Noisy headlight fans

Sturm615 · May 15, 2022

I recently upgraded my 2010 ST-1300 headlights with the F2 LEDs. Very impressive upgrade. However, when I first turn on the key, the sound of the 2 LED fans is very noticeable and not steady or consistent. Is this normal? Obviously I cannot hear this once the engine is running. No change reseating them. Sorry, looks like the system won't allow me to upload a 28k audio file.

Larry Fine · May 15, 2022

Yes, it's normal for a small fan that needs to move a lot of air in a small space.

Kevcules · May 15, 2022

Sturm615 said:
I recently upgraded my 2010 ST-1300 headlights with the F2 LEDs. Very impressive upgrade. However, when I first turn on the key, the sound of the 2 LED fans is very noticeable and not steady or consistent. Is this normal? Obviously I cannot hear this once the engine is running. No change reseating them. Sorry, looks like the system won't allow me to upload a 28k audio file.

Put your pictures on youtube, then post the link here.

Make sure fans aren't rubbing on anything. One of my lights went south a few weeks after I installed it and it made quite a strange noise at start up. The seller sent me a replacement quickly.

Good luck...

RaYzerman · May 15, 2022

Pretty normal...... when you first turn the key on, remember the fuel pump is going to cycle, headlights on, voltage is going to drop a bit, then when you fire the bike up, full voltage..... I've had 4 sets of F2's in various bikes over the last 3-5 years, have yet to have one fail or make an abnormal noise.

playfair · May 16, 2022

I've had this as well, it's the cheap bushing in the fan starting to fail. At first it only lasts a few seconds, but gets progressively longer and louder until the fan stops spinning completely. This could take months of use though, so I would just keep tabs on it and maybe get a backup.
On the bright side, if you hear the noise at least you know the fan is still spinning!
You could pull it out and try lubing or replacing the fan (would have to disassemble to get a drop of machine oil in there).

sky.high · May 16, 2022

Seems to me the noise stops immediately I start the engine :biggrin:

Catmandu2 · May 16, 2022

Sturm615 said:
I recently upgraded my 2010 ST-1300 headlights with the F2 LEDs.

I have owned 2 sets of F2's. The first set had surprisingly louder fans than expected. But it didn't matter,,, and soon I had pretty much forgotten about it. The 2nd set are almost silent. CAt'

Andrew Shadow · May 16, 2022

Just to make sure that the noise is coming from the headlamp bulbs, unplug your headlights and perform the same test for the sound. A similar sound can also be produced by the headlight adjuster motor. There have been some instances where people have discovered that motor hunts for its position when the key is turned on. In some cases it was a failing headlight adjuster switch, and in some cases it was the motor.