LEDs, 4 LEDs total) / 6920LM

High Beam ON = 80w on high beam circuit (2 40w H4 LEDs, 2 LEDs total) / 7200LM

All-in-all a 20-25% decrease in over-all wattage, 110-200% increase in over-all lumens.

This may sound ridiculous and I don't lay claim to these manufacturer numbers until I actually plug in my meter and start taking measurements... Also, the LED light is not as concentrated as a Halogen; most halogens are a yellow to pale white in color (3000K-4500K), the LEDs are white to pale blue (5000K-6500K) so it also gives the illusion of being brighter.

The scattering affect of these LEDs is going to be the main factor. Perhaps, at the LED core, it's 3600LM (1 LED), but put that through a silicone filter, an epoxy lens, refract it inside of a headlamp, and through a clear plastic cover... I'm probably expecting around 2000LM-2700LM at best.

Unfortunately I can't measure Lumens / Candle Power, but I will be sure to do a side-by-side comparison to see how much brighter these really are.

"Unfortunately I can't measure Lumens / Candle Power, but I will be sure to do a side-by-side comparison to see how much brighter these really are."

You can measure with your eye's. Just be sure to do a before and after pic's.

Set the photo shots up so you can use something as a reference .

I don't know anything about the effectiveness or efficiency of the H4 and H7 replacement bulbs but a friend of mine here sells (and of course uses) Tesla LED Driving Lamps - http://www.teslaleds.com - which consume 28 Watts each while putting out 3600 Lumens. These things are seriously nuts. When George comes along it's like friggin' E.T. is landing. I pretty much need sunglasses and SPF75 when he's around.

If 7200 LM in a flood pattern is that much light, a properly shaped headlight pattern should seem even more impressive.

Those probably utilize the same LED diode that the high-beams in the H4 use and just use a different wattage.

They're pretty impressive! Doing a lot of searches for LED headlight conversions and it seems to be much bigger in the offroading community... jeeps, etc... light-bars... big impressive spot lights.

I quickly stuck this set in my car (because it was easy to do so) on the passenger side... stepped back with low-beam on. I could look directly into the headlight on the halogen side... and could barely squint at the LED side. It puts my fog-lights to shame... haha.

I actually have a set on order for my car. Different Lumens 2600/2000LM hi/lo, per bulb.. and a set of 881 yellow fog-light bulbs. Should look pretty dashing to say the least.

Rectaltronics

I don't know anything about the effectiveness or efficiency of the H4 and H7 replacement bulbs but a friend of mine here sells (and of course uses) Tesla LED Driving Lamps - http://www.teslaleds.com - which consume 28 Watts each while putting out 3600 Lumens. These things are seriously nuts. When George comes along it's like friggin' E.T. is landing. I pretty much need sunglasses and SPF75 when he's around.

If 7200 LM in a flood pattern is that much light, a properly shaped headlight pattern should seem even more impressive.

Where are George Telsa LED's mount on his bike ?

Having done the LED headlight conversion on my 2000 VFR I have to admit to beng very impressed with the overall light output, beam spread and look of the LED's. I have heard that there have been a few people with issues regarding the power supplies failing causing the bulbs to fail, and vice versa. Me personally, I have over 6000 km's and they have been working flawlessly since they were installed in Dec last year. Hopefully mine and yours will work flawlessly for a lengthy period of time.

What kind of LED lights did you decide to go with?? Just curious as to the manufacturer, and good luck with the project.

zoomzoom

Having done the LED headlight conversion on my 2000 VFR I have to admit to beng very impressed with the overall light output, beam spread and look of the LED's. I have heard that there have been a few people with issues regarding the power supplies failing causing the bulbs to fail, and vice versa. Me personally, I have over 6000 km's and they have been working flawlessly since they were installed in Dec last year. Hopefully mine and yours will work flawlessly for a lengthy period of time.

