Cree LED H7 upgrade?

[Motogiro]

Okay! I was up and did my first "Black Friday" sale hunt today. The Cycle Gear store was open early today. I called, they were on sale and I had my friend Adrian put two H4 types aside for me should there be a rush on them.

They look really easy to install and there is a ring with the alignment tabs that twists off so that you can get the retainer clip in and then install the lamp assembly. This looks like a really easy "Plug n Play"

The little rectangle shaped power supply is very small about 2-1/2 inches x 2 inches which will make it very easy to hide away. It also has two tabs on it if you have a spot to screw it to. It comes with a large piece of double sided mounting tape. It is much smaller than those ballast supplies for HID lamps

So far the kit looks very promising and hopefully I might get a shot at installing it tomorrow.

I will try to show before and after light pattern along with my opinion on the difference in output as well as how it works with my OEM reflector.
The color is listed as 5000k which should put out light in the spectrum that is excellant.

I'm attaching some pictures and a PDF of the instruction sheet.

The hi and low beam has two Cree LEDs on each side of the assembly, emulating the hi and lo beam filament positions in a halogen envelope.

This could very well be a great upgrade without going into more labor intensive headlamp mods as well as more expensive components. I got these for $59.99 USD while on sale. If they're not on sale now CG seems to have stuff like this on sale every other month.

 

[Marcin]

Why do I not live in the US...

 

[cmantis]

Dont you need h4 and h7?

My friend got these today and showed me tonight. Look interesting but I worry about the high beem side reflector for dual mod.

 

[snowfree52]

I just bought this one :

will see how they compare to my bi xenon when I get them !

 

[Motogiro]

Dont you need h4 and h7?

My friend got these today and showed me tonight. Look interesting but I worry about the high beem side reflector for dual mod.

For the dual mod to run the low beam, I would think the controller will be designed to operate with the low beam turning off when the high beam is activated. This would be standard operation with all H4 lamps and without the proper switching the Cree would fail from over heating. Correction: The H4 cree LED unit will work with any switching including stock OEM!

I will confirm this when I hook mine up by watching to see if the low beam LED shuts off when the high beam is active. If I designed the H7 Cree LED like this and the low beam Cree LED needed to be shut off I would shut off the low beam Cree LED when any high beam signal was present eliminating any need to shut off the low beam. Maybe they've considered this with their controller.

Actually I can confirm this using my 14 VDC drill motor battery pack later today.

Burning out the Cree LED unit will be much more expensive than burning any halogen H4 lamp so let's make sure of this controller logic and switching!

To answer the H4/H7 question, I have a Suzuki SV1000s and it has dual H4 headlamps.

 

[Motogiro]

Okay... Update on the switching. I just tested the hi/lo beam function.

Edit and correction: These will work with any switching. So if you have bd43 or Motogiro headlamp mod or have stock OEM switching the Cree LED will work. You will just need a jumper from the left head lamp lo beam wire to the right headlight and add the spade connector for the lo beam.

 

[patrickb37]

Look forward to seeing the results!

 

[Motogiro]

I've installed the Cree LED headlamps. Your reflector (FZ6 or other) although different, should work for the H7 and the Hi beam on the H4 side. The low beam may be different as Yamaha did not design the hi beam reflector for low beam use even though they used the H4 dual filament lamp. The cutoff for the low beam is good and adjusted properly on my SV1000s the 2 H4 Cree LED's do not blind oncoming traffic. I still have some night driving tests to do on unlit no traffic roads to decide if they're for me but right now I'm very optimistic and they do put out a lot of lumins. The color is very white 5000k and my neighbors who have seen them think they're HID.

I had one bad controller that was lighting the high beams intermittently on it's own with out me turning on the hi beam with the switch. When it was failing it would apply voltage to the bike's hi beam circuit so that both H4's went to hi beam. I added two 6 amp diodes (forward biased) in each hi beam signal feed to the Cree controllers so I could isolate which controller was acting up. Found which one was bad and removed the diodes. I returned the bad controller for a replacement at Cycle Gear and replacement works great now.


Very good news for the switching on these! It does not matter what headlight mod you have! If you've got the Motogiro, bd43 or a stock OEM headlamp switching. This Cree LED system does not shut down the low beam!

On hi beam both Cree LEDs light on the high beam signal, meaning they are designed to run both Cree LED's and either type of switching will work! :rockon:

To run the low beam on the right side (FZ6) you only need to run a jumper from the left lamp, low beam wire to the right head lamp socket with a new spade for the low beam.

