H4 3800 Lumen LED - No Go

[kpinvt]

This is the text of an email I sent to Cyclops this morning:

I purchased a unit last January and finally got around to installing it yesterday on my 2014 NC700XD. It took an hour to get it to fit. I had to trim the inside ring on the rubber boot by a 1/4 inch to get to go in far enough to engage the adapter ring. I had to push really hard in very limited space with no leverage. Once the module was in it was so tight the headlight adjustment screw would not turn. The light on low beam was blinding so I removed the module and went with a brighter than stock halogen bulb. There is not enough space between the top of the heat sink/fan housing and the metal adapter plate, the white plastic collar is too short, to accommodate the rubber weather seal. I had high hopes that the module would be a simple solution to the anemic stock bulb but it didn't work out for me.

 

[maxwellian]

Yeah, that one is just a bit bulky. I'm very happy with the speed metal LED bulb. http://nc700-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7699

On sale half the time at cycle gear for $70. There's a link somewhere in that thread to a source for the same bulb with a couple color temp options.

One of the things I like best about it, is that it smooths out the artifacts from the reflector in the beam. I think it's because the source is more diffuse. Big, almost dime size diodes.

 

[bamamate]

I have the 3600 model. It fit with no problems. Thought it would be a pain to install but only took a few minutes. No cutting or other issues. Haven't tried it out at night yet.

 

[JDE]

I must have the 3600 as well. I've had mine in probably for over a year now. Can't remember. But mine looks different than yours that's for sure. The 3800 does looks a little bigger than the version I have.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

I have the Cyclops 3000 lumen model. No problems with fitting and it was a pain getting it installed. If I need to change styles in the future I'm heading over to bamamates for some help.

 

[bamamate]

I have the Cyclops 3000 lumen model. No problems with fitting and it was a pain getting it installed. If I need to change styles in the future I'm heading over to bamamates for some help.

I read your install which is why I was dreading it. He has been working on the H4 design a lot. I think the 3000 is now discontinued. If I understand correctly the 3600 is now recommended for street and the 3800 for off-road. 3600 has a better cut-off than the 3800. The 3600 slipped right in and the stock clip fit around the heat sink/fan with no issues. Push the rubber boot so it is an outie and it fit with no issues. Zip tied the driver to the little support bar on the left.

Went back read again on the thread. I had it backwards. The 3800 has a better cut-off than the 3600. So the 3800 is what is recommended for street. Apparently I order the wrong one.

kpinvt, you may want to contact him. He may have changed the design of the heat sink so it would fit easier.

 

[Redwood839]

That's weird. I have the 3800 and it fit in just fine. I know it's a pain in the butt to install, but it worked just fine. The only thing was I had to cut the rubber boot a bit for the fan to just fine, but I've had it for a month no issues.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

I read your install which is why I was dreading it. He has been working on the H4 design a lot. I think the 3000 is now discontinued. If I understand correctly the 3600 is now recommended for street and the 3800 for off-road. 3600 has a better cut-off than the 3800. The 3600 slipped right in and the stock clip fit around the heat sink/fan with no issues. Push the rubber boot so it is an outie and it fit with no issues. Zip tied the driver to the little support bar on the left.

Went back read again on the thread. I had it backwards. The 3800 has a better cut-off than the 3600. So the 3800 is what is recommended for street. Apparently I order the wrong one.

kpinvt, you may want to contact him. He may have changed the design of the heat sink so it would fit easier.

Thanks for the update about the new and improved versions. I haven't had the time to keep up lately. I will swap for for a better cut off though. The TW200 will be getting the 1.0 version and the NCX will get the new version.
How much beer and ribs do I need to bring?

 

[bamamate]

I like ambers and summer brews. 6 pack is plenty for me.

 

[MiG Angel]

Not sure what to order, the posts make me lean towards the 3600 but the 3800 is what is meant for the street? I don't want to cut anything, I feel it's an opportunity to have something go wrong.

 

[bamamate]

The 3800 is the correct one to order. The 3600 that I have doesn't have a sharp cutoff so it is supposed to be off-road only. I figured out that I ordered the wrong one but I rarely ride at night so I haven't changed it out for the 3800. They do have a new convertible 3800 out that you can put on a filter to change the k level if you want to. That one also has shielding around the lower LEDs that may produce a better light pattern in the NC. Following the thread on ADVrider, users have found that the 3800 on some bikes, like the NC, get a slight bat wing pattern. One guy figured out that a homemade shield can eliminate the bat wing. I don't know of anyone that has tried the new one on an NC to see if it fixes that issue.

