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Dxg
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 01:44 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Has anyone here installed the EBR LED tail light?
http://www.erikbuellracing.com/store/models/1125r/ led-taillight.html

Is it brighter than the original? Or are you better off installing a LED bulb in the original?

Also, has anyone measured the current? They don't give the current draw for it. I'm mostly interested in reducing the electrical load without losing brightness.
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Froggy
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 02:42 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

That tail light is what came stock on the 2010 XB/1125 bikes. It is brighter than the crappy bulb in the stock 03-09 tail lights, but it isn't as bright as some aftermarket options like XBLights.

No idea on its power consumption numbers.
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Xthorx91
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 02:54 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I was recommended this website when I was looking for mine:

http://xblights.net/products.html

They are straight plug and play, no modding required (iirc), and you can send them your tail light housing to be fitted with the lights or send it to them after you get the light you purchased to get a rebate.
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Dxg
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 07:22 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Yes I know about those but at $200+ a piece they border on ridiculous. You can get an LED bulb for a couple of bucks.
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Xthorx91
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 07:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

True, I guess I'm just a fan of the integrated turn signals haha.
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Captjoe
Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 08:51 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I did this conversion a few years back on my 09 R. The EBR is much brighter but I'm not sure about the draw on the battery. I suspect any difference is minimal. You do need to reterminate the connections as the 09 models had different mating connectors. I ended up soldering them for added durability. Not a lot a work and pretty easy to do... and, believe me, if I can do it, anyone can.
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Reepicheep
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 08:21 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I tried a number of cheap tail light options on a cafe racer rat bike I was rebuilding from pieces.

I wasted a lot of money on cheap tail lights. If it's $200, but mounts easily and works well, it's expensive, but not THAT expensive.

(I spent about $100 total on 3 or 4 things that were just total junk, and went back to the stock part in frustration).
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Froggy
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 08:37 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)


quote:

Yes I know about those but at $200+ a piece they border on ridiculous. You can get an LED bulb for a couple of bucks.




Why are you riding a Buell if you can get a Chinese scooter for $200? A bit extreme of a comparison, but that is the difference between a cheap LED bulb, and a hand made high quality tail light from XBLights. Yea they are expensive, but you do get what you pay for.

The 2010 tail light you linked is a good bang for the buck option. Not as bright and can't be customized to your taste like the XBLights, but still a decent unit and is DOT certified unlike questionable cheaper solutions.
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Dxg
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 01:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Froggy, I think you inadvertently killed your own argument:

" Not as bright and can't be customized to your taste like the XBLights, but still a decent unit and is DOT certified unlike questionable cheaper solutions."

So you're saying the xblights units are questionable cheaper (but costlier) solutions because they're not DOT certified?

The Chinese scooter comparo is not analogous at all. I promise you that an 1157 LED bulb made by Philips or Sylvania is not inferior in any way to a custom LED light made by a couple guys in their basement.

I do understand their attraction is customization, but that's one thing I absolutely don't need.
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Terrys1980
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 01:17 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Or you can build your own for about $30.. I did this on my 1125..

http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/327 77/705456.html?1227278864
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Terrys1980
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 01:20 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Here is s video clip..
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Froggy
Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 01:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)


quote:

So you're saying the xblights units are questionable cheaper (but costlier) solutions because they're not DOT certified?




No, you are mixing things now. XBLights are a premium quality unit, hence the premium price. I can with 100% certainty promise you the 1157 LED bulb is crap in comparison, I've seen them (or to be more specific, barley saw them)
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Zac4mac
Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2016 - 11:17 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

XBLights are VERY well built.
I have the first one he made and it is still going strong 8 years later.



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Dxg
Posted on Sunday, November 20, 2016 - 02:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Zack, are those xB mirrors on those 2 bikes? What did you do about the front turn signals?
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Zac4mac
Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 - 09:15 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Yes they are. I love the long-stem Firebolt mirrors
The white one is a 2003 XB9R with the early short-stem mirrors.

I ran the wires from the turn signals to the side maker lights on my 1125.
The XBLights taillight has integrated turn signals.

I put the same mirrors on my 1190RS and added bar-ends with LEDs for the front signals.
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651lance
Posted on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 - 10:08 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I went to the EBR1190RS tail light and mounting bracket, then made new under tail tray. I prefer the longer look.











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Dxg
Posted on Thursday, November 24, 2016 - 12:25 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

OK, got the answer to my original question from EBR themselves.
For anyone curious, the EBR LED tail light draws 0.05A on low (tail) and 0.375A on high (brake).
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Fresnobuell
Posted on Friday, November 25, 2016 - 03:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

XB lights are sick. I have one and love it. I got the full brake light and it's so bright it hurts your eyes in the daylight. I like all the protection I can get. Rear end collisions (ie you are sitting at a stoplight, light turns green and you get plowed from behind because the driver "didn't see you") and drivers turning left in front of you are the two most common non-single vehicle motorcycle accidents. I like to strobe the brake light at stop lights when the need arises. No doubt it is an attention getter.

It also withstood a high side crash where the bike got air and nearly all the impact was on the left tailsection. It tough as nails. I doubt cheap LEDs would have stood up to this.

Highly recommended.

(Message edited by fresnobuell on November 25, 2016)

(Message edited by fresnobuell on November 25, 2016)
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Fresnobuell
Posted on Friday, November 25, 2016 - 03:35 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)


quote:

I promise you that an 1157 LED bulb made by Philips or Sylvania is not inferior in any way to a custom LED light made by a couple guys in their basement.




this is pure speculation that you pulled out of your azz.
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Dxg
Posted on Sunday, November 27, 2016 - 12:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

No, it's knowledge vetted by many years of experience.

