New Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 13 
Likes: 2
Joined: Jul 5, 2016 22:17:11 GMT -5
|
Post by ucwt on Jul 10, 2016 19:51:23 GMT -5
I've recently have upgraded my tail/stop and blinkers with led replacements
1156 Amber and 1157 red tail/stop if you haven't already done so but what I
Was looking for throughout the forum with no success is
Upgrade for headlights.
I am thinking that a set of superbright leds might be leaps and bounds brighter than stock but has anyone modified a different bulb to fit or have found a brighter replacement?
Thanks .
|
|
|
|
Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 13, 2016 21:43:16 GMT -5
I've recently have upgraded my tail/stop and blinkers with led replacements 1156 Amber and 1157 red tail/stop if you haven't already done so but what I Was looking for throughout the forum with no success is Upgrade for headlights. I am thinking that a set of superbright leds might be leaps and bounds brighter than stock but has anyone modified a different bulb to fit or have found a brighter replacement? Thanks .
First, welcome to the forum! Have a bone on the old chopper guy...Replacing incandescent lights with LED's is a good idea if you can find LED "bulbs" that will plug into your existing sockets. They are BRIGHT and use less juice. I found that LED's do NOT like AC current however. So if the lights you're replacing run off the battery, or off a DC circuit you're "good to go". If, as with some headlights, they run off an AC circuit, you may have to run them through a bridge rectifier to convert to DC current for them to run right. This usually causes a slight loss of current but not enough to be detrimental. My rectifier cut the voltage from 12.5 to 10.5V but the LED was still like the sun! You can tell if your lights run off DC if they will come on without the engine running.
I used a bridge rectifier to run an LED driving light on a Chinese 150 some years ago. I now ride an old 2007 Kymco 250, and the factory lights are quite good "as-is"... Except for the headlight. It's better than most Chinese scoots, but still leaves a lot to be desired. So, rather than change out the headlight, I added small LED driving lights which make a MONUMENTAL difference. At 15W each, they put out about four times the ACTUAL light of the stock 25W headlight! I'd guess their output at around 75W of useable light!  
Please note: I've now run these for more than a month and have experienced no weakening of the battery, and no oncoming traffic flashing brights at me. I now have SERIOUS headlights that show potholes, unpainted curbs, junk on the road, etc. SWEET!!!
 In my case, it was easier to upgrade the headlights with auxiliary LED's. Some members have had good results with replacing their incandescent bulbs with LED's. The only issue I've heard is that LED's run pretty HOT... So, if they're in a tight plastic enclosure, they may overheat the plastic. That issue is one reason I went with external auxiliary LED's instead of risking melting my stock headlight reflector.
My Kymco uses DC current for all the lights. That makes it easy to change out to LED's. Some scooters use AC current for headlights and/or other lights. You do need to get any LED's running on DC if possible. The ads for LED's often say they can run on either AC or DC but some others and myself have tried running LED's on AC and it just doesn't usually work. Hope this may help... Ride safe!Leo |
|
|
|
Post by mrsunsett on Jul 15, 2016 1:28:45 GMT -5
I've recently have upgraded my tail/stop and blinkers with led replacements 1156 Amber and 1157 red tail/stop if you haven't already done so but what I Was looking for throughout the forum with no success is Upgrade for headlights. I am thinking that a set of superbright leds might be leaps and bounds brighter than stock but has anyone modified a different bulb to fit or have found a brighter replacement? Thanks .
First, welcome to the forum! Have a bone on the old chopper guy...Replacing incandescent lights with LED's is a good idea if you can find LED "bulbs" that will plug into your existing sockets. They are BRIGHT and use less juice. I found that LED's do NOT like AC current however. So if the lights you're replacing run off the battery, or off a DC circuit you're "good to go". If, as with some headlights, they run off an AC circuit, you may have to run them through a bridge rectifier to convert to DC current for them to run right. This usually causes a slight loss of current but not enough to be detrimental. My rectifier cut the voltage from 12.5 to 10.5V but the LED was still like the sun! You can tell if your lights run off DC if they will come on without the engine running.
I used a bridge rectifier to run an LED driving light on a Chinese 150 some years ago. I now ride an old 2007 Kymco 250, and the factory lights are quite good "as-is"... Except for the headlight. It's better than most Chinese scoots, but still leaves a lot to be desired. So, rather than change out the headlight, I added small LED driving lights which make a MONUMENTAL difference. At 15W each, they put out about four times the ACTUAL light of the stock 25W headlight! I'd guess their output at around 75W of useable light!
Please note: I've now run these for more than a month and have experienced no weakening of the battery, and no oncoming traffic flashing brights at me. I now have SERIOUS headlights that show potholes, unpainted curbs, junk on the road, etc. SWEET!!!
In my case, it was easier to upgrade the headlights with auxiliary LED's. Some members have had good results with replacing their incandescent bulbs with LED's. The only issue I've heard is that LED's run pretty HOT... So, if they're in a tight plastic enclosure, they may overheat the plastic. That issue is one reason I went with external auxiliary LED's instead of risking melting my stock headlight reflector.
My Kymco uses DC current for all the lights. That makes it easy to change out to LED's. Some scooters use AC current for headlights and/or other lights. You do need to get any LED's running on DC if possible. The ads for LED's often say they can run on either AC or DC but some others and myself have tried running LED's on AC and it just doesn't usually work. Hope this may help... Ride safe!Leo So... you said that if the lights come on when you just turn the ignition to start, but the engine is not on, it is a dc current? My wifs taotao zummer is like that, and she has not awful but not the best vision, even with her contacts, so i wanted to make it a bit safer for her on the road. What do you suggest for lights on the zummer?? |
|
|
|
Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 15, 2016 9:30:23 GMT -5
Mrsunsett,
So... you said that if the lights come on when you just turn the ignition to start, but the engine is not on, it is a dc current?
