S4RS LED Bulb

Jam911 · 12-08-2022, 03:30 PM

Unexpectedly did 40 miles in the deepest and darkest Warwickshire countryside last night....the OEM headlight isn't the greatest tbh

Looking at replacing the bulb with this LED one

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114468030673

Anyone tried doing the same?

Keep cool

Nickj · 12-08-2022, 05:22 PM

First time in the dark on my S2R was when I'd picked it up from nth midlands way, the part when it got dark was real fun

The replacemt should be 'legal' and pass the MOT with it ( see HERE ) it was a bit grey for a while.
It won't be so much the whole thing working more where the light source is in relation to the original bulb. The reflector is designed around a specific standard bulb that has the filament at a certain height, change that and the reflector and the glass based beam shaping falls over. Looks like this has the LED's in the right place so ought to be good.

I swapped out to a totally LED driven lamp unit, held in by Mr Gazzas black ring and very good it is too

... the lamp and the ring

Tipusss · 06-10-2022, 04:27 PM

Hi @Jam911,

Did you get that LED bulb in the end? Any feedback? Looking to replace mine too.

Did you pass the MOT?

Thank you

Kato · 06-10-2022, 04:40 PM

The bulb is not the issue, the rubbish reflector is the limiting part, do a search theres loads on here reffering to replacement front lights

Mr Gazza · 06-10-2022, 05:44 PM

Have you got a metal Bosch headlamp shell, with a single screw at the bottom of the rim, or a plastic one with two (or three) screws in the shell holding the rim on?

Tipusss · 07-10-2022, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Gazza

Have you got a metal Bosch headlamp shell, with a single screw at the bottom of the rim, or a plastic one with two (or three) screws in the shell holding the rim on?

I believe mine is the single screw at the bottom. Is that the good one?

Mr Gazza · 07-10-2022, 09:24 AM

It's the better one as far as I'm concerned, as it means I can help you towards better lights.

If it measures 185mm (or186?) across the visible glass (or the hole in the rim in other words). Then one of my adapter rings will allow you to covert to 7" light units.
This means that you can fit any 7" H4 reflector unit and experiment with LED bulbs or just fit a 7" LED unit.

Unfortunately, I have not yet developed an adapter for the later plastic shells, which are a different size and mounting method.

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...=adapter+rings

Dukedesmo · 07-10-2022, 09:45 AM

Not the Monster as it's on my Guzzi but Monster related as it's actually a Monster headlight - the Bosch metal jobbie.

I fitted an LED bulb to it, primarily to reduce the power consumption as the alternator is a tad weak (1970s Italian).

It's not quite same as the one shown in the ebay link above as it is a little bulkier on the back, so much so that it didn't fit into the headlight shell (which isn't very deep). To get it to work I had to bend over the tangs on the bulb and make an adaptor to the headlight plug with crimped on spade connectors.

It works fairly well, maybe a little brighter and certainly whiter than the halogen bulb but, in all honesty, I haven't really tried it out in the dark so can't comment if it's a worthy upgrade or not, but it certainly helps with battery charging when running with the headlight on in the daytime.

To add, I have got one of Gazza's rings to fit a different light unit into the shell but not got round to doing anything about it yet.

With regards to the Monster, I have a full LED headlight with multi LEDs for high/low/park etc. which is very good and it simply fits into the shell though, to further complicate things I can't say that it would fit into a 'Monster' headlight shell or not as my Monster doesn't actually have a Monster headlight, rather a plastic shelled light of unknown origin but that fits nicely and is a little deeper than the Bosch/Monster setup.

Both can be seen in this pic;

The full LED headlight, whilst more expensive than a simple bulb change has made a big difference to riding at night and, as with the Guzzi, also saves power because whilst the Monster might be 2 decades newer than the Guzzi, the charging system is only marginally better...

Jam911 · 07-10-2022, 01:36 PM

I did fit the bulb and it now gives a white light...not tried it at night though

Tipusss · 07-10-2022, 02:21 PM

Thank you all,

I am not sure I want to change the actual light, only the bulb. I quite like the look of the original piece.

I will try the LED one, but will also buy the Halogen one (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313792993926), just in case there is a problem with the LED.

