Modern Vespa

I've been upgrading the lighting on my GTS a little bit at a time, but I think I'm finally done. I had previously installed an Admore kit in my Givi V46 and also installed the ScooterWest DRL kit for the legshield lights. I had also swapped the 194 bulb in the horncast light for LED.

The ScooterWest kit was simple to install and works exactly as it should. But I was disappointed that the white LEDs for the running lights were only on the ends of the LED and did not fill the housing with light, so it looked pretty weak. I also tinted the legshield lenses with hyper yellow fog light film, an homage to the Ferrari GT road racing cars.

I decided to upgrade the 1157 LEDs with some from Amazon that have white and amber on the sides and ends and they are a huge improvement (might almost be too much). They definitely fill up the housing completely. I also bought and installed an OPT7 H4 LED from Amazon that is also extremely bright. Looks to have good cutoff when aimed at the garage door. I also added some amber LED strips to the legshield beading to provide additional turn signals that are highly visible from the side.

The H4 headlight upgrade required some customization. I had to modify the locking ring and the dust cup on the back side of the housing. This was needed to accommodate the integrated cooling fan and this does not interfere with anything else inside the headset. The ballast for the light is tiny, so no issues with that.

In summary, I have a lot more illumination on all sides of the bike with a nominal increase in electrical draw. The only bulbs I haven't swapped are in the gauge cluster and rear tail light and turn signals. Enjoy the pics below.

Well done - that looks great.

looks great! LEDs on Leg shields, Great Idea!

A few other pics

Dang, that's sweet! 8)

Looks like my next project. ...

CrazyCarl - Wow! Thanks for blazing the way to a complete LED bike. I love it. I've been think about this for some time. You did a GREAT job! You saved many of us hours/days trying to figure out the parts and procedures.

+1!

My motivation for LEDs is getting more lumens (brightness) per watt of power used given the limited power availability on the 250. I don't ride much at night but wanted to be "brighter" and more visible during the day, especially since most of my riding is on twisty roads. Its like riding with headlights on in a car. You're just more visible. I note that not everyone agrees with my strategy. Some think it might be too bright and blind other drivers, even during the day. I don't think I can be too bright. Just my opinion. Cheers.

Best
Miguel

Did you change the flasher or just use the load resistors? Resistors draw amps and Scooterwest sells an electronic flasher that is not load dependent and gives you self cancelling turning signals.

I just swapped the Scooter West LEDS for the new ones from Amazon. I had purchased the switchback kit from SW so the flash function works correctly with the supplied harness - truly plug and play. I've had zero operational issues with the SW kit.

The OPT7 H4 LED draws 40W compared to the 55W halogen and is rated at 3500 lumens. Most standard Halogen H4 bulbs will be about 1500-1800 lumens. The locking ring has to be milled a bit to fit the new bulb. I used my dremel with a medium grinding stone in a dremel drill press to give me precise control. It took about 20 mins, with multiple fitment checks to be sure - I didn't want to grind away too much, so I was not very aggressive with this.

The H4 LED is 6000K temp, so a bit bluer than I wanted, but puts a nice bright spot on the pavement about 35 feet ahead of me on Low. I'll need to ride a bit more in dark conditions to really know it's impact, but it's much brighter and stronger than the halogen.

https://www.amazon.com/OPT7-Motorcycle-Headlight-Arc-Beam-99-Clear/dp/B00WVJR0D8/ref=pd_ybh_a_9?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=AZFW4TGEW07MJ3KRCJWV

1157 switchback LEDs, there are some cheaper ones available, but it's only $10 more...

https://www.amazon.com/JDM-ASTAR-Extremely-Switchback-Brightest/dp/B00RV417XM/ref=pd_ybh_a_9?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PQCNV3ZPE4DQC6EBTFBJ

that supplied harness has resistors in it. That is why the flash rate is correct. An electronic flasher does not care about the load and flashes at one rate. You are losing some amperage in the adapter.

Nice!

Thanks for the info Carl. I've got the LED kit from Scooter West in the garage, awaiting cooler weather before I go play in the garage. Now, I'll order the replacement LEDs. Nice, thanks again.

Paul

I got the kit from Scooterwest. It was easy to install it and the results are amazing.

The kit installed in about 20 mins and has been working flawlessly for the last 2 years. My only letdown was the bulbs, and the replacements I found have worked great! Much better illumination.

I also installed the LED Headlight Kit from Scooters West and I am very happy with the results. MUCH brighter! Also installed the LED top box kit, again very impressed.

If you are installing the GTV version, see my notes on an installation trick.

Love the Scooterwest LED package. Others might be just as good but I only installed the SW version.

Best
Miguel

I used the Scooterwest kit for my fronts and while it's plug and play easy, the amber is yellowish and sickly looking and not nearly as bright as the switchback amber/white I wired myself on the back. It's quite easy to do a switchback conversion in back or front and also not hard to do the red LED's into your rear flasher housings. I used a 9/16" forstner bit to drill my housings and bought the wedge bulb holders on Amazon which insert with only minor alteration of the rubber base. I also bought LED bulbs on Amazon for tail & brake lights-now have 4 very bright, red LED's that flash 4 times with brakes, then steady on with amber/white flasher/indicator combo lights all around.

