MotoLight Q

[Sonor]

My bike has motolights. My mechanic said one of the beauties of these lights is if one goes out, go to a Lowes or Home Depot and pick one up for a few dollars. So the other day I saw replacement bulbs made for outdoor use but are LED's for $20 each. I thought that the 3 to 4 volts rather than the 45 volts each would be good. However, I wanted to check the Motolight web site first. Well they too have LED replacements for $110 bucks.

 

So what's the deal? Why would Motolight sell theirs so much more expensively than a hardware store? LEDs will not jar or take abuse, they are solid state (sort of) so why the 64% increase in price?

[BerndM]

I guess the BIG question here is 2 fold.

First, is the LED variety from Lowes PHYSICALLY identical for a proper fit into the housing? And secondly, are the LUMENS generated comparable?

The LUMENS are the critical thing here, assuming the bulbs will fit. I don't know if LEDs are up to the output of a quartz in that area.

For 20 bucks, I'd be willing to get ONE LED type, install it and visually compare it to the other quartz.

BTW...the 3 or 4 volts / 45 volts to wrote in your posting would actually be WATTS.

Regards

Bernd

 

[moshe_levy]

I have installed LEDs in Motolights. They are MR16 type and there is no reason why one set would sell for more than another other than wattage, expected life, and lumens. They all fit Motolights if they are MR16. I installed a 6W pair and they are easily as bright from a distance (for conspicuity) as the 50W halogen bulbs.

 

-MKL

[Sonor]

I guess the BIG question here is 2 fold.

First, is the LED variety from Lowes PHYSICALLY identical for a proper fit into the housing? And secondly, are the LUMENS generated comparable?

The LUMENS are the critical thing here, assuming the bulbs will fit. I don't know if LEDs are up to the output of a quartz in that area.

For 20 bucks, I'd be willing to get ONE LED type, install it and visually compare it to the other quartz.

BTW...the 3 or 4 volts / 45 volts to wrote in your posting would actually be WATTS.

Regards

Bernd

 

Opps, yes watts ... DOH!!!

 

Thanks for the input.

[RTinNC]

Or if not is a hurry!

 

http://www.lightbulbemporium.com/satco_s1961_50mr16_nsp_ext.asp

[johnlt]

I have 10W LEDs in some aux lights and they put out 900 lumens each. About as much as a 55W halogen. Amazing improvement.

[Effervescent]

Note: I've gone as high as 75W in my Motolights.

 

Also, Ebay had the best pricing when I was looking.

[EddyQ]

They all fit Motolights if they are MR16.

 

Moshe, I have to disagree with this statement.

 

Recently one of my 4 year old 35W Motolights blew. I am looking for LED replacements.

I see wildly different shapes and sizes. Based on the Motolight LED picture, the normal LED is likely an OptiLED 1311060805-V1 which is 3.2W with 100lm output. The Motorlight high power LED is likely a ProLED L48014 which is 4.5W 200lm output.

 

Naturally more is better, so I find a 7W and 10W Philips EnduraLED MR16 ( HERE )

This bulb has no chance of fitting into a Motolight and it is an MR16.

 

There also are wildly different colors and beam patterns. I'm thinking wider is better. My halogens are 25 degree and I like them that wide. Higher color temp may be best. Halogen is typically 4000 and some of these LEDS are 6000-7000. But is that too much?

Just wondering which MR16 bulbs work best, who makes them and where can I buy them?

[EddyQ]

I have 10W LEDs in some aux lights and they put out 900 lumens each. About as much as a 55W halogen. Amazing improvement.

 

John, I don't believe this. 900 lumens / 10W = 90 lm/W efficacy. That is about twice as high as

almost every LED out there. Are you sure it isn't 900 lumens for both lamps?

 

I am certain Motolight has errors on there website too. Their 35W halogen kit says it has 7000 lumens.

This is simply off by a factor of 10. BS Those 35W halogens are likely 600 lumens.

 

The amount of lumen output is important for determining how much light comes from the bulb. But this light output is in every direction and across a wide light spectrum. The best rating and most used by lighting experts is the luminous intensity and beam angle. Luminous intensity or beam candlepower measured in candela (cd) is the rating that will tell you how blinding bright your lights are going to be in your cagers eyes. Lumens are not. But lumens are important for those interested in lighting large areas. More is better.

