Help 114: LED Replacement Light Bulbs

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LED Replacement Light Bulbs

Direct Replacement LEDs bulbs are currently available. I.E. Positive ground bulbs. LEDs are being produced in many sizes. The table below indicates most of the Lucas Part numbers used in British bikes.

Other LEDs are available. They come in Positive Ground and Negative Ground Bulbs. Joes Garage offers discounts on the above Retail Prices.

Note the power usage by the stock bulbs in the system. For example, the 446 Standard uses 50 watts for the Bright filament and 40 Watts for the dim filament. Compare this to the LED power consumption (6.7 Watts Bright filament and 2.99 Dim filament). This quite a savings! Currently I do not have all the Power consumption of all the LEDs, but if the LED 446 bulb is any indication, a substantial savings can be accomplished.

In short, the Bulb is brighter and uses significantly less power (6.7/2.99watts verses 50/40watts) than the stock bulb. Most bulbs inflict a heavy load on your charging system that most stock alternators struggle with. Especially for later models with turn signals and other high-load accessories. Replacing bulbs with LEDs will reduce this load significantly.

The new 446 LED bulbs has an IC chip built in to allow this same LED bulb to work with 6V, 12V and 24V applications. They offer a bright and clean white emitting light along with less load on your charging system.

Contact Joes Garage if you have any further questions or are interested in purchasing the bulbs.

What are LEDs and how do they work?

LED stands for light emitting diode. LED lighting products produce light approximately 90% more efficiently than incandescent light bulbs. How do they work? An electrical current passes through a microchip, which illuminates the tiny light sources we call LEDs and the result is visible light. To prevent performance issues, the heat LEDs produce is absorbed into a heat sink.

Lifetime of LED Lighting Products

The useful life of LED lighting products is defined differently than that of other light sources, such as incandescent or compact fluorescent lighting (CFL). LEDs typically do not burn out or fail. Instead, they experience lumen depreciation , wherein the brightness of the LED dims slowly over time. Unlike incandescent bulbs, LED lifetime is established on a prediction of when the light output decreases by 30 percent.

LED lighting differs from incandescent(Filament type) and fluorescent in several ways. When designed well, LED lighting is more efficient, versatile, and lasts longer.

LEDs are directional light sources, which means they emit light in a specific direction, unlike incandescent and CFL, which emit light and heat in all directions. That means LEDs are able to use light and energy more efficiently in a multitude of applications. However, it also means that sophisticated engineering is needed to produce an LED light bulb that shines light in every direction.