I wanted to let everyone know that based on a recommendation on these forums I ordered bulbs from the website below and I am VERY happy with them! I have ordered LEDs before and I was very unhappy with the quality, the light pattern and the output. The ones from the website below are not the el-cheapo ones you buy online and are VERY high quality. Following is what I purchased for my 1966 R50/2.
Website: www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com
1966 BMW R50/2 6 volt electrical system lights
- Headlight Double Dipper Bulb Part: BA20d Bosch Negative earth - FC2A
- Parking light 4W LED Part: BA9s 1 LED - AA2A
- Rear tail/brake light 21/5w Red Diffused Part: 21/5W BAY15D - AA2A
- License plate bulb 5W 12 LED Part: BA15S - AD2B
- Hella Bar End Turn Signal Festoon Bulbs Part: 6v 42mm long - ED2D
- I bought an LED compatible Flasher Unit 6v Negative earth as well for turn signals
Thanks for the information.
I just sent them an email and hope to hear back from them soon.
Are these bulbs plug and play? I don't have turn signals so all I need is a headlight and running/stop bulb for the tail.
thanks
chuck
Hi,
I emailed them last week.
Still no response.
Good luck.
Maurice
It must be my lucky day. I heard right back from them. Here is my email and response.
Hello from Virginia.
1968 BMW R60/2 6V motorcycle.
Im interested in the LED headlight and tail light for my R60/2 6V. Is this a plug and play bulb or do I have to buy relays, boards, etc etc etc? Please let me know.
If so please tell me the correct bulbs to order.
Thanks
chuck smith
Hi from Lincoln, UK!
Headlamp could be a BA20d or a P45t.P45t has 3 terminals on the back and is held in by a clip.
BA20d has 2 pressed bayonets.
http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/led-headlamp-bulbs-shop.php part number 1 then BA20d is BA20d. Part number 2 or 3 is P43t and you will need our adaptor ring, part number 5.
Regards,
Peter J Jury
Founder, Director & Chief Engineer
CDRC Limited
I sent him the following photos of the front and rear sockets.
Thanks Jambo .......
I lost him after the first email but from what I found everything you listed is correct. I wasn't going to get the parking light or the license plate bulb but why not. The prices are very reasonable.
Im sold on the LED technology. I have LED bulbs in my R1200GS and Honda XR650L. Love them both. Huge difference. Well worth the money IMHO.
My '69 r60/2 has a PowerDynamo conversion to 12V (which I love). I think I'm going to email this fellow and convert to LED as well. My low-beam just went out so I figure why replace it with conventional.
So headlamp bulbs (2), brake light/running light bulb, license plate bulb, bar end Hella bulbs (2). Should be pretty simple.
Oh, and the tiny speedometer light bulb which is a joke.
Hi,
Sorry - haven't opened the headlight nacelle up.
Is there one or two headlight bulbs?
Thank you,
Maurice
I just ordered the BA20d Bosch Negative earth - FC2A headlight bulb for my 60/2. Im looking forward to the extra kick at night. After installation I will try to post a comparison between the stock and LED.
chuck
I ended up buyng an H4 Style LED headlight from the same people.
Good page showing light pattern here
I got the 60/55w P43t 5th Generation 12V. THey also do a 6V version. I tried a couple of leds from AliExpress but they were junk. This one is top quality.
You do need the H4 headlight reflector to make mounting easy. I got mine from bluemoon I think
I finally got my LED lights from Europe and installed them. Very interesting design but it is indeed better than the original bulb. This design is a top/bottom LED. The top LED lights up in low. The top AND bottom LED's light up on high. When the low beam is on its funny because only half of the light bucket lights up. Very different indeed. I haven't been able to get out at night yet but with summer here it will not be long. Photos to follow.
LED photos
Sorry for the photo being sideways but its off my cell phone. The first photo is the LED upgrade. It may not look a lot brighter than the stock bulb in the photo but in person the light was very difficult to look at.
It truly is a plug and play bulb. Installed in less than a minute. It took me longer to unscrew the bolt in the headlight than it did to install the light bulb itself.
Just want to add my comment;
I installed the 6 volt LED headlight bulb into my daily-rider R27 and the difference is incredible. I highly recommend them.
Painfully bright; actually, hard to look at.
I’m not convinced that it illuminates the road much better than the old incandescent bulb. Or, any better than the poorly focused but brighter halogen bulb …but I am FAR more visible to on-coming cars; day or night.
