Honda ST1300 LED Headlight swap F2 / H4
 

There is a lot of information on the web about LED headlights for the ST1300. The technology behind them has been getting better as time goes by. September of 2018 is when I placed an order with Amazon for "F2" type H4 style bulbs. A thread on st-owners.com pointed out what the current status of the bulbs were. The cost was about $25 per bulb for the "Safego" version. IF I had wanted to wait AND deal directly with China, I could have gotten them for about $38. I preferred dealing with a US distributor. Warranty issues are much easier to take care of when you don't have a 12 hour shift in time between parties.
The F2 is a CREE LED with a color temperature of 6000 Kelvin which makes it very white! The difference between the stock halogen and the LED is amazing. The improvement in daytime visibility and nightime illumination is remarkable.
Installation is straitforward. No shims are needed and the worst thing that is needed is to remove bottom two tabs for proper fitting.I cut them off with a set of diagonal wire cutters then filed down the rough edge til smooth. The F2 mounting ring is made of cast aluminum so filing the tabs is easy. After reading a ton of posts and watching videos on removing the headlights, I was ready. I accessed the connectors and the rubber gaskets from the front of the bike going in under them. The entire process of both lamps took less than a half hour. The hardest thing was figuring out where and how to secure the ballasts.
A very good posting was made on the st-riders.net website about changing the peanut bulbs as well as the headlights.

The "ring" is removable by simply pulling it forward. The included instructions say to remove the ring then install it into the vehicle securing it with the wire clamp. The silver ball in the picture is the "detent" which locks the bulb shaft into a hole on the ring, as seen above.
This is the rear view of the ring with the tabs
With the ring removed,
the tabs can be cut off and filed.
 
Making it all neat is easier when its naked.. Here's the left side.
This is the right side all neatly tied up and secured.

If you eve wondered about what all the LED fuss is about.....
I think THIS picture tells the story. Can you find the halogen bulb in the shot?
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