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Post by dhull on Feb 4, 2013 7:36:06 GMT -6
On the way in to work this morning, I found that my bright headlights on my 2008 Cyprus 250 54B are both out, so it's time to replace them. I regularly ride early in the morning when it is dark, so brightness is crucial for maximum visibility.
I figure that while I have the cowl off I will go ahead and replace all the lights there.
I'm not confident in my capabilities to do all the changes needed to convert to LEDs. Does anyone have a recommendation for the brightest possible headlight that I can buy without requiring a change to the electrical system (Xenon or Sylvania Silverstar, etc.)?
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Post by JR on Feb 4, 2013 8:41:51 GMT -6
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Post by dhull on Feb 4, 2013 10:24:41 GMT -6
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Post by JR on Feb 4, 2013 11:30:12 GMT -6
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Post by dhull on Feb 4, 2013 11:50:41 GMT -6
Excellent! Thank you so much!
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Post by alleyoop on Feb 4, 2013 12:31:33 GMT -6
Hi Dhull,
You will like those LEDS THEY ARE NICE AND BRIGHT. I have the SAME ones on my Trike all EXCEPT the HEADLIGHTS because I do not drive at NIGHT and I RIDE with the SMALLER Lights next to the HEADLIGHTS They are nice and bright I never put on the HEADLIGHTS.
Alleyoop
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Post by dhull on Feb 8, 2013 10:16:30 GMT -6
Due to the cost, I'll be doing this a piece at a time. I got the headlights in yesterday and installed them last night. Unbelievable difference!
The drive in to work this morning was awesome. Aside from blasting the road with an incredibly bright light, there was plenty of ambient side light that made the road signs glow like I've never seen before.
I'm surprised that I didn't get bright-light flashed by oncoming cars. Cant wait to get the other lights now!
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Post by scooterdad154 on Feb 20, 2013 21:24:15 GMT -6
dhull, JR Last May I replaced the 25W headlight bulbs on my 2008 Cyprus 250 54B with 35W incandescent bulbs. I enjoyed the brighter bulbs but coincident with the swap my hi/lo beam switch appeared to be stuck in the hi beam position. I only ride with the hi beams on all the time anyway, so i didn't sweat it. However, during summer months the headlights started to turn on and off unexpectedly at times. I disassembled the collar containing the hi/lo beam sw, turn signal sw and horn and removed the hi/lo beam sw from the collar. It appeared as thought the plastic around the contact had melted a little bit but enough to break the connection (see attachment). I trimmed the melted plastic off and sanded the contact. Repair brought headlights back online so I reintalled sw into collar and collar back onto handlebars. The repair was short lived as the headlights went out again soon after the repair. I cleaned up the contacts again but realized the switch was getting noticeably warm to the touch with the hi beams on so I abandoned the repair. I speculated that the increase in current when going from 25W to 35W bulbs was the issue (25W/12v=2.08A ==> 35W/12v=2.92A). I have since replaced the switch with a SPDT switch from radio shack. I was wondering 1) how your hi/lo beam switch was handling the 50W bulbs (50W/12v= 4.17A)? and 2) if anyone else has had my experience when upgrading the higher wattage headlight bulbs? 3) if my speculation of increased current causing the switch contacts to melt was correct? Thanks scooterdad154 Attachments:
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Post by JR on Feb 21, 2013 22:01:16 GMT -6
This very well could be? All know Chinese switches aren't the best. If I was going to go to a higher watt bulb I would put in a relay on the system and use the OEM switch to just switch the relay from lo to high beam that way. Using a higher rated relay and taking the load off of the switch would solve this problem. JR
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Post by rcq78 on Feb 28, 2013 12:41:02 GMT -6
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Post by dhull on Mar 8, 2013 13:03:44 GMT -6
I may have spoken to soon.... Since putting the new headlights in, I've only been able to ride a handful of times because of bad weather. Yesterday morning, about halfway into my ride to work (12 miles), my low-beams went out completely. I flipped the switch to High-Beams and kept going.
