The Bullet Board

Some of you knew this was coming but you didn't know it was going to be this good!

https://westerncyclesupply.com/7-led-headlight-kit/

This kit will fit every Royal Enfield model. If you have a 650 you only need the LED bulb!

And LED option that doesn’t sully the vintage looks of your Enfield is a great idea!

I notice in the description that it says it uses DC 12-45 volts. However, the "99 through 2009 models us AC current to power the headlight. Will this work for the AC voltage lighting system?

Forgive me if this is ignorant but doesn't the rectifier / regulator change AC to DC?

I'm not well versed in the concepts of electricity.

Well, I will admit to being confused by the DC 12-45V thing. I'm not sure about the pre-2009 RE bikes, but any bike I've worked on from the last 40 years runs all the electrics off DC. The regulator/rectifier takes the AC alternator voltage and converts it to something in the neighborhood of 13.8 Vdc, and everything runs off that. Technically, it gets rectified first, then regulated. So not sure where the 45V on the LED headlight spec comes from, the regulator does just as it's name suggests - regulates the continuously varying alternator AC input down to a constant DC voltage. Nothing should ever see anything in excess of 14 Vdc or so.

The 12-45 v DC is just a rating . It needs a minimum of 12 v DC . It will burn out at 45v DC.... which it will never see, unless one were to have some serious issues with there regulator ! LOL ! I have used a combination LED Bulb and lens similar to this one for a few years now. I love it ! MUCH brighter then stock, and it it really cuts down on the draw on the battery and charging system.

Edit: aww Gorilla beat me by a tenth, always gotta be the fastest huh?

I am guessing the 45v is given as a max spec. I buy them from a motorcycle parts house, my rep says fret not, so if it doesn't work I will be shocked.

We'll know soon enough because I sold a kit today! I have to admit I am pretty excited about that. It was my ad copy im sure of it

Nope ... just faster then myself from the last time . Haha ! I really do think that going to an LED headlight on these bikes is one of the best up grades one can do for a stock bike. Particularly the older ones with the weaker charging systems and wiring harness size "challenged" bikes. Less power is drawn by the headlight, so there is more voltage available for the EFI, system , fuel pump and ignition coil at start up ... and everything else for that matter. You'll see a higher voltage when the bike is underway, which will keep the battery charged better. Short rides won't drain dawn the battery soo much. It helps with making the charging system more efficient I think. And you can SEE better !! Hahaha !

GHG, can you give a little more info on the "size challenged" wiring harness? Does this apply to UCE bikes? My '09? How about my '12?

Your selling points sound pretty solid. If applicable to me I predict an order in the near future!

The "less draw" on the system apply to all models but if you're already legally blind the LED light won't help you see better.

The UCE was launched in the U.S. in 2009, Royal Enfield started improving the harness immediately. The first production upgrade was released in 2010. I think we determined through deductive reasoning your '09 has the original harness. A simple double check would be to look at the turn signal connections. If they are a simple " bullet" style you have the original. It they are a newer "plug" style connections you have a newer harness on the 2009. Retrofitting was done often.

I haven't pulled the specs recently, but I'm fairly certain the output on a UCE alternator is only slightly more than an Iron Barrel. But as Gorilla mentioned the UCE's have the burden of running all of the fuel injection components. For example, I couldn't not run the auxiliary lights on my '09 sidecar rig without using LED bulbs. I'm not saying everyone is doomed if you don't covert to LED immediately. But the alternator is pretty close to maxed out from the jump.