Cyclops LED bulb system *UPDATE - New bulb installed!*

[fooschnickens]

I ordered one of these last week after seeing someone else post their stuff up and decided to give it a try. Their site said they expected them back in stock Feb 27, but it just arrived today so it seems they got resupplied earlier than anticipated.
 
The whole assembly comes in a small box and is encased in rigid foam to protect it. The bulb portion is smaller than I expected along with the fan assembly. Going to test fit tonight and get some before/after photos of the cutoff and output compared to stock.
 
Packaging:
 

 
Entire assembly (chapstick for size reference):
 

 
 
Here's a quick rundown of installing it.
 
 
Pull off the headlight assembly and remove the old bulb. The cyclops unit has a removable mounting base which is convenient for how some bikes (in this case, ours) hold the bulb in place in the headlight enclosure.
 

 
Pop those two pieces apart (they just rotate) and then put the base into the bulb slot and clamp it down:
 

 
Followed by the bulb and fan assembly:
 

 
Not pictured is how I modified the rubber boot that normally goes over the bulb. I cut out the center portion as it's a perfect match to the diamter of hte fan housing for the LED bulb. Now it has plenty of ventilation and will keep most of the moisture out of the enclosure if you get stuck in the rain. Once you do all that, plug all your harnesses back in for your various lights, tuck the LED electronics thingy in with everything else and bolt your headlight assembly back in place. You'll want to re-aim your headlight once you're done.
 
Now, the questions on everyone's mind: Is it brighter than the stock bulb? Yes. Are there any clearance issues with the fan assembly? No, there's about 1/2" of clearance between the fan and the center stem. Do the high/low beams work fine? Yes. Is it easy to install? Check out the pictures above.
 
However, I foresaw a few drawbacks to a setup like this and unfortunately some of them are present here.
 
1) The output pattern for the light is slightly "worse" than the stock halogen bulb. Not dimmer, but a bit less focused. Because of the inherent mono-directional nature of LEDs, they don't behave like a standard incandescent bulb that throws like in all directions. Cyclops did something rather clever to get around this and used two banks of LED emitters. For your low beams, only one per side is lit. For high beams, two per side are lit. Additionally, there are lots of small wisps of light that shoot off everywhere due to the enclosure being overpowered.
 
2) The OEM enclosure is designed with a specific type of bulb in mind. Without redesigning the reflective enclosure itself this is as good as the output beam is going to get without retrofitting a projector assembly and using forward-firing LEDs. I also noticed something rather interesting when swapping the bulb out, and that is that the mounting hole for the bulb is canted several degrees:
 

 
At first I thought maybe the mounting hole had gotten rotated somehow while installing the new bulb, but this appears to be done on purpose since the same rotated hole is cast into the reflector assembly (I've placed a horizontal reference line on the image to better show the "misalignment". I can only surmise that this was done either as regional tweak for LHD vs RHD vehicles, or to specifically address the natural light pattern of an H4 bulb. Either to tone down a hot spot, or fill in a gap, possibly both. I don't have the facilities or time to figure out such a thing on my own.
 
Unfortunately, I had to leave to head back into work right as I got everything buttoned up on the install, so comparison photos will have to wait until tomorrow. I am eager to see how the bulb performs in real darkness, as all my experience thus far was at dusk with the beam aimed at my garage door. I will reserve final judgement until I'm able to see how it looks at night, but so far I'm sitting at about a 50/50 as to whether I'll actually use it. The additional output is nice, but only if I can fully utilize it. Night will tell if it's worth it.
 
Note that the following pictures are from the defective unit, scroll down past this section to see the updated pictures!
 
As a consolation, here's a pretty picture of the bulb at work:
 
http://i.imgur.com/dzPu7Tt.jpg
 
Night Ride Update:
 
Alrighty, so now that it's warmed up I can finally ride after the sun goes down without fear of freezing my scrawny butt off. After a few trips out I think I can accurately convey the pros and cons of this bulb.
 