The paper chart was used as a gauge to see what the difference would be between the two different type lights but because of color it is hard to see the difference with the Cree LED, especially on hi beam but it does put out more light.

Here is the low beam of the halogen lamp. Notice it's more yellow color.

Here is the Cree LED low beam. I had to readjust the height.

Here is the hi beam halogen lamp.

Here is the hi beam Cree LED.

Low beam Cree LED.

Hi beam Cree LED.

 

[FinalImpact]

.. .. .. ..
I will confirm this when I hook mine up by watching to see if the low beam LED shuts off when the high beam is active.
.. .. ..

Cliff stares into the the light; "Oh My EYES!!! It's SO BRIGHT!! haha! Blah

 

[Motogiro]

Cliff stares into the the light; "Oh My EYES!!! It's SO BRIGHT!! haha! Blah

I did blind myself bench testing these and checking aiming.

 

[ltdillard]

Very good news for the switching on these! It does not matter what headlight mod you have! If you've got the Motogiro, bd43 or a stock OEM headlamp switching. This Cree LED system does not shut down the low beam!

On hi beam both Cree LEDs light on the high beam signal, meaning they are designed to run both Cree LED's and either type of switching will work! :rockon:

To run the low beam on the right side (FZ6) you only need to run a jumper from the left lamp, low beam wire to the right head lamp socket with a new spade for the low beam.

I am a little confused by what you wrote above. Is the jumper needed regardless of switching mods? I have bd43 mod currently.

Thank you for the write-up. Can you post any pictures of how you squared away the power supply, etc?
Tom

 

[Motogiro]

I am a little confused by what you wrote above. Is the jumper needed regardless of switching mods? I have bd43 mod currently.

Thank you for the write-up. Can you post any pictures of how you squared away the power supply, etc?
Tom

If you have the bd43 or Motogiro headlight mod you're good to go. The controllers (power supplies) are very small. not like a HID ballast/supply. I use my own double stick tape and stuck the controllers to the inside of my fairing. Then I ran some Gorilla brand duct tape on top to make sure they stay. I cleaned the inside area where I stuck the controllers with acetone to clean any dirt/residue. Remember my bike is the SV1000s so you'll find your spot on the FZ6.

To clear up any confusion on the wiring: The stock FZ6 does not utilize the H4 low beam filament, and as you know, if you use the H4 low beam with the halogen lamp it needs to turn off the low beam filament when the hi beam filament is turned on to prevent overheating of the halogen lamp. This is where the bd43 or Motogiro universal relay come into play.

The Cree LED H4 is different. When the hi beam voltage is present both the hi beam and lo beam Cree LEDs stay lit. This means that no matter what switching logic, there is no need to turn off the low beam signal because the high beam signal activates both Cree LEDs through it's controller.

This means to run the H4 low beam using the Cree LED set up from Speed Metal on your non-modified FZ6 you can just run a wire from the H7 socket(left headlight) to the H4 socket (right headlight), adding the low beam spade connector to the H4 socket. If you already have the bd43 or Motogiro headlight mod you just plug and play.

Anyone local FZ6 owner that want's to do this Cree LED mod on your stock FZ6 is welcome to PM me for a get together and we'll do an install. Well take pictures and post then here.

 

[shannim]

If you have the bd43 or Motogiro headlight mod you're good to go. The controllers (power supplies) are very small. not like a HID ballast/supply. I use my own double stick tape and stuck the controllers to the inside of my fairing. Then I ran some Gorilla brand duct tape on top to make sure they stay. I cleaned the inside area where I stuck the controllers with acetone to clean any dirt/residue. Remember my bike is the SV1000s so you'll find your spot on the FZ6.

To clear up any confusion on the wiring: The stock FZ6 does not utilize the H4 low beam filament, and as you know, if you use the H4 low beam with the halogen lamp it needs to turn off the low beam filament when the hi beam filament is turned on to prevent overheating of the halogen lamp. This is where the bd43 or Motogiro universal relay come into play.

The Cree LED H4 is different. When the hi beam voltage is present both the hi beam and lo beam Cree LEDs stay lit. This means that no matter what switching logic, there is no need to turn off the low beam signal because the high beam signal activates both Cree LEDs through it's controller.

This means to run the H4 low beam using the Cree LED set up from Speed Metal on your non-modified FZ6 you can just run a wire from the H7 socket(left headlight) to the H4 socket (right headlight), adding the low beam spade connector to the H4 socket. If you already have the bd43 or Motogiro headlight mod you just plug and play.

