For led bulbs try DDM Tuning. One in sandiego the other in vista

Ok so digging this one up again. I replaced my mechanical flasher unit with a euro spec 3 pole electronic one so I could run LED blinkers ( I also tried the one from Moss but after a few hours of messing with it I couldn't get it to work) I replaced the rear blinker 1156 bulbs with 550 lumen LED and the side marker wedge bulbs with 100 lumen amber ones. The blinkers work great the electronic flasher clicks like the original, the rear blinkers are super bright, and the side markers are brighter and have a much crisper color.

So this was done on my car which is MK4+ If you want part numbers, cost and such send me an email. 

headlight modulators are stupid in my opinion as well. They are continuous, and irritating.

The flickering tailights would only be a issue if you are stuck in stop and go traffic for a long time. Then the folks behind (At night time primarily) might grow tired of the flashing sequence each time you all move a couple of car lengths and then stop again.   In normal traffic I don't see why anyone would be annoyed.

Unlike the Motorcycle headlights that pulse constantly.  I may not forget you are there but I can imagine a short tempered redneck getting ticked off enough to do something dumb and dangerous.  Me... I just find them totally annoying.   I get the idea but somethings go a bit too far.

There are modules you can wire in-line with your lights that will create the flickering. The "back off module" is the most common one. I personally don't think it's annoying. And as a motorcycle rider, if you're concerned that people won't see you (I would rather be on the safe side) I think most people understand the purpose and wouldn't get angered by it. Some people might think it's annoying, but they would be a pretty small minority in my opinion.

 

I will be making my own LED tail lights possibly with pulse width modulation. And if all goes according to plan, they will have 3 very fast flashes before going solid. I hope no one here takes it as offensive and sees the utility and safety in it.

The brake lights I've seen only flick once - almost subliminal and most drivers wouldn't detect the single flick. Isn't annoying like multiple flashes. (Agreed on the headlight issue! - would make me want to hit them or something.)

In shopping for my 3rd brake light (Mounted on the board inside the rear window) I found that there are a number of 3rd brakelight makers that incorporate  a flashing sequence into there lights.  The lights flash quickly for about 3 seconds and then hold steady bright light.   In our neck of the woods (Northwest Arkansas) there is a huge bike rally that brings in Harley and all sorts of bikes (350,000 this year) and when were hear I saw several with the flashing brake lights that flash several times then go to a steady on condition until the let up on the brakes.  In heavy traffic it gets old if the stop and start every few car lengths.  So I don't know if its counter productive to have something that might become annoying to other drivers.   (Like the flashing headlights on some motorcycles.)  If you really annoy some folks they seem to look for ways to mess with you.

I know in Charleston, South Carolina some dealers were installing a flashing unit tied in to the brake lights, it was usually on just the third brake light but sometimes you could see them on all the brake lights.

This is interesting stuff. I liked how bright the back-up lights were in the pix.

On the road, I've noticed on municipal and fire trucks etc. that have been equipped wiht LED tail lights, when the brake is applied, the lights do a "hey pay attention to me!" flick before they come on.

I wonder if that is on new trucks only, and programmed in, or are a retro-fit system. Either way, it is a good idea.

Which then makes me wonder... what could Alex (Steve/CooperTune's son) and his robot team mates do with Mini wiring and LED lights installed everywhere?

 

The light I have is from Light and Motion //www.lightandmotion.com/bike/seca2000e.html 

I was thinking the LED's in the blinkers were bordering on too bright, but based on the position so low in the car someone even in a truck will be able to see them.

..."my 6 LED light is 2000 lumens..."

WOW !   Where did you get that setup?   I thought my maglite was a torch with 600 Lumens!  

Well the good thing is the energy use is less and, if built correctly LEDs are much sturdier in rough use.  I've dropped my maglite several times and worried, needlessly, that I might have killed the lights.   No problem.  

Guess a 2000 lumens tailight might cause more problems than it would solve.  

