[Smurph300]

Hey guys! I'm looking at doing a white underglow type mod and I'm wanting white led headlights to match it. What is that going to require? If I get led headlights bulbs, will it be "plug n play" or will I need to do some modifying in order to use them?

 

[SparkyMJ]

Welcome to the forums!

I have done a few LED bulb installs on my bikes, and actually I am also trying to get an LED into my 300 sometime this season. I've got the bulb already, but I've been lazy...

The Ninja 300 has those little rubber cover gaskets like most bikes, except the difference here I've found that makes it harder is that the plug for the bulb actually is run through the rubber cover. Like they cut a tiny hole in it and shoved the wires through, then crimped on the bulb plug.

This is normally no big deal for regular bulbs, but with most LED bulbs, there is a driver box or other accessory that manages the voltage going to the diode. And of course, you can't fit that box into the headlight assembly, and the plug is inside the rubber seal.... Welcome to the most common fitment issue with LED bulbs on bikes, the rubber seal not agreeing with the LED bulb or driver box in some way.

There are a few bulbs with the driver box 'built in' to the bulb, but most people online have said that these are unideal, since the heat from the bulb is now heating the driver, and often times leads to poor performance and failure. Most LED bulbs also have a heatsink, with or without an active cooling element like a fan. The bulb is designed not to be sealed behind a rubber cover, it needs air to cool properly.

For example, my 2004 GSX-R has the older style rubber boot for headlights, and I was able to trim the boot a tiny bit to get perfect fitment. In that case though, the back cooling end of the bulb is able to hang out in ambient air (and rain and all that goodness) and stay cool like it was designed.

I think in your/our case, it may be best to actually purchase a whole headlight assembly with built-in LEDs already as headlights. They are pricey, but they are simpler of an install. My solution to these fitment issues is to design and 3D print a rubber cover that fits the LED bulb, but if you don't have experience with CAD and 3D printing and own a printer and have the right materials, that's not a practical solution for most.

Hope this helps.
-Mike

 

[Smurph300]

Welcome to the forums!

I have done a few LED bulb installs on my bikes, and actually I am also trying to get an LED into my 300 sometime this season. I've got the bulb already, but I've been lazy...

The Ninja 300 has those little rubber cover gaskets like most bikes, except the difference here I've found that makes it harder is that the plug for the bulb actually is run through the rubber cover. Like they cut a tiny hole in it and shoved the wires through, then crimped on the bulb plug.

This is normally no big deal for regular bulbs, but with most LED bulbs, there is a driver box or other accessory that manages the voltage going to the diode. And of course, you can't fit that box into the headlight assembly, and the plug is inside the rubber seal.... Welcome to the most common fitment issue with LED bulbs on bikes, the rubber seal not agreeing with the LED bulb or driver box in some way.

There are a few bulbs with the driver box 'built in' to the bulb, but most people online have said that these are unideal, since the heat from the bulb is now heating the driver, and often times leads to poor performance and failure. Most LED bulbs also have a heatsink, with or without an active cooling element like a fan. The bulb is designed not to be sealed behind a rubber cover, it needs air to cool properly.

For example, my 2004 GSX-R has the older style rubber boot for headlights, and I was able to trim the boot a tiny bit to get perfect fitment. In that case though, the back cooling end of the bulb is able to hang out in ambient air (and rain and all that goodness) and stay cool like it was designed.

I think in your/our case, it may be best to actually purchase a whole headlight assembly with built-in LEDs already as headlights. They are pricey, but they are simpler of an install. My solution to these fitment issues is to design and 3D print a rubber cover that fits the LED bulb, but if you don't have experience with CAD and 3D printing and own a printer and have the right materials, that's not a practical solution for most.

Hope this helps.
-Mike

Wow, that's a lot of great info! Thank you! I'll look for some new assemblies and see what I can come up with. I've also decided that I'm going to do a "million color" underglow kit instead of pure white, so that I'll have color options. So I might not mess with changing my headlights out right now. But I will look for options! I appreciate the info!

 

[MamaB]

Welcome to the forums!

I have done a few LED bulb installs on my bikes, and actually I am also trying to get an LED into my 300 sometime this season. I've got the bulb already, but I've been lazy...

The Ninja 300 has those little rubber cover gaskets like most bikes, except the difference here I've found that makes it harder is that the plug for the bulb actually is run through the rubber cover. Like they cut a tiny hole in it and shoved the wires through, then crimped on the bulb plug.

This is normally no big deal for regular bulbs, but with most LED bulbs, there is a driver box or other accessory that manages the voltage going to the diode. And of course, you can't fit that box into the headlight assembly, and the plug is inside the rubber seal.... Welcome to the most common fitment issue with LED bulbs on bikes, the rubber seal not agreeing with the LED bulb or driver box in some way.

There are a few bulbs with the driver box 'built in' to the bulb, but most people online have said that these are unideal, since the heat from the bulb is now heating the driver, and often times leads to poor performance and failure. Most LED bulbs also have a heatsink, with or without an active cooling element like a fan. The bulb is designed not to be sealed behind a rubber cover, it needs air to cool properly.

For example, my 2004 GSX-R has the older style rubber boot for headlights, and I was able to trim the boot a tiny bit to get perfect fitment. In that case though, the back cooling end of the bulb is able to hang out in ambient air (and rain and all that goodness) and stay cool like it was designed.

I think in your/our case, it may be best to actually purchase a whole headlight assembly with built-in LEDs already as headlights. They are pricey, but they are simpler of an install. My solution to these fitment issues is to design and 3D print a rubber cover that fits the LED bulb, but if you don't have experience with CAD and 3D printing and own a printer and have the right materials, that's not a practical solution for most.

Hope this helps.
-Mike

I think I can print a cover/casing for a proper fit. If I do so, I'd likely need to stick to the same bulb I'm making it for. When looking at LED bulbs, they range from $25-$110+. How do I sort through the options? They seem to be about the same brightness. I live in the desert so proper cooling is probably important (meaning bulbs with a fan, right?).
Thanks!

 

[SparkyMJ]

It varies unfortunately. I found a bulb I liked at my local Cyclegear, and the way I made sure it wasn't a bad bulb was I used a desktop DC power supply to measure the current and wattage of the bulb, and then to see how hot the parts of the bulb and driver got with an infrared temp gun. The hottest parts did get quite hot, but IIRC it was all below 100C even running for hours with no airflow. The bulb didn't have any parts melt or discolor, and the heatsink and fan seemed to actually be working well.

So it's kinda trial and error. I bought those bulbs with the intent of testing them well before they went into any of my bikes. Last thing you want is a poor quality bulb frying stuff.

You may find it best to just buy a bulb and run it off a spare car/bike battery for a few hours to see if anything bad happens, before you install it. Some poor quality LED bulbs just discolor/melt/burnout in short order.

I would also recommend not going for THE brightest possible LED bulb out there, just get something modest and well-built. They are all brighter than standard bulbs, you'll notice.

Wish I had a more clear and cut answer, but you might have to science this one up a bit.

-Mike