Anyone local FZ6 owner that want's to do this Cree LED mod on your stock FZ6 is welcome to PM me for a get together and we'll do an install. Well take pictures and post then here.

Thanks for the clarification! That helps me personally, because I haven't read up on the bd43 or Motogiro headlight mods and my bike has stock wiring (as evidenced by the right side light only turns on when the high beam switch is on).

I do have a question about the low beam and high beam filaments both being turned on with the high beam switch though. I had a spare Sylvania Xtravision H4 bulb that I installed and by default both filaments are turned on. I'm assuming that's part of the Xtravision bulb design. I'm wondering if I connect the unpopulated socket blade to the H7 side, only the low beam filament would turn on? As such, it'd be a simpler mod with these particular bulbs (and the Cree LEDs) than the bd43/Motogiro mod.

 

[Motogiro]

Thanks for the clarification! That helps me personally, because I haven't read up on the bd43 or Motogiro headlight mods and my bike has stock wiring (as evidenced by the right side light only turns on when the high beam switch is on).

I do have a question about the low beam and high beam filaments both being turned on with the high beam switch though. I had a spare Sylvania Xtravision H4 bulb that I installed and by default both filaments are turned on. I'm assuming that's part of the Xtravision bulb design. I'm wondering if I connect the unpopulated socket blade to the H7 side, only the low beam filament would turn on? As such, it'd be a simpler mod with these particular bulbs (and the Cree LEDs) than the bd43/Motogiro mod.

If the Xtravision lamp is H4 it should have three prongs. One prong is ground, one prong is low beam, and the remaining prong is hi beam. If all filaments are lit at the same time the lamp may have a defect or the switching or plug configuration may be wrong or different. Either way you should do the bd43 mod so you have proper switching when using the halogen H4 lamp.

Sent from Moto's Motorola

 

[shannim]

If the Xtravision lamp is H4 it should have three prongs. One prong is ground, one prong is low beam, and the remaining prong is hi beam. If all filaments are lit at the same time the lamp may have a defect or the switching or plug configuration may be wrong or different. Either way you should do the bd43 mod so you have proper switching when using the halogen H4 lamp.

Sent from Moto's Motorola

What I don't remember explicitly is whether or not both filaments were on from the original bulb. I seem to think that they weren't. This is why I think both filaments being on is a "feature" of the Xtravision bulb. The manufacturer does claim X% improvement in brightness and distance, but -Y% hours longevity, right on the packaging.

 

[Motogiro]

What I don't remember explicitly is whether or not both filaments were on from the original bulb. I seem to think that they weren't. This is why I think both filaments being on is a "feature" of the Xtravision bulb. The manufacturer does claim X% improvement in brightness and distance, but -Y% hours longevity, right on the packaging.

I'm thinking it's not just a question of how many filaments are lit but also aiming. If you have the H4 lamp you have a lo beam filament and a high beam filament. If you run the hi beam all the time it blinds oncoming traffic. A manufacturer can get in deep if they tell you it's an H4 and they design it differently. They could burn the filaments brighter and hotter to some extent but after that it would I think get sketchy. I'm betting it's supposed to act like a standard H4 but brighter. Check to see if you have hi and lo beam function.
If you don't you should unplug it and check you plug for proper hi /lo beam voltages.

Sent from Moto's Motorola

 

[Motogiro]

What I don't remember explicitly is whether or not both filaments were on from the original bulb. I seem to think that they weren't. This is why I think both filaments being on is a "feature" of the Xtravision bulb. The manufacturer does claim X% improvement in brightness and distance, but -Y% hours longevity, right on the packaging.

Here's a PDF of the voltages you should see with the low beam and highbeam.

Unplug the plug from the lamp and test to see if you have these voltages on high beam and low beam. Notice how when the high beam is on the low beam voltage goes to zero and when the high beam is off the low beam goes to 12 VDC and the high beam goes to zero volts. If this is not the case then there is something amiss.

 

[shannim]

Thanks for the info. The bike is currently in storage at the moment (i.e., under a cover, outside in the apartment parking lot), and the temperatures outside are getting colder with the snow falling. I'll check it if there's a warm day or next spring.

 

[roleya]

FYI, back on sale at Cyclegear, for those interested.

 

[symtex]

So have we verified that these are truly plug-n-play for the FZ6? I saw one poster say they did not fit correctly and had to be modified leaving the reflector housing not sealed and therefore open to moisture buildup in the housing.