1157 LED "bulbs" are crap...while they may look OK in a garage...get them out in direct sunlight and you will see they are not very bright.

 

What size headlight does a 08 crossbones take? The 5-3/4? If so, try the one I linked to above that I put on the Sporty. As I said, I just had to cut the fins off the back of the thing. They are aluminum, so easy to work with. Very pleased with that headlight. At the last rally we went to, she didn't keep up with me on a U turn and I had to wait. Looking in my mirror, all the bikes going by and then I see this headlight that is like 2x as bright as everything else. That was her.

Tom, finding a replacement LED that was as bright as the 1157 was one of my goals. I think this one will do it.

 

Tom,

I think you need to reread my post. I am advocating for a rectangular shaped circuit board with numerous LED's that has two wires coming out of it that are connected to an ordinary brass fixture that looks like the base of a normal bulb that fits into the factory socket.

In running mode, it is very bright. When my brakes are pressed, the entire area behind my bike is illuminated red. It is bright enough to surprise someone behind me.

It is also substantially less expensive as the Bright *** Light that many people recommend.

I have the same type of thing in all four of my turn signals as well as my fender tips.

They are so bright that both my parents thanked me for making such a big safety improvement on my bike.

Custom Dynamics is a very good company.

I might have to find pictures of my circuit board to explain what I mean. It is nothing at all like what Doc is doing.

 

I've seen that kind of thing, Prot, and I also considered making my own. I even bought a couple of bayonet ends from SuperbrightLEDs for that purpose, but my personal desire was to K.I.S.S. it and I really just wanted a drop in replacement for the tail light. I have OK replacements for the turn signals, good replacements for the headlights, etc. I think this will work out. New ones arrive Friday, so I'll chuck up another one and turn it down this weekend.

 

I think you need to reread my post...I quoted you as a recommendation to get the circuit board instead of the cheezy "bulbs"

I have tried a dozen different kinds of them things...and every time people tell me my tail light is very dim on a sunny day...at night they look brighter than a regular bulb

 

 

I have no idea on codes. I kinda doubt a 08 Harley has headlight sensors, but I know little about them new-fangled bikes. If you disconnect the headlight, start it up and ride around the block, does it throw a code? If not, then no problem at all. If it does, then the question is how much current is it looking for. Here is what I measured some time ago:
Bulb Amps
55W/65WH4 Low 4.22
55W/65WH4 Hi 4.66
7" Truck Lite LED Low 1.49
7" Truck Lite LED Hi 3.27
Incadescent Spot 2.3
Truck Lite LED Spot 0.75
35W/35W H4 Low 2.6
35W/35W H4 Hi 2.6
HD DayMaker 5-3/4" Low 1.8
HD DayMaker 5-3/4" Hi 1.8

The amazon sourced replacement is the same as that HD DayMaker. So, 1.8 amps, high or low, versus 4.22/4.66 amps on a regular bulb. Also, given that HD sells the DayMakers for HD bikes, I kinda doubt there's a code issue.

 

 

OK, here is the bulb being "sized":



Here's the sized one in the middle, an original one on the left and an actual 1157 on the right.



Here's the bulb on the bike:



I did some more current measurements. Current in Amps:

Bulb Low High
1157 0.58 2.07
LED 0.11 0.48

So, the LED's save 470 milliamps on low. High I'm not too concerned about, as that's intermittent, but that constant on part is what you need to be on top of. Lessee, from a horse power perspective, that's saving 0.47*12= ~6W, or 0.008 Horse Power. Yo, I added Performance!!!11!!!