Motorcycle Light - LED Light - Headlight Modulators - Motorcycle Brake Light

Welcome to the webBikeWorld Motorcycle Lighting Page! Motorcycle lighting, motorcycle LED light, motorcycle headlights, motorcycle brake lights and more!

Motorcycle LED lights, headlight modulators, LED brake lights, brake light flashers, high-powered halogen, Xenon and HID bulbs - they're all very popular items for motorcyclists. webBikeWorld probably receives more email about motorcycle lighting than any other subject.

So here's a page devoted to your favorite topic! If you have any tips, links, or especially maintenance or technical articles on improving motorcycle visibility through lighting, send them to

Motorcycle Lighting News: LED headlights are coming to cars (Audi) and we may soon see them on motorcycles, but the lights and reflectors must be very specifically designed for the task to adequately replace current headlight bulbs

Xenon Headlight Bulbs - Halogen Headlight Bulbs: Be careful! Many different terms are used to describe light bulbs without reference to any standard meanings! This is also known as "hype"! | Coolbulb sells the high-quality Raybrig "Hyper Halogen" and "Whitesonic" bulbs from Japan; these are expensive bulbs, claimed to be very high quality and originally developed for auto racing. The Whitesonics claim up to 5000k of white light, with claimed outputs of 130/125W from a 60/55W H4 | Light Lens has many different types of Xenon, Halogen and other bulbs in all of the popular sizes | 4000K Sylvania SilverStar Xenon bulbs are available in various sizes | WhiteLight has Xenon bulbs at reasonable prices | Nice selection of all types of halogen bulbs in different colors at Headwinds; many claimed to be made in the U.S.A. | Many different types of colored bulbs for headlights, brake lights and turn signals at Installer.com | PIAA now makes the Super Plasma GT-X H4 with a purple low beam and an "Xtreme White" high beam

Sources for Motorcycle Headlight Bulbs: 1stAutoBulbs (UK) carries Bosch, Philips, Osram and more and has free delivery in the UK | Autoexpress - a UK site with listings, tests and info on different headlight bulbs | Motolights are accessory driving lights for your bike | Here's a link for the new Hella FF Lamps | PIAA lighting is sold in many motorcycle shops; here is the PIAA Lighting page | CBT Imports carries PIAA bulbs and auxiliary lighting equipment | Honda ST1100 H4 headlight bulb adapter rings to convert to H4's | Fosmo Lighting from the U.K. (also known as Power Bulbs) - Large selection of light bulbs; free shipping anywhere in the world | Philips automotive lighting site | Information on Motolights and various mounting options for motorcycles | Guaranteed headlight protective coverings available at X-Pel Light Protection; see the wBW installation article | Saeng makes the popular "Night Cutters" halogen driving or fog lights | The Electrical Connection has lights, light bulbs, Xenon and other high-power light bulbs, wiring harnesses and more | The Blinker Buddy sends a vibration through the motorcycle's seat each time the directionals cycle on and off; this alerts you that the signals are still active so that you can turn them off | The Safetylight kit keeps all four directionals on and then flashes them at five times the directional flashing speed when you apply the brakes; in Dutch but with English translation available | Superlumination has a variety of headlight, brake light and directional bulbs and LEDs | Also see the wBW Motorcycle Safety page for more information and articles on motorcycle visibility

Wedge Turn Signals - Wedge Brake Light Bulbs: Some European motorcycles like BMW and Ducati are starting to use the wedge bulbs as turn signals; many different types of LED wedge and incandescent wedge bulbs are available at Autolumination and Superbright LEDs

Opinions, Facts and Fiction: Nice FAQ page explaining the difference between HID, halogen and Xenon lighting | More info on the difference in various types of H4 bulbs | The Road Safety Index has some interesting articles about the effect of lighting sources and colors on visibility | The LED FAQ page has lots of technical information about LED lights

Bulb Replacements: Modern bulbs for vintage motorcycles (and cars) including the P45T, BA9S, BA15S and more in 6V or 12V; they also have replacements for many types of older marker lights, turn signals and indicator lights | Luxeon 3-Watt super bright LED bulbs are claimed to be one of the brightest LED bulbs available at Superbright LEDs

High Output Headlight Wiring Harness - Headlight Relay Switch: See the wBW review of the Eastern Beaver Motorcycle headlight relay kit, a wiring harness to add a relay to headlights for better output | High output wiring harness claimed to increase voltage to the headlight bulbs by 2 volts; more power means brighter lights | HID headlights and upgrading to a high output wiring harness information from Iron Butt Association | More pre-packaged headlight relays and wiring kits available at Painless Wiring | Fuzeblocks makes a fuse block with a built-in relay, claimed to be "easy to install, fits into a small space, provides a built in relay..." and can be switched on and off with the bike if desired | More info on relays, headlights and visibility, reflective vests, decals and stickers and more on the wBW Motorcycle Safety Page

