ST1300 Headlight LED's List

[cjames431]

Were they the OEM bulbs or did you have the H4 upgrades in there when you put in the LEDs?

They were the OEM.

 

[Obo]

They were the OEM.

A huge improvement then.

 

[ST Gui]

A huge improvement then.

My G6 LED were a huge improvement over 55/60W halogens that were a huge improvement over 45/45W halogens. Going straight from factory to good LEDs is huge but I wouldn't have truly appreciated the difference between the G6s and 55/60W bulbs without experiencing it.

My riding buddies didn't comment on my upgrade from factory to H4 but they took notice of H4 to LED.

 

[STRider]

Thanks for the great photos @Obo.

But for the brain addled among us, is an adapter ring necessary when using these bulbs with the tabs snipped off? My head is spinning with every other message mentioning "just snip the tabs" followed a few posts later "but you must have an adapter" or "a piece of wire" to keep the modified bulb from falling into the shell.

Which is it?

Thanks!

 

[ST Gui]

is an adapter ring necessary when using these bulbs with the tabs snipped off?

For an ST1300 – no. It's not needed nor recommended at all. For an ST1100 it is needed and therefore is recommended unless it's one of the rare LED bulbs that comes from the manufacturer with the proper tab placement already in place.

 

[Obo]

But for the brain addled among us, is an adapter ring necessary when using these bulbs with the tabs snipped off? My head is spinning with every other message mentioning "just snip the tabs" followed a few posts later "but you must have an adapter" or "a piece of wire" to keep the modified bulb from falling into the shell.
Which is it?

As per @ST Gui above. The 1300 doesn't need an adapter. Everything is there in the bulb. You also don't need the bit of wire to adjust the angle.
I can't speak for other bulb manufacturers but I'd think they'd not need them either.

Other than having to remove the two lower tabs (because they are slightly off from the OEM ones) it is plug and play.




On the F2 you separate the bulb and remove the tabs like this:



Then pop it back together and into the headlight assembly, re-attach the ballast plug and plug them into the bike's headlight wiring harness socket.

The top tab and the retainer clip will hold it in place and prevent it from spinning around by accident.

 

[spiderman302]

Why did I suggest putting the wire across the bottom slots to down tilt the H4 F2 led bulb?
The Led bulbs have the chips on the centerline of the bulb.
The H4 halogen bulb filament is slightly below the center line of the bulb.
This small offset improves the brightness of the center of the low beam pattern.
It is a measurable difference but most will not care at this point since the F2 H4 bulb is four times brighter than any halogen bulb.
So if you leave it out it will work just fine, If you add the wire the low beam will be a smidge better.
Details.

 

[Larry Fine]

The Led bulbs have the chips on the centerline of the bulb.

Looking at mine, only the low-beam (shielded) chip is.

 

[spiderman302]

Yes, that is correct the shield drawing only is referencing the low beam axis.

The high beam led is mounted lower than the low beam led, So that when you switch to high beam the high beam pattern projects above the low beam. (mirror reversal effect). If the low beam led and the high beam led were in line (same axis), then the high beam would be just a brighter more focused low beam hitting the middle of the pavement and not further down the road. The H4 bulb is a very clever design. There are subtle details hidden in plain sight.....

The funny thing is I figured this out 50 years ago when I bought my first Cibie Z beam for my truck......

 

[Terminator2]

Yes, I did all mine at the same time. I do prefer the looks. I feel I can be seen better as well.

I never did take a "before" photo with the stock headlight and orange markers turned on. Closest I have is lights on (halogen headlights, peanuts and orange running/direction signal and one clear lens & white/orange switchback LED installed.

Niiiiccce. That's what I'm talkin about.

 

[red dirt cowboy]

I have a burned out headlamp, thinking about this upgrade, would it make any sense to replace only one side with an F2 LED? Thanks for input.

 

[st11ray]

I have a burned out headlamp, thinking about this upgrade, would it make any sense to replace only one side with an F2 LED? Thanks for input.

No. Do them both.

 

[Sadlsor]

I have a burned out headlamp, thinking about this upgrade, would it make any sense to replace only one side with an F2 LED? Thanks for input.

Well, at the very minimum, it would look rather strange.
I'd go for the matched pair. But I haven't yet.
I like to see.

 

[STRider]

As @Obo shared in an earlier post (Msg #73), installing LED headlights is a little more than a simple exchange of incandescent for LED. The LED lights preferred by those on this site have a cable with an electronics module inline that must be securely stashed within the forward fairing area. You'll have to pull some tupperware to install one anyway. If you replace one and decide to replace the other, you'll just have to do it all over again anyway.

Plus, most of these kits are sold in pairs, targeting automotive installations. I don't think I saw any listings which sold a single LED lamp while doing my own research.

Do both, I don't think you'll regret it.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

You'll have to pull some tupperware to install one anyway.

Not so.
I, and many others on this site, installed the LED's in the same manner that would be used to replace a halogen bulb. The module was secured to the existing wiring harness, up out of the way, using tie wraps. No Tupperware was removed or otherwise harmed.

No question in my mind- replace both.

 

[STRider]

Not so.
<snip!>
No question in my mind- replace both.

Fair enough. Let's just say for me, tupperware removal was the only way I would be able to install to my satisfaction. Plus I was going for a full LED upgrade and it made getting to the marker lights a whole lot easier (at least the dash removal).

But we agree on going in for both for sure.

 

[ChriSTian_64]

Hum... About ready to make this upgrade too for my ST1100.

So, the same led light can be used in the ST1100 and ST1300. The only difference, is the way we have to adapt it to the "socket", if I can say.

I already have ordered (and received) the 2 adapter ring for my ST1100.

I will now order these Katana H4 9003 ( from spiderman302 link ), from Amazon, since they are shipped from the US and therefore, should arrive a bit faster than those on ebay from china.

 

[Obo]

Hum... About ready to make this upgrade too for my ST1100.

So, the same led light can be used in the ST1100 and ST1300. The only difference, is the way we have to adapt it to the "socket", if I can say.

I already have ordered (and received) the 2 adapter ring for my ST1100.

I will now order these Katana H4 9003 ( from spiderman302 link ), from Amazon, since they are shipped from the US and therefore, should arrive a bit faster than those on ebay from china.

See if you can find a Canuckian seller (or shipped by Amazon.ca) Some of that cross border stuff is being held up right now. Waiting over a month for brake lines that were shipped USPS from Ohio.... Hopefully your experience will differ!

 

[Andrew Shadow]

I will now order these Katana H4 9003 ( from spiderman302 link ), from Amazon, since they are shipped from the US and therefore, should arrive a bit faster than those on ebay from china.

See if you can find a Canuckian seller (or shipped by Amazon.ca) Some of that cross border stuff is being held up right now. Waiting over a month for brake lines that were shipped USPS from Ohio.... Hopefully your experience will differ!

A little while ago someone posted on this forum that the ones in the below link are the same F2 bulbs but from Amazon Canada, so CDN dollars and free CDN shipping.
I am not in the market for new bulbs so I haven't looked in to them so I can't confirm whether they are the same or not.

NINEO 9003 H4 LED Bulbs | Halogen Replacement 6500K Extremely Bright All-in-One Conversion Kit | 360 Degree Adjustable Beam Angle

 

[drbuzzard]

i did the F2 upgrade on my ST 1300 about a week ago, the F2's are a big improvement over the Sylvania silver star's ( 55/60W halogens ) that i had in it, pic added