Question about Motorcycle generator and headlight.

[dilll1990]

i wanna replace headlight with led lights and i have Honda cd70
can any one tell me what are current specifications in the wire of headlight.
how much voltage it have at full rpms ?
is it AC or DC ?
do i need to connect some rectifier or AC to DC converter?

 

[Hamilton Felix]

You should not change the type of light; it is not legal or safel. You want the most effective LEGAL headlight. Is this an old Honda 70 or one of the new "retro" CD70 bikes? Unless it's very old, it will be 12 volt, but the charging system will be small. I suggest you learn what your present headlight bulb is. Learn the specifications for that bulb. Look for the best quality bulb of that type. Once we know what you have, the people here can help you.

 

[Changchung]

70cc? It is legal to drive this bike in the street? It is not to small?


Sent from my phone with camera with flash and internet on it...

 

[Hamilton Felix]

I am not sure where dilll1990 is located, but a 70cc bike would be legal here in the U.S. I'm not sure about taking it on a freeway; they have minimum speed laws on some freeways. For you to ride it without a motorcycle endorsement on your driver's license it needs to be less than 50cc. So a Honda 50 or a moped that displaces 49cc is legal to ride without being licensed for motorcycles.

All those tiny bikes will have tiny charging systems. They seem the ideal application for HID or LED lighting, but if I could afford the expense of legal LED or HID headlights, I could probably afford a bigger motorcycle. Still, I'll keep this in mind when I get my 1976 Honda CT90 running again. If there's an affordable LED headlight, I'll consider it -- though if I remember correctly that bike is 6 volt.

 

[dilll1990]

hi friends!!
sorry for late reply... i wasn't in home....

i got some funny replies for my 70CC bike

70cc? It is legal to drive this bike in the street? It is not to small?

yes it is allowed to ride on road.

Is this an old Honda 70 or one of the new "retro" CD70 bikes?

Yes it is Honda CD70 2008 model.

I am not sure where dilll1990 is located, but a 70cc bike would be legal here in the U.S.

All those tiny bikes will have tiny charging systems. They seem the ideal application for HID or LED lighting, but if I could afford the expense of legal LED or HID headlights, I could probably afford a bigger motorcycle. Still, I'll keep this in mind when I get my 1976 Honda CT90 running again. If there's an affordable LED headlight, I'll consider it -- though if I remember correctly that bike is 6 volt.

HID is too expensive and i don't wanna spend much on bike.
actually i have a quantity of 1w leds and i know how to use them... infect i have made some 12v led lamps running in different rooms in house... also i have some 10 degree reflectors.
previously i changed an 18v cordless lamp in to a led lamp. an it is much brighter then the headlight of my bike. sometimes in night when i ride my bike i use this lamp instead of headlight
so i decided to change the headlight.... and planned to replace with LEDs ....
but i don't know how much current does a headlight have and how much current is created with generator... there was a 12v 5AH battery in my bike by default. i replaced it with 12v 7ah battery and it is working good.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

The trouble with rolling your own headlight is that it messes with some important things:

1. The safety of others
2. Your safety
3. Liability

One of these three should mean something to you. All three matter to us. Why are each of them badly affected by improper headlights? Improper headlights are ones that are not correctly made for safety. This includes correct output (Not too bright or dim), correct beam pattern (Which is harder than it looks), and good durability (Mechanical, electrical, etc).

Most people think that brighter lights are safer. This is false. Too much light in the wrong places blinds other drivers and keeps you from seeing down the road (To the things you will hit). Bright pools of light from poorly-made lamps just light your toes instead of reaching out correctly.

Plenty of people think that the beam pattern is all about a cutoff. Also false. Many safe lights don't have a cutoff at all. Others have one. And many unsafe lamps have a very sharp cutoff. The issue is glare at driver eye level and light distribution. You need side lobes of light to see the deer on the shoulder, a center blob to see down the road, and very controlled foreground light. This can't be done with standard optics available for LEDs (Or with a utility light). The optical design to ensure this beam pattern is the main cost in headlights.

Alternators in cars put out 12VDC, with about 100V spikes thrown in for jollies. When this kills your illegal headlight, you're in the dark. This is one of the big costs in legitimate lights. The vibration and temperature environment are rough, too. Also, cheap headlight plastic ages very quickly. Very nice headlight plastic takes a few years to be no good.

Bad lights are unsafe. It's very difficult to make good lights. I couldn't do it for ten thousand dollars. Scheinwerfermann probably couldn't do it with ten thousand free either. And choosing to install unsafe lights means you are taking your safety and that of others into your own hands. And if there ever was a liability magnet better than poor choices in removing safety equipment, I'd like to see it.

 

[dilll1990]

ok
I am not about getting very bright light for my bike for all rides. but i want a choice.... normally i will use low mode and high mode will be in special case. if you think i am gonna blind the drivers, it is wrong.... i am not about to do anything like that....
sometimes in night i drive on highway, and there are no street lights, in that case i need a bright light which can show me the way...

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Trying for simple & legal approach first: are there any other motorcycle headlights available that will perform better than the stock Honda cd70 light, yet not draw too much power for the cd70 charging system? I don't limit discussion to halogen, HID or LED. Just wondering if there is a good headlight to be had in your area. It would be a simple solution if you found a good headlight in a wrecking yard that would fit the cd70. Being a 2008 "retro" Honda 70, not an old one, it will be 12 volt. The old style design may make it feasible to replace the headlight. Newer style sport bikes would present a more difficult challenge.

 

[dilll1990]

will it exceed 12v at full rpms???
do you know what is minimal voltage and what is maximum??
my circuit design is something like this..
1w Leds
1-1-1-10ohm 5w R

 

[SemiMan]

will it exceed 12v at full rpms???
do you know what is minimal voltage and what is maximum??
my circuit design is something like this..
1w Leds
1-1-1-10ohm 5w R

What you are doing is illegal and your knowledge level is not remotely high enough to achieve anything close to a tolerable light either for you or others.

Sorry, but we cannot help you here ... I will repeat, what you are planning to do is illegal. For that reason we cannot help you here.

Semiman

 

[DIWdiver]

Seriously dude, you need to read some threads here before you post a question. There are threads all over this forum discussing why you cannot DIY vehicle lights for street use. If you want help choosing a legal headlamp, meaning one that a vehicle manufacturer or respectable aftermarket brand has sold, people here can help you. Some suggestions have already been made along that line. If you want to discuss off-brand or no-brand lights, you'll get told they're neither legal nor useful. But the moderators will jump all up and down you if you keep saying you are trying to DIY the lights on a street vehicle They'll even ban you if you are insistent. DO SOME READING. You can usually find something along this line within the first five posts of the ten most recent threads. It shouldn't take you more the 10-15 minutes to figure out why this is such a hot issue, especially if you've already read the forum rules, particularly #8 and #11 (but even that's not necessary if you read enough threads).