 

Yes this light stuff is rather complicated. Seems the lamp makers don't even understand it.

But good LED manufacturers have specs that likely are good. OptiLED appears to have a very good datasheet.

Not sure I would trust a lot of brands found at Home Depot or Wallymart.

 

I'm now looking at a 5W OptiLED MR16 with 200 lumen output 480cd luminous intensity in a 25 degree beam. OptiLED also has a 3.5W with 180 lumen output 704cd in a 30 degree beam. So, in this case the lower wattage LED is 50% brighter in slightly wider beam with 10% less lumen output.

 

Normally the luminous intensity gets less with a wider beam, but this 3.5W LED, the light spectrum must be helping the bulb in comparison.

 

Seems the OptiLED LED that Motolight has as standard produces 1680cd luminous intensity. That is 240% brighter than the 3.5W LED mensioned above. BUT, the beam is only 10 degrees and it only has 100 lumen output. So, this bulb clearly won't light the road as well, but it will blind on-coming cagers.

 

SO with all you folks that say it is an amazing improvement, what exactly was the test?

 

For interesting reading click HERE

 

[99Roadster]

These are the ones I bought last year - OptiLED

 

Dimmable MR16 OptiLED GU5.3 Base

20 Watt-Equivalent

4Watt 12 VAC/DC LED Spot 10° Daylight White

Brightness: 85 lumens

 

Different lenses can be specified for the desired beam angle.

 

Looks like they are about half the price they were last year.

[ryan_a1982]

Do you guys think the LED bulb is that much of an improvement over the halogens? It appears that MotoLight will replace your bulbs for free.... of course that requires $14.50 S+H. Do you guys think the LED's are twice as good? Since the LED's seems to cost about $30 a set or so.

 

[markgoodrich]

Do you guys think the LED bulb is that much of an improvement over the halogens? It appears that MotoLight will replace your bulbs for free.... of course that requires $14.50 S+H. Do you guys think the LED's are twice as good? Since the LED's seems to cost about $30 a set or so.

 

Motolight's free replacement is nice, but the shipping is silly. I had a series of bulbs go out, finally switched to allegedly extra-long-life Ushio 50 watt yellow and they've been reliable (note: one side did blow two bulbs; Motolight replaced the lead, free, and it's been fine since...and the Head Tech told me to just use any MR16 bulb from anywhere). I like the much brighter 50 watts over the 35, and I like the yellow for conspicuity. I've aimed mine (mounted on the calipers) up about a quarter bubble, and my riding buddies say it's not annoying, but makes a much brighter presentation.

 

The linked site was the cheapest I could find at the time.

 

LED or old-school, try tipping them up that quarter bubble, rather than perfectly vertical....

[ryan_a1982]

Thanks Mark!

[ryan_a1982]

I thought it was better to have than have not. I decided to go cheap just to see how they work. link

[EddyQ]

Thanks 99Roadster. I'm thinking of getting the same brand, but 4-5W model. How do you like the 10 degree beam pattern? Do you think wider would be better?

 

Do you guys think the LED bulb is that much of an improvement over the halogens?

 

I'm most certain the LEDs are not putting the same amount of light out as a halogen. There might be MR16 LEDs that beat the 35W halogen, but not by much. And, I don't believe any MR16 LED beats a 50W halogen. But, I think with LEDs you get seen better and that is the my main reason for the Motolights. I'm not certain if the LED have higher beam candlepower or it is the 6000C color temp or what, but these little lamps often blind the heck out of you.

 

If I wanted more light, I would switch my main beam to a HID. But I really don't ride at night, so I don't need that much more light. Although, I do like the way my Motolights smooth out the main beam pattern when driving twisties at dusk or night. I have to be careful to not screw that up with a LED.

 

The life of the good MR16 LEDs are 35,000 - 45,000hrs. Basically life. But I wonder how a little moisture trapped in the housing lowers this reliability since there is circuitry inside the bulb. Plus, LED need to be cool to get the life. The Motolight likely will block air through the MR16 fins. But, with most, I think the aluminum heat sink will get metal to metal contact which may be better cooling than the air through fins. My original 35W halogen lasted for 4 years. That is quite reasonable IMO.

