[Kiwi Rider]

This will be my first motorcycle with LED lights and I'm really pleased about that. I was looking at converting my old CBR300 but it's so much easier just to by a factory installed set up.
I was watching a Youtube clip where this guy was testing the amp draw of different motorcycle bulbs and the LED headlight bulbs were drawing 1/6th to 1/8th of the current a standard bulb would draw.
Has to put less load on your battery and charging system as headlights are hard wired on all the time now here. Also a better scenario if you accidentally leave your key on whilst away from the bike for an hr or two. You may have a chance of getting it going again.
They are more resistant to shock and vibration which helps them last longer, up to 8x.
Also, they say LEDs put out a more visible light to other road users which has to be a good thing on a motorbike!
So there's lots of pluses there, good one Kawasaki.

 

[Chappy]

LED lights are certainly brighter than halogen or HIDs and they seem to have better throw. Overall a plus for motorcycles when riding at night.
Now if only they become the standard on all bikes and cars...

 

[xorbe]

LED lights are certainly brighter than halogen or HIDs and they seem to have better throw. Overall a plus for motorcycles when riding at night.
Now if only they become the standard on all bikes and cars...

This is only by end-to-end design. There's no inherent reason an LED is brighter, indeed check out the cheap crappy led flashlight section vs a quality non-LED flashlight. Once LED is on *all* vehicles, there will be crap versions.

 

[NinjaRyder]

The auto industry is a good example of how much it can range because you can see them in simple applications like interior lighting and turn signals to complex things like entire headlight assemblies that aim at different angles and shoot light much further away than the once projector and halogen/HID setup.

 

[Kiwi Rider]

The low draw of the LED bulbs saved me a flat battery today:
As I came into the garage from my ride I just hit the kill switch instead of turning the key off. It wasn't until I went out a couple of hours later to lock up that I realised what I had done. But the lights were still glowing brightly so I hit the starter button to test the battery and it turned over just as fast as usual.

I did the same thing twice previously on my old CBR300 (slow learner eh!) and both times the battery was as flat as a turd.
To be fair the CBR doesn't have the clever set up like the Ninja has where the main headlights only come on once the engine is running.

 

[Watcher905]

Because of this, I've never got into the habit of turning the kill switch off when parking. Only use the turn key when parking, that's all.

 

[NonNinjaRider]

Because of this, I've never got into the habit of turning the kill switch off when parking. Only use the turn key when parking, that's all.

BINGO! :smile_big:

 

[mikecronis]

These LED Headlights aren't great

Did some night riding. Headlights were aimed at-factory almost all the way down. Adjusted them upwards so I can see the road, which is nice. Most LED bulbs have a limited spectrum than halogen. In turns, the lights don't do a great job illuminating the turn itself, less scatter. I'm not a fan.

Any idea on replacements? LED bulb voltage requirements are tricky.

 

[High Side Hoser]

I agree, can't see while cornering at night. I'm looking at auxiliary lights. Something like this https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/denali-d2-led-driving-light-kit

 

[NinjaRyder]

Don't know too much about LED lights but it might be a good idea to first find out what spec of LED's we're working with. Then it would be easier to consider what to upgrade to from that. Or just see what sources like the retrofit source have that's relevant to us.

 

[Keeper]

Compared to my last bike, where the headlight was useless other than allowing people to see you coming, the 400's headlight in normal mode is quite nice -- much wider, and a fair bit farther up the road too.

High beam, however, is a different story. It seems practically nonexistent on the 400; it's just a "bright mode". No additional distance that I could discern. To that end, auxiliary lights like mentioned above seem like a good idea at least for turning on with high beam. Where to mount them on the 400 is the question!

 

[Watcher905]

The LED headlight is a fixed unit. Noobs cannot replace the individual diodes inside. Almost 1000 bones to replace that sucker. Luckily, it should last the life of the bike.

