| Author | Message | ||
     Fj1200 |
So a friend was helping with converting my '06 to LED lights and lo and behold they don't fit behind the dust gasket thing... I did a search and couldn't find what anyone had done to get around that particular problem if in fact it is a problem. Any hints? Thanks, FJ | ||
| Froggy |
Got any pics? You may just have to cut a hole just big enough for it to fit. | ||
| Ratbuell |
If you're talking about the headlight...just cut the dust boot. Not "needed" for an LED because they don't get nearly as hot as a halogen bulb. If a halogen gets wet, it blows. If an LED gets wet...it gets wet. If you're the worrying type, you can always cut the boot to fit, install everything off the bike, and RTV the boot to the bulb backing. These are automotive bulbs. The manufacturers know the stuff will shake, and vibrate, and get dirty, and get wet... | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Another thing to keep in mind is that LEDs and the driver circuits need to kept moderately cool. Kinda the same idea as above: Halogens get hot :: they stay hot LEDs get too hot :: they stop working Are there cooling fins where the dust cover normally goes? | ||
| Fj1200 |
Thanks all, and yes, the headlights. I don't have any pics and if I remember correctly the cooling fans would fit but the connectors would not also fit at the same time, I'd have to cut a smallish hole to get those through. That brings up another question, do those connectors need to be protected? But that answers the part of my question that the dust boot is not critical. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Dielectric grease in the connectors. If you want to go really "overboard" (and are sure you're going to keep these lights)...put some heat shrink tubing over them once you plug everything in. Or just solder them - since they're LED's you'll probably never need to replace them... | ||
| Hill90 |
I replaced my headlights with Cyclops LED H7 bulbs, part number 1543770001 early last year. I'm very happy with them. The reflectors in my original headlight assembly were cooked, so the first thing I did was replace it with the newer Y0721.6AC World Headlight Assembly. Of course, the boots would not fit once the LED lamps were installed. Wanting to avoid the possibility of water and dirt getting into the headlight assembly, which would contaminate the reflectors as well as the inside of the headlight lens, I opted not to just cut a hole in the boots to accommodate the cooling fan and heat-sink on the back of the Cyclops LED unit. Instead I cut the back of the boots off with an X-ACTO knife, then punched a round hole in the center with a piece of tubing I had laying around that just happened to be the right size to fit over the bulb holder adapter included with the LED bulb kit. I then pushed the boot pieces into the assembly, with what was originally the inside of the boot piece facing out. Next I sealed it with automotive windshield silicone sealer (flows better than plain old silicone sealer). I also did the mod to the connector in the fairing that allows both headlights to be on when using the high beams. See http://www.buellxb.com/forum/showthread.php?2321-Headlight-Mod-Both-Lights-On-w-Hi-Beam I hope this helps others wanting to do the LED mod. -Matt           (Message edited by hill90 on March 12, 2017) | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
NOICE. | ||
| Buellmeister57 |
Excellent write up! | ||
| Ourdee |
Thanks Matthew. Your write up got me off my backside. I installed a pair of Cyclops LEDs in Lil Red today. I did not use the RTV though. Instead I cut 1/4" thick foam floor mat tight enough that I had to press fit it in. Oh ya, pic.  | ||
| Hill90 |
That'll work too! Looks good Ourdee! | ||
| Hugie03flhr |
Are the lights in highbeam mode all the time? | ||
| Ourdee |
I still have wig-wag. There is low with one light, high with one light, or both on by putting the switch in the middle. Not hi or lo, but in between. I never understood the both on mod when you can put the stitch in between and get both. When a car looks like it will pull out in front of me, I toggle the switch back and forth (hi-lo-hi-lo-hi-lo-....). I had one lady pulled out in front of me then pull off the road like a LEO was behind her. It works with kids on bicycles in neighborhoods too. They are bright at 4000 lumen, 5700k. I aimed them low and will fine tune them when it warms up outside. I don't want to run them in peoples eyes. Very easy install, this. | ||
| Njloco |
Ourdee, I was told on another forum not to run the light switch in the middle for both lights on, from what I understand, it's too much of a load being that the switch is in the middle. I don't know much about the electrical end of the bike so I'll figure the guru's had their reasons for telling me. | ||
