DIY: Sealed Beam to LED Headlight Conversion #vintagemotorcycles #motorcyclerewind #cb77

DIY: Sealed Beam to LED Headlight Conversion #vintagemotorcycles #motorcyclerewind #cb77

Hey everyone, welcome back to Motorcycle Rewind! In today's episode, we're stepping into the time machine but with a modern twist. Ever looked at an old Stanley sealed beam headlight and thought, "Man, if only you were brighter"? Well, that's exactly what we're going to tackle today. We're taking that vintage Stanley sealed beam headlight from our iconic SuperHawk and giving it the LED treatment it never knew it needed.

🔧 What You'll Learn:

How to safely remove your old Stanley headlight without causing any damage.
The essentials for choosing the right LED replacement that matches the vibe of your vintage bike.
Step-by-step guide on converting your Stanley sealed beam headlight to a shiny new LED setup.

💡 Why LED?
Well, we love old school as much as the next grease monkey, but let's face it: the original sealed beams were great in their day, but they just can't hold a candle to modern lighting technology. With an LED conversion, the SuperHawk will be beaming brighter than ever before, making those late-night rides and underlit roads a breeze to navigate.

🛠 Tools & Materials:

Your trusty Stanley sealed beam headlight
LED bulb
Screwdrivers, both flat and Phillips
Wire cutters and strippers
Electrical tape and/or heat-shrink tubing
Soldering kit (optional)
So grab your tools and pull up a seat; you won't want to miss this one. We're proving that you can teach an old bike new tricks, and it starts with a simple headlight swap. Ready to shine some light on your ride? Then let's get started!

If you find value in this video, don't forget to hit that like button and consider subscribing for more vintage motorcycle magic. Got questions or tips for headlight conversions? Drop 'em in the comments below!

See you in the garage,
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[daveco]

I wish they had a warmer LED bulb for motorcycle headlights. I don't love bright white headlights on my vintage bikes. I want it to look like a halogen bulb, but pull the amperage of an LED bulb.

[blakeepperson]

Dude no way!!! Mine just went out and I was bummed thinking I needed to replace the whole bucket. thanks

[jefftuckercfii]

Great idea for an upgrade. From what I saw when you were testing the new LED, you don't have anything to worry about in terms of light pattern. I like the idea of a much brighter headlight as well as the lesser strain on the alternator. Wish I had one of these back in the day; night rides would have been much easier on the eyes. I upgraded to halogen as quickly as possible once they came along.

[tomvandentop]

Perfect and thank you! Have a family handmedown 1981Honda CM200T Twinstar. Sat for years but patience and the beloved kick-starter fired right up. Your way looks easier to put in an LED than I thought. For one of the other comments, I'm going to try a 9003 bulb.

[andersaxelsson]

Awsome job done. I have been having some problem with my front Light on my enduro bike and I might do this to it as you did on the Honda 🌹👌

[MaryK]

Good idea! My Dad could fix anything with a wire coat hanger, so I’m impressed.

[davemoore]

Great ideas. So much of keeping stuff going is just to think outside whatever box you're in. Just put a new led bulb in my 1200 Bandit, now people can see me coming!

[sjv]

That’s a neat solution. The headlights on my 2003 Suzuki Bandit were like damp candles.

[aussiebloke]

How do you determine the bulb's orientation so the light pattern works out right? And do you seal it to keep moisture out?

[FiveBoroNative]

Awesome video...! If you look at companies such as DDM Tuning you can find good quality 4500k or 6000k bulbs in several sizes and they place the LED to mimic halogen optics so anyone following your advice can have a real knockout combination...!

I'm subscribed...!!!

[gregp.t.]

Thanks I’ve got to do same type of project for 78 KZ. 🎉🎉

[upstateplanes]

Awesome! I need to do this on my Kawasaki LTD 440. What brand LED did you use?

[dermharse]

Is there orientation specific for the bulb so high and low are in the right place? I wanna do this with my 94 Elite.

[grahamwright]

I need to do the same on my 2000 SV650 s

[daigriffiths]

For anyone in the UK: from Jan 2023 it is now legal to fit an LED headlight bulb. The rule was back-dated to March 2021 (huh! - it's on the govt website). If you're thinking about it, I'd recommend Phillips or Osram as the Chinese stupid-name-bulbs are very suspect in the beam pattern and will fail your MoT. Currently they're bloody expensive! but I can say from experience that the light provided is somewhere around twice the output of something like an Osram Nightbreaker (which was my previous go-to bulb) and as the wattage is very low in comparison (18-25 watts for the LED vs 60 watts for any halide), it also gives any suspect charging system a fighting chance.

It is still illlegal to fit an HID bulb.

Don't do what's been suggested here. It's completely legal in the U.S. as most states don't have any annual safety test - I've lived there and I was horrified! It will get you an MoT failure because the beam pattern will be utterly wrong and on Historic Vehicle motorcycles can still get you pulled over and possibly fined.

I specialise in motorcycle electrics so I hope(!!) I know what I'm talking about.

[ProPower]

You need a different lens on there the one you have on now is going to blind everybody there's no cut off plus you're losing a lot of light for yourself you need to remove the lens and put a clear lens on there like a projector that's what I did with my bike and it works perfect

[richardgordon]

I was yo try to to my 85 honda rebel 250 which uses a 35 watt bulb, but unfortunatly i dropped the sealed beam and broke the lens bummer

[imoldgreg]

Nice! I've looked at LEDs and some come with fans to cool the bulb. Are you worried about over heating?

[howardser]

Where do I find 6v LED headlight bulbs

[jscss]

Have a part number on that LED you used?