I sourced the brake light modulator directly from the mfg. online for $14.95 @ www.3rdbrakeflasher.com
Made in USA, and instructions are posted online, it's tiny and an easy hook up that fits inside your brake light lens.
My HL remains an H4 halogen but a very bright Phillips Extreme Vision bulb that lasts as long as the regular version.
No pictures forthcoming but I can tell you what bulbs I used and where and help walk anyone through the do-over.

There has been a lot of discussion on the board recently about the use of LED bulbs in the OEM headlight assembly, both pro and con. My results were very good with a high quality bulb and good headlight aiming. But with the availability of a new dedicated LED Projector headlight assembly and some good initial reviews from another thread, I decided to take the plunge and update this thread.

Available on Amazon currently for $189 USD, this manufacturer (Atoplite) also has assemblies for other current Vespa models. I'm not trying to sound like a shill...They also make aftermarket lights for Yamaha, BMW, and Camaros. It's well-made, the rear of the housing is steel and it's a fair bit heavier than the OEM.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JGB8W6R/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Install is really quite simple. You have to take the headset apart, just as you would to replace the headlight bulb. Once the headset is apart and the electrical is disconnected, you undo the 4 screws holding the OEM bucket in place and that slips out the front headset piece. The new unit comes with new hardware to attach to the existing mounting points. It's a little fiddly, but certainly not difficult to align the 4 mounting points. Then reconnect the electrical and reassemble the headset.

There is no adjusting screw with the new unit, which is a bit of an engineering oversight. The projector lenses are pointed distinctly downward. If you think you need to adjust the aiming, you'll need to add washers as spacers inside the headset according to your needs.

It is quite a bit brighter than the 4000 lumen OPT7 LED I installed 2 years ago. Low beam cutoff is very sharp, and there is no light scatter - this is due to the purpose built projectors in the unit. It puts a bright white and nicely formed spread of light down onto the road, although I do wish it was pointed a bit further out. I have noticed when stopped behind cars in traffic, there is a great cutoff of the light below the trunk/decklid of most cars and SUVs - so no blinding of cagers. The high beam offers an additional small and focused oval of light directly ahead, it does not seem to scatter light in every direction. I have not really had a chance to test the high beam, and I do think it could be an issue for oncoming traffic. I will definitely have to be judicious in its use.

Overall - it's quite an improvement over the LED bulb in the OEM bucket. But it's pricey (I used an Amazon gift card from workplace rewards program to pay for it). It's well made, install is dead simple, and I like the blacked out look of it aesthetically. See pics below...

Another Christmas gift for the GTS was a new LED Tail/Brake light assembly. I got this while it was on sale at Scooterwest for $89 USD in November (a killer deal). At $179 currently, you might hold off to see if it goes back on sale.

This unit is from Zelioni, and it's very well made. It replaces the running, brake, and plate lighting with leds. Install is dead simple, a single screw to remove the OEM unit and disconnect the electrical lead. I didn't even have to remove the crashbars. Connect the electrical to the new unit, slide into place and tighten the single screw.

This is a 5 minute job at most to complete.

The new tail function produces a squarish halo that is eye catching. Applying the brakes illuminates the very bright LED cluster inside the halo.

I'm pleased with this upgrade, especially since I got it on such a great sale.

I think it looks neat too and might have bought one myself had I known about the deal.
I do have the same concern (as I have for LED aftermarket HL replacement's) that if/when a self-contained unit goes out you might be left with no brake lights.

I'm not trying to be a naysayer or devils advocate but can say that my LED brake lights if bad can be replaced with an incandescent bulb from any box store. I've had LED's on several MC's in the rear for safety and had them go out like electronics sometimes do.

So, after about a month of the LED rear lights in; how are they doing? Any burn out like he mentioned?

Wow...the new setup (front and rear) looks quite intriguing. Count me in among those here waiting to hear how these are working once you've used them for a while.

Available for the Vespa Sprint 150, GL, Super, GT, too.
https://www.amazon.com/ATOPLITE-Headlight-Replacement-Angel-Sprint/dp/B07BL6BS1H/ref=sr_1_15?adgrpid=57285649636&hvadid=282887429472&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1027028&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1o1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6359311357890880904&hvtargid=kwd-475642028125&keywords=atoplite&qid=1551202691&s=gateway&sr=8-15&tag=googhydr-20

So January and February are not prime riding season in Ohio, but I have been out a handful of times (maybe 200 miles or so) and so far no issues.

My riding season will start in earnest around mid to late March. Once I have put a few thousand miles on with the new lights, I'll feel better about reporting back on any reliability issues.

It's been about a year and a half since the install of the new headlight and brake/tail unit. I've covered roughly 8000 miles since the installs.

Both are still working excellently, no issues at all. The switchback kit on the front also still works great with no issues.

I have had some flickering issues with the Admore Light kit in the Givi topcase. It's a minor loose connection that needs addressing.

Otherwise, all of these upgrades are working very well.