Sources for Motorcycle Headlight Modulators - Motorcycle Lighting: See below for more information on motorcycle headlight modulators and laws governing their use | Headlight modulators and brake light enhancement products are available at Comagination; their "VisiStop" brake light modulator is interesting -- it controls the amount of modulation depending upon traffic and how you apply the brakes; see the wBW Review of the Comagination Headlight Modulator and Brake Light Flasher | Kisan Technologies - Also has accessory brake lights and headlight modulators | WingThings carries the Diamond Star headlight modulator; it works like a normal modulator during the day, at night will flash momentarily when horn is engaged | The Kisan Pathblazer and Tailblazer; SOS Priority Lights; "rotating and pulsating" (yeah!) LED brake light bulbs; Back-Off brake light modulator; light bulbs and more are available at Accessory International (thanks to Norm for this link!) | Xtras Rally has a large selection of LED lights, headlight modulators and more

Sources for LED Lights: SpiderLite folding LED brake light bulb can fit into small diameter holes inside of motorcycle reflectors; review coming soon! | "Brake" LED brake lights are semi-custom made and plug directly into the existing bulb socket | Custom Dynamics has a variety of LED lighting for motorcycles, including the huge Radiantz 1.85" LED array that replaces an 1157 bulb; see the wBW reviews of Radiantz lights: Radiantz Flexible LED lights | Radiantz 1.85" LED 1157 brake light replacements | Custom LED brake light - replace your bulbs with LEDs! | Hyperlites are LED blinking accessory brake lights | Signal Dynamics - accessory LED brake light bars, headlight modulators and more | "Rotating and pulsating" LED brake light bulbs; Back-Off brake light modulator; light bulbs and more are available at Accessory International (thanks to Norm for this link!) | Inexpensive LED tail light and brake light replacements at Digikey; they have 1156 and 1157 LED in red and white. The Digikey part numbers for the 1156 are 441-1012-ND and 441-1014-ND. In a dual filament replacement 1157 type array the part numbers are red 441-1016-ND and 441-1017-ND in white. The light output of the reds in both types is 5000 mcd and the whites are 7000 mcd. The 1157's are priced the same as the 1156's (Thanks to Bill S.!) | H4 light bulb covers at Illusion's Neon provide different effects; rainbow, yellow, green or blue | 32-LED brake light assembly at Motorrad Elektrik | Heavycycles will custom fit LEDs to any brake or tail light lens | Boogey has LED lights and auxiliary lights | MBW Motorcycle has custom-made LED lighting for cruisers and more | PIAA now has LED driving lights | Pivotal Powersports has remote control LEDs, LED engine lighting kits and more | Super Bright LED lights carries an large assortment of LED light bulb replacement options | Toy Box Trailers has some interesting novelty and other LED lights for motorcycles; check out the LED drink coaster! | Xtras has many different types of LED lights, modulators and brake lights, including Hyperlites, Wing Signal lights, S.O.M.A. LED bulb replacements, Kisan and many more | LED "cateye" tailight conversions at Motorcycle Mods | LED style replacement stop lamps, tail lamps, directionals and more | Need bulk LED lights, rectifiers or parts? Here's a list of many LED manufacturers and suppliers in Taiwan

LED License Plate Bolts: British Customs has a nice set of chrome plated LED license plate replacement bolts (with white lights)

Neon Motorcycle Lights: Dr. Neon sells custom lengths of neon motorcycle lights to install anywhere on the bike; they also have neon spark plug wires | City Glow has neon and LED lighting for motorcycles | Illusion's Neon has a variety of neon and LED lights

webBikeWorld
Visitor "G.Y." writes:

"Purchased Hyper-Lites for my '04 BMW R1150R after reading the review on your web site. Exceptionally good service from the owner, Ron Watkins, and the product is simply fantastic. I heartily recommend this product."

LED Manufacturers - Sources for Individual LEDs: ETG, Inc. carries many different types of LED lights if you'd like to "roll your own"; they also have some assembled turn signal replacement LEDs