 

So is it worth getting a LED? Maybe not. But I'm going to give it a whirl. If I get 4+ years and noticed better without hampering the smooth light pattern in the twisties I will consider the LEDs a winner.

[EddyQ]

I had a series of bulbs go out, finally switched to allegedly extra-long-life Ushio 50 watt yellow and they've been reliable (note: one side did blow two bulbs; Motolight replaced the lead, free, and it's been fine since...and the Head Tech told me to just use any MR16 bulb from anywhere).

 

Mark, I had essentually these same bulbs on the shelf. Two years ago I was going to switch and must have gotten lazy. My 35W bulb blew Thursday and I installed the 50W amber bulbs today. I'm still thinking of getting some nice LEDs, but with all the choices, it may take another week or so.

 

I can see it now. Two years from now I pull off the shelf two dusty LED MR16s boxes . . . .

[99Roadster]

The two degree difference is barely noticable but helps with the lower output. The standard halogens are brighter but the LED's are bright enough to notice especially in the 6k temp range as they contrast a bit with the warmer headlights. The Motolights were never very good in the dark anyway.

 

There's also the difference in 70 watts compared to the 8 watt draw of the LED's.

 

Looks like there are more choices in LED's since getting these but I'll run them until they go out which may be a while, hopefully.

[Bill P]

A little over two years ago (about 15,000 miles ago), I put 5-watt MR16 LEDs in the Motolights on my Burgman 650. The original halogens (then maybe half a dozen years old) were fine, but I did this to give the alternator a (60-watt) break, so it could properly juice-up heated gear. The bulbs I got were "Cree Chip 5 Watt 1 LED MR16 High Output Mini Spot (White)," at $24.90 each, plus shipping, from LED Liquidators ( http://www.ledliquidatorsinc.com/ ), for a grand total of $63.75. Note: I don't believe these particular bulbs are available there now, and perhaps Cree no longer makes that model.

 

This has worked out very well, for the intended purpose. Since that change, my Kuryakyn LED voltmeter no longer indicates a potential problem at idle (i.e., one or both of its green indicators stay lit) with a heated liner set on high and heated gloves on.

 

A side benefit is that the whiter output of the LEDs increases conspicuity, which is the reason I've had Motolights on the last three bikes I've owned (the first set being fork-strap-mounted, on an R850R, just to relate this to a Beemer forum). I rarely ride at night; if I did and wanted to pierce the darkness, I'd get narrower-focused driving lights from PIAA or something like that.

 

On a page on my web site I have pictures of: the unmounted LED bulb next to an unmounted stocker; the light pattern and color temperature of the LED and halogen side by side, and; the two LEDs contrasted with the headlight color. Go to http://www.billanddot.com/burgman/ , go to the last picture (there's a button for that), and then look up three rows of thumbnails; you'll see the three thumbnails for those pictures in one row.

 

Regards,

 

Bill P.

Niskayuna, NY

 

[moshe_levy]

They all fit Motolights if they are MR16.

 

Moshe, I have to disagree with this statement.

 

Eddy,

 

I should clarify that I'm not intimately aware of each and every MR16 out there, but I have yet to find one locally that wouldn't fit Motolights. Here for example is a MR16-CW6W-C15 6W set @ 6000K color:

 

 

Got them on my friend's F650CS because his alternator couldn't handle halogens and other aux accessories unless we were mostly on the highway. The LEDs solved the problem. Another friend of mine put on a set of "Ecosense" LEDs from Home Depot, which are rated to work outdoors and operate just fine.

 

My guess if you're finding bulbs which don't fit the housing is, perhaps when one goes much beyond 6W the size of the heatsink grows accordingly. As for spot vs. beam pattern, color, etc., that's all personal preference. As you know Motolights are mainly for conspicuity, not so much illumination, so experiment and get what works for you. In my opinion a spot pattern with a higher numerical K score looks great from a distance (the 6W 6000K narrow beam pattern on the F650 pictured above really looks fantastic).

 

-MKL