The Good:
 
[ul type=disc][*]It is RIDICULOUSLY bright. It'll light up road signs and other shiny things on the roadway a couple hundred yards out with ease. The stock bulb doesn't have a chance against this.[*]The high beam is even better, and projects even farther down the road, filling in the one "dead spot" in the beam pattern.[/ul]
 
The Bad:
 
[ul type=disc][*]The beam pattern is sorta wonky given its design. Cyclops did a great job and getting the most out of these emitters, though.
[*]Aiming is a bit difficult and really can't be done with the normal method. You'll need to find a large dark area to let it project out fully.
[*]There is a "dead spot" in the beam pattern directly top center. This gets filled in with the high beam and is hardly noticeable when riding.
[/ul]
 
Here are two pictures after I re-aimed the bulb in a dark lot of the low beam and high beam:
Low Beam:
Defective bulb: http://i.imgur.com/Hk1ZstG.jpg

 
You can clearly see the "notch" in main beam, but this doesn't look as bad on asphalt. The picture came out a bit brighter than it really is, it picked up more ambient light than I anticipated.
High Beam:
Defective bulb: http://i.imgur.com/YBsCT1X.jpg

 
Here you can see how the main beam now fills in that "notch" and projects even further. I tried running it with oncoming traffic and got flashed a couple times, so I may try aiming it a bit lower and to the right so I can try running the high beam all the time as it's pretty flippin' awesome.
A big thanks goes out to the guys at Cyclops for helping me out when I had the bad bulb. They made it right 100% and shipped me a new one free of charge. They were quick to respond to my emails and I couldn't be any happier now that I've got a properly working unit. The output is amazing and the added visibility is greatly appreciated over the puny stock bulb. For $70 you'd be silly not to get one of these and upgrade your headlight.
 

[Cruizin]

As stated, we will be selling these soon and probably at a discount. Trying to work that out.
 
How was the install?

[fooschnickens]

Dunno yet, still sitting in my desk at work haha. I'll know in a couple hours but it looks straightforward enough. My only concern as it stands is making a tight seal with the enclosure since the rubber weather boot won't fit any longer. I might lay a thin bead of non-hardening sealant around the base just to be sure, or fashion a hood of sorts out of an old headlight boot.
 

[GAZ]

You have to cut the boot a little but that is the only modification needed. Clearance issue is a non-factor. I have this setup installed already. Works very well and have had it since November.

[Guest whitegas]

@gaz, where did you place that little power adapter square thingy? Does it get hot?

[so1102]

You have to cut the boot a little but that is the only modification needed. Clearance issue is a non-factor. I have this setup installed already. Works very well and have had it since November.

If you haven't already, can you post some pictures? 

[fooschnickens]

Bump for updated first post.

[GAZ]

@gaz, where did you place that little power adapter square thingy? Does it get hot?

It's not attached to anything it actually sits behind all the wires and the fan runs whenever your headlight is on so its hard to tell if it gets hot, doubtful it will. My power supply looks different as I have a different generation than the one posted, mine looks like a really small hockey puck with no labeling on it. Also, my LED's on the H4 look like a different version. Same lumen though. Mine sits offset as well in the housing and I contacted Darryl about it and he said it could possibly be the rings could be stamped incorrectly from the factory. I have yet to take off my housing and check on mine but if you call or email Darryl he's always willing to work with you. 

 

[GAZ]

You have to cut the boot a little but that is the only modification needed. Clearance issue is a non-factor. I have this setup installed already. Works very well and have had it since November.

If you haven't already, can you post some pictures? 

I'm not very mechanically inclined and I was able to knock back a few beers and install this in about 45 minutes. It's easy on this bike cause you can take your entire headlight housing off. I will see if I can take some pictures to add to what was updated. 

[fooschnickens]

I did the same as GAZ and just tucked the extra bits behind the headlight shroud. There's actually a fair bit of space behind there for extra wiring so it's no trouble at all to make things fit.
 
I'll probably take the headlight assembly completely apart next time I'm in there just to get a good look at things. It doesn't seem like this is a defect at a glance as the reflector is lined up properly and there's a physical notch where the bulb fits into place that is also canted. If this is a problem of some sort it goes all the way back to the original pieces getting stamped and cast before they were even assembled.

[Guest whitegas]

You referring to the offset angle of the hole? No, they are all like that. First thing I noticed when I changed out to HID a few months ago.
 
Anyway, looks nice and bright but assuming there is a blank/empty spot on the ground in the light throw?

[fooschnickens]

You referring to the offset angle of the hole? No, they are all like that. First thing I noticed when I changed out to HID a few months ago. 
Anyway, looks nice and bright but assuming there is a blank/empty spot on the ground in the light throw?

Yeah, I'd describe it as more of an auxiliary beam type deal. It's more of a pencil beam instead of a wide swath of light like halogens or HIDs. Definitely bright, but not entirely there in terms of coverage. 

[so1102]

Just curious @fooschnickens -- did you ever come to a conclusion whether or not to keep it?

