Headlight upgrade question

11135 Views 12 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Forcefed, Dec 8, 2015

Forcefed

Discussion Starter · Dec 8, 2015

I see some do HID upgrades but I don't see people replacing the headlight reflective housing that is built for HID's. I have seen a lot of car guys do the amazon upgrade without putting the proper housing in and all it does is shoot light everywhere. A good site to see what I am talking about is BKmoto. They are way too expensive, but they use the proper housings so you have controlled beam of light. You can see at a greater distance, and you don't blind everyone coming at you. So my question is has anyone done the HID kit with the proper housings, and do the HID's melt the plastic at all? I know this is a problem with some bikes.

Next question is I have seen some do LED lights but they don't seem like they work well. Has anyone tried these. H7 3000 lumen LED Headlight bulb
In my FZ07 group these lights have been a great upgrade for us since our lights also suck. They are built to work with the stock reflective housings. I have not seen anyone use these but just wondering if anyone has and how they work on the Ninja?

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Day Trippin

· #2 · Dec 8, 2015

I looked at them before but wanted something with a lower (yellower) color temp. For me 5700K is getting up there. Others here have used similar lights and had issues with the fan and the stock boots. I am not sure how long the fan would last in a comparatively dusty MC application so I went with passive cooling ones.

This thread has pretty much all the tribal knowledge regarding lighting.

http://www.kawasakininja1000.com/fo...difications/3210-adding-lightes-see-seen.html

Most everyone's experiments are captured there. I can't see going HID without having the appropriate housings. If I do anything more (other than what I've mentioned on page 15 of the previous thread) I'll just go with the BKmoto setup and be done with it.

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NinjaLust

· #3 · Dec 8, 2015

I'm interested in the Cyclops bulbs as well for both of my bikes. A riding buddy installed one on his new Bonneville and it was blindingly bright. I was riding my Harley XR1200 with the Harley Daymaker light. The Harley light has 5 focused beams on high beam and 3 on low beam. It's a very bright light but the Cyclops seemed even brighter. I called them recently to inquire. The rep I spoke to on the phone suggested; I wait til the first of the year few a new double light system they are developing. I might be spreading miss information so you might want to call and inquire yourself.

H7 3000 lumen LED Headlight bulb

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Hornblower

· #4 · Dec 8, 2015

Forcefed...as I see it, you have two possible issues with those LED bulbs. First, due to the passive radiator, you may find interference between that and the retaining spring. That makes inserting the bulb quite difficult. Second, unless this bulb comes with a specially-designed sealing boot, how will you seal the headlight enclosure? If you're considering other possibilities, you might want to try this approach:

80W 9600LM Kit H7 HID White 6000K Newest CREE XHP 50 LED Conversion Headlights | eBay

If you'll notice, these have a color temp around 6,000K so, if that's accurate, that should result in a pure, white color without noticeable blue. Of all the LED H7 bulbs I've tried, this is the one I would go with today.

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Forcefed

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 8, 2015

I could see Cyclops making a new LED since the current H7 only has two emitters and on my FZ07 the LED has 4. Two for low beam and two for high beam. Hornblower I think this will help show how they fit. FZ-07 Cyclops H4 LED Bulb Replacement | FZ-07 Forum You do have to do some things to make it fit and cut the boot so it works but it is designed to fit in the stock spot.

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Day Trippin

· #6 · Dec 8, 2015

It has been a while since I rode an FZ07 or 09, doesn't the headlight turn with the forks? One of the issues is the close proximity of the fork tubes to the back of the light housing. Depending on how big the fan is, it might hit. I looked at one fan cooled LED and it seemed like the fan might be too big to clear but I didn't measure it moved on to other options.

The cyclops looks like a good option if it would fit. I would be very careful trimming the but as I wouldn't want any dust ingestion in that housing.

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Forcefed

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 8, 2015 (Edited)

Yes Day Trippin it does turn with the forks. Just talked to Cyclops and the make a LED kit for the Ninja 1000. KLR GEN 2/Versys/Ninja/Goldwing LED Headlight Bulb Kit It works for 2014 to 2016 ninja's.

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MikSchultzy

· #8 · Dec 8, 2015

The kit that Hornblower linked, is the kit that I used.

You can find pictures in this thread:
http://www.kawasakininja1000.com/fo...210-adding-lightes-see-seen-13.html#post67802

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Forcefed

Discussion Starter · #9 · Dec 8, 2015

Looks good. Very bright. Just found someone that did a BKMoto install. I did not know they had a kit for the Ninja, it looked good.

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Hornblower

· #10 · Dec 8, 2015

Here's another little tip for anyone thinking of converting to LED headlights...if the ad specifies a CREE chip, go to the CREE website to find out what the max lumens really are. Look for a bulb with at least two of those chips (usually on opposite sides). If your total lumens/bulb are 2000 lumens or less, you might not see any improvement in light projected down-the-road. That's the reason I pointed out a particular bulb that produces around 4000 lumens. You will see a marked improvement in light output. Good rule of thumb to remember...100 lumens/watt. That efficiency will most likely get greater in the future. So, for example, if you see a bulb advertised at 10 watts claiming to produce 2000 lumens, you know it's false. I have also seen an ad claiming 80 watts which turned out to be only 10 watts. And, as you now know, a 10 watt bulb producing around 1000 lumens won't cut it at all. In short, when it comes to LED bulbs, buyer beware!

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Forcefed

Discussion Starter · #11 · Dec 8, 2015

Thanks for the info. I will check that out.

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NinjaLust

· #12 · Dec 8, 2015

Forcefed said:
Yes Day Trippin it does turn with the forks. Just talked to Cyclops and the make a LED kit for the Ninja 1000. KLR GEN 2/Versys/Ninja/Goldwing LED Headlight Bulb Kit It works for 2014 to 2016 ninja's.

Why only 2014-2016? The fairing and light assemblies appear to be the same?

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Forcefed

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 8, 2015

I don't know that is what they told me. Did they use a different connector or something in the early models? I did like the BKmoto kit someone did on a ninja. It also makes both lights go on instead of a single on low beam. I just think it is a bit expensive compared to LED. But it is nice to black out the whole headlight housing since the HID kit does not need it. Looked good.

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