The cost is high. But that said, LED bulbs generally don’t burn out. I’ve lost count of the number of halogen and incandescent bulbs I’ve replaced over the years.
I’ll get one ASAP for my R51…AND one for my 1951 Norton Lucas Get-home-before-dark headlight. (currently it is more like a candle than a light bulb)
I’ve already got LED tail lights which are great…and now I’ve got something approaching a modern headlight so I’m a happy guy !!
any thoughts of converting to 12 volt is off the table.
Grant MacNeill, Toronto
I finally received the tail LED bulbs for my R60/2. Here are the comparison photos.
1, regular bulb
2, LED bulb
3, LED bulb with brake lights.
Its hard to show in the photos but you can see how the LED lights up the entire red lens. The Enduro bags lights are regular bulbs.
Sorry for the photos being sideways. Not sure what happened there.
I have read the posts on converting the 6 volt headlight bulb to an LED bulb. But, my R60/2 had been converted to an automotive 6 volt sealed beam prior to me buying it.
Does anyone know of a complete 6 volt LED headlight set-up that would work with the standard automotive 3 prong plug?
Sorry if this has been covered already.
Thanks,
Jack
Hi Jack
just speaking about this in the "LED for speedo" posting a few minutes ago
if any body will know it if a bulb exists it would be either Paul Goff : http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/
or the guys we have been discussing
http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/
my bet is you are out of luck. that said, your sealed beam is no doubt designed to reflect efficiently with the built-in bulb and you may find you get the best possible illumination. so unlikely you would see much improvement from an illumination point of view
that said, my big issue was to reduce the wattage draw on the 6 volt system. That is where the LED headlight bulb is a huge bonus.
I am no expert but I think yoru solution is to buy a true Bosch headlight lens, reflector unit, spring clips, and plug assembly with the steel spring that holds it in place with the small wiring buss-bar. This won't be cheap !
Assuming your headlight bucket and ring is still stock then my guess is that this would drop in. Then you can either go back to the old stock incandescent bulbs or halogen bulbs or go LED which in my books is the winner by far.
I see the headlight reflectors and lenses on ebay every day and I'm sure Vech can supply too.
Regards
Grant MacNeill
Toronto
Thanks Grant. As you said, I would also like to reduce the draw on the 6 volt system by using an LED Headlight of some type. My thinking is that if a 1950's era Automobile 6 volt sealed beam fits my /2 headlight bucket...then an LED headlight conversion made for these old cars should also fit. And I assume would be much less $$ than sourcing a stock Bosch headlight reflector, lens, etc then converting. I have seen some "semi Sealed beam" headlight assemblies that use an H4 type 6 volt bulb, I may buy one and source a LED bulb for it. I was hoping someone in the Vintage club may have already done this so I don't have to start from scratch.
Jack
Summit Racing has a sealed beam conversion kit that might work for you.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/upd-s2005led?seid=srese1&cm_mmc=pla-g...
You can buy a six-volt H4 LED for this kit and you should be set.
EDIT: For that matter, you should be able to use the H4 conversion kit from Vech and then source an H4 LED bulb for it:
62 12 8 050 027C6--$69.95--headlight halogen conversion assembly H4 6v with bulb fits 1951-1969 singles & twins
I wanted to let everyone know that based on a recommendation on these forums I ordered bulbs from the website below and I am VERY happy with them! I have ordered LEDs before and I was very unhappy with the quality, the light pattern and the output. The ones from the website below are not the el-cheapo ones you buy online and are VERY high quality. Following is what I purchased for my 1966 R50/2.
Website: www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com
1966 BMW R50/2 6 volt electrical system lights
- Headlight Double Dipper Bulb Part: BA20d Bosch Negative earth - FC2A
- Parking light 4W LED Part: BA9s 1 LED - AA2A
- Rear tail/brake light 21/5w Red Diffused Part: 21/5W BAY15D - AA2A
- License plate bulb 5W 12 LED Part: BA15S - AD2B
- Hella Bar End Turn Signal Festoon Bulbs Part: 6v 42mm long - ED2D
- I bought an LED compatible Flasher Unit 6v Negative earth as well for turn signals
Are these the same for R51/3 with 6V charging system?
without turn signals.
