Headlight bulb upgrade

[Brian A]

I have a rather lengthy trip planned later this summer and wanted to get new bulbs for the Versys. I did my own research and then.....

I consulted Mulley. Mulley deals a lot with lighting and really understands lumens and light temperature and how it is perceived. My reading and self-study had me much more informed that I had been, but still I trust the guy's input.

In the end, I went with these.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMEEV9W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

While have not yet ridden at night, I did turn them on in the dark garage to have a look-see. Noticeably brighter and noticeably more "white" when compared to the stock halogen bulbs. Granted, the stock bulbs are old and the output has dropped off, but I can't help but believe that even if new, they would be outclassed by the Philips X-treme.

I thought about going the LED route but wanted to try this first. I might be pleased enough that I don't have to do anything more.

There is lots of science behind SERIOUS LEGIT bulb design, components, filament material, size, light temperature, output, etc. It's pretty interesting if you are into geeky stuff.

So, just thought I'd share this info. Each individual's preference might vary and I am certain there are other options that would provide good results. But if you want/need to replace your bulbs and if you trust my reading and Mulley's knowledge, I think you could drop $23 on the Philips X-treme bulbs and be pleased.

[Nice Goat]

I had the Philips Crystal Vision 6000K in my Versys.  They were awesome.

[springer]

I put the Philips Extreme bulbs in my XR1200 headlight housing. I was satisfied until I saw how bright the H-D L.E.D. headlight was.
Dropped the cash, never looked back.

[ktmer]

Wait you trust Mulley??  :D

[Brian A]

I had the Philips Crystal Vision 6000K in my Versys.  They were awesome.

One of the other options I narrowed it down to. I decided to go with the X-treme. They both were highly rated options.

I put the Philips Extreme bulbs in my XR1200 headlight housing. I was satisfied until I saw how bright the H-D L.E.D. headlight was.
Dropped the cash, never looked back.

I did consider LED options. They remain a possibility for a future upgrade.

Wait you trust Mulley??  :D

Yeah. Sometimes. I know it's risky busineess but I like living life on the edge.

[SpeedyR]

i recently upgraded the bulb in the Super Enduro to one of the Cyclops LED bulbs. HUGE increase in light as seen at the 24 hour race. I didn't even realize i was on low beam for 75% of my night riding, that's how good it is.

On some bikes, you need to get a bit more than just the bulb though. I know on the 1290 if you just put a replacement LED in there, it'll show on the dash that your light is out, so you have to get one made for your bike or learn about things like inline resistors so that it replicates the exact load that the OE bulb takes. That's one of the reasons I went with the Cyclops. Plus they just make some of the best lighting out there...

[LawnmowerRG]

Brian I think you may find that LED bulbs will be brighter, but because of the reflector design you will have less usable light. The reflector I was designed for light to be originated from a specific point in space in the head light. Most LED bulbs will have multiple diodes and do not recreate this. As a result the light will be scattered. Therefore creating a glare bomb for anyone coming at you.

Some info from Baja Designs

info about lighting patterns.
https://www.bajadesigns.com/Science-of-Lighting/Lighting-Patterns.asp


lighting zones
https://www.bajadesigns.com/Science-of-Lighting/Lighting-Zones.asp

[Brian A]

Brian I think you may find that LED bulbs will be brighter, but because of the reflector design you will have less usable light. The reflector I was designed for light to be originated from a specific point in space in the head light. Most LED bulbs will have multiple diodes and do not recreate this. As a result the light will be scattered.

Yes. Headlight reflectors are designed for a point source located at a fixed point in space. The light source (filament) is obviously not a literal "point source" but effectively that is what we are dealing with. Deviate from that point source and location and function is compromised (to some extent). 

This is one of the biggest problems with slapping HID lamps in a headlight assembly designed for halogen bulbs. The light beam can be grossly mismanaged resulting in a very bright light that can darn near blind oncoming traffic.

Many LED bulbs are, as you mentioned, an array of many individual LEDs and while I cannot speak from experience, I would suspect beam pattern might well be affected. Perhaps a little. Perhaps a lot.

Example:  https://d114hh0cykhyb0.cloudfront.net/images/uploads/h7-led-bulb-daytime-running-light.jpg

On the other hand...... premium LED lamps are pricey but I believe do a good job of replicating the point source and source location of OEM halogen bulbs. Most appear to do this by mating two LEDs (or maybe 4 in some cases?) back-to-back to mimic the filament location of the OEM bulb and provide light in a 360 deg pattern as does the stock bulb.

Example:  https://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/assets/images/150505-cyclops-26-Edit.jpg

I'll ping Mulley and have him chime in. He went with the LED option for his Versys while I chose the Philips X-treme. It will be interesting to see how the two setups compare. I expect the LED setup to be brighter. But it isn't all about brightness (lumens). Light perception/"color" (Temperature in K) is also a factor.

Balance the two to suit your preferences and you have a good setup.

[LawnmowerRG]

Yes sir
You went into a lot more detail.
And as I said most LED bulbs.

I did a bunch of research on this a little while back. I decided to stay with halogen bulbs and run Baja Design auxiliary light. I have Squadron V2s with a switchable controller.
My lights run at 10% with the low beams 60% on high beam
With a dash switch to kick them to 100% output if I want. They are also tied into my horn at 100%.
I would have to look all the info back up, but if I remember correct I run at 2000 lumens per light on high beam (60%).
I will say at full power the shine back from street signs will blind you. 

[LawnmowerRG]

Should have added that you are welcome to take the BMW for a ride one evening. See if what I decided to do is an option you would like.