My family has a story about a relative in the 50s who got tired of people leaving their high-beams on in the face of oncoming traffic.  The relative purchased a pair of landing lights from a 'army surplus yard' and mounted those.  Well sure enough next time someone left their high-beams on he hit them back with those landing lights.   Didn't work out so well, cause after that police car got back on the road the ran him down, they  wrote him up.   Bad luck all around there.

In an unscientific test I left the incandecent bulbs on for around 5 minutes and felt the bulbs, they were pretty hot, not burn your fingers hot, but enough to not want to hold in my hand. The LED's didn't feel as hot after the same period of time. These 1157 are "rated" at 550 lumen 360 degree so they show well from most all angles. 

When we night ride with the mountain bikes my 6 LED light is 2000 lumens, pretty much as bright as a high beam. It has a massive heat sink to cool it and if not moving it does get hot. 

Time will tell if these end up being worth it.

 

When I went to buy these LED bulbs, I swapped onlyone bulb, in the auto parts store parking lot. This way I could do a side by side comparison. Can return if not happy Not all LED bulbs are equal.

One thing to be aware of - I know that the light emitting diodes themselves are supposed to be very cool operating. BUT I have a drop-in 3 LED insert in my Maglite Flashlight (4 D-Cells).  The 3 LEDs crank out 600 lumens and the head of my flashlight does get pretty warm after a few minutes.   I suspect that, yes the diodes that emit the light run 'cooler' than the old incandescents but between the electronics and the high-power LEDs there is a significant amount of heat generated.  Soooo placement in the housing and the number of LEDs might be something to be aware of.   The quality control from a lot of these overseas companies is less than sterling.  IF you purchase one of those arrays, be sure there is some space between the new light and the housing.   

Now some thinking out loud here ..., since my 3 LED flashlight insert generates 600 lumen, why does it take so many LEDs on most of these bulb replacements.  I know they want to emit in a wide beam but it seems like if my 3 leds can generate 600 lumen why can't about 6-8 LEDs produce more lumen and still provide a wide beam of light adequate to serve as our replacement tail-lights.   I've seen some of these bulb replacement units that have 18-20 LEDs on board.  It would seem that there are some pretty low-efficency LEDs being used in these replacement units.   (By the way my drop in maglite LED array was $65.00 )

 

Excellent!  Thanks for the follow-up, bikewiz.  They definitely look brighter!

I received the 1157 and 1156 direct replacement LED bulbs here are some shots illuminated. I couldn't show the blinkers but they will need a HD flasher unit or resistors as they blink much faster than "normal" but as they are they are blindingly bright.The pictures don't do the brightness justice on the running light or brake light but to my eye the LED's are much brighter. You should be able to tell which are both LED and which are either the original bulbs or one of each. The best thing is it probably took longer to take the pictures than to replace the bulbs.

Oh and someone mentioned the angle of light output these are 360degree so from the side they're just as bright as from behind.

+1 for the heavy duty flasher unit, which does not depend on current flow to regulate flash speed. Standard duty flashers use the current flowing through (draw from all the lights it is serving) to trigger the unit. Changing the draw changes the speed.

LED's do not draw anywhere the power that regular bulbs use - heavy duty flasher could help (or add LOTS of them...) and with LED's you can eliminate pesky relay issues (still takes sparky knowledge to eliminate relays however, go slowly young man)

Sorry no scratch and dent on these... They were expensive and we only got a few! Sounds like Joe250 has a set!

Next time you pass a semi at night, have a look at the dozens of LEDs that make up all the side marker, tail, break, signal, etc.... you might look into Trucking Supply places or my friends at www.CarLights4lLess.com .... they carry a variety of "corner lights" and various side marker, cargo, 3rd brake, and so on in LEDs.

I have not yet had to deal with my turn signals, and I don't have my tilt-steering system wired at the column. But in the past have encountered the flasher "changing speed" with the much lower current requirement for LEDs. I added little LED turn signals to my Yamaha R1, and they flash much faster. Usually just a resistor is required to dial it back in.

Haven't figured out the best way to do LED taillights on the Elf, but I am considering upgrading to LED headlights. These ones in particular: www.truck-lite.com/