thanks
Only the headlight bulb FC2A and the Parking light in the headlight bucket
Your rear taillight uses 1 or 2 festoon bulbs
1st for tail and license plate, and 2nd for brake light if used
They are a little shorter than the bulb used in the blinker maybe 40mm
I am sure they would have them if you give them the size and wattage
Tail light and brake light are different wattage
Tommy
I am assuming your r51 has a rear brake and tail light
If it only has a tailight then it uses a regular type style bulb
If it has a separate brake and tail light then they are using 2 festoon bulbs
My original parts book says brake light specs are 10 watts
I used the festoon bulb from my turn signal (which is about 18 watts) when my brake light burnt out
It is just a little longer than the old brake light bulb but bending the contacts just a little it fits ok and is much brighter than the original bulb so the led festoon bulb you listed for your blinker should fit and be much brighter for the brake light
Tommy
Website: www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com
1966 BMW R50/2 6 volt electrical system lights
- Headlight Double Dipper Bulb Part: BA20d Bosch Negative earth - FC2A
- Parking light 4W LED Part: BA9s 1 LED - AA2A
- Rear tail/brake light 21/5w Red Diffused Part: 21/5W BAY15D - AA2A
- License plate bulb 5W 12 LED Part: BA15S - AD2B
Went on the site to place an order and could only find the first LED in your list. Others were close, but not exactly your #'s. The last portion does not show as an available # in their drop downs.
I found their website to be very confusing. I ended up emailing them with my specific bike and year. Within a couple days I received a list for all the bulbs I inquired about. A week later they were in my mailbox. So far I have been very happy with all the bulbs expecually the front headlight bulb. Sooooooo much batter.
I agree, and that is just I what I am going to do. I'm glad that will do the job.
Thanks
Has anyone done the PowerDynamo 12V conversion AND switched to 12V LED bulbs? I'm thinking of doing the switchover this winter.
A list of 12V LED bulbs would be really helpful!
Cheers,
Herb...
If your 6 volt charging system is working I would not change it
If you upgrade to this headlight bulb and change the other bulbs already listed you will have plenty of spare power just by changing the headlight bulb and tail/brake bulb
# FC2A headlight bulb
# AA2A tail/brake bulb
Website: www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com
FC2A bulb
Our new "Double Dipper" range of bright white direct replacement LED bulbs is the answer to this age old problem.
Replaces standard twin filament headlamp bulbs.
Multi voltage - Each bulb will work on both 6v and 12v systems (one bulb suits both voltages)
Positive and negative earth variants
Absolute minimal current consumption
1/2 an amp on dipped beam - 1 amp on high beam on 6v systems
1/4 of an amp on dipped beam - 1/2 an amp on high beam on 12v systems
Perfect for even the most feeble charging systems found on many pre and post war bikes with 40 watt Lucas, Miller and BTH dynamos - E3HM, E3N, DVR etc
Tommy
"Hi Don,
We’ve re-designed the FC2A headlamp bulb to give a better beam pattern but our manufacturer are taking their time producing a sample for us to test, hence the delay in re-stocking.
I will flash it up on our homepage as soon as we have them and you and others can then order.
Meantime, can you spread the word via the forum as I see several others are saying they haven’t had replies from me.
I have replied to all emails but I’m getting random bounced back emails from some addresses (not just these).
I have re-sent them but still they bounce back even though the email address seems correct.
Regards,
Peter J Jury
Founder, Director & Head of Engineering
CDRC Limited
“Ducit via per nostrum ministerium qualis ........”
If your 6 volt charging system is working I would not change it
If you upgrade to this headlight bulb and change the other bulbs already listed you will have plenty of spare power just by changing the headlight bulb and tail/brake bulb
# FC2A headlight bulb
# AA2A tail/brake bulb
Website: www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com
FC2A bulb
Our new "Double Dipper" range of bright white direct replacement LED bulbs is the answer to this age old problem.
Replaces standard twin filament headlamp bulbs.
Multi voltage - Each bulb will work on both 6v and 12v systems (one bulb suits both voltages)
Positive and negative earth variants
Absolute minimal current consumption
1/2 an amp on dipped beam - 1 amp on high beam on 6v systems
1/4 of an amp on dipped beam - 1/2 an amp on high beam on 12v systems
Perfect for even the most feeble charging systems found on many pre and post war bikes with 40 watt Lucas, Miller and BTH dynamos - E3HM, E3N, DVR etc
Tommy
Emailed Peter, who replied the FC2A has been redesigned, not out of manufacturing yet. Was hoping Nov 2018 but the pc board was not mfgrd correctly so there's been a delay.
As mentioned above, I am completing the 12V conversion this winter which means that all my 6V LED bulbs
need to be replaced.