My wifs taotao zummer is like that, and she has not awful but not the best vision, even with her contacts, so i wanted to make it a bit safer for her on the road. What do you suggest for lights on the zummer??
_______________________________________________________________________
As far as I know, yes, if the lights come on with the engine not running, they should be DC. For AC, I believe the engine must be running to use the alternator. Having DC factory lights makes hooking up LED's fairly easy.
My recommendation would be to check eBay under LED driving (or motorcycle) lights. For 8 years I've bought numerous Chinese LED's from eBay; strip-lights to illuminate fake tail-lights on scooter trunks, add driving lights and decorative LED's. Not one ever failed. they use little juice, and they are cheap!
On the Zummer I'd stay with just one auxiliary light so as not to overwork the charging system. And, put a switch on it so it's not running in the daylight. Just turn it on as needed in the dark.
These lights come in "flood" and "spot" versions, costing around $10 to $20. For riding below say, 50 mph, the flood might be best as it really lights up a wide area. For faster night riding, or, riding in total darkness, the spot version will reach farther, but with a narrow beam. This is good for precise aiming.
You will need to mount the light. Usually you can do this under the nose, with large "fender washers" inside the plastic to prevent cracking the nose. The LED light-cans are a tad heavy.
On my Chinese 150, I disconnected the high-beam wire near the switch, and connected it to the new LED. This made use of factory wiring and relay which made hookup very easy (once I got to the buried wires... LOL!). All I needed to do when riding in very dark areas was to engage the stock bright-beam switch.
By carefully aiming the LED, you can prevent it from blinding oncoming traffic.
You might be able to find an LED replacement bulb for the stock headlight. That would be fine, but for me, I like to use an auxiliary light that I can easily aim for my personal riding style.
Hope this may help! Chinese scoots are known for "marginal" headlights and even my Taiwanese 250 is only a little better. Most bikes other than high-end cruiser and sport motorcycles can be made safer with better lights.
Please do post pix if you upgrade. Lots of scooter-jockeys are interested in upgrading their lights. Poor headlights are a major complaint with scooters. I know I feel much more comfortable now at night with brighter roads ahead! I just HATE those pesky unpainted curbs sticking out for no reason...
My young neighbor (with perfect eyesight) just totaled his new Jeep on one...
What they will do to a scooter is pitiful! NOW I can actually SEE them!
My night vision isn't what it once was either. Cataracts, glaucoma... My scoot is getting "chicken strips" on her tires as I get less adventurous in my riding... Old age sucks...
Best wishes on your scoot upgrade... Keep the Missus safe!
Leo in Texas
PS: Somewhere, I have a nice 2-bulb LED from my old Chinese 150. If you'll message me with your address, I'll find it, and send it to you. Might be just the one for your Wife's scoot. Small, oval and bright! It's a "flood" which should shine much farther and wider than her stock light. Should mount under the nose just fine. I'm not using it, and maybe you could.
|
|
New Rider
Currently Offline
Posts: 13
Likes: 2
Joined: Jul 5, 2016 22:17:11 GMT -5
|
Post by ucwt on Jul 15, 2016 19:34:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the welcomes and tips/ideas.
I found that you were correct that they don't like the system. Well the tail/stop anyway.
I had it in there for less than 2 days and it is fried.
Turn signals are still going well.
I will take your information and run with it seeing I tend to find myself out a ways when the sun goes down, would rather not meet any animals in my travels.
Thanks again.
|
|
|
|
Post by oldchopperguy on Jul 15, 2016 21:29:44 GMT -5
Thanks for the welcomes and tips/ideas. I found that you were correct that they don't like the system. Well the tail/stop anyway. I had it in there for less than 2 days and it is fried. Turn signals are still going well. I will take your information and run with it seeing I tend to find myself out a ways when the sun goes down, would rather not meet any animals in my travels. Thanks again.
You're most welcome!
Yes, using LED's on AC usually doesn't work out. They often flicker and don't last. I wish the ads would not say they work fine on AC. If you're going to use LED's in the factory sockets, and those are AC, you may have to do some serious re-wiring and use bridge-rectifiers. That, in turn, may cause OTHER problems with the factory wiring/charging. My old Xingyue 150 used AC for the headlights, but DC for the tail and brake-lights and turn signals. Fortunately, my "new" old Kymco uses DC for ALL the lights... So, in theory, I could just replace the bulbs with plug-in LED's. I have not, since the stock incandescent lights are excellent (except for the headlight, which is still a tad weak for my taste). Using a pair of LED driving lights did add 30 extra watts draw to the system, so to be safe, I did run a 12 gauge fused wire direct from the battery rather than splice into the factory headlight wires. This is tripped by a relay with a push-button, which IS wired into the factory headlight low-beam wire, to prevent the LED's from coming on without the headlight on. (The headlight comes on with the ignition, and has no switch).
I do hope you are able to upgrade your lights. I am truly amazed at the difference it made with mine. Ride safe!Leo in Texas
PS: I do KNOW what you mean about meeting animals at night... Sometimes, I find myself in the very dark Texas rural "wilderness"...
For that scenario, the long-reaching spot, or "pencil" beam LED's are phenomenal. On one pitch-dark stretch near my place, the LED's have shown me a deer, several squirrels, a few armadillos and numerous jack-rabbits a full football field away! Not to mention one truck muffler laying directly in my path... Oh, and YES, those pesky unpainted curbs in the road which serve no purpose (except to kill bikers)...
Good stuff those LED's! |
|