Thanks again!

Mr Gazza · 07-10-2022, 03:36 PM

You can change the bulb all you like in the original Bosch reflector, but you will be wasting your time. As Kato has already said it's rubbish.
It was obsolete when it was speced for fitment to Monsters. Galluzzi only chose it because it was bigger than usual.
You will also be much better off using halogen bulbs, which will at least make the best of the focus in the original reflector. LED "bulbs" rarely focus properly in reflectors made for hot bulbs, because the diodes are large sources of light compared to a bulb filament and are rarely placed in an optimum position.
You'll also find it a very tight fit for the gubbins on the back of an LED as DD has stated. This is due to the deep parabola shape of the reflector, something which more modern designs have moved away from with shallower parabolas.
Almost anything is better than the original unit, but you have to experiment a lot to get something really good and it's going to be a 7" unit of some sort.

You don't have to listen to advise based on several years of experience with Monster headlights of course.

Tipusss · 10-10-2022, 02:49 PM

Thank you Mr Gazza, I do think you know better than me, it's just that I'd like to avoid changing the headlight if I can. Anyway, both the LED and the Halogen bulbs are on their way now and I'll experiment with them a little and will then probably go with a 7'' unit and will meekly accept your "I told you so", knowing I did what I could to avoid it

Mr Gazza · 10-10-2022, 03:16 PM

Can I just make it clear that with an adapter, that you keep the original Bosch shell and rim and simply change the reflector and lens for a 7" H4 unit.
If it's looks you're really worried about, the Hella unit is a very similar pattern to the Bosch on the lens.

12-08-2022, 03:30 PM	#1
Jam911 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2021 Location: Stratford Upon Avon Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 288	S4RS LED Bulb Unexpectedly did 40 miles in the deepest and darkest Warwickshire countryside last night....the OEM headlight isn't the greatest tbh Looking at replacing the bulb with this LED one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114468030673 Anyone tried doing the same? Keep cool

12-08-2022, 05:22 PM	#2
Nickj Too much time on my hands member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Forest Of Dean Bike: S2r Posts: 3,189	First time in the dark on my S2R was when I'd picked it up from nth midlands way, the part when it got dark was real fun The replacemt should be 'legal' and pass the MOT with it ( see HERE ) it was a bit grey for a while. It won't be so much the whole thing working more where the light source is in relation to the original bulb. The reflector is designed around a specific standard bulb that has the filament at a certain height, change that and the reflector and the glass based beam shaping falls over. Looks like this has the LED's in the right place so ought to be good. I swapped out to a totally LED driven lamp unit, held in by Mr Gazzas black ring and very good it is too ... the lamp and the ring __________________ "The final measure of any rider's skill is the inverse ratio of his preferred Traveling Speed to the number of bad scars on his body." Song of the sausage creature Last edited by Nickj; 12-08-2022 at 05:49 PM..

06-10-2022, 04:40 PM	#4
Kato Dismantled Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: East Molesey Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 2,222	The bulb is not the issue, the rubbish reflector is the limiting part, do a search theres loads on here reffering to replacement front lights __________________ "Political correctness is just intellectual colonialism and psychological fascism for the creation of thought crime"

06-10-2022, 05:44 PM	#5
Mr Gazza Lord of the Rings Join Date: May 2013 Location: Norwich Bike: M900sie Posts: 5,801	Have you got a metal Bosch headlamp shell, with a single screw at the bottom of the rim, or a plastic one with two (or three) screws in the shell holding the rim on? __________________

07-10-2022, 09:24 AM	#7
Mr Gazza Lord of the Rings Join Date: May 2013 Location: Norwich Bike: M900sie Posts: 5,801	It's the better one as far as I'm concerned, as it means I can help you towards better lights. If it measures 185mm (or186?) across the visible glass (or the hole in the rim in other words). Then one of my adapter rings will allow you to covert to 7" light units. This means that you can fit any 7" H4 reflector unit and experiment with LED bulbs or just fit a 7" LED unit. Unfortunately, I have not yet developed an adapter for the later plastic shells, which are a different size and mounting method. http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...=adapter+rings __________________

