ST1300 LED Headlight Bulbs?

[Obo]

For the record these did not fit. I trimmed the tabs and made them fit because it wasn’t worth sending them back.

Cougar Motor H4 Led Bulbs, K16 Series All-in-One - 18000LM 6000K Cool White, Quick Installation Halogen Replacement

Cougar Motor H4 Led Bulbs, K16 Series All-in-One - 18000LM 6000K Cool White, Quick Installation Halogen Replacement.

cougar-motor.com

You're supposed to trim off the lower two tabs to make it fit.

 

[Auron]

You're supposed to trim off the lower two tabs to make it fit.

You are? Alright then. Pretty good upgrade for $45

 

[ST Gui]

You are?

Yes this is SOP for H4/P43t bulbs used in US (North America?) bikes. Honda uses a different standard HS1/PX43t because the ST's two bulbs aren't physically shielded from each other and are deemed a single headlight by DOT. So trimming or bending the bottom to tabs works pretty well.

I think the Cyclops and maybe one other bulb has a slight extra cost option of ordering with an adapter that replaces the H4 pattern with the one used by Honda.

Otherwise your bulb is a direct fit for some European bikes and maybe some Japanese bikes - probably any bike with a physical barrier that keeps light from one bulb out of the area of the other. A couple of members have ordered a Euro ST headlight shell and any H4 will plug right in. But yeah a great upgrade for the money.

 

[Auron]

One other thing, it was completely worth it to remove the side fairings for easy access from the side. Doing it blind would have been ridiculous

 

[AIBIKRNC]

Since the Cougar 20K LM bulbs were sold out, I ordered (and received) the 18K LM bulbs. They look . . . identical and I don't think I'll notice the missing 2K of Lumens!

Shuey

Cougar Motor H4 Led Bulbs, K16 Series All-in-One - 18000LM 6000K Cool White, Quick Installation Halogen Replacement

Cougar Motor H4 Led Bulbs, K16 Series All-in-One - 18000LM 6000K Cool White, Quick Installation Halogen Replacement.

cougar-motor.com

These are plug and play as well? No modifications necessary?
After adding the switchback turn signals with clear lenses, I need to upgrade the headlights to match.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

These are plug and play as well? No modifications necessary?

If they are H4 bulbs they will not fit the North American ST1300 headlamp housing without cutting off the two lower alignment tabs.

 

[SanDogDewey]

Here’s a pic of the bike with the left headlight bulb replaced, and another pics with all the bulbs replaced and the aux lights on. You can really see this thing coming down the road!

 

[Obo]

Lots of LED's here....

On the front:

F2 headlights, LED side markers, LED switchback turn signals with clear lenses, dual reflector LED under mirror lights (one spot, one flood per light), Zmoon dual color fork lights (yellow tied to low beam, white tied to high beam)




The Zmoons and one high beam are tied into the upgraded dual horn circuit. When you activate the horn, the ZMoons come on (or switch to) white and one high beam flashes.
I kind of want to be noticed when using the horn!



The rear has LED turn and brake bulbs, an add on under case LED brake light and a LED brake light / reflector where the stock reflector above the plate is.

The lower reflector LED and the one under the top case flash a few times when activated. The main brake lights do not flash, they are just solid on.

This is with the brakes on.

 

[ST Gui]

an add on under case LED brake light

CHMSL style dedicated brake lights are underrated on bikes. Having a light illuminate in a location separate from other brake lights that was perviously "dark" until activated is a good attention getter. It has worked well on cars for decades. That it flashes a few times first is another great implementation.

Cue: Yeah but cars still hit rear-end other cars / No substitute for defensive driving / people hit fire trucks.

So those people can avoid installing those lights. There's no guarantee of anything but there's also no way of knowing how many people noticed the lights only because of that dedicated/extra flashing (or not) brake light and didn't hit you.

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

CHMSL style dedicated brake lights are underrated on bikes.

I'm unfamiliar with this, can you explain.

 

[ST Gui]

I'm unfamiliar with this, can you explain.

CHMSL is the DOT mandated Center High Mounted Stop Lamp or "third brake light".

It was the Govt's response to a motorcycle deceleration warning light (not a mere brake light) called the Voevodsky Cyberlight. This light had 2 6V incandescent bulbs under an amber lens and 7 (?) mercury switches mounted and increasing steep angles functioning as a decelerometer to flash the two bulbs. At a dead stop with the brakes on the bulbs flash slowly. The vehicle's factory brake lights functioned normally. The harder a vehicle braked the faster the bulbs flashed.

It was pricey then. A study in SF CA had a simple brake lamp like you might see on a trailer that was mounted on the forward edge of taxies' trunks. That significantly reduced rear-end collisions and became law. Voevodsky's son said that put his dad's company out of business.