Has anyone switched to 12V LED bulbs? If so, a listing of the bulbs and a vendor would be helpful.
Thanks,
Herb...
I bought an H4 headlight conversion from Vech and recently fitted a Cyclops H4 LED bulb in it. It has a ballast and turbo fan that take up some space, but it all fits in the shell without a problem. The light from this bulb is magnitudes better than any incandescent. I also have an LED tail/brakelight conversion--also from Vech--and LED bulbs in my turn signals and in the running lights in my saddlebags.
You can Google Cyclops and find the latest version of their headlight bulb. It's not cheap, but I think it's worth it. I'll dig up my receipts and post a list of the various other bulbs I bought on Amazon.
I haven't bothered with the small bulbs for the speedo and charge indicator and neutral lights.They're just standard 12V incandescents.
EDIT: The LEDs I bought for my brake/running lights and turn signals are from "iBrightstar" on Amazon. I bought the 1157 ((two contacts) lights for my brake/running lights and 1156 (single contact) lights for the turn signals. For the lights on the rear I selected the "brilliant red" color and for the front turn signals I chose "amber."
(FWIW, I fitted these same bulbs on my '59 Mercedes and easily doubled the amount that old beater puts out.)
http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com
Headlight BA20D
#FC2A 6-12 volts
Brake/Tail Light BAY15D
#CB2A 21/5 W 12 volt red diffused
Parking Light BA9S
# AD1A or DE1C 12 volt clear
Plate light BA15S
# CB1B 5W 12volt clear
Also bought the 1157 brilliant red" from "iBrightstar" on Amazon for my Tail/Brake light that Jon has mentioned and works very well
Much better than original and uses much less current
https://www.amazon.com/iBrightstar-Newest-Extremely-replacement-Brillian...
Tommy
If your 6 volt charging system is working I would not change it
If you upgrade to this headlight bulb and change the other bulbs already listed you will have plenty of spare power just by changing the headlight bulb and tail/brake bulb
# FC2A headlight bulb
# AA2A tail/brake bulb
Website: www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com
FC2A bulb
Our new "Double Dipper" range of bright white direct replacement LED bulbs is the answer to this age old problem.
Replaces standard twin filament headlamp bulbs.
Multi voltage - Each bulb will work on both 6v and 12v systems (one bulb suits both voltages)
Positive and negative earth variants
Absolute minimal current consumption
1/2 an amp on dipped beam - 1 amp on high beam on 6v systems
1/4 of an amp on dipped beam - 1/2 an amp on high beam on 12v systems
Perfect for even the most feeble charging systems found on many pre and post war bikes with 40 watt Lucas, Miller and BTH dynamos - E3HM, E3N, DVR etc
Tommy
Emailed Peter, who replied the FC2A has been redesigned, not out of manufacturing yet. Was hoping Nov 2018 but the pc board was not mfgrd correctly so there's been a delay.
Just received new redesigned headlight bulb FC2A today
Nice and bright in garage
Will field test this spring
1 amp on high beam on 6v systems
Current X Voltage= Watts
High Beam 1x6= 6 Watts !!!
Tommy
From the recommendations on this tread, I bit the bullet and ordered a headlamp and taillight/stop light bulb from CDRC. I ordered it on a Wednesday, and it got here the following Tuesday. Not cheap, but a fabulis bulb combination. The head light is way brighter as is the tail, but most striking is the stop light. You can now actually see it!
One quirk I had was the head light was on bright no matter what the position of the dipper switch. After a bit of messing around, I discovered that if I had the red “high beam indicator” light connected it would fire both high and low beams regardless of dipper switch position. For now I have simply taken off the lead to the high beam indicator lamp. I’m not sure what is causing the problem, as I have had trouble with the dipper switch, and the main board in the bucket (electrical fire...long story, had to rebuild the board and redo most of the in the bucket wiring) so I’m guessing that some how the indicator bulb is messing with the headlight bulb.
All in all very impressed and someday when it warms up I will play with the wring and see if I can sort it. In any case, the trade off for a good head light (where people can actually see YOU) makes a great improvement.
Thanks for this thread,
Icarus
Try reversing the 2 wires connected to the headlight bulb
Tommy
Glad you are so satisfied too James! You are probably referring to my comment - and recommendation - in a thread of december last year titled "H4 LED headlight for the /2". of course, I heard it from someone else too.
Best regards,
Frank
Frank Louwers (Belgium) 1967 R69S