[eddie]

I thought I'd try out a LED headlight "bulb" recently. The prices range from typical eBay bargains made by old world craftsmen with a rock somewhere I cannot pronounce to incredibly expensive. I started out with a $20, 40W one made by the rock craftsman.
In the daytime, it was visibly whiter/brighter than your ordinary halogen bulb. So, for increased visibility to others, it got an A.
At night, it just didn't put a good amount of light down the road - maybe half that of the halogen. Call it a grade C-.

I'll skip the long story about 1/2 a $30 pair of 60W LEDs I tried next. In short: Good low beam at night. Poor High beam. C+/B-
My girlfriend almost never rides at night. If she does, it's following me and never uses her high beam. Her V-Star 950s inheriting one of those.

Getting discouraged, I looked around the Bolt lists to see what was being used and many like the OPT7 LED setup. There's one in the SCR950 as of this morning. It's raining now or I'd try it out this evening. I'll report back once I have.

 

[Cruze]

OPT7 are great bulbs but overrated and over priced. You can get other brands that will perform the same for a fraction of the cost!

 

[Tadlock]

Not sure of how it will be mounted but I've always been a fan of the LED light bars. Would most likely be running it auxiliary to the main halogen. Either a Single shorty bar or a couple of the small spotlight style.

 

[eddie]

I took a long ride this afternoon and then a short one once the sun went down.
Verdict? The OPT7 is a better LED "bulb" than the other two I tried.
I agree with Cruze, it's expensive.
Was it worth the extra $? I don't know.
The thing is super white/bright, though.
If that helps someone see me and avoids an accident (something one just never knows), I'm a happy camper.

 

[OpenRoad]

Did you get the Halo one? The OPT7 LED lights do look great, but wow the halo one costs $150.

 

[eddie]

Did you get the Halo one? The OPT7 LED lights do look great, but wow the halo one costs $150.

I got the FluxBeam H4/9003 { SKU MT-H4-HL-6 }.
It was "just" $54.95 with free shipping.

I took the SCR on a 30 mile test ride a little after midnight tonight.
The route included some really dark, winding country roads and I must say the light did really well. I had to adjust the aim down somewhat to get low beam right and the high beam placement afterward was fine.
The bulb has a 2 year warranty. I guess I'll see how it works out in the long run.

 

[Cruze]

I guess the main thing is they are a lot brighter than the stock ones and are effective. Once you don't have to replace em' , the price should be worth it in the long run lol. Did you snap any photos of before and after visibility?

 

[YamiGuy]

Would be great if bike makers got into active headlights that turn with where we want to turn, along with other improved lighting technology. Its been in cars for so long already, about time we get it

 

[eddie]

. Did you snap any photos of before and after visibility?

Unfortunately, I did not. :frown2:

 

[Cruze]

Darn it... can you possibly take a photo of after lol! Just so we can get someone else to take a night time shot of their lights and we can still make some what of a comparison to it

 

[eddie]

Darn it... can you possibly take a photo of after lol! Just so we can get someone else to take a night time shot of their lights and we can still make some what of a comparison to it

Actually, you gave me an idea.
My girlfriend has a V-Star 950 with a similar sized headlight.
Weather permitting Thursday (severe storms due in tomorrow ), we could probably do a side-by-side test on our favorite country road near here. Stay tuned!

 

[Cruze]

Glad I could add to the to-do list yet again Haha I really appreciate the efforts though @eddie !!

 

[eddie]

Side by side: The OPT7 LED in my SCR vs. a stock V-Star 950 halogen headlight.
The camera was set on automatic. I think the halogen is a bit brighter than depicted.
Still, the LED is whiter/brighter up close and may light up street signs at a greater distance.

 

[Cruze]

Darn, the halogen doesn't look too bad at all in comparison of spread. But the OPT7 does have a lot more focus where it's needed and does look a lot better aesthetically. Probably does a better job in the distance as well.

 

[Heroofsomething]

Did you get the Halo one? The OPT7 LED lights do look great, but wow the halo one costs $150.

I know this is a very old thread but I hope youre still around, I've been looking for halo lights for my scr950 but i cant really find them, it seems you have some info on these headlights, do you know which halo lights will fit my 2017 scr950? thanks!

 

[tombig2020]

Led headlights are definitely brighter and more stable than halogens. It's only slightly more expensive. About 50 US dollars a pair, I use the LED headlights of Novsight feel OK.

 

[eddie]

In addition to the Opt7 headlight, I hung a set of KC's Flex LED spot beam lights on the forks.
I have a pair on the Super Tenere and really liked them.
Warning: They are not cheap.
With a 23 year warranty, however, they are low-risk and seem very well made.

The last photo is of the Super Tenere pair without the headlights' assist (put a towel over them)
to give an idea how bright they are. The picture doesn't give the full effect.
They are awesome considering how small they are and drawing just 10W each.

 

[tombig2020]

I think the more important thing to choose led is the lumen value and cost performance. I upgraded my headlights to Novsight in March. It took 3 months and I felt a lot more than before. Driving at night is also a lot of peace of mind.