Installing LED headlight unit

They had the Koso Thunderbolt at Dennis Kirk for $350 with free shipping (and no sales tax for shipping to California). I ordered it and it should be here soon. So excited!

Got the headlight today. Haven’t installed it yet but just hooked it up to see the light. It’s so bright! Even the running light is blinding. Flashing the high beam will definitely get a driver’s attention. (Excellent, it can be justified as a safety feature )

I was looking at how to mount it in the bucket, but it seems a direct mount with spacers is the way to go. It might look weird with my windscreen since it is so inset, but we will see. I’ll post pics when it’s done.

pictures please!

Until randomly browsing this resurrected thread out of boredom, I was totally oblivious to how much I desperately need one of these headlights! My bike looks so inferior now!

Unfortunately I don't have a good mounting solution for the headlight yet. When I attach it directly, it is drastically inset from the bottom of my windscreen and looks silly. I bought a mounting kit designed for Harleys (referenced in an earlier message) but it doesn't fit the headlight or the bracket on the bike.

Not sure what to do at this point. I could remove the windshield, but I like it! I could try to find an adapter/headlight bucket that fits. Or I could try to come up with some bracket that will push the headlight further out.

Any ideas?

(This photo shows temporary placement in direct mount position, without spacers or electrical connection)

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Make your own brackets !

Nobleswood wrote:

Make your own brackets !

Exactly what I was thinking! Except I want to keep the stock headlight bucket. I figured out a way to mount the new headlight inside with custom brackets.

It looks like it will work out. I might have to redo these brackets to fit better but this is the idea. Not shown yet is how they mount to the plastic bucket, I will show that when it’s in place. (I have a plan)

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I'm anxious to see how it turns out!

It is bodge-tastic!

After lots of fiddling I got the brackets just right and the headlight is sitting pretty in the housing. I just need some black rubber stripping to fill the small gap between the ring and the headlight, but the gap is not too huge.

It should be back on the bike soon, but here are some scenes of the construction zone:

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And it's on! It works great and looks fine on the bike. It's a rainy day so not riding it now, but looking forward to trying it in the dark (after doing a proper alignment).

It's weird, the high beam lights up the bottom part and the low beam lights the top part. Makes sense when you see how the reflectors work, but it's counter-intuitive.

What I love, and what swayed me to this particular unit, is that center band running light that comes on when you turn on the ignition, before the bike starts. It's so sweet. Front lighting is fully LED now, turn signals and headlight.

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Sharp!

What about some door edge molding as gap filler? The type that comes in a roll - comes in many flavors and profiles that would be a pinch-fit on the bucket edge.

OldMojo wrote:

Sharp!

What about some door edge molding as gap filler? The type that comes in a roll - comes in many flavors and profiles that would be a pinch-fit on the bucket edge.

I used a rubber molding that worked perfectly. It is black rubberized foam with a circular cross section, designed for marine applications. I stuck in around the headlight and it sealed the gap. You can’t notice the gap at all, it just looks like part of the light. And it should stop bugs from getting in!

Well done. It looks great on your GRiSO 

Richard_HdS wrote:

Well done. It looks great on your GRiSO 

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it, I hope it performs as good as it looks.

Now if I'm understanding correctly, the only time the central bar light is on alone is when you turn the key on. Once you start it the low beam comes on, lighting the upper half as well - correct?

OldMojo wrote:

Now if I'm understanding correctly, the only time the central bar light is on alone is when you turn the key on. Once you start it the low beam comes on, lighting the upper half as well - correct?

Correct, at least that is the behavior on USA models where the low beam is on when the engine is running. I’m not sure if other countries have separate controls for headlights. The central bar light replaces the small taillight -style bulb in the bottom of the stock reflector (I’ve heard it called a “pilot light” but I imagine it’s designed as a daytime running light for countries that do not require headlights on at all times)

I like the idea of this single horizontal line appearing as soon as I turn the key, then getting full light once it starts. There is no logical reason for liking this, I just do

I totally get it. It's like the beast awakening!

OldMojo wrote:

I totally get it. It's like the beast awakening!

Exactly, that is a most excellent way to put it!

THE BEAST AWAKENS...

OK, I aligned it and went out on dark roads to test. Here is my verdict:

THE GOOD:
Super bright and white, great visibility, and the high beam makes far away signs glow incredibly bright and show their markings very clearly. Switching high beam on and off is instant and pronounced. Using the flash button with that kind of instant-on/off would be a very effective attention-getter. I was able to navigate an unlit winding road under ink-black moonless skies with relative confidence.

THE BAD (AND THE UGLY):
There is a pronounced pattern in the low-beam, with highly visible horizontal dark bands. Not something that would detract from visibility, but something you really need to get used to. The high beam is more uniform, but still has some brighter areas. So in general the uniformity is not good.

Overall, it's a great improvement to the stock unit even though it has some weird banding issues to get used to. Although I didn't do a true A/B test by riding the same roads in same conditions with both lights, I am pretty sure I was riding with a lot more confidence in the dark than I had before. I always found the stock lighting to be lacking and inadequate, and with this I could see what I needed to.

So there is my biased, unscientific review. If you like the looks of this headlight and can handle the installation and don't value beam uniformity above all else, it's a good one! But I'll bet those über-pricey J.W. Speaker jobbies make a nicer looking beam on the road...

That looks great. I have just added the light to my bike as well. But I was always under the impression that the low beam would be in the top part of the light. Now I have seen on Koso's website that the low beam is supposed to be on the bottom part. My mechanic claims that he wired it correctly and looking at similar headlights, the top part usually is the low beam. Where is your lowbeam located? top or bottom?

It looks great, its on my list of upgrades!

@Youknowthebo: It’s definitely high beam on the bottom, low beam on the top. It’s not upside down (just double checked! ), and I’m pretty sure I wired it according to the instructions that clearly labeled the color coded wires for low and high beam.

(It’s possible whoever labeled the photos on the Koso web site got it wrong, because it is counter-intuitive and it seems logical it would be high top, low bottom. Until you think about it and see how the light is reflected and dispersed. )

Could this headlight be an option?
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(V7 III STONE NIGHT PACK)
I have no idea how much it will cost ...couldn´t find a part number.

GuZeee wrote:

(It’s possible whoever labeled the photos on the Koso web site got it wrong, because it is counter-intuitive and it seems logical it would be high top, low bottom. Until you think about it and see how the light is reflected and dispersed. )

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it definitely seems counter intuitive. But I contacted Koso USA and Koso Germany directly, and both of them told me that the low beam is on the bottom. Honestly, I'm really confused at this point haha

But I totally agree with you, having a low beam at the bottom just seems weird.