What kind of LED lights did you decide to go with?? Just curious as to the manufacturer, and good luck with the project.

Mine too seem to be terrific and are from lifetimeledlights.com. I wish I had also bought the H7s, though.

Lifetime LED is where I got mine from too.

How did you go fitting them to the 6th Gen

I've looked and thought the heat sinks would get in the way with the rubber seal on the back of the bulb.

Got any photos of them installed, from the back side?

One other thing.

The standard Hi beam has a different shaped reflector and this is where we get the better depth of light penetration.

I myself would leave the Hi beam on the upper reflectors due to this fact alone.

Cheers

Phil

They're not in yet. I've been toying around with them in my car which also takes H4's... just so I can see how to seal them.

The fan shroud on the back cannot be blocked by the boot.

The silver series lights are a little bigger, but have a removable fan, so in theory, I could put the bulb in, cut a small (1/2 inch) hole in the rubber boot, slide it over the bulb stem, then screw on the fan to keep it water tight.

It's either that, or disregard the boot entirely, and apply a very thin layer of silicone to the edge of the bulb seat and let it dry to create a formed rubber gasket. I will be documenting the entire process. No worries.

Yep, that is what I was thinking as well.

They do need protection from direct water spray

The silver series might be the go.

I personally recommend getting projectors if you're concerned about light scattering. In the search for better light at night, I got myself 4 Bi-Xenon projectors in my '03 VFR so I can use either 2 or 4 Low at the touch of a switch. It did a great job in the forest - the guy behind said that I saved him from a good goggling with his poorer light (single H4). I have to admit though that the installation was a bit of p.i.t.a. :wacko:

See if you can find some projectors that can accommodate LED bulbs and go for it.

Mine look something like this http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/gallery/image/64251-headlights/ and this http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/gallery/image/64252-headlights/

No night time pic's of your headlight setup ?

SwitchbladeWhere are George Telsa LED's mount on his bike ?

George has 'em on the fork legs of his current bike, on the brake caliper bolts. That tends to be the easiest, most popular spot. When he saw my new 8th Gen a few weeks ago he was already eyeballing where we'd be putting the set he was convincing me to buy. :wink: We think they'll fit just dandy there.

I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a set before the U-Haul driver did in my 4th Gen.

There's a thread about his stuff on ADVRider.com:

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=767257

Rectaltronics

SwitchbladeWhere are George Telsa LED's mount on his bike ?

George has 'em on the fork legs, on the brake caliper bolts. That tends to be the easiest, most popular spot. When he saw my new 8th Gen a few weeks ago he was already eyeballing where we'd be putting the set he was convincing me to buy. :wink:

I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a set before the U-Haul driver did in my 4th Gen.

Thanks .

[image: 00J0J_7We2CvlshWD_600x450.jpg]

Wonder what the 8th gen uses for it's LED's ?

Unobtanium, apparently, since the headlight unit alone costs >$1000.

Switchblade

Wonder what the 8th gen uses for it's LED's ?

Switchblade

ciprinakos

No night time pic's of your headlight setup ?

... Didn't think to make any. Will do soon. :)

Got the SPDT relay today. Had accidentally bought a DPST the other day and figured that out the hard way.

If anyone is looking to do this you need Single Pole, Double Throw... this means the two "to accessory" poles are independent, and throwing the relay or turning off the relay powers either/or. Normally these are numbered 87 and 87a.

On the DPST, it's Double Pole, Single Throw... meaning it's just an on/off for both poles simultaneously... both are numbered 87 in this case.

Quite the price difference. DPST was 6 bucks, SPDT was $14, but it's made a lot nicer, and is actually sealed... the DPST I could open with a screw-driver.

ciprinakos

Switchblade

ciprinakos

No night time pic's of your headlight setup ?

... Didn't think to make any. Will do soon. :)

Thanks .

HighSideNZ

How did you go fitting them to the 6th Gen

I've looked and thought the heat sinks would get in the way with the rubber seal on the back of the bulb.