Planning on adding auxiliary lighting. It'll be a flood beam pattern; to aid in the turns and bends of the road.

Denali is too rich for my blood. Gonna go with Morimoto LED's.

Also need a fuse box; it will facilitate the multiple accessories I'm adding.

Wanting to mount the auxiliary lights on the fender, but I assume the ideal location is on the chassis or any place that is sprung by the suspension. This way it will reduce light beam shake from suspension strokes. Am I right or not? I just can't decide where to place it. Anyone with experience know if mounting on fender exaggerates beam shake?

https://www.theretrofitsource.com/morimoto-x-drl-led-running-light-one-50365.html

 

[Kiwi Rider]

The LED headlight is a fixed unit. Noobs cannot replace the individual diodes inside. Almost 1000 bones to replace that sucker. Luckily, it should last the life of the bike.

Man, that is going to make frontal crash damage mightily expensive if that's the case. Is that for one unit or both?

Sorry no experience mounting auxiliary lights but yes attaching to the frame should produce a more steady beam.

 

[Watcher905]

Man, that is going to make frontal crash damage mightily expensive if that's the case. Is that for one unit or both?

Sorry no experience mounting auxiliary lights but yes attaching to the frame should produce a more steady beam.

Yes, the stock headlight is one unit.

The auxiliary LED's are sold in pairs.

 

[Ben Christensen]

G'day, not sure if this topic has been covered or not but after the last week riding to and from work (shift work) a lot of my riding was at night on relatively country/rural roads (100kmph zone). I was pretty happy with the LED lights at night but noticed that at least two or three drivers per drive were flashing their headlights (in Australia this generally means turn your high beam down or; there is Police ahead- there was no police). I promptly blasted the buggers right back with my high beam so they realised that it was on LOW beam. Has anyone else encountered this issue?

 

[crazysycodude]

I haven't but the cut off on my headlights are not very high. Where is the light cut off while the suspension is loaded?

 

[Ben Christensen]

That's a very good question! And not something I'd considered... I'm 188cm tall and about 105kg so now I'm thinking that weight might angle them up slightly and be upsetting people. I'll have to have a look next time I do a night ride. I've not changed the suspension since new (Only just clicked over 750km) as it seems pretty good for my weight. Thanks for the reply... Something to consider ?

 

[crazysycodude]

I weight 72 kg and 6'6". Stock suspension doesn't say a lot for me. But I'm always on the lookout for where my headlights go as to try and avoid the flashing of high beams.

 

[Kiwi Rider]

First night ride

Hard to believe but it's taken 2.5 years before I've needed to ride the bike at night. I was down the city last weekend for a music gig and because it was a Sunday nite I needed to head home afterwards for work on Monday. So I set off on the 100 mile ride at 10.45pm and got hm at 12.15am. Because I knew the roads would be cop free I was looking to push it along a bit and get to bed sooner rather than later.

So my thoughts on the lights are this: The actual spread of the beam and the clarity of it (ie no black spots) is pretty decent, it's just lacking in length or depth. Initially I didnt feel comfortable breaking 115 kph (71MPH) as I felt I was riding a bit blind at anything faster than that. By the time I got nearer home I had got up to a cruising speed of 135kph (84MPH) as I got used to it somewhat and was on roads that I know really well. But I did feel i was pushing my luck a bit...

So I would say they are adequate but not outstanding IMO. If I did a lot of night riding i would be looking to upgrade them some how. Makes you realise how much you look through corners on a motorcycle when the headlights are not looking through the corner with you lol.

 

[InvisiBill]

If you haven't already, check your headlight aim. From the little bit of night riding I've done, it seemed ok, but the EX500 was known for coming with the headlight pretty much aimed at the front tire. Even the best headlight will suck if it's not aimed at the right point.

Make sure you're checking the alignment while you're sitting on the bike. Suspension loading will have en effect on the altitude and attitude of the headlight. You should also recheck it after suspension changes, since it can change chassis positioning.