This morning, I was two miles into the commute and the high-beams died too. I looked at them when I got to work and the left bulb looks like an old fashioned flash-cube that has been used. the glass inside is smoke black. The right bulb doesn't look like anything is wrong, but neither one works, so I'm back to the drawing board.
Is there an easy LED conversion for headlights?
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Post by bhinch on Mar 9, 2013 7:06:26 GMT -6
I installed HID's two yrs ago and have loved them. I used 5000k....H4...9003...Hi/Lo bulbs. This has worked great for me. The complete install has been explained on the forums. Enjoy the ride..  |
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Post by bhinch on Mar 10, 2013 5:29:14 GMT -6
I used the 35w size bulbs with a relay that comes with the kit. Enjoy the ride...
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Post by dhull on Apr 10, 2013 7:10:02 GMT -6
The saga continues...
I replaced my burned-out one-week-old Xenon bulbs (which I loved, but can't afford to keep replacing) with LEDs. At the same time I replaced the driving lights, front and rear turn signals and brake lights with LEDs also.
The headlights aren't nearly as bright as even the stock bulbs, but I ride on well lit streets, so my main goal is to be visible to oncoming traffic and these do the job.
Of course that couldn't be the end of the story.
The new LED headlights have one brightness setting. Bright/dim switch doesn't change anything. Same thing with the brake lights. When I hit the brakes, they might get a tiny bit brighter, but not noticeable.
Here's the big problem, though. The other day after riding about 25 minutes, I started getting a strong sulfur smell. It was so strong that it got overwhelming when I would stop and sit at a traffic light. I rode again yesterday and got the same smell after about 25 minutes of riding.
I stopped at the bank and when i came out, the bike didn't have enough battery power to crank at all. I opened the seat, unscrewed the battery cover and it was all wet on the underside from the battery acid, which had been spitting out the little vent holes. I touched the battery and it was HOT. There was steam coming out of the vent holes. I jump-started the bike a couple of ours later and it continued to idle after I disconnected the jumper cables, but just sputtered when I turned the throttle.
I loaded up the bike, hauled it home and hooked up the battery charger to see if it would take any juice. Checked it this morning and no dice. Battery is shot.
Here are the questions:
Is there something else I need to do regarding the LED headlights and brake lights to make them work properly?
Any ideas why the battery would overheat and what can i do to prevent it? Could it be related to the same thing that caused the Xenon bulbs to blow?
Is there a better battery than the standard type that I've bought at Wal-Mart in the past?
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Post by wheezy on Apr 11, 2013 8:53:47 GMT -6
The saga continues... Here's the big problem, though. The other day after riding about 25 minutes, I started getting a strong sulfur smell. It was so strong that it got overwhelming when I would stop and sit at a traffic light. I rode again yesterday and got the same smell after about 25 minutes of riding. I stopped at the bank and when i came out, the bike didn't have enough battery power to crank at all. I opened the seat, unscrewed the battery cover and it was all wet on the underside from the battery acid, which had been spitting out the little vent holes. I touched the battery and it was HOT. There was steam coming out of the vent holes. I jump-started the bike a couple of ours later and it continued to idle after I disconnected the jumper cables, but just sputtered when I turned the throttle. Your battery experienced thermal runaway. The sulfur smell is a dead giveaway. That was the electrolyte boiling. The battery begins to overheat, most likely from too much R/R voltage. The heat reduces the internal resistance of the battery, causing more current flow. Current flow causes more heat until the battery gives. You're lucky it was a battery with caps on it. Had it been a sealed battery, it would have exploded. You can still use the generic 9Ah or so battery from Walmart. But, when you first start it up, check the voltage across the terminals. The LED conversion may have upped the VDC to over 14 volts. If it did, it'll burn your new battery as well. You may end up needing a resistor to drop some voltage, getting it back down to 12.75 to 13.25 or so. |
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..BAD TO THE BONE..