Got any photos of them installed, from the back side?

[image: 2CMXX3I.jpg]

Hey, that looks great.

Did you have to cut the rubber boots about much?

Cheers

Phil

Factory !!!

What  brand is  that ?

Those are the IDENTICAL ones I bought!!! WOO HOO!!!

I'm psyched to start tearing into mine now...

Great job!!

Many companies sell the same exact units with different packaging.

GTR, Lifetime LED, etc...

You can pick this set up for $50 - $80 on amazon.

Search "H4 LED Headlight".

http://www.amazon.co...4 LED headlight

Mine too seem to be terrific and are from lifetimeledlights.com. I wish I had also bought the H7s, though.
 

digitallyhip,
Your picture show a bulb with the cooling fan, while your link shows a bulb without the cooling fan.

Is this the bulb you have?
https://www.lifetime..._h49003_highlow

The model with the cooling fan assembly is more than double the price, but it's also a higher wattage unit with higher LM specs.

Both units have the same color and lifespan specs.

They all have cooling fans. The ones pictured are the ones in your link from Lifetime for 149.

The silver series have a removable fan (but you still have to use it) which is slightly bigger. Those are the 260 pair.

I just noticed an issue with the schematic I made.

The circuit on the low-beam would shut off completely when switched to high-beam. Meaning, once you hit the HI's, you're only using the H4 HI beam....

Stock, the bike uses the H4 Low-beam and the H7 High-beam in conjunction.

Looking back, it's best to keep the stock wiring... and just move the circuit over to the H4 pin. Then, add a circuit for the H7's on a switch.

This is the new wiring scheme... Much simpler, and will allow Lo-Beam at all time, H7 as switchable auxiliary, and once you hit the HI-Beam, you have the H4 doing all the work, and the auxiliary is shut off. Just like your fog lights in the car.

Attached is the new plan.

Attached Images

• [image: ModifiedHeadlight4.jpg]

Those are the IDENTICAL ones I bought!!! WOO HOO!!!

I'm psyched to start tearing into mine now...

Great job!!

Many companies sell the same exact units with different packaging.

GTR, Lifetime LED, etc...

You can pick this set up for $50 - $80 on amazon.

Search "H4 LED Headlight".

http://www.amazon.co...4 LED headlight

Thanks man. I  like  them .

Hey, that looks great.

Did you have to cut the rubber boots about much?

Cheers

Phil

Yes, I did. The boot needed to be trimmed to provide a hole of about 2.5cm. And getting the retaining clip done up took a little fiddling. But all very possible.

Factory !!!

What  brand is  that ?

LifetimeLED

Those are the IDENTICAL ones I bought!!! WOO HOO!!!

I'm psyched to start tearing into mine now...

Great job!!

Many companies sell the same exact units with different packaging.

GTR, Lifetime LED, etc...

You can pick this set up for $50 - $80 on amazon.

Search "H4 LED Headlight".

http://www.amazon.co...4 LED headlight

They certainly do look alike. My understanding is that some less than reputable factories leave the production line running to create extra examples that can be sold as knockoffs or generic. But: their testing and support are never as good, and some such items are also the units that fail pre-shipping testing. Your mileage may vary.

Mine too seem to be terrific and are from lifetimeledlights.com. I wish I had also bought the H7s, though.
 

digitallyhip,
Your picture show a bulb with the cooling fan, while your link shows a bulb without the cooling fan.

Is this the bulb you have?
https://www.lifetime..._h49003_highlow

The model with the cooling fan assembly is more than double the price, but it's also a higher wattage unit with higher LM specs.

Both units have the same color and lifespan specs.

Sorry: must have been my mistake on the link. This is what I bought.

While you have the bike apart, I'd buy and install the H7s as well.

Finally had some time to work on this over the weekend.

So far, I've been able to disassemble the front end and figure out mounting for both sets of LED's depending on which bulb I end up sticking with.

