Product description
Latest version now available!
The latest batch of the 12v LED light boards have been tweaked to make them even better. Most noticeable is the new silver mirror finish (see above photos) to the outside of the circuit board which further improves performance and looks of the LED boards. The circuitry has also been revised to rotate the connector to point inwards, making the wiring even neater. Additional circuit protection has also been added to further protect the LEDs and chips in the event of a short-circuit or incorrect connection.
This fantastic new LED light board has been specially designed to fit perfectly inside the red outer lens of a Lucas 564 rear motorcycle lamp as fitted to countless classic motorcycles from the 1950′s onwards. It replaces the standard filament bulb giving a huge reduction in power consumption, increased reliability and improved visibility.
Note that this light is not suitable for motorcycles running with 6 volts electrics, but an alternative 6v version is also now available. It is ideal for bikes with low power dynamo charging systems, but will work equally well on alternator equipped machines and is perfect for total-loss systems thanks to it’s ultra-low power consumption.
The LED light board is designed to operate with both positive and negative earth motorcycles overcoming the polarity issues common to many other such lights. Inbuilt circuitry automatically ‘corrects’ the polarity and safeguards against any possible wrong connections by the user. There are just three wires to connect:
- an earth connection to the bikes frame (this can be either positive or negative)
- supply from the headlamp switch for the tail / numberplate lights (of opposite polarity to the earth)
- supply from the brake switch(s) for the stop light (same polarity as tail light supply)
The light unit consists of a hexagonal array of ten red LEDs for the brake light (x6 LEDs) and tail light (x4 LEDs) functions. Linked to the tail lights are three white LEDs which are angled downwards to illuminate the numberplate area. All of the LEDs are super-bright and wide-angled for enhanced visibility from all viewing angles.
Light emitting diodes offer many benefits for classic motorcycles as is discussed in detail on the advantages of LED lighting page. The main advantage is that power consumption is a fraction of that of a conventional bulb. Our rear light boards draw less than 140mA of maximum current – that’s only about 6% of the current needed by a normal 21+5 Watt bulb. The LEDs are brighter too!
These LED light units have been designed to the highest ‘Matchless Clueless’ standards and specifications. For example, other LED units use resistors to control the voltage to the diodes as this is cheap and simple. However it does not properly control the current flowing through the LEDs over the surprisingly wide range of voltages which can be expected from a 12v nominal charging system. This can lead to dim LEDs and low visibility if the battery needs charging, or the diodes burning out if the voltage rises too high when the battery is being charged.
Instead our light boards use sophisticated microchips to precisely control the current supplied to the LEDs irrespective of supply voltage fluctuations. They therefore operate at peak performance and brightness over all battery charge states. In fact they will get you home safely even in the event of a complete charging system failure as the LEDs will continue to glow brightly even when the battery is too discharged to light up the other bulbs on your bike.
Full fitting and installation instructions are available to view online in the Lucas 564 light installation guide and a mounting hole template is provided to help you align the light board inside your Lucas rear light. Please take note of my comments regarding LED lighting and the law.
Each LED light board comes supplied with a mounting kit containing all the fixings needed to install the circuit board within your existing Lucas 564 rear lamp unit.
The light board comes with three long (12″) terminal wires as standard for connection to your bikes existing electrical system. Alternatively, various adapters are available as optional upgrades which allow the LED light board to simply plug straight in to the existing bulb socket of your Lucas rear lamp. These are available in the standard BAY15D (1157) offset pin, alternative BA15D (1142) parallel pin and BA15S (1156) single contact versions depending upon what type of fitting your Lucas lamp has. Read the LED rear light connectors and adapters article to work out which type you need for your motorbike. Then select the respective adapter from the ‘Connector Option’ drop-down list at the top of this page before adding the rear light unit to your shopping cart.
For further specifications and information, please refer to the following ‘Additional Information’ tab of this product description.
James – :
These LED light boards are absolutely fantastic for your classic motorcycle!
Ok, so I realise as the designer and manufacturer I’m probably a bit biased, but I do think they are pretty great. My original prototype LED light has now been on my Matchless for over 6 months and is still working perfectly, as it should do for many more years to come. I now don’t need to worry too much about my battery going flat when stuck in traffic as the power consumption is only a tiny fraction of the old 21/5W filament lamp it replaced.
So go on, treat yourself and your old motorbike to an early Christmas present!