Lazer Star LED headlight

I've never been much of a night rider (thats not a David Hasselhoff joke, but it could be!). Hey I'm 40 years old. Eyesight is the first to go. Lights usually suck hard on any WR and enduros/supermotos in general. I live in the Seattle area and its dark and wet here 7 months out of the year. I wanted something that could handle the weather and light up those short days.

Anyway....so I've been looking at LED lights. Theres a bunch of junk on the market and I wanted something that would last and will put out some decent power. I looked at just about every kit on the market. Nothing quite had the look, quality and end result I wanted.

I found a little powersports company out of Paso Robles, CA that makes LED headlights and turn signals for Harleys. Turns out they also make some bad ass lights for trucks. I found a really killer light thats the right size to fit in the factory plastic. Here are the specifics;

Lazer Star - Triad
10 watt
3000 lumens - the stock headlight H4 bulb puts out like 1500 lumens at best.
IP68 rated - which means dirt and water wont get into it. Which is a HUGE problem with most led lighting and around my wet neck of the woods...

Lazer Star "underdrives" all their lights so they last a long time and still put out a ton of light with their reflector. This also means they run cool, so they wont melt the crap out of the plastics. Being under driven, they dont draw alot of power so the bike can handle it no problem. I've only had the light on for a few weeks. The temps here have been getting cold at night (low 20s) and its been a little too cold to ride very far. This light is BRIGHT! I've had LEDs on my truck and knew what to expect, but it was awesome to see it on my WR. Not a "dot" light so probably wouldnt pass a detailed inspection. Havent quite figured out the hi/low beam thing, but I think I have it figured out with a relay. Still playing with that. The video really doesnt do it justice. It also looks like its aimed too high, but in reality its pretty close to perfect.

I made a little youtube video of the install.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8_3Ql4K2Ig

Let me know what you think!

Nice mod! Looks functional too.

Just had it inspected last week. Its legal once I had the high/low beam function hooked up.

This looks pretty interesting. I love riding a night, but that means I value night time visibility (see, as well as be seen) a good bit. I see you mention you required the use of a relay to function it as a Hi/Lo light, and used the fact that LazerStar underpowers their diodes to your advantage in this manner. Was this your end solution, or did you end up with another? I'm debating between an option like this and trying to find a sealed HID projector/lens assembly. Granted, it won't be IP68 likely only IP54, but on par with typical OEM equipment! The only advantage to the HID option is you get a clear cutoff for the low beam (in case the local PD has an issue with not having it) and it will likely cheaper than the LED equivalent!

leed wrote:

This looks pretty interesting. I love riding a night, but that means I value night time visibility (see, as well as be seen) a good bit. I see you mention you required the use of a relay to function it as a Hi/Lo light, and used the fact that LazerStar underpowers their diodes to your advantage in this manner. Was this your end solution, or did you end up with another? I'm debating between an option like this and trying to find a sealed HID projector/lens assembly. Granted, it won't be IP68 likely only IP54, but on par with typical OEM equipment! The only advantage to the HID option is you get a clear cutoff for the low beam (in case the local PD has an issue with not having it) and it will likely cheaper than the LED equivalent!

I paid $269.45 for the light, plus another $10 in some connectors/tubing/relay. For under $300 I converted to much better lighting. The IP rating is big for me. I live in the Seattle area and the weather is a big consideration. Plus I tend to not be easy on the bike and car wash it for the initial clean. Two things a halogen and just about every other LED light on the maket hates; water, pressurized water and dirt. It was what I wanted and for uder $300, I couldnt be happier.

I went to a bike swap meet and found a high low beam relay switch off another bike and it was enough to produce a "high beam" for legal purposes. $5.

State inspection sticker trumps anything a local PD might say. If the state says its legal, then its legal. I've had regular halogen and HID lights and wanted something a little more powerful for headlight on this bike. I ride at night now all the time (when its warm enough!) and enjoy it! That was the ultimate goal. I have excellent night time vision at a good distance and directly in front. Was a good learning experience and one that if I find myself in the future with the same need, I know it can be easily done and much better than the stock offering! Very cool stuff.

Enjoy your night riding!