The 2200lm series bulbs (black) are much smaller and very easy to install. I did have to cut out the inner cup of the dust boot to get the body of the fan housing through (not really a big deal).

I was also able to get my "driving lights" installed in the high-beam spots. I think it's funny how Honda uses an odd little connector in conjunction with the bulb, rather than just using the H7 style clip in the harness. Seems lazy.

Anyway, here are some pics of the progress so far.

This week I hope to hack into the harness and get the relay, switch, and wiring changes done.

So far, it looks pretty good.

"Black Series" 2200LM

[image: HondaHeadlightBlackLED.jpg]

"Silver Series" 3600LM

[image: HondaHeadlightSilverLED.jpg]

ciprinakos

No  night  time  pic's  of  your  headlight  setup  ?

Here it is:

[image: IMG_0570.JPG]

My iphone 4 pictures suck but you can get an idea.

Running in paralel with a stock VFR '06, his lights were almost invisible.

Hell  yeah  !!!!   ^^^^  ..

Thanks  for  the  pic's.

Ok, so relay is in with the addition of the RED wire going to the switch.

[image: 20140923_1820101.jpg]

Tiny micro switch located near the handlebar for the LED driving lights.

[image: 20140923_182027.jpg]

Re-pinned the H4 with the H7 blue/black and ran lead from the switch to the H7 connector.

[image: 20140923_182016.jpg]

Low beam.

[image: 20140923_182037.jpg]

Low beam with driving light.

[image: 20140923_182055.jpg]

High beam.

[image: 20140923_182101.jpg]

Now to FINALLY install the LED lights!!!!

Lookin good   ..

http://vid26.photobu...tsTestFinal.mp4

All done!

Tiny micro switch located near the handlebar for the LED driving lights.

[image: attachicon.gif]20140923_182027.jpg

Unless you plan for the bike to never see water, including washing, I humbly suggest you find a boot for that toggle switch or better yet, replace it with something waterproof.

Radio Shlock has this but mail order only.  Which is probably a good thing; it's not like RS is a great store to browse these days.  I like the confidence light.  If you plug the part # into Google you get some other options in different colors, different markings or without the indicator light.  And no matter which you choose, it should look a lot more "factory" than a toggle, IMOSVHO.

Waterproof is your friend.

http://vid26.photobu...tsTestFinal.mp4

All done!

Night  time   video  would  be great  .

I will be getting a water-proof one soon.

A night-time vid is coming, no worries!

Lint,

If you look back a few pages, you can see the wiring changes I've made.

Stock: Low-beam fires 1 filament on the bottom bulb (an H4 size). High-beam fires the same bulb, same filament, but also turns on the upper bulb (an H7).

If you want, you could simply splice into the Blue/Black wire going to your high-beams and run it to the open spot on your lower H4 bulbs. This would run ALL of your filaments at once when the high-beams are on.

I would air on the side of caution that the stock wiring harness isn't made to take such a load, and this mod could lead to Regulator and Stator failure down the road...

This is why I set mine up this way, but with LED lights... lower wattage, lower over-all draw on the stock harness, but provide better illumination than a set of halogen bulbs.

Thanks

Here's a vid of the install and night testing.

http://youtu.be/h5C8nmeByJA 

Keep in mind the height of the h7's give better cornering view , if you ride dark narrow country roads.

Here's a vid of the install and night testing.

http://youtu.be/h5C8nmeByJA

Nice    !!!!

Yep, that is what I was thinking as well.

They do need protection from direct water spray

The silver series might be the go. 

This was covered back when ZoomZoom did his post for the 5th Gen, but on Lifetime LED's website they have a video of the bulb and fan under water. Light is emitting, and the fan is turning!

Only issue I've had is that the screws on the back of the fan housing have started to rust a little. I can see them on my 5th Gen from the cockpit, and I'm a little disappointed.