LED upgrade

[BjornThorkelson]

I'm looking to up grade my lights to LED bulbs but am finding it hard to locate white LED bulbs don't want to but amber bulbs behind amber lens wanting to know if anyone knows where I can get clear lens
for my bike it is a 1981 XS1100H my local dealer says he knows of nothing that will fit I don't care if it's Yamaha part or not not looking to restore bike thought of just changing turn signals out but front are built into faring not into that kind of body work to make that change

[TopCatGr58]

Many ways to use LEDs!

Hey Bjorn,

Check out these tech tips:
Turn signal LED tip

and

Brake Light Mod tip !

The link to the site that sells the lights is in the tips.

You can get white lights from this site, but the yellow lens doesn't inhibit the brightness of the yellow LEDs, so it's no problem using the YELLOW ones inside the housings with the yellow lenses!
T.C.

[jeffe]

When I was looking on the Super Bright LED sight I seem to remeber them saying that you should use the same color for both the bulb and the lens. Might want to check on it.

[webbcraft2150]

Re: LED upgrade

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BjornThorkelson
[ local dealer says he knows of nothing that will fit


Thats about the norm for most dealers.

[planedick]

More LED's

JC Whitney has many different types and colors including white and cheap too.

[Jdwags]

led's

I did alot of work with Super Bright LED's,

I bought a bunch of different ones, to see why they say to use the same color as the lens..

I always thought that a white one would be better, but found that they are correct, a red led glows best in a red lens, must have something to do with the slight blue tint of the white led... causes less brightness.

Im looking for my old link to a brake light mod that adds to the rear, giving a brighter stop light, and both rear turn lenses also glow red, UNLESS the turn indicator is on.. then it goes bright in the amber for turn....

Pretty decent kit for less than $70. shucks now that i can afford it, i can't find the link (3 hard drives ago... doesnt help)

Jeff

[81xsproject]

It has been a long time since I took physics, but if I remember right tinted lenses filter out all the colors of light except the color of the lense. So, by using a bulb of the same color you are filtering out more light. I could be totally wrong, but since SWMBO won't be chiming in I have a chance of being right

[TopCatGr58]

Jessie,

Nice try, but even though you are filtering out light, the LEDs of the same color are not being filtered(much) cause they are essentially the same color and wavelength as the colored lens, and so very little of the light from the LED is being filtered, the majority of it passes thru the colored lens.

White LEDs are a bit more expensive anyways, and with the same color LED as lens, you can get many more LED's to put in, so you can get the same or even more light from the same size light chamber/fixture.

I did a test when I was installing my Brake LED's, and even though they were visible thru the RED lens, I decided to cut out the RED lens around the center area of the tail light, since it still had the clear diffusor in it, then just put a clear plastic cover over the cutout section. When I do an LED conversion for the basket case I have, I probably won't modify the tail light lens, I think the newer LEDs are getting brighter compared to what I was able to get several years ago!
T.C.