LED Bulbs for a Commando

Useful.

I did try a no-name H4 LED and the beam was dreadful. But the AUXITO one sounds promising. I've seen H4 LEDs where the dip beam remains on when the high beam is on, almost doubling the light output. Has anyone tried these?

As for the stop/tail, £20 for a saving of 0.5A on the tail light is debatable. Stop light's not on long enough to bother about. But if it turns out to be more reliable, and an LED should be more robust and longer lasting, it's something to think about.

Norman's interesting post with the Auxito H4 9003 mirrors my own experience. They're dual polarity so work on +/- earth but results may vary according to the H4 glass insert fitted.
Mint condition legend the Cibié Z180 on Commando and Atlas has the typical sharp cutoff and a bright crisp pattern day or night with an Auxito or similar, a 2023 Hella H4 is the same. Both bikes have twin relays for Hi/Lo beams.
However the Hella has a V shaped dark spot in the centre on low beam with different brand LED H4s I tried (and returned on eBay) Not good on corners at night as the centre of the road isn't as well lit.

A good stop/tailight is an essential safety feature given the small size of most vintage British lenses. The large Lucas Type 917 on a Mk3 is really only a small oval light and benefits from a brighter LED. This should be positive earth in red to match the lens color for a more intense red light, a white LED can give a washed out look. However I'm using a white LED in a new Lucas 917 lens on my Mk3. It's still a deep red and lights the number plate.
I fitted better aluminium reflectors under the lens for added visibility. Very important along with a good LED headlight on a rainy night when you're soaked through, freezing, lonely, frightened and hungry a long long way from home.

Positive earth red or white 380 21w/5w stop/tailight LEDs for the Commando are around £22 a pair or cheaper on eBay. 
An equivalent single Lucas at £19.70 is taking the mickey just like overpriced H4 LEDs from some BritBike/ classic car suppliers.
I've kept the standard non LED Mk3 indicators using Phillips Vision Plus 21w bulbs and the original Mk3 flasher unit. Effective and 100% reliable over high miles.

What a usefull thread . For those who have not tried LED , i have fitted both front  pilot and rear stop/tail led's  on my 99 and would not now be without them.  Main dip will be next.  My only issue is .what to do with the excess current generated.

Also don't be put of by the compact headlamp versions which most are these days as they tend to get over the heat issue by limiting current when the lamp gets hot. I have an old Compact Twenty20 and it does not dim in use. I choose this type which I think most are these days as it has the same fitting envelope as the standard H4 as it does not have the big heat sink that you can see on some of the early versions of LED H4. 
If you MOT the bike with an LED headlamp bulb don't let the tester tell you it is illegal. Yes, replacing LED for halogen on a car is illegal but for a motorcycle it is not. The regulations for motorcycle only say light source which needs to be capable of giving the correct beam pattern which is checked by the tester. Providing it gives the correct beam pattern then the light source can be anything you like. 

Robert, your answer could be heated grips! 
Dan 

I fitted one of Paul Goff's Daylighter LEDs and thorougly recommend them. Both elements are lit on main beam.

http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffyWhyNotLEDs.htm

As others have pointed out, LED stop/tail lamps have the advantage of having red light sources, so none of the lumens get filtered out by the lens.

And if you buy the kind sold by Goff they also have white LEDs positioned to shine on one's number plate.

Do LED headlight bulbs like the Auxito get hot?  My wiring is completely modified and my headlamp shell is just crammed with additional wires, connector blocks and relays and I worry that the heat from the H4 Halogen could melt cables which touch the back of the headlamp shell so I was thinking of swapping it for an LED, but reading Ashley's comment about how they get over the heat issue has given me doubts that I will allay my fears with an LED bulb. 

I haven't ridden in the dark for years so it's not such an issue, but having a daytime running light option seems like good sense. 

Your comment on LED temperatures made me think of something else. I like a bit more light, although reliability (vibrations and halogen filaments) is a bigger pro.

Yet, I find these bright white LED lights a pain to look into. I wouldn't want to be 'one of those' and happily adjust my pace to whatever visibility is offered by the lamp, if that means I don't dazzle or distract oncomers. I read somewhere that white light does distract, even if it doesn't blind you, which is my finding too. 

The other thing is purely a matter of aesthetics. I do like the amber glow of old machines. Gives them character. A piercing white light just looks off. This should in no way affect safety, but aren't there any LED lights out there that do provide enough light without being so terribly white?

Great start of this topic, by the way. To add to this, after nearly hitting a roe deer last summer on my 6V Model 50, I converted to a (pre-focus) Lucas WW13090HP light, which is suitable for 6-24V. It does let me actually see a bit more, but there's little to no difference in dip and main beam brightness, except for the light pattern.

It does help me get home safer and I must admit that on a rainy highway at night, it's nice to actually be noticeable, but I still dislike the bright white and feel guilty for dazzling people.