The guy making lights in his basement does not manufacture the LED chips, in fact he doesn't manufacture the housings either. Just assembles them together.

The "quality" of the LEDs is universally good because they (at least the ones used by reputable companies) all come from large semiconductor fab houses. You can't make LED chips in a back alley garage. The assembler only chooses which type, size, color, orientation, etc. they use.

I've used many LED bulbs, both 1157 and other types, in many vehicles for many years with never a failure.

And yes, LEDs are solid state devices and are intrinsically shock-proof, so any of them will withstand a crash just fine unless they themselves are crushed.

And don't confuse brightness with quality.
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Court
Posted on Sunday, November 27, 2016 - 12:24 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

>>>I got the full brake light and it's so bright it hurts your eyes in the daylight. I like all the protection

Precisely what I was looking for . . . .but, in my case, mounting was easy with the top case on the Ulysses so I went with the Whelan TIR3. It doesn't bother me much to see folks behind me flinch when I hit the brake light.
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Captjoe
Posted on Sunday, November 27, 2016 - 08:53 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

It would be interesting to see statistics on how much super bright tail lights might actually contribute to accidents by having the driver behind fixated or blinded by them and misjudging the remaining braking distance....
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Court
Posted on Monday, November 28, 2016 - 07:37 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

There may be some merit to that concern.

I am judicious with the use of mine for precisely that reason. I use it primarily in a "tap-tap-tap" mode while they are well behind me to make them conscious of my presence.

I've been ass ended (in a car) while sitting at a red light by a texting child doing 50mph. On a bike it would have been fatal.

I am also concerned and cautious because I use the TIR3's for the front turn signals on my Ulysses. I'm less concerned in a rural environment, but in New York City the "left turn in front of" is a very real concern.

I'm moving Thursday and expect a much friendlier riding environment in the new location. I'll likely ride different things in different ways.

Good point.

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Fresnobuell
Posted on Monday, November 28, 2016 - 04:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)


quote:

It would be interesting to see statistics on how much super bright tail lights might actually contribute to accidents by having the driver behind fixated or blinded by them and misjudging the remaining braking distance....




Maybe at night this would be a possible side effect, but I don't ride at night.

During the day, I doubt this is an issue at all.

Being seen is vitally important to overall safety on a bike. "I didn't see him" is the excuse of most accidents involving a cager.

IF they see you, more often than not you are going to be ok.
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Fresnobuell
Posted on Monday, November 28, 2016 - 04:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)


quote:

And don't confuse brightness with quality.




I understand they are rugged by their design, but what exactly makes a "quality" LED? I have seen cheap LED products and their dimness seems to be a common theme.

In my crash, the housing split apart, but even in that condition it still worked perfectly....and I have had mine nearly as long as Zac has had his...which speaks to longevity.

I don't know the exact LEDs in the XBlight, but I do believe they are quality based on old conversations with the maker AND more importantly real life experience with his product.
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Dxg
Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2016 - 12:51 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)


quote:

but what exactly makes a "quality" LED?




Frankly, not much. Reliability and quality control. How long does it last, does the light output stay the same after a few thousand hours, how many bad ones out of a thousand, etc.

How much light they put out, or how much light per watt, etc. are attributes, not quality. You simply buy the proper ones for the application. In a lot of cases, such as a medical instrument, you don't want a very bright led. It's not used for illumination.

Bottom line, you don't spend many millions putting up a semiconductor fab to make crappy led chips. Cheap leds, yes. But cheap (inexpensive) may mean low light output or low efficiency. That's all spec'd in the catalog. So the leds themselves are seldom at fault.

The quality of the bulb or lamp, that's a different kettle of fish. Any back alley garage operation can take a bunch of leds and solder them (poorly) to a crappy pc board made by his brother in law in his kitchen.

This is why I said if you buy a name brand 1157 (for example) led bulb, quality is a non-issue. I've had at least a dozen led bulbs in each of my many vehicles over the last umpteen years and not a failure. My desk lamp, on the other hand, has a weird bulb I could only get on eBay from a Chinese peddler and it does flicker once in a while. Needs a little whack to fix it. Not the led maker's fault. Poor soldering.
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Zac4mac
Posted on Sunday, December 11, 2016 - 12:48 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

US Navy taught me electronics in the mid 70s.
Since then i have had several jobs in that field although I'm now almost all mechanical.

I say this to back my opinion on XBLights' quality. I've seen a lot of junk and a few shining examples of proper quality.
When I saw what Robert put together I was pleasantly surprised.
Absolutely top-notch work, from the components to the sealed shell.

Even from high-end custom shops you might not get this good a job.

I can't say enough good things about Robert and his work.

Zack
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Rah7777777
Posted on Sunday, December 11, 2016 - 11:51 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Unfortunately I do not have a basement.
(Why isn't a basement a common thing in Texas?!?)

And I do not employ my brother-in-law. His hands are too shaky for soldering.
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Dxg
Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2016 - 09:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Several reasons there are no basements in Texas, as explained here:
http://www.zarealestate.com/4-reasons-homes-texas- dont-basements/
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Rah7777777
Posted on Tuesday, December 20, 2016 - 12:23 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I genuinely appreciate that..... did not know that.
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