[btimothy4]

I actually bought this and installed it a couple weeks ago - great light and easy to install. You will have to adjust the light after installation

[howlinhoss]

I actually bought this and installed it a couple weeks ago - great light and easy to install. You will have to adjust the light after installation

Post pics please!

[fooschnickens]

Just curious @fooschnickens -- did you ever come to a conclusion whether or not to keep it?

Haven't had much opportunity to ride at night, but it's getting warmer now so I should be able to test it out fully this week before the weather gets bad. I also want to do some before/after shots of the stock bulb vs LED. 

[fooschnickens]

Updated first post with night-time assessment.

[so1102]

Just wanted to update this -- I just installed mine (man was it a beyotch trying to get everything "tucked" back inside). I haven't adjusted it yet, and yes the pattern looks strange, but @fooschnickens I think they may have listened to your idea.  When mine are on low beams, one of the two LEDs *per side* are lit, and then on high beams the other two light up.
 
When I get a change to ride at night and get them adjusted I will post my assessment.  So far I am happy, but I haven't ridden with it yet.

[fooschnickens]

Just wanted to update this -- I just installed mine (man was it a beyotch trying to get everything "tucked" back inside). I haven't adjusted it yet, and yes the pattern looks strange, but @fooschnickens I think they may have listened to your idea.  When mine are on low beams, one of the two LEDs *per side* are lit, and then on high beams the other two light up. 
When I get a change to ride at night and get them adjusted I will post my assessment.  So far I am happy, but I haven't ridden with it yet.

That's quite interesting. I may shoot them a message tomorrow to see if I can swap mine out for a "newer" model.  
I'd love to see some pictures of the output pattern, too, so we can kinda compare notes. That was really my only criticism of the bulb, and if that improves the amount of coverage on the road then I'm sold.
 
The adjustment shouldn't be too bad for you since it won't be throwing all the light out of one side of the housing.
 

[so1102]

@fooschnickens I will have to snap some photos of the light pattern when I get a chance, but I rode with it tonight and it was pretty damned awesome -- and I didn't do any adjustment whatsoever. There is a good sized "hotspot" directly in front of the bike almost the width of a lane, and if anything I was a little worried about the fact that it seems to throw a pretty decent amount of light off to both sides, lighting up curbs and sidewalks pretty well also, but not a single oncoming vehicle needed to flash at me. I also like the color temperature (if I had a guess around 6000K, or slightly bluish white -- and the high beam is amazing.
 
I'm *very* impressed with this light.

[Quixote]

-- and I didn't do any adjustment whatsoever.... I'm *very* impressed with this light.

 
Since you're getting good results without any adjustments, did you go with this setup that's specifically for bikes:
3600 Lumen LED Headlight bulb for Dirtbikes/Dual Sports 
Part Number CIL-LEDMD-H6M/ba20d/H4
 

 
or the same one that fooschnickens has:
 
3800 Lumen H4 LED Headlight bulb
Part Number CIL-LEDMD-H4

 
 

[so1102]

@quixote -- the 3800 lumen one (the second one). I can't say it's *exactly* the same as he has, because the LEDs are illuminated in a different pattern than his (one per side vs. two on one side), but it is the same model # and physically looks the same -- only difference is I purchased mine later, so perhaps Cyclops make a subtle tweak to their circuitry between his and mine.

[ericpev]

@quixote -- the 3800 lumen one (the second one). I can't say it's *exactly* the same as he has, because the LEDs are illuminated in a different pattern than his (one per side vs. two on one side), but it is the same model # and physically looks the same -- only difference is I purchased mine later, so perhaps Cyclops make a subtle tweak to their circuitry between his and mine.

Definitely picking one of these up next. The yellow of my headlight and whiteness of the auxiliary led is too much for my OCD

[so1102]

@quixote -- the 3800 lumen one (the second one). I can't say it's *exactly* the same as he has, because the LEDs are illuminated in a different pattern than his (one per side vs. two on one side), but it is the same model # and physically looks the same -- only difference is I purchased mine later, so perhaps Cyclops make a subtle tweak to their circuitry between his and mine.

Definitely picking one of these up next. The yellow of my headlight and whiteness of the auxiliary led is too much for my OCD

LOL mine too -- the aux bulb I put in (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NOZ4RI) is 6000K, and this one apparently is 5500K, so the colors are virtually identical

[phicurious86]

Guess I'll add this to the list after handlebars+bar ends.