[Ontrip]

Edited Thread title and first post

@ Fireman has installed these LED bulbs and has documented the results of his installation and road testing of the light pattern with very encouraging results. Please see his posts in the thread.

These bulbs have an integrated fan and are the same size of the H7 and do not require any modification of the housing or cap and do not trigger any Canbus faults once installed.

The “Grumpy Goat” installed these on his 2016 RS with tempting results and inspired this thread.

Here is his YouTube :

Bulb set:

Amazon.com: AUXITO 2023 Upgraded H7 LED Bulbs, 350% Brighter, 6500K White, 1:1 Mini Size, No Adapter Required, Non-Polarity, All-in-One H7ll Fog Light Bulb Conversion Kit, Plug and Play, Pack of 2 : Automotive

Buy AUXITO 2023 Upgraded H7 LED Bulbs, 350% Brighter, 6500K White, 1:1 Mini Size, No Adapter Required, Non-Polarity, All-in-One H7ll Fog Light Bulb Conversion Kit, Plug and Play, Pack of 2: Headlight Bulbs - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[fireman]

The “Grumpy Goat” installed these on his 2016 RS with tempting results.

These bulbs have an integrated fan and are the same size of the H7 and do not require any modification of the cap.
But as we know the space is very tight on the R and may prove to challenge for cooling compared with the roomier RS headlamps.

Has anyone tried them on the R12XX R (LC)?

Attempted to order from Amazon but currently showing not available at this time.

Here is his video:

Bulb set:

Amazon.com: AUXITO 2023 Upgraded H7 LED Bulbs, 350% Brighter, 6500K White, 1:1 Mini Size, No Adapter Required, Non-Polarity, All-in-One H7ll Fog Light Bulb Conversion Kit, Plug and Play, Pack of 2 : Automotive

Buy AUXITO 2023 Upgraded H7 LED Bulbs, 350% Brighter, 6500K White, 1:1 Mini Size, No Adapter Required, Non-Polarity, All-in-One H7ll Fog Light Bulb Conversion Kit, Plug and Play, Pack of 2: Headlight Bulbs - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

looking at reviews, specifically for BMW cars, fan-less bulbs throw a code. I ordered model with fan, and will report back when I had a chance to install.

 

[Ontrip]

Same here, he also ordered the ones with small integrated fans. Just hoping they fit our R bikes.

 

[arfingdog]

I've been using a fanless braided heat sink type LED for 3 or 4 years now with no problem--but of course I had to do some mods to the housing to fit. I used a fan-type LED on a bike about 6 or 7 years ago and the light stopped working after a few months. I assumed at the time that it overheated and killed the LEDs or the electronics--the cause could have been a failed fan, but I didn't check. No doubt they've all gotten better now, but keeping things cool is crucial.

 

[rxc]

looking at reviews, specifically for BMW cars, fan-less bulbs throw a code. I ordered model with fan, and will report back when I had a chance to install.

@fireman which ones have you ordered (could you share a link) ?

 

[fireman]

@fireman which ones have you ordered (could you share a link) ?

Here is the link. I ordered the one with fans
Amazon.com: AUXITO 2023 Upgraded H7 LED Bulbs, 350% Brighter, 6500K White, 1:1 Mini Size, No Adapter Required, Non-Polarity, All-in-One H7ll Fog Light Bulb Conversion Kit, Plug and Play, Pack of 2 : Automotive

 

[Chad66]

hopefully anyone getting one of the LED options can take some good pictures of the before and after light spread. brighter is good for oncoming traffic, but if the light doesn't hit the road it isn't much good to the rider. most of these LEDs are made for cars which have different light patterns for each light, rather than just one headlight. the reflector part of out headlight case isn't made to work well with the LEDs, so I sure would like to see some results.

 

[toddhollander]

Bulbs that fit into an RS might be too tall for bulbs to fit in the R without modification to the housing.

 

[fireman]

Received Auxito Bulbs with fans. Did a bit of load testing using a 12 V DC lead acid battery I use to power a trolling motor. Some photos below.

Fan noise is quiet, and I doubt I would hear it inside the reflector housing. It runs hot, and it became uncomfortable to hold-onto around the retainer ring after about a minute. IMHO it runs hotter than OEM 55 W bulb. Considering how subjectively hot it runs, I don't believe it will last a rated ~4.7 years of working time (50,000 hours). Most probably the build-in fan will crap-out first, and shortly after the LED chips will burn-out. This should still be better than 5,500 miles I got from my current Philips DiamindVision Ultimate White Light "marketing mambo-jumbo BS". Philips bulbs cost about $27 USD now, and about $22 when I bought a pair back in August 2022. Halogen H7 bubls go for $12 USD a pair on Amazon. Considering the desired whiter color temperature, hopefully being brighter and even whiter than fancy Philips Dimond VIsion "marketing mambo jumbo BS", and the inconvenience caused by bulbs burning-out too often, IMO, I'm willing to pay four times more for bulbs.