 

[Obo]

CHMSL style dedicated brake lights are underrated on bikes. Having a light illuminate in a location separate from other brake lights that was perviously "dark" until activated is a good attention getter. It has worked well on cars for decades. That it flashes a few times first is another great implementation.

Cue: Yeah but cars still hit rear-end other cars / No substitute for defensive driving / people hit fire trucks.

So those people can avoid installing those lights. There's no guarantee of anything but there's also no way of knowing how many people noticed the lights only because of that dedicated/extra flashing (or not) brake light and didn't hit you.

Given that folks are often distracted I'd rather gamble and hope that having them makes someone brake that otherwise would have hit me. I agree folks pull out in front of transport trucks because they "didn't see them" and we motorcyclists have to have some level of acceptable risk in order to justify riding.

FYI, here's the rear lights in function:

OFF -> 5 fast flashes -> 3 slow flashes -> solid on.

GS-100A strobe controller for LED stoplight

purchased off eBay / Amazon

www.youtube.com

 

[ST Gui]

I'd rather gamble and hope that having them makes someone brake that otherwise would have hit me.

+ 1 I have an EMS strobe in place of my reflector and mounted my reflector down at the bottom of the fender. I've also got a couple of that same GS-100A flasher yet to be put on my bike and car. One of these days.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

That significantly reduced rear-end collisions ......

One of the benefits discovered is that often a driver can see the CHMSL of the car in front of the car that they are following illuminate through the front and rear windows of the car in front of them. This gives extra processing/reaction time.

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

CHMSL is the DOT mandated Center High Mounted Stop Lamp or "third brake light".

It was the Govt's response to a motorcycle deceleration warning light (not a mere brake light) called the Voevodsky Cyberlight. This light had 2 6V incandescent bulbs under an amber lens and 7 (?) mercury switches mounted and increasing steep angles functioning as a decelerometer to flash the two bulbs. At a dead stop with the brakes on the bulbs flash slowly. The vehicle's factory brake lights functioned normally. The harder a vehicle braked the faster the bulbs flashed.

It was pricey then. A study in SF CA had a simple brake lamp like you might see on a trailer that was mounted on the forward edge of taxies' trunks. That significantly reduced rear-end collisions and became law. Voevodsky's son said that put his dad's company out of business.

Thank you for that.

 

[Obo]

CHMSL is the DOT mandated Center High Mounted Stop Lamp or "third brake light".

It was the Govt's response to a motorcycle deceleration warning light (not a mere brake light) called the Voevodsky Cyberlight. This light had 2 6V incandescent bulbs under an amber lens and 7 (?) mercury switches mounted and increasing steep angles functioning as a decelerometer to flash the two bulbs. At a dead stop with the brakes on the bulbs flash slowly. The vehicle's factory brake lights functioned normally. The harder a vehicle braked the faster the bulbs flashed.

It was pricey then. A study in SF CA had a simple brake lamp like you might see on a trailer that was mounted on the forward edge of taxies' trunks. That significantly reduced rear-end collisions and became law. Voevodsky's son said that put his dad's company out of business.

There still are some companies that make an add-on brake light (or module) that works purely on deceleration and requires no use of a brake lever or pedal. I'm not a fan of those as they can give a false positive that while you are indeed slowing down (say a hard engine braking after giving it the throttle) you are not purposely braking, and may not plan to be. I know other's have different opinions in these deceleration activated lights, and this is just my opinion. If you want them on your bike then do so.

 

[ST Gui]

There still are some companies that make an add-on brake light (or module) that works purely on deceleration and requires no use of a brake lever or pedal.

I was going to comment on them. Those are brake lights not rate of deceleration warning lights. The decelerometer is merely an On/Off substitute for the brake pedal switch. The Cyberlight's job was to provide a graduated indication of how hard a rider (or driver) was braking.

These modern devices have some value. There's been a few posts about how some riders tap their brakes when slowing – like when using engine/compression braking. Whether engine braking or using the brakes a rider or driver closing the distance between them and the vehicle behind them. Braking is braking. Being able to control the sensitivity of these current devices would be a plus.

The ST2 brake light module offers a crude method of adjusting sensitivity (which isn't wholly accurate) by adjusting the angle of the module. But agreed — use them don't. It's a choice.

 

[ST Gui]

This gives extra processing/reaction time.

Extra processing time is huge. It's a gift a rider or driver doesn't always get or appreciate.

 

[Obo]

Extra processing time is huge. It's a gift a rider or driver doesn't always get or appreciate.

It's one of the things I enjoy about my bike vs my cage. I sit higher on the bike and have a better view of things beyond that high sitting SUV with tinted windows in front of me.
In the cage I'm usually limited to seeing only the vehicle in front of me.

 

[spiderman302]

Bigger and brighter is better for brake lights.

Here is a DIY mod for your brake lights.

It is an old thread and the links are outdated.

This might be a substitute red yellow switchback led 7443

Enjoy.