Automotive
The Benefits of LED Motorcycle Headlights
With LED technology becoming prevalent in the world of lighting, it’s no surprise that it has made its way into motor vehicle applications slowly but surely, and it’s not just the case with trucks and cars using both exterior and interior lights but also motorcycles, relying on LED bulbs for accent.
As an essential component, crucial for both illuminating the road as well as self-visibility, the choice of lights you make has a say in your safety and driving experience as a whole which is why it shouldn’t be taken lightly!
Having the outstanding illumination in mind produced by LED lights, the wider and brighter beam, it makes them the perfect choice for headlights. Bikes benefit from them greatly since you get the same amount of illumination from a single LED headlight as you would get from two headlights from a car.
With that being said, LED motorcycle headlights help riders see better in the dark, but they also provide other benefits over the conventional incandescent, or the other alternatives such as halogen and HID (high intensity discharge) headlights, such as: efficiency, life cycle, durability, variety, affordability, eco-friendliness and aesthetics.
LED Efficiency
LED bulbs offer more light-per-watt of electricity than incandescent bulbs. In order to generate more light, incandescent bulbs need to be larger, and large bulbs may not look very appealing on a motorcycle. However, this isn’t the case with LED bulbs as they’re manufactured by using unique configuration patterns, which typically combine more LED bulbs.
This is possible because they are very small in size and can be attached to a single circuit board. Moreover, LED bulbs for motorcycles project light in a focused manner (which also increases efficiency), unlike incandescent bulbs which scatter the light. Also, you won’t have to wait too much for them to start up and best of all is they don’t generate heat like the other headlights do.
The better light output, far more powerful than a standard halogen, of course positively affects the performance of your motorcycle as a whole, and this certainly makes for a reason enough to give motorcycle LED headlights a go.
LED Life Cycle
LED bulbs have a significantly longer life-span than incandescent bulbs – LED motorcycle headlights can last you over 25 times more than conventional lights. In the case of comparison with halogen, they are just as bright but use 85% less power to emit the same amount of light hence they last longer.
Moreover, they provide superior shock resistance, which can be an essential factor as the engine vibrations of a motorcycle are much more intense than the vibrations of a car.
They’re also not susceptible to weather elements as much due to the quality materials they’re made of, in the likes of die-cast aluminium and polycarbonate lens, that don’t easily rust or wear out, and instead of going out abruptly, LED headlights slowly dim down so you won’t get to be unpleasantly surprised, you’d know when it’s time to replace them.
Wide Variety
There are many different styles of LED headlights, the most popular ones being Halo, or angel eye headlights for motorcycles, multi-LED headlights and fairing pattern LED headlights.
- Halo headlights feature multiple bulbs that circle the rim, and the bulbs are typically referred to as eyes.
- Multi-LED headlights are able to illuminate multiple directions thanks to the fact that LED lights focus in specific directions. Depending on how they’re assembled, multi-LED lights can either create a high or a low beam light.
- Fairing pattern LED headlights are ideal for riders who love riding with fairings and like to have more design options available. You can pick between individual bulbs that form a box, or circular pattern around the front of the fairing to serve as the headlight.
- Depending on the design you choose, you can also count on ease of installation if you pick out the “plug and play” wiring, for instance, making upgrading the headlights into a piece of cake DIY project.
Furthermore, there’s a way to accessories and protect your headlights choosing one of the stylish models of metal grills.
Affordability
Unlike years ago when LEDs were still making their way through on the market, and only few could afford them, things have changed significantly for the better, and we have competition and wide variety to thank for.
Sure, they still might be a tad bit more expensive than conventional headlights as is the case with incandescent, but the outstanding quality you can expect to get even from aftermarket lights certainly pays off, as you won’t have to replace them soon after you install them so it makes for a great upgrade.
Besides, opting for upgrading with LEDs is much more cost-efficient when it comes to improving your visibility on the road, important to both make your presence known to other participants in the traffic and provide you with the good sight so you can avoid dangers and pay attention to the road.
Eco-Friendliness
As mentioned, the LEDs are eco-friendly and this is because of the ingenious design converting 95% of the energy into light with only 5% being used as heat, and this is exactly what makes it much better for sustainability than traditional lighting, the difference in efficiency being significant – LEDs are up to 80% more efficient.
Aesthetics
There’s no doubt the upgrade won’t just be in favour of your safety but your motorcycle’s appearance too. This goes for the light, switching from the conventional yellowish beams to modern colder whites and blues, resulting in a touch of drama. Likewise, there’s an improvement in the aesthetics of your motorcycle as a whole thanks to the seamless fit of the sleek headlight design.
To sum it up, it more than pays off to opt for LEDs when you want to count on that improvement that serves you time and time again, and you can even go fully LED – use the headlights in a combination with LED turn signals and accessory lights (if allowed) for a brighter outcome and better fuel economy.
Writing for the blog since 2012, Chris simply loves the idea of providing people with useful info on business, technology, vehicles, industry, sports and travel – all subjects of his interest. Even though he sounds like quite the butch, he’d watch a chick flick occasionally if it makes the wife happy, and he’s a fan of skincare routines though you’d never have him admit that unless you compliment his impeccable skin complexion.