Anyone have experience with GL1500 "Pathfinder L.E.D. kit ???

TwoBye · Jun 30, 2018

Anyone have experience with GL1500 "Pathfinder L.E.D. kit ???

I have recently purchased a LED upgrade kit for my '99 GL1500SE. I want to lesson the load on my battery and alternator as much as I can without sacrificing function. I have so many 'add-on' components that I do worry sometimes about the load on the trike. The kit I got is a "Pathfinder" GL1500 plug and play LED kit. It has both the low and high beam LED. It comes with its own harness that supposedly plugs back into the original harness without any altercations needed. Anybody up here have any experience with this kit? Good and bad remarks welcome. Thanks,

trikeman · Jul 1, 2018

Sorry I can’t help. Have a great day!:wave4:

sgmdudley · Jul 2, 2018

Pathfinder Products

I hope this helps.

Last year I purchased a 2017 GL1800 with Motortrike kit. I had the dealer install the Honda LED fog lights before picking up the trike. Being seen is very important to me. So here are the light add-ons:

Pathfinder LED Headlight Kit for GL1800. Since the lows are on all the time and I rarely use high beams, I just bought the lows. They are great. The electrical leads are longer so you just have to use good quality vecro and tiewraps to make sure the wiring does not interfere with the steering. The high beams are a bear to install which is why I did not get them.

I replaced every bulb in the rear with Pathfinder (6) Red 7443 and (2) Amber 7443 LED bulbs. For turn signals, you do need a LED Flasher to replace the stock flasher. The LED Flasher came with the Pathfinder Dynamic-Sequencial LED Front Indicators with DTR Lights (Clear).

I bought the Honda spoiler with brake light and converted it with the Electrical Connection 4 way kit. Brake light/Running Light & Turnsignals.

I also bought the Muth mirrors. Blue with red 3 bar sequencial signal LEDs.

Let There Be Lights. The 2017 has a built-in voltmeter and I have noticed a little higher voltage reading after all the LED lights were installed.

TwoBye · Jul 2, 2018

Good info, thanks. Wow! I bet you can be seen when you ride. For me, I love that. I'm not a circus wagon but I like to be seen, daytime or nighttime.

sgmdudley · Jul 3, 2018

I forgot something. My first Goldwing was a 1989 GL1500. One of the conversion things I did was replace the Alternator. The 1500 alternator was a little weak on power so the Compufire was an easy upgrade to have more power to run lights, etc.

https://www.dbelectrical.com/produc...MIu9SzqKOD3AIVV7bACh0RrgtNEAQYAiABEgI_8vD_BwE

rodekyll · Jul 3, 2018

I have not tried this product, but I have been researching and experimenting with alternative lighting for a few years. This product is 6000k, which is that blue-tinged hue that makes me want to brush my teeth after one goes by me. I see no claims on the product to DOT compliance or being legal for street use. That implies to me that these are just another flavor of harsh, scattered light. If you can find what certificates it meets, please post them. Otherwise I'll assume they are not street legal.

I've tried about everything out there that claims to plug-n-play LED and HID bulbs into existing headlight reflector/lenses, and quite frankly, whether you're the driver or the hapless victim of these Micky Mouse conversions, they suck.

Non DOT LEDs are not designed for traditional headlight assemblies. The light source isn't placed correctly to properly focus the beam, so the light scatters and you become "that guy" burning out the eyes of oncoming traffic. You can't aim them low enough to coexist with traffic without lowering them so much you have no light downrange. The light looks better than incandescent from behind the bulb, yes. But the first time you ride in rain or fog you'll see the scatter and appreciate how unfocused it is. All of the DOT conversions I've seen are an assembly, including the bulb, projector, and ballast.

6000k, as I mentioned earlier is blue, not white. It distorts color and changes contrast to the point that you lose 3-dimensional vision. I couldn't distinguish a patched pothole from an actual pothole. Since I don't have the option of avoiding road hazards with tricycle gear, it's important for me to know what it is on the road ahead. 6000k doesn't do it for me. I prefer 4500k, which is closer to daylight. Also, I have seen studies that conclude that the combined effects of color and contrast abberations cause more rider fatigue.

LED is indeed cooler at the light end than incandescent. But it is hotter at the back end. They generate so much heat that many include heat sinks or fans to operate. It's enough heat to melt the plastic bits of an unvented housing.

Finally, most LED makers flat lie about the power draw and brightness of their products. Read carefully. Are the claims per bulb, or per set? To make a product look better than the competition, they might claim 30w of power. Is that the output figure or the total draw including line drivers and fan? Is it describing the bulb or a pair of bulbs? It's a real shock to open the box and discover your 30w powerhouse is two 15w bulbs with an additional 10w each of overhead.

The bottom line for me is that these are useless in the real world and deceptively marketed. If you want to truly improve your lights, get proper HID projector housings and do a proper conversion.

I did. I made a centering disc to mount a 2.5", 35w, 4500k bulb in my main bucket. I added the same in 55w for driving lights. The projectors do hi/low. I have all three controlled with my dimmer switch. I own the night without being a hazard to oncoming traffic.

Cue the flames.

TwoBye · Jul 3, 2018

No flames here. Your opinion is as good to me as anyones. I will check a little further and see what comes. They have not been installed as of yet. Thanks,

TwoBye · Jul 3, 2018

sgmdudley said:
I forgot something. My first Goldwing was a 1989 GL1500. One of the conversion things I did was replace the Alternator. The 1500 alternator was a little weak on power so the Compufire was an easy upgrade to have more power to run lights, etc.

https://www.dbelectrical.com/produc...MIu9SzqKOD3AIVV7bACh0RrgtNEAQYAiABEgI_8vD_BwE

OOHHH! Thanks for the link.

Pooch · Jul 3, 2018

sgmdudley said:
I hope this helps.Pathfinder LED Headlight Kit for GL1800. Since the lows are on all the time and I rarely use high beams, I just bought the lows. They are great. The electrical leads are longer so you just have to use good quality vecro and tiewraps to make sure the wiring does not interfere with the steering. The high beams are a bear to install which is why I did not get them.

If you get yourself a pair of 11 or 12 inch long needlenose pliers, it makes changing the high beams a whole lot easier. I just did mine recently.