Battery voltage: 12.7 V DC
Auxito H7 w/ Fan Current: 1.46 A (fluctuates a bit around 1.32 A before fan spins-up, and went as high as 1.49 A for a few seconds)
Power Draw at 12.7 V DC: 18.5 Watts
Power Draw at 14.5 V DC: 21.17 Watts (calculated, not measured).

Power Draw when engine running, and alternator outputting around 14.5 V DC should be around 21 Watts*. I suspect it might not be enough to full CANBUS system, however I'm willing to give it a try anyway. I think Fanless version of this bulb has half the number of LED chips, so the power draw will be significantly lower, unless there is an extra resistor builtin.

* If i recall correctly, my bike when running outputs somewhere around 14.3 to 14.7 V DC. I never really pay attention to this value when riding, so let's say 14.5 V DC with engine running.
At 14.5 V DC, the maximum power draw would be around 21.17 Watts.

A few photos comparing OEM H7 bulbs and Auxito H7 w/ fans. Metal casting is OK quality, with exception of cut-outs around the fan - somewhat uneven, but nothing I would worry about. Auxito H7 bulbs is about the same length as OEM H7 bulb, maybe a bit thicker around LED chip area, and power leads stick-out maybe 2-3 mm further than OEM H7 bulbs. The retainer ring is about twice as thick comparing to OEM H7 bulbs, which are made of thin, maybe 1 mm, stamped-out sheet metal. Retainer ring mostly follows the same profile as OEM and should fit into the bulb housing.

LED chips lines-up pretty well with the halogen bulb coil. I'll provide an update after I had a chance to install it.

P.S. Just realized I've typed a whole review of the bulbs before actually testing them on a bike... wouldn't it be a let-down if bulbs don't fit or throw an error code.

 

[toddhollander]

I am really curious if this fits in the lower high beam fixture. I also had trouble with the bulb retainer not fitting when I tried the LED perf bulbs.

 

[fireman]

Installation report Auxito H7 LED Bulbs with fans: fits into R1250R headlight housing perfectly, just like the OEM bulbs. Zero clearance issues. I can't hear the fans at all. I didn't bother taking any photos of the connections, since there is nothing out of ordinary to report.

As I suspected, until bike isn't running, there is a CANBUS fault. My bike's battery showed around 12.3 volts before starting the engine and with low beam on (about 18.3 Watts load - not enough to pass CANBUS check), and a pair of Denali DR1 v1 turned on. Fault clears few seconds after engines starts and voltage gets up above 14 volts (confirmed via TFT).

Light output is subjectively brighter and whiter than Philips H7 55W DiamindVision Ultimate White Light "marketing mambo-jumbo BS" bulbs. Cut-off line appears good too. A few photos below - headlight not adjusted yet - I had to step away to take care of some stuff at home.

I'm cautiously optimistic about this, but we might have a winner.

This photo shows headlight tilted all the way down (hotspot mid-point to the wall). The bright spot on the wall is from Denali DR1 AUX lights.

This photo shows low-beam ON, and headlight tilted about where you would want it. There is a clear cut-off, and it seems even brighter than the Denali DR1s. It is hard to actually see, because phone heavily reworks the image to normalize brightness across the whole photo.

\


Close-up of the bulb: Low Beam - ON: cell phone camera white balance adjusted all the way down.

Photo of both Low-Beam and High Beam ON (LED bulbs).

 

[fireman]

Here are the results after adjusting the light to BMW spec for Auxito h7 LED bulbs w/ fan. In short: seems good. I need to get to a completely dark location, since photos were taken in a fairly well-lit building garage.

LED bulb Low Beam ON. Aux lights covered. Per BMW spec, headlight is 5 meters (16.4 ft) away from wall. Blue tape on the wall is approximately at the middle of the headlight (~ 32 inch or ~ 81 cm off the floor). Photo taken with me seating on the bike, electronic pre-load set to auto, engine running, TFT reported voltage 14.4 V).

LED Low and High Beams On. Aux Lights covered. Photo is not very representative of how well the high beam works, since bike is too close to the wall.

Side view, Low Beam LED on. Aux Lights On.

 

[fireman]

I noticed a slight hallo on the ceiling of the garage with low beam on.
Not sure if it was there with halogen bulbs - never really paid attention to that, but I guess somebody else can chime-in. When looking at the Low Beam from about 2 parking spaces away, there isn't enough light bleeding to blind oncoming traffic. I think there is significantly more vertical light bleeding from my Aux lights: I do get flashed occasionally.

Halo on ceiling, Low Beam On, Aux Light On.

Here are a few photos of the LED bulb inside the headlight housing, and a few frontal photos of the bike for comparison.
I think there is a small portion of reflector at the vertical axis across light bulb not being illuminated properly: bulb housing covers some of led chip, and there are no LED chips pointing vertically. There is no way to adjust the bulb: it can go in only one way into the bulb retainer.

