Choose an additional headlight for your motorcycle

To equip your motorcycle with an additional LED headlight, it is crucial to choose a model that not only improves visibility during night rides, but also harmoniously integrates with the aesthetics of your two-wheeled vehicle. This guide aims to guide you through the various aspects to consider in order to make an informed choice, taking into account performance, durability, and compatibility with your motorcycle.

Light intensity

Before making any purchase of a additional headlight for motorcycle, you must define the features you are looking for. First of all, the light intensity provided, expressed in lumens. To know the power or light intensity you need, you can refer to the intensity of your previous bulb. The most common example for an original motorcycle headlight installation is 1500 lumens with a standard H7 halogen bulb. After knowing your starting light intensity, you will then be more able to choose among the different light intensities offered: 1500 to 5000 lumens. You can also ask a lighting specialist to give you their expertise on the subject. We advise you to determine whether you drive much more at night rather than during the day. If this is the case, then a motorcycle bulb with high light intensity will be more useful for you and will provide night driving support that enhances your safety on the road while giving style to your motorcycle.

The dimensions and aesthetics of your additional motorcycle headlight

An additional LED headlight for motorcycle should measure at most 10 to 15 cm in diameter or 30 cm in length for an LED bar. These measurements are given as an indication, you are free to make your own choices. This notably allows them to be installed easily without great difficulty. There are several choices of shades, colors and shapes of additional motorcycle headlights such as square or round headlights as well as headlights equipped with daytime running lights, indicators, etc. Matte, vintage or more classic, there is a color and shape for all tastes!

Mounting brackets

The mounting of an additional motorcycle headlight is often simple and quick. There are several types depending on where you want to install your additional LED headlight or LED bar for motorcycle. Here are some examples of mounting brackets: XS supports, XL support or X support ideal for tube, fork or handlebar. You can also use brackets size 4x4 cm or 6x6 cm to make custom lighting assemblies on your motorcycle.

The power consumption of an additional motorcycle headlight

The power of a LED additional headlight is measured in watts. This measurement indicates electrical energy consumption. Certainly, LED models are known for being economical, but make sure to choose a model whose power is not too high. Good to know: if you choose a motorcycle LED headlight with too high power, your motorcycle battery will no longer charge optimally and you risk damaging more quickly the parts responsible for recharging the battery.

To be sure to buy a LED headlight with suitable power, preferably consult the detailed technical sheets on the AGM Vision site. As a general rule, for a sport bike, it is best not to exceed 120 watts (i.e., 10 amperes at 12 volts). For your enduro motorcycle headlights, do not exceed 70 real watts of power, i.e., 5.8 amperes at 12 volts of consumption for all lighting. To have the most optimal configuration, it is best to replace the original halogen bulb with a LED bulb in order to benefit from a lower total electrical consumption. This will then allow you to supplement your lighting with additional LED headlights thanks to the remaining power available.

Let's take the example of an enduro motorcycle where the recommended consumption should be less than 70 watts (value given as an indication): choose an H4 LED bulb that consumes 30 real W instead of the 60 W of an H4 halogen bulb. You will thus have 40 watts of power left to add additional LED headlights.

The precision and shape of the lighting beam

The lighting precision of your motorcycle additional headlight is a criterion that is most often confused with intensity. However, they are quite distinct. Lighting precision guarantees you better safety. Indeed, the lighting distance of a model is not the only parameter to define good lighting; it is recommended to ask yourself this question beforehand:

What type of light beam (or spectrum) do you want?

• Diffusion / scene : close-range lighting (very short range) with the widest light angle among all: about 90 to 120°. A Diffusion or Scene LED headlight makes it possible to illuminate a wide area very locally; very practical for extra-wide lighting around a tractor, construction machine or Off Road.
• Flood : medium close-range lighting, wide light angle (45 to 90°), allows interesting light range generally beyond 50 meters, while benefiting from wide lighting width. Flood LED headlights are very interesting for completing existing lighting or reverse on trucks. For ATVs and enduro motorcycles they are recommended for good road and peripheral vision.
• Driving : ideal for road conditions, this is lighting comparable to Flood lighting but with slightly less angle (30° to 45°). Driving LED headlights target more on the road; so we see better and at longer range than Flood.
• Combination : as its name suggests, this lighting is a combination of two types: wide (30 to 45°) and distant (5 to 10°). Combination LED headlights allow both long-range lighting and interesting width for any situation.
• Spot : long range lighting, light angle (5 to 30°), this lighting is designed only for those who want to see as far as possible. It is very relevant to install Spot LED headlights as high as possible in order to benefit from the greatest light range, especially on trucks on long straight roads in mountainous areas or motorcycles lacking long range on high beams.
• Fog light  : close-range lighting particularly effective for foggy conditions; rectilinear-shaped beams with large angles covering a wide area very close to the vehicle (the road and roadsides). This type of light does not inconvenience other drivers. An additional fog LED headlight proves very useful, especially when driving at night or in bad weather conditions. It is ideal when crossing another vehicle in the dark because it offers better visibility for other users (without dazzling them) and yourself.
• Low beam / high beam (dipped beam / main beam) : this type of lighting, the best known of all, comes standard on most vehicles. This type has two functions controlled from the cockpit: a low beam for optimal close vision without inconveniencing other drivers and a high beam for longer-distance vision that can be activated by the driver when there is no one coming from ahead. The latter is most often used on country roads. There are additional LED lights low/high beam that provide greatly improved vision and reinforce your dipped beams as well as high beams.

Why not yellow as a light color?

Style and efficiency! With bars and additional LED headlights in yellow color, give yourself the most optimal vision in rain or heavy fog.

The cooling system

On certain models of additional LED headlights and depending on their power level , you will need to set up an suitable cooling system. The goal is to offer your motorcycle LED headlights a longer lifespan while maintaining their maximum lighting power. Note that some types of cooling will not be suitable for all uses. Be careful about this when making your purchase!

Here are the different types of cooling that exist:

• Passive cooling systems. This involves heat extraction carried out by the body of the LED headlight through aluminum fins. This cooling type is the most robust ; very practical for those who practice Off Road or use trails. It perfectly withstands projections of dirt, sand and immersion under water.
• Active cooling systems. Here heat extraction is done by a fan. This system is simply the most effective with higher luminous power. However it must be protected if exposed to earthy or sandy projections in order to avoid any risk of clogging or jamming the fan.

Lifespan and warranty

The lifespan of an LED most often determines its quality. Thus choose LED bulbs for motorcycles (sold individually) or additional LED headlights because they last on average 2000 hours for LED bulbs and more between 5000 and 10000 hours for LED headlights. This generally corresponds to usage over at least 5 to 10 years f...