Brighter Headlight Option for the Triumph Bonneville

by | Sep 6, 2014 | After Market Suppliers, Cree | 7 comments

Brighter Headlight Option for the Triumph Bonneville

I’ve been looking for an option to significantly brighten my stock 2008 Triumph Bonneville headlight for some time. I’ve searched on Triumphrat.net (http://www.triumphrat.net/twins-technical-talk/189034-extra-bright-headlight-do-i-need-special-wires-or-anything.html) and read about a guy named Daniel Stern (tech@DanielSternLighting.com) who is supposed to be the expert on this topic. I emailed him asking what he would recommend and got no reply.

Recently I logged onto a local Triumph Dealer (teammcc.com) website and saw an ad for this product:

SuperSpot LED H4 Upgrade Bulb

  • Installs in minutes
  • Ultra white hi/low beam contained
  • Super high visibility
  • 2000 lumens
  • Only 1 amp draw
  • Auto fan system included
  • Full 3 year warranty

They were asking over $150 for the kit (one lamp and fan) so I went online and did some more research on LED H4 bulb options. I discovered some additional threads on Triumphrat.net on the H4 LED topic:

To go with really bright Halogen’s you need to install a relay. I wasn’t to keen on that idea and in the second post, Forchetto mentioned these LED’s as being a good value: CREE LED H4 Bulb Kit

cree-box

30W CREE LED Headlamp box

So, after all the reading, I decided to give Forchetto’s recommendation a try. The order went through easily on eBay to a company in the UK called MyLitco. The total sale was $148.17, but included 2 complete sets of lamps/fans converters and wiring. Here is a photo journal of the installation process.

IMG_5572

My CREE H4 LED Kit arrived from the UK well packed and undamaged.

IMG_5574

Inside were 2 CREE LED H4 headlamps and fans, and 2 converters with all wiring and connectors.

IMG_5579

Here’s a closeup view of the lamp itself with the integrated fan on the back, mounted on a large heatsink.

IMG_5580

I removed my headlamp ring to reveal where all of the new wires and converters and larger lamp/fan needed to fit.

IMG_5581

I removed the halogen lamp that was installed, and installed the new CREE LED H4 lamp. The retaining spring was a bit tricky, but I was able to get it to work.

IMG_5583

Here are closer up views of the new CREE LED lamp installed in the standard H4 bulb mount.

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Now I’ve attached the converter with the 2 leads provided… easy as pie! Ready to install and test.

IMG_5587

First I just plugged the new lamp to the connector inside my headlamp bucket and tested to see if it would light up. It did… and almost immediately the fan kicked on. I realized that the fan pretty much runs all the time, but it makes a very quiet, faint whirring sound.

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Finally I arranged the internal wiring to allow for the converter to sit at the bottom of the bucket, and all the other wires around the sides and top. I was able to get it all in fairly easily.

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It’s hard to tell in a photo, but the lamp is much brighter than the standard halogen, even a high quality one. The color temp is blue-ish (cooler) than the halogen as well.

I put the new headlamp to the test last night with some city and highway riding. I have to say that this is by far the best headlamp option I have experienced to date on my Bonneville.

7 Comments

  2. Lobo Rojo
    Lobo Rojo on May 8, 2015 at 12:24 PM

    If your beam output looks anything like that shown in the forum link you posted, then you screwed up. If you look at the first picture, of the stock halogen bulb, the output looks great. It may not be really bright, but it has a great cutoff, and puts light exactly where it needs to be. Once he puts the LED bulb in, the output is a complete mess. Shining that light at oncoming traffic is inconsiderate, and possibly even dangerous. Different bulb technologies emit light in different ways, and to direct the light to the right area, you need a reflector or lens that is designed for that emitter type.
    This is probably why Stern didn’t respond to your email. You’re doing something I am fairly sure he has said on his website not to do.
    If you want to use an LED (or HID) bulb, you should use the correct reflector/lens for it. It will cost more money, and maybe take a bit more work. But that’s what it takes right now if you want to do the job right. Take a look at JW Speaker. They make LED headlamps that you should be able to make fit without too much trouble. More work than simply swapping a bulb, but again, that’s what it takes to do the job right.

    Reply
    • Randy
      Randy on May 8, 2015 at 1:19 PM

      Lobo Rojo,

      Thanks for your comment… I think.

      This solution is working great for me so I’m not sure what you are taking issue with. I never based my experience or compared mine with those shared on TriumphRAT.net… they are based on my experience alone. I am pleased with the extra brightness, pattern and penetration, and I don’t experience anyone else complaining about it.

      Just to clarify… when I emailed Stern I had no solution in mind… I was asking him for a solution. He never replied.

      I took a quick look at the JW Speaker website under “headlights.” There didn’t appear to be a solution that would interest me for a classic Triumph Bonneville. Did you have a specific solution to recommend?

      Randy

      Reply
  4. Coby
    Coby on May 3, 2017 at 5:12 PM

    Hey Randy, did you put the rubber waterproofing cap back on after you installed the LED? The LED assembly is much larger than the stock bulb, and I couldn’t figure out how to fit it back on. Thanks in advance for any help!

    Reply
    • Randy
      Randy on May 19, 2017 at 6:55 AM

      Coby, no I did not because it does not fit at you mention. I’ve not had any problems due to that either.

      Reply

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