As I discussed last year in the spring, I have been contemplating for some time changing over the incandescent bulbs on my motorcycle to LED. Due to a recent test run of a 90 watt electric heated vest, I have determined that I need to go ahead with the LED conversion project. Also in light of my impending fuel injection conversion project, it is time to upgrade. Thus tonight I placed an order on Amazon for LED bulbs to replace every incandescent on the bike. The table below shows what I purchased and how much I paid.
NOTE:
| Bulb Description | Qty | Generic Bulb | Lens Color | Amazon Bulb Description | Reported LED Color | LED Cost | Shipping Costs | |
| Tail Light | 2 | 1157 | Red | 2pcs 1157 Bay15D 18 SMD 5050 LED STOP BRAKE TAIL LIGHT BULBS 12V-RED | Red | $18.99♠ | $5.99 | |
| Center Brake/License Plate Light | 1 | T10 | Red/Clear | 4x 194 168 5-SMD White High Power LED Car Lights Bulb ♣ | White | $9.98 | Free | |
| Rear Turn Signal | 2 | 1156 | Amber | 2 of LED 2W 12V White Omni Bulb BA15S 1156 P21W Brake Tail 18 5050 SM ♥ | White | $4.99 | $2.74 | |
| Front Turn Signal | 2 | 1157 | Amber | 2 of LED 2W 12V White Omni Bulb BAY15D 1157 P21W Brake Tail 18 5050 S ♥ | White | $4.99 | $2.74 | |
| Dash Lights | 10 | T10 | Varies | 4x 194 168 5-SMD White High Power LED Car Lights Bulb ♣ | White | $9.98 | Free | |
| Notes:
♠The Amazon page indicates that I should receive a pair of bulbs. ♣These come in packs of four. The center brake/license plate light and instrument cluster use the same bulbs. The bike needs a total of 11 bulbs of this type. ♥These are supposed to come in packs of two. I only could find a white LED bulb in this style on Amazon rather than amber. Hopefully they will perform as expected. |
The total including shipping for the order came to $78.41. This price is only for the LED bulbs and does not include the electronic flasher that I will need to ensure that my turn signals blink at the proper rate. I chose to hold off on buying that until I have the bike’s tupperwear off and can properly investigate the self-canceling turn signal system. It appears that I will be replacing a three pin flasher relay but I might also need to replace a four pin latching relay. Further investigation will need to be performed when I have the bike apart and am able to access the electronics. I suspect that I might need to isolate the turn signal self-cancel unit with relays and use some resistors to show the unit the amount of resistance it expects to see when a full set of incandescent bulbs are present. If I somehow manage to destroy the self canceling turn signal module, I might end up building my own solution using some spare parts I have lying around. Hopefully I can make the existing module work with LEDs though. The wattage savings will be worth my trouble.
As I continue with this project, I will post updates on my blog. Watch this website for more details.