LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

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Rob Harknett
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LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

Post by Rob Harknett »

I use LED security lights, unlike the old type bulbs, LED's may flicker. I have noticed this before they finally fail. Usually first by flickering, then banks of LED's stop working, This results in little or no light, so need to be replaced. What about LED's in our bikes and cars ????. I recently had my car serviced. On its return I was handed some LED bulbs. I took these out your car said the mechanic. They were flickering. I put back the old original type bulbs. Up to you if you use LED's. If they flicker and you don't know about it, another driver may think you are flashing them. They could then drive out in front of you.
Perhaps I was lucky no one did drive out in front of me, thinking I had given them a flash to make the manoeuvre.
g80csp11
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Re: LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

Post by g80csp11 »

luckily we have dip beam and main beam for when one fails
modern motorbikes come fitted with LEDs in many cases
of course the choice is yours
1) don't go out in the dark
2) switch to dip / main if a filament or LED fails ( cant really see the difference if it fails between the risk
3) ride in the dark

I rode back from Dover with Neville and he didn't have any lights , it didn't stop him going as fast as I was !
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dave16mct
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Re: LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

Post by dave16mct »

Rob, they only flicker on tick-over and it's hardly noticeable. Also as far as I know it's only on bikes/cars with alternators. A cheap diode sorts it. Did your LED's flicker in the 50's? :lol:
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robcurrie
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Re: LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

Post by robcurrie »

No, but my valves used to hum.

Rob C
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Rob Harknett
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Re: LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

Post by Rob Harknett »

dave16mct wrote:Rob, they only flicker on tick-over and it's hardly noticeable. Also as far as I know it's only on bikes/cars with alternators. A cheap diode sorts it. Did your LED's flicker in the 50's? :lol:
Dave.
My security lights flicker Dave, but have no engine on them to tick over.
Of course I could use a beam on car or bike that was OK, BUT, I was not aware my car LED's were flickering. They were in fact the side lights, not main / dip bulb. The car had to have the flickering bulbs replaced, or fail its M o T.
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1608
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Re: LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

Post by 1608 »

I've recently experienced problems with my lights giving up half way home from club nights. I believe its because the battery was on a 6AH and running out of power. I've just upgraded to an AGM sealed 6v 13 AH which I believe will sort things out. As a precaution I will also fit an LED rear side and brake bulb to save on wattage. More to the point, I'm keeping the old pre-focus headlamp as they give the best beam.
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Re: LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

Post by SPRIDDLER »

g80csp11 wrote: I rode back from Dover with Neville and he didn't have any lights , it didn't stop him going as fast as I was !
I had no choice, because it was about 1 a.m. and you had the map. We'd already ridden 314 miles that day by the time the ferry docked at Dover for our last 90 miles to home from the IJR at Milan.
'There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood............'
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Re: LED lights. ( horrors ???? )

Post by 56G80S »

Read this earlier in the week and did what I'd already planned to do this evening.

Swapped out the LED headlight and fitted the Halogen back in. This mainly because although the LED is bright I just don't seem to get the same depth perception from it that I do with the Halogen (or the tungsten). I notice the same with the headband light I use when cycling at night (it's additional to the fixed light on the bicycle).

The stop/tail, pilot and indicators are all LED and plan to even put in LED speedo light for that ludicrous extra bit of saving. So hope I won't run out of juice at night on my 6v system. I'll probably test do a long run with headlight on during the day and if problematic switch back to the very bright LED pilot then I'll have an idea of how long I have before darkness descends.

Linda still gettting very grumpy about me going to Portugal IJR.

Johnny B
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