My $50 Chinese LED light review
#1
My $50 Chinese LED light review
So I finally got around to mounting my cheapo LED light bar.
It has 3 spots in the middle and a flood on each side, uses 27W IIRC, and puts out a ton of light.
I made some mounts that attach at the number plate bolt holes and extend out between the plate and headlight shroud. I also made a switch mounting plate that I mounted off the bar clamp. But I need it inside the BarMitt, so I don't have to reach out and back in when turning it on/off. I'll fix it soon.
And this 45 second video to show the difference between low beam, high beam, and finally x-ray beam.
http://vid1359.photobucket.com/album...psumhktpkh.mp4
Overall, I'm very happy. The light came with an excess of wire and a nice waterproof plug and pigtail. To say it's bright is an understatement. My headlight is the PIAA 100W equivalent output, which was way better than stock, but now I just wonder how I survived all those night rides without seeing. You can see how the GoPro doesn't "see" much until I hit the LED.
Now I can see the whole road, side to side, for as far as my headlight can shine, the LED throws bright light.
It will be awesome for night time trail rides!
It has 3 spots in the middle and a flood on each side, uses 27W IIRC, and puts out a ton of light.
I made some mounts that attach at the number plate bolt holes and extend out between the plate and headlight shroud. I also made a switch mounting plate that I mounted off the bar clamp. But I need it inside the BarMitt, so I don't have to reach out and back in when turning it on/off. I'll fix it soon.
And this 45 second video to show the difference between low beam, high beam, and finally x-ray beam.
http://vid1359.photobucket.com/album...psumhktpkh.mp4
Overall, I'm very happy. The light came with an excess of wire and a nice waterproof plug and pigtail. To say it's bright is an understatement. My headlight is the PIAA 100W equivalent output, which was way better than stock, but now I just wonder how I survived all those night rides without seeing. You can see how the GoPro doesn't "see" much until I hit the LED.
Now I can see the whole road, side to side, for as far as my headlight can shine, the LED throws bright light.
It will be awesome for night time trail rides!
Last edited by MaximusPrime; 01-01-2015 at 12:16 AM. Reason: vid link no work
#5
That is the PIAA off-road bulb(much brighter than stock). But yes it's low, high, then LED. At the end when I switch it off...it really feels like the lights went out. If I didn't know the road, I would be rolling off the throttle fast and maybe braking when I turn it off.
I'm still blown away. The first time we powered it up was off the bike in daylight and I wasn't impressed. I was wrong.
It is very deep and all of the depth is cooling fins. It must be one CNC'd piece of metal. It's pretty stout. We'll see when it comes to night time trail riding and a few crashes how tough it really is...but for $50, I may buy one for my next vehicle and a few spares for the bikes.
I will move the light to the bars or above the dash, once it's warm enough to take off the windshield.
If this light is this good, how much better are the expensive ones I wonder?
I'm still blown away. The first time we powered it up was off the bike in daylight and I wasn't impressed. I was wrong.
It is very deep and all of the depth is cooling fins. It must be one CNC'd piece of metal. It's pretty stout. We'll see when it comes to night time trail riding and a few crashes how tough it really is...but for $50, I may buy one for my next vehicle and a few spares for the bikes.
I will move the light to the bars or above the dash, once it's warm enough to take off the windshield.
If this light is this good, how much better are the expensive ones I wonder?
#6
I have the same headlight bulb, and it did make a difference, but after seeing his lights, I thought one of them would really help my night time riding. I ride our club's hare scramble course as late as possible, and some nights well into the dark. I'm thinking now that a pair of those lights, mounted vertically inline with the forks night work pretty good. FWIW, I found the exact lights my son paid big money for, online from China, for a lot less so there may not be much, if any difference between them.
#7
If you mount them vertical, the wide angle horizontal aiming will be up/down... unless you can rotate the LED or optics.
If you can't rotate, you could just aim on a little right, the other a little left.
If you can't rotate, you could just aim on a little right, the other a little left.
#9
Yes, those lights are extremely bright. Link?
Anybody know offhand what the charging system on the KLX is rated for? Basically, to know at what point we'd be overloading the system (charging can't keep up with the drain from lights etc.)?
Anybody know offhand what the charging system on the KLX is rated for? Basically, to know at what point we'd be overloading the system (charging can't keep up with the drain from lights etc.)?
#10
Here you go.
6inch 25W CREE Slim LED Spot Flood Light Bar Offroad 4×4 ATV Motorcycle Ute 4WD | eBay
IIRC we have 240W total(don't know the reliability of that number, I'd love to have a rewound 300W stator, that tech is beyond me though). Subtract headlight and tail light, plus whatever the bike uses to run, I've been told we have around 90W to play with. So my light is 25W, my gloves must be where I got the 27W number, and my heated insoles are 7W. So I should be good. So far so good.
I can tell you my 2 55W cheapo lights were too much if left on. I had a voltmeter and it would just keep dropping when the lights were on. I only used them if absolutely necessary.
6inch 25W CREE Slim LED Spot Flood Light Bar Offroad 4×4 ATV Motorcycle Ute 4WD | eBay
IIRC we have 240W total(don't know the reliability of that number, I'd love to have a rewound 300W stator, that tech is beyond me though). Subtract headlight and tail light, plus whatever the bike uses to run, I've been told we have around 90W to play with. So my light is 25W, my gloves must be where I got the 27W number, and my heated insoles are 7W. So I should be good. So far so good.
I can tell you my 2 55W cheapo lights were too much if left on. I had a voltmeter and it would just keep dropping when the lights were on. I only used them if absolutely necessary.