| Hugie03flhr |
Yes, I remember that too NJloco. Something about the contacts in the switch getting pitted and failing. I was going to use relays and run dual low and highbeam. Do they make a low/highbeam LED bulb that fits our headlight housing? | ||
| Njloco |
Im' pretty sure that it's the same bulb and, it's the reflector that makes it high or low beam. | ||
| Njloco |
Hill90, What holds the new LED bulbs in place ? | ||
| Ourdee |
If you don't mind me answering, the spring clip that holds the incandescent bulb holds the green/grey part of the LED below. The LED and fan fit through that part and lock in with less than an 1/8 turn.  | ||
| Ourdee |
 | ||
| Hill90 |
Thanks Ourdee for replying to Njloco! | ||
| Ourdee |
No problem. I used one of your pics. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
You would still have to remove the housing to get that in there, right? The normal bulbs can be swapped in with curved hemostat in a wal-mart parking lot. That's kind of the main reason that I haven't gone ahead with any sort of upgrade so far. I wonder if cyclops makes a retrofit bulb that would fit my driving lights? | ||
| Ourdee |
Yes, You will find it easy to change bulbs to LED with the assembly off the bike. Hint: Park bike and turn on lights. Use blue masking tape on wall 20' away to mark where the old light is aimed. Then remove three bolts to drop the headlight assembly. I took the cover in front of the instrument cluster off too. You will have to re-aim the head lights. note: The head lights should be re-aimed anytime the bulbs are replaced. Every bulb has the Filament in a different location. To aim the lights, I put the assembly back in with the three bolts just snug enough that I can sit on the bike, lean forward and move the assembly and it stays where I put it. I tighten the up and down underneath first. Hint #2: Put a soft cloth on your work surface to protect the lens on the assembly while working on it. | ||
| Hugie03flhr |
Thank you Ourdee, for the reply. Just one clarification . I have the 09 Uly and I was told my light housing is different from the older Uly. Will mine be similar to what you did and is NJloco correct in saying both high and low beam bulbs are the same and it's just the reflector in the housing that's different? Thanks | ||
| Njloco |
I ask because in the pictures after you siliconed the inverted rubber seals back into the housing, it does not show anyway of the bulbs being held in securely, the spring clips appear to be gone along with the metal base plate, that is according to the pics. By the way, It's definitely a nice install, it's just a little puzzling. (Message edited by njloco on March 17, 2017) | ||
| Hill90 |
Njloco, the gray plastic adapter from the LED bulb assembly is in there under the rubber. With the adapter already installed, you basically install the bulbs similar to the old-style tailight bayonet bulbs. Insert the bulb in the hole of the adapter, line up the prongs, push in then turn about 1/8 turn until it stops turning. Bulb is now secured in place. -Matt (Message edited by hill90 on March 17, 2017) | ||
| Hill90 |
Hugie03flhr, the headlight assembly on your 2009 bike is physically the same although it could already be the newer Y0721.6AC World Headlight Assembly, like the one I bought which fits your 2009. There was no difference physically that I could see between my old one vs. the newer assembly except for a slight difference in the pattern of lines in the lens. There is no low or high beam bulb. As stated previously the difference is solely in the reflectors. -Matt | ||
| Ratbuell |
Curious to hear a ride report on these. I put LED's in one of my cars and don't like them. The stated lumen rating is comparable (on paper) to the HID's...but I (my eyes?) don't like the quality of the light that the LEDs put out. I have the same housings in one of my Jeeps, with HID's...and - to my eyes anyway - they light downrange a thousand times better than the LED's. Focus/aim is correct on both (I used to teach stage lighting / concert lighting / color theory - I know how to point a light). | ||
| Hill90 |
Well I can definitely say that the Cyclops LED bulbs are much, much better than the original halogen bulbs. I think Cyclops really did their homework with these bulbs. They positioned the LED substrate in the right location. I know what you're saying though. I replaced the halogen fog lamp bulbs on my 2015 F150 with LED's and they suck!!! -Matt (Message edited by hill90 on March 17, 2017) | ||
| Fj1200 |
Great responses, thanks all. Awesome write-up, not quite sure I can get it to that level but I'll give it a try. I'm going to finish everything up Monday hopefully. |