 

[spets]

Curious to see cutoff pictures of how the 3800s perform. I've tried these:

LINK

but they have pretty bad cutoff compared to a stock bulb. Bike was not moved between photos. Would be nice to find an LED light that won't blind oncoming traffic.

stock:

braided mesh LED light:

 

[bamamate]

That is the bat wing effect that some headlights, including the NC, tend to make with LEDs. Dude on the ADV forum used a coke can to make shields on the lower LEDs that fixed it on his bike and the new Cyclops convertible 3800 has a shield.

 

[spets]

Looking at the ADV rider thread here, the new 3800 does seem to have a much better cutoff on another Nc700x. There is hope:

LED Headlight "Bulb" replacement Modules | Page 151 | Adventure Rider

Convertible model:

3800 Lumen Convertable H4 bulb with 4000 and 6000K

 

[Brillot2000]

Curious to see cutoff pictures of how the 3800s perform. I've tried these:

LINK

but they have pretty bad cutoff compared to a stock bulb. Bike was not moved between photos. Would be nice to find an LED light that won't blind oncoming traffic.

stock:

braided mesh LED light:

Not all H4 LED Replacement Bulbs are created equal. This posting is the proof of that.

I have made many recommendations to many members on this forum regarding what H4 LED Bulbs to purchase. However the manufacture is unknown or it is sold under different names or no name at all. All I can do is show to you all the configuration that has proven itself to me and many other member that have decided to take my advice. Please see the proceeding images below.

I found the configuration shown below with the a LED Array on top and another on the bottom with the polished directors to be the best.

This unit also can separate for easier installations.

After installation into the NC700X Headlight Assembly the light spread is quite remarkable between both Low and High Beams, see image below.

As mentioned before, these units configurations and availability varies considerably. At this current time these would be an acceptable equivalent, LED Cree Conversion Kit Headlight Hi / Lo H4.

 

[MiG Angel]

Comparing the beam of the new and improve convertable sic H4 from cyclops in the advrider thread to the one recommended by Brillot there is still a big difference in the cutoff. Brillot, can you attest to the reliability of your recommended bulb?

 

[LM15]

The factory recommended alignment of the LED stalk of the Cyclops 3800 H4 is LED array on side orientation rather than top and bottom as noted for the type in Brillot2000's post.

 

[Brillot2000]

Comparing the beam of the new and improve convertable sic H4 from cyclops in the advrider thread to the one recommended by Brillot there is still a big difference in the cutoff. Brillot, can you attest to the reliability of your recommended bulb?

The seller on Amazon is saying that they have 19 Dual Unit Kits at this time, see screenshot below. YITAMOTOR 2 X New LED Cree Conversion Kit Headlight Hi / Lo H4.



That would equate to 38 units if 19 members on this forum purchased these all and then sold their extra unit to other members. There are more units out there and someone would have to be out on the look out for them. They are out there in greater quantities. Use the images of the unit that I have provided to assist you with finding the recommended configuration.

I have purchased these from several sources in slightly different physical configurations. They all performed as desired.

This one would also be an accessible equivalent, 36W Cree H4 LED Headlight Super Bright 3600LM 6000K this unit is ballast-less.

 

[draco_1967]

Here is my post from the ADV theead:

I got my convertible 3800 H4 installed on my NC700X last week. I will get some pictures up tonight. The cutoff isn't perfect, but it is way better than what other NC owners had without the shield. The few owners who tried the unshielded bulbs, whether this one or the fleabay version, all had no cutoff and lots of scatter.

I haven't had a chance to ride at night with it yet. We just had a bit of snow and temps in the teens and low 20s, and my heated jacket needs a repair :vardy

Here are the pics. They were taken with my Nikon D200 on a tripod. The headlight was about 20' from the door. The bike was in the same position for each shot, and the cutoff is almost exactly where the stock bulb's is. I think I will need to adjust the aim down a little based on the short testing I did tonight. It throws a ton of light down the road. I am still debating on whether I want to use the filter or not. Fortunately, it isn't too bad getting the bulb in and out. I did have to cut the boot to fit around the fan. The hardest part was mounting the driver out of the way of the forks when at full lock.


Camera settings:
f/1.8
shutter 1/200 sec
ISO 400

Halogen low:


Halogen high:


LED + filter low:


LED + filter high:


LED low:


LED high:

 

[Brillot2000]

The headlight was about 20' from the door.

Wow, I wish the inside of my garage was more than 20' long. Mine is 20' door to back wall. I would have to take out the back wall and extend the garage another 6' to get the front of my bike 20' away from the backside of the door.