Low beam LED bulb:

High beam led bulb:

Frontal photo of the bike, about 3 parking spaces away. No lights.

Frontal photo of the bike, about 3 parking spaces away. Low Beam LED ON. AUX lights covered.

Frontal photo of the bike, about 3 parking spaces away. Low Beam LED ON. AUX lights On.

 

[rxc]

@fireman
On behalf of those of us who have been looking for such a clean+simple+affordable improvement/upgrade,
Thank you very much for this great contribution of patience + time + effort + details AND the willingness to share all that for the sake of benefiting others, very much appreciated
(and personally I am going for it)

This easily earns several rounds of beer

TO FIREMAN ! TO FIREMAN ! TO FIREMAN !

 

[Ontrip]

Great work Fireman! Mine have not arrived yet and also do not have the test space you have as mine is tucked away in the garage for winter.

Hopefully we have a decent option.

Best

 

[fireman]

I had a chance to test LED bulbs in real word conditions today. Moderate rain, about 50’F outside. I'm happy with how the Auxito H7 Led Bulbs with fan performed.

I didn’t get flashed during my evening commute through the city; might be a different story on a dark countryside road with no overhead streetlights. Below are a few photos from a city park’s parking lot. Conditions are less than ideal, however very representative of the real-world scenario when good lights are a must have: a few streetlights, drizzling rain, wet reflective road surface.

2020 R1250R daytime running led light ON (built-in OEM). Low & High Beam OFF, Aux Lights OFF

Low Beam On. Aux lights Off.

Low Beam and High Beam On. Aux Lights Off. Pardon crappy quality - it was raining and phone didn't want to focus. This time car had its low beam on - unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take a photo without car's headlights on. Still there is a visible difference with High Beam On.

Low Beam ON. Aux Lights off. Right Side view. Pardon the crappy photo. The car parked next to me had its lights turned off. You can see how wide the beam spread is and a distinctive cut-off to the right. Essentially the same on the left.

 

[toddhollander]

Excellent review and write up!
Thanks for the pics and effort to post.

 

[fireman]

Excellent review and write up!
Thanks for the pics and effort to post.

@fireman
On behalf of those of us who have been looking for such a clean+simple+affordable improvement/upgrade,
Thank you very much for this huge contribution of patience + time + effort + details AND the willingness to share all that for the sake of benefiting others, very much appreciated
(and personally I am going for it)

This easily earns several rounds of beer

TO FIREMAN ! TO FIREMAN ! TO FIREMAN !
View attachment 118344

My pleasure. I'll go buy myself a pack of Guinness Draught tonight

 

[fireman]

The “Grumpy Goat” installed these on his 2016 RS with tempting results.

These bulbs have an integrated fan and are the same size of the H7 and do not require any modification of the cap.
But as we know the space is very tight on the R and may prove to challenge for cooling compared with the roomier RS headlamps.

Has anyone tried them on the R12XX R (LC)?

Here is his video:

Bulb set:

Amazon.com: AUXITO 2023 Upgraded H7 LED Bulbs, 350% Brighter, 6500K White, 1:1 Mini Size, No Adapter Required, Non-Polarity, All-in-One H7ll Fog Light Bulb Conversion Kit, Plug and Play, Pack of 2 : Automotive

Buy AUXITO 2023 Upgraded H7 LED Bulbs, 350% Brighter, 6500K White, 1:1 Mini Size, No Adapter Required, Non-Polarity, All-in-One H7ll Fog Light Bulb Conversion Kit, Plug and Play, Pack of 2: Headlight Bulbs - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I have to give @Ontrip a thumbs-up for finding this video in the depth of the WWW abys. For 5 or 6 years I was periodically researching LED bulbs for my motorcycle (previous and current). There wasn't anything worth spending time on. To compensate for lackluster headlight on my bikes, I invested in fairly expensive Denali AUX lights, upgraded to all LED turn signals on my previous bike and Dynamics Motorrad LED turn signal bulbs on BMW (also eyewatering expensive for what they are). 90% of halogen reflectors are basically incompatible with LED bulbs on the market. My car also used H7 bulbs, but behind projector lenses (big difference) and this past summer I found a passively cooled LED H7 bulb that worked well in my use case.
Now it looks like we collectively found an LED H7 bulb that is bright enough and works well in BMW R1250R headlight reflectors and fits into very narrow housing. If this LED bulb survives long enough, let's say 20,000 miles (which is more than most of us will make in 3 years), it will be just an awesome option.

I can't stop and think that I'm getting way too excited for an LED bulb, yet, considering how much effort I've put-in to compensate for lackluster lights on my vehicles, I feel this deserve a little celebratory dance. So here it goes, lets pat ourselves on the back, gulp down that Guiness Drought, and find a new motorcycle-nerd thing to obsess about.

 

[Panzermann]

I agree, @fireman, except that Guinness should be sipped, in a contemplative way, rather than gulped.