Before I picked mine up this was definitely something I was going to consider. The lights appear to be much whiter than those on the 899, yet I have no grounds for comparison at this point. There are several discussions about changing out the bulbs rather than ordering the LED kit to avoid voiding the warranty, Mtec H11s, PIAA and Sylvania were a few that were mentioned.
I just installed the Philips Diamond Vision H11 Halogen HID Super White 5000K last week which I may regret following your post. Is the installation of those LED's "twist and plug" ?
I ride almost every night. These are fairly decent and the fitting is perfect. I'll use them until the end of this season. (I'm in Canada ��. Winter is coming �� I think I'll try HID next year. I wouldn't do the full headlight swap as I can't justify the cost. ��
I realize now why there's a thread about this headlight swap... For the first time a couple days ago I rode in the dark - it was a quick ride home, about 5 minutes in the seat, but man do these stock lights $ucK!!!
I don't think the stock lights are too bad and I'm riding in a dark smoke visor on my x12. But I ride my grom a lot at night and it has a horrible Chinese headlight on it so anything will be better.
@KingChilly's setup is probably the best headlight upgrade I've seen thus far in terms of light output but requires some hacking of the plastics to get the LEDs to clear. For about $80USD, definitely cheaper than a 1299 swap, but a lot less seamless of course.
I'm wondering how much of an upgrade it is for functionality's sake. Maybe @avigil, you can get a shot of your 959 (Philips Diamond Vision) vs buddy's 1299 LED lighting on your upcoming trip?
I don't ride in the dark enough to justify more light. When I do, its in the city where its decently lit, otherwise I'm too worried about wildlife in the road.
I'm wondering how much of an upgrade it is for functionality's sake. Maybe @avigil, you can get a shot of your 959 (Philips Diamond Vision) vs buddy's 1299 LED lighting on your upcoming trip?
.
I'll try to. I've taken pictures of just my headlights. But it's kinda tough to tell the brightness in a picture. And for headlights, i think there are a couple different things:
How much you light up the road for your own visibility
How bright your lights are so others can see you
I personally think the latter is the most important.
I'll see if we can get a side by side. I would suggest that my change was so inexpensive and easy that it's worth trying.
@KingChilly's setup is probably the best headlight upgrade I've seen thus far in terms of light output but requires some hacking of the plastics to get the LEDs to clear. For about $80USD, definitely cheaper than a 1299 swap, but a lot less seamless of course.
I'm wondering how much of an upgrade it is for functionality's sake. Maybe @avigil, you can get a shot of your 959 (Philips Diamond Vision) vs buddy's 1299 LED lighting on your upcoming trip?
I don't ride in the dark enough to justify more light. When I do, its in the city where its decently lit, otherwise I'm too worried about wildlife in the road.
First off take a pair of pliers and squeeze the metal spring tabs all the way in to make sure it's moving in and out. Sometimes these things get stuck. After making sure they move freely like the stock ones it's all just plug and play. Take out the old one and these should fit right in without any mods whatsoever. As far as to where I his the box. I zipped-tied it to the top of the lamp and used double sided tape to secure it even further. All together took me about 20 minutes to finish everything. Let me know how it pans out.
Just so I'm clear, an 1199S LED headlight will not fit a 959. Correct?
Thanks
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