06-10-2022, 04:27 PM	#3
Tipusss Registered User Join Date: May 2013 Location: London Bike: S4Rs Posts: 48	Hi @Jam911, Did you get that LED bulb in the end? Any feedback? Looking to replace mine too. Did you pass the MOT? Thank you

07-10-2022, 09:45 AM	#8
Dukedesmo Registered User Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Leics Bike: M900 Posts: 2,842	Not the Monster as it's on my Guzzi but Monster related as it's actually a Monster headlight - the Bosch metal jobbie. I fitted an LED bulb to it, primarily to reduce the power consumption as the alternator is a tad weak (1970s Italian). It's not quite same as the one shown in the ebay link above as it is a little bulkier on the back, so much so that it didn't fit into the headlight shell (which isn't very deep). To get it to work I had to bend over the tangs on the bulb and make an adaptor to the headlight plug with crimped on spade connectors. It works fairly well, maybe a little brighter and certainly whiter than the halogen bulb but, in all honesty, I haven't really tried it out in the dark so can't comment if it's a worthy upgrade or not, but it certainly helps with battery charging when running with the headlight on in the daytime. To add, I have got one of Gazza's rings to fit a different light unit into the shell but not got round to doing anything about it yet. With regards to the Monster, I have a full LED headlight with multi LEDs for high/low/park etc. which is very good and it simply fits into the shell though, to further complicate things I can't say that it would fit into a 'Monster' headlight shell or not as my Monster doesn't actually have a Monster headlight, rather a plastic shelled light of unknown origin but that fits nicely and is a little deeper than the Bosch/Monster setup. Both can be seen in this pic; The full LED headlight, whilst more expensive than a simple bulb change has made a big difference to riding at night and, as with the Guzzi, also saves power because whilst the Monster might be 2 decades newer than the Guzzi, the charging system is only marginally better... __________________ M900, 916, LeMans II.

07-10-2022, 01:36 PM	#9
Jam911 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2021 Location: Stratford Upon Avon Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 288	I did fit the bulb and it now gives a white light...not tried it at night though

07-10-2022, 02:21 PM	#10
Tipusss Registered User Join Date: May 2013 Location: London Bike: S4Rs Posts: 48	Thank you all, I am not sure I want to change the actual light, only the bulb. I quite like the look of the original piece. I will try the LED one, but will also buy the Halogen one (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313792993926), just in case there is a problem with the LED. Thanks again!

07-10-2022, 03:36 PM	#11
Mr Gazza Lord of the Rings Join Date: May 2013 Location: Norwich Bike: M900sie Posts: 5,801	You can change the bulb all you like in the original Bosch reflector, but you will be wasting your time. As Kato has already said it's rubbish. It was obsolete when it was speced for fitment to Monsters. Galluzzi only chose it because it was bigger than usual. You will also be much better off using halogen bulbs, which will at least make the best of the focus in the original reflector. LED "bulbs" rarely focus properly in reflectors made for hot bulbs, because the diodes are large sources of light compared to a bulb filament and are rarely placed in an optimum position. You'll also find it a very tight fit for the gubbins on the back of an LED as DD has stated. This is due to the deep parabola shape of the reflector, something which more modern designs have moved away from with shallower parabolas. Almost anything is better than the original unit, but you have to experiment a lot to get something really good and it's going to be a 7" unit of some sort. You don't have to listen to advise based on several years of experience with Monster headlights of course. __________________

10-10-2022, 02:49 PM	#12
Tipusss Registered User Join Date: May 2013 Location: London Bike: S4Rs Posts: 48	Thank you Mr Gazza, I do think you know better than me, it's just that I'd like to avoid changing the headlight if I can. Anyway, both the LED and the Halogen bulbs are on their way now and I'll experiment with them a little and will then probably go with a 7'' unit and will meekly accept your "I told you so", knowing I did what I could to avoid it

10-10-2022, 03:16 PM	#13
Mr Gazza Lord of the Rings Join Date: May 2013 Location: Norwich Bike: M900sie Posts: 5,801	Can I just make it clear that with an adapter, that you keep the original Bosch shell and rim and simply change the reflector and lens for a 7" H4 unit. If it's looks you're really worried about, the Hella unit is a very similar pattern to the Bosch on the lens. __________________