»	Bulb Nomenclature: An H4 bulb is also referred to as a 9003 or an HB2; the 9005 bulb is also referred to as an HB3; a 9006 bulb is also referred to as an HB4. Many motorcycles take an H4 (9003) bulb - check your owner's manual. Be careful of how much juice your wiring and switches can take! You may need to rewire and/or go through a relay. Interesting light bulb FAQ on this page at Coolbulbs
»	Bulb Brightness - Color Temperature: Color temperature is measured in Kelvin units (K). Higher K values mean "whiter" light. For example, incandescent light bulbs are around 2800K; a stock halogen bulb has a color temperature of around 3200K; the so-called "performance" bulbs run about 3500K; Xenon bulbs run near 4000K; HID lighting systems run from 4000-5000K and daylight is 5400K . Note that there is a difference between output (lumens) and color, or "whiteness" (Kelvin units).
»	Turn Signal - Brake Light Bulbs: Check out this wBW article with conversion chart on substituting different types of incandescent brake light and tail light bulbs for your OEM bulbs - you can get more brightness with the correct replacement. Explains similarities and differences between 21/5W, 2057, 1034, 1157, 2397 and 2357 bulbs
»	Halogen vs. Xenon Bulbs: This is where it gets confusing. There are all sorts of unsubstantiated and marketing claims made for various types of lighting. Xenon gas is sometimes used under pressure to fill the bulb; it supposedly cools the filament, and the Halogen on the filament can create increased light output. Whether or not Brand "X" is manufactured correctly is anyone's guess! See below for online sources for light bulbs
»	HID Lighting: High Intensity Discharge (HID) is a type of lighting technology that replaces the filament of the light bulb with Xenon gas. An arc is produced when voltage is applied, which results in light. It is claimed that HID lights can produce as much as three times the output (lumens) of a standard halogen bulb. An HID light also has a higher Kelvin light temperature (almost near sunlight) that gives it a very "white" light. See the wBW article on installing an HID lighting system \| Here is a product that is a claimed drop-in HID replacement unit for an H4 bulb \| Nice HID information page on the J.W. Speaker lighting site
»	Can You Increase Your Light Output?: Opinions vary; it appears that a lot of it depends on the size, shape and quality of your motorcycle's headlight reflector and also the bike's wiring. Some tests on the "superwhite" type bulbs show that the bulbs actually decreased output! But many owners claim much better visibility; could it be the increased K values change the perceived brightness?
»	All LED's Are NOT Created Equal!: I'm a big fan of LED's for use on motorcycles (less heat, use less power, more resistant to vibration, etc.) but some LED's are much better than others. We occasionally will receive an email telling us that some company has an LED replacement for $5.95, and that we're crazy for spending more. Just for the record, there are cheap LED's and their are good LED's. The cheap ones can have as low as a 5 degree wide light spread plus they can be very dim. The really good LED's currently have a 120 degree light spread and put out 4,000 milli-candela per LED -- but you'll pay for them. It doesn't make any sense to try and improve your rear lighting but use cheap LED's that actually decrease visibility instead.
»	LED Turn Signal Flashing Problems? In very rare instances, an LED bulb used for a turn signal may cause the bike's electrical system to either indicate that a bulb is burned out. This may be manifested by an increased flashing rate. The reason for this may be that the bike's electrical system isn't picking up the fact that there's a bulb because of the very low power consumption of the LED. This problem can usually be solved by adding a load resistor wired across the turn signal bulb to simulate a filament bulb load. Load resistors are available at Super Bright LEDs \| Good technical information on LED lights, including a discussion of LED light intensity and filtering LED lights for various colors

Motorcycle Tire Lights: See the wBW review of Tire Flares | The "Ring of Fire" lights are LEDs that screw on to the valve stem and light up at night when the bike is in motion; available in various colors (apparently no longer available?) | Street Glow Tire Lights attach to the valve stem and flash as the tire rotates; available in various colors and have a two-year warranty | Tireflys are one of the original LED tire lights

More: Motorcycle Technical Articles and Maintenance Information on the wBW Maintenance and Technical Articles page | Daniel Stern Lighting has lots of information on bulbs, lighting and more

BMW Motorcycle PIAA and Lighting Mounts: Martin Fabrication makes lighting mounts for the R1150RT and other BMW models; some of the mounts are similar to the Motolights style and will work with some PIAA models | More light bar lighting mounts for auxiliary lights for BMW motorcycles by RCU Designs

Interesting Auxiliary Motorcycle Lighting Products: The Lead Dog helmet light attaches to a helmet for off and on road visibility | The Signalfly LED wireless helmet brake light!

HID Lighting: Tips on installing an HID light on a motorcycle | HID systems for motorcycles; apparently HID systems with both low and high beam in the same unit are hard to find | Baja Designs H.I.D. lighting kit | HID lighting that supposedly plugs in to existing H4 receptacles | Article that explains some of the differences between halogen and HID | Pro Xenon has many HID conversion kits, information and other related articles | HID low beam auxiliary lighting available at Micatech | The Xenon Depot has Philips HID conversions kits; here's their HID information page; they also have a high/low beam HID replacement light for motorcycles | Various types of motorcycle Xenon headlight conversion kits at Sports Imports | Nice article explaining how HID bulbs work without using a filament | J.W. Speaker HID drop-in HID headlight conversion for motorcycles, uses an HID low beam and Halogen high beam | Harley Davidson HID lights to fit stock or near-standard headlight shells

Motorcycle Headlights: JP Cycles has some cool-looking motorcycle skull headlights | As long as you're going all the way, why not match it with a motorcycle skull tail light?

Sportbike Dual Headlight Conversion: Double Headlights (NL) sells a kit that allows both the low and high beam headlights on a sportbike to work together

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