Speedo and Tach Guage LED lights

[Alphamazing]

Hm. Do these things just plug into the standard light socket that the 194s plug into? If so... I might be ordering me up some blue ones

Edit: Yes they do. I wonder why the blue ones are more expensive... This is more along the lines of a $15 mod instead of the $1.94 one I did originally. Problem with mine is that it's hard to see the tripometer at night. Problem with these seems that they're too bright. They'd blind you at night and not let you see the road very clearly.

Anyone?

[RedShift]

Just pull the stock bulb out and push the LED bulb in.  Simple as that.

Putting it back in the gauge is slighly more effort, but with a bit of convincing, mine went in and works just fine.

[Alphamazing]

Just pull the stock bulb out and push the LED bulb in.  Simple as that.

Putting it back in the gauge is slighly more effort, but with a bit of convincing, mine went in and works just fine.

I did standard 194 blue bulbs in mine, and my guages need to be fixed anyways, so that's not the issue anymore for me. What I'm worried about is if they are TOO bright.

[annguyen1981]

They're not too bright at all.  Just right IMO

[RedShift]

Since these BLUE guys offer a very tight bit of the spectrum, and the short end of it at that, they're not going to be too bright.

(sorry -- had to slip in another pic -- it's been a while)

Haven't ridden at night with them yet, but the camera doesn't do reality justice in this regard -- skews the image to be brighter than they really are.  I'm thinking they might be a bit too dim for a quick glance to make out the Trip Odometer, but as AnnGuyen says, the rest of the gauge display seems to be just right.

[annguyen1981]

I'm thinking of replacing the indicator lights as well, but I'm not so sure about it.  Has anyone done this?  Please post pics

[Alphamazing]

That looks good, and the tripometer is a LOT brighter than on mine at night. Now if only I could afford the $15 price I need!  Maybe next month. Stupid college.

[pandy]

Where's Pandy and her SV650S.  Surely there's a 194 bulb behind her Speedo/Tach instrument that could be replaced with a PURPLE or RED LED.

I just started riding again (after recovering from surgery), so mods haven't been high on my list. 

I've been lazily watching everyone else do the work so that I can decide what I want to do.  I really like the blue with the purple haze (don't know if that haze is due to the photography or if that's how it really looks). I'm leaning toward making my ratbike a trackbike, so she might be turned purple and get those blue or purple Speedo/Tack LED's... (yeah, I'm all talk and no action at the moment.... It's a good day if I make it out of bed in the morning lately )

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

Yeah the needles look a little purple with the blue led's. At least they do to me, but not as much as shows in RedShifts pics.

I'm thinking of replacing the indicator lights as well, but I'm not so sure about it.  Has anyone done this?  Please post pics

Yeah I replaced the indicator lights as well. I don't have pics and don't want to go outside in the rain to get them right now, but I can tell you they look really good. I bought from superbrightleds.com, used the single led wedge based bulbs. The color looks more pure than before. Pure red instead of whitish red in middle and more red on outside rim.... sorry if that doesn't make sense, it's 5am and I am studying for two friggin tests I have today.
I'll take pics tonight if you really want 'em.

[annguyen1981]

Yeah the needles look a little purple with the blue led's. At least they do to me, but not as much as shows in RedShifts pics.

I'm thinking of replacing the indicator lights as well, but I'm not so sure about it.  Has anyone done this?  Please post pics

Yeah I replaced the indicator lights as well. I don't have pics and don't want to go outside in the rain to get them right now, but I can tell you they look really good. I bought from superbrightleds.com, used the single led wedge based bulbs. The color looks more pure than before. Pure red instead of whitish red in middle and more red on outside rim.... sorry if that doesn't make sense, it's 5am and I am studying for two friggin tests I have today.
I'll take pics tonight if you really want 'em.

Yes please!  Thankz!

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

oky doky, I'll post them when I get off work tomorrow morn around 7am-ish. BTW, I noticed today on my cruise around town that my turn signal indicator light only works when the left blinker is on... it doesn't flash when my right turn signals are on, but the signals are flashing. I'll mess with the led, but I don't think it's gonna do anything. Perhaps it's something to do with the polarity of the led? Anybody have ideas?  I know that particular led is polarized...

[RedShift]

The problem in not flashing on one side may well be a polarization.  I spent 15 minutes staring at my Clymer manual's electrical diagram and I suspect the current both ways to ground.  I'll stare at it some more -- maybe it'll click with me.

If it's polarization, then flipping the bulb around should have the opposite effect.

[annguyen1981]

because it's an LED, if you flip it around, I thought it wouldn't work.

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

Here ya go annguyen1981, sorry for the bad quality, I got off work late because of my lazy boss that can't do anything right (but that's another story), so the sun was coming up as I took these.



As you can see, the indicator lights are plenty bright, and as you may not be able to see, they look better than bulbs (in my opinion). As far as the speedo and tach brightness goes, that's a fairly accurate depiction of the brightness of the speedo and tach vs the brightness of odometer and trip odometer. The trip is kinda hard to read without taking a little extra long look, but it doesn't bother me at all. I dig the blue too much to care.
Remember the sun was rising, so it's all a little brighter in full dark.
Oh yeah, staring at this picture reminds me it's time to change the oil and lube the chain 
And yes, I agree, those are remarkably low miles for a '96, thank you 

[annguyen1981]

You better get that oil problem checked out and also the turn signal light doesn't light up.     just kidding.

Thankz for the pic.  Are you using the same LED color as the lenses

[Thor S Magic Bathtub]

yup

[RedShift]

Sweet.  What did you order and from whom?  Links!!  We need links.  (Please...)

[Egaeus]

Has anyone found LEDs that actually fit in the speedo and tach housings yet? 

I ordered mine from superbrightleds and wasn't terribly impressed with their product.  If they're supposed to be 194/168 compatible, then they should be 194/168 compatible, including size (didn't RTFT beforehand).  That, and one of them let out the magic smoke and blew the 20A fuse!  The other I got stuck in the housing, and had to get it out with needlenose pliers, breaking it in the process of course....

I also got a new meter bracket and the turn signal indicator is amber instead of the green that was on my bike, so I'm going to have to replace the green LED that I bought for it....

Arrrrgh!

[RedShift]

Yup, you roll the dice when you insert these 5-LED Matrix bulbs into the housing.  As I reported in Post 35 and Post 42 here, the hole is smaller than the largest diameter of the bulb.  I lost a RED bulb and got lucky with the BLUE bulbs. 

All I can suggest is to lubricate the bulb with silicone or other lubricant, have the bulb warm (so it'll bend a bit), try to politely squeeze the perimeter LED's in just a titch and try to slip it in diagonally.  It's a risk when the hole is smaller than it needs to be. 

[annguyen1981]

My install was the easiest thing ever.  I just tilted the LED in a bit, and viola!