Will Changing Light Bulbs To Leds Produce Brighter Light At Idle On A Honda Wave?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm in Laos with a 110cc Honda Wave.

When the engine is at idle or just above it the stock headlight is too dim to be usable. When I rev the engine higher the lights get bright enough to use.

After measuring with a voltmeter it appears that anything 13V and below makes the stock bulbs too dim to be usable. Running the engine faster results in 13.5 - 14.5V and a bright light.

Would changing my light bulbs to LEDs solve my dimness-at-idle-voltage issue? Has anyone here used LED bulbs before? Are they already pretty bright at ~12.5V (idle)?

 

[Heineken]

I am no auto electrician but I would say changing to LED will solve your problem, as LED require less voltage to operate, report back to let us know

 

[DKT Dave]

I'm in Laos with a 110cc Honda Wave.

When the engine is at idle or just above it the stock headlight is too dim to be usable. When I rev the engine higher the lights get bright enough to use.

After measuring with a voltmeter it appears that anything 13V and below makes the stock bulbs too dim to be usable. Running the engine faster results in 13.5 - 14.5V and a bright light.

Would changing my light bulbs to LEDs solve my dimness-at-idle-voltage issue? Has anyone here used LED bulbs before? Are they already pretty bright at ~12.5V (idle)?

You have a problem with your charging system, maybe the generator or voltage regulator, or even just a dirty main earth. My money is n your generator being at fault. The best thing for you to do is find a good electrician (if possible)and they should be able to diagnose the charging problem easily and fix it cheaply.

Don’t waste your time and money on LED lightsl

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

You have a problem with your charging system, maybe the generator or voltage regulator, or even just a dirty main earth. My money is n your generator being at fault. The best thing for you to do is find a good electrician (if possible)and they should be able to diagnose the charging problem easily and fix it cheaply.

Don’t waste your time and money on LED lightsl

Every Honda Wave has dimmer lights at idle versus at higher revs, even brand new ones.

The battery charges just fine and the voltage output seems healthy at ~14V.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I am no auto electrician but I would say changing to LED will solve your problem, as LED require less voltage to operate, report back to let us know

I installed this LED today:

https://shopee.co.th/ไฟหน้ามอเตอร์ไซค์-LED-รุ่นRTD-M-02E-C-แสงสีขาว6ชิฟ-i.142838253.2309636900

The intensity of the light no longer changes, but now I have a different problem - the light flickers / strobes at idle and it's synced with the engine speed. It's very annoying, especially to oncoming traffic if I'm stopped at an intersection or whatever. I've seen this exact problem on other bikes I've passed in SEA.

Apparently this is because the bike uses the AC current from the alternator to drive the headlights, and the frequency of the AC current will change with engine speed. Low frequencies make this strobing effect very noticeable.

 

[Marmite]

Philips do an entire range of brighter, more efficient bulbs than won't give you the issues LED bulbs do.

I purchase from Lazada, but not sure how you would get them in Laos.