The stock headlight bulb for the Yamaha is adequate for the task at hand but if you want to take it to the next level in brightness you will need to do an MT 07 LED upgrade. Now the stock light bulb is an H4 Philips 55/60w bulb. Now for me, this was just not bright enough for all the extra riding I am doing at night.
For city driving the stock light bulb is fine but for dark country roads, I just wanted a brighter LED headlight globe. So I looked into doing an MT-07 LED headlight upgrade procedure and it was really easy.
I have tracked down three of the best LED headlight globes for a given price range and described the steps involved in changing out this light. As a side note, the same LEDs can be used for MT-09 as well.
Table of Contents
- 1 Tools needed:
- 2 Yamaha MT-07 LED headlight upgrade procedure
- 3 Best LED headlamp for MT-07 or FZ-07
- 4 Popular LED headlight for Yamaha MT07
- 5 Cheap Stock Yamaha MT-07 headlight bulb replacement
- 6 Side Running LED lights T10 / 194 / 168. Brightest T10 led bulb
- 7 How do you angle a motorcycle headlight Yamaha MT07?
- 8 Motorcycle headlight adjustment height beam angle
- 9 Fan or Fanless LED headlight bulbs?
- 10 Conclusion MT-07 headlight upgrade
Tools needed:
- 5mm Allen key
- Auxbeam H4 Dual Power LED headlight globe
- MarsAuto 2x LED T10/194 side lights – Brightest T10 led bulb around.
- Time – 1/2 hour of your precious time.
Yamaha MT-07 LED headlight upgrade procedure
This procedure will be the same for Yamaha FZ07 and MT07 Models 2014-2021 with only minor changes to the indicator location.
Start by removing the two headlight bolts near the top of the front shocks. There is one on each side. Your headlight will now be able to drop down on a hinge. Be aware there are cable clips in place so you will need to unclip some wires to give yourself some more working room.
There are 3 bulbs inside the MT07 headlight housing. 2x side T10 running lights and one H4 main lamp. The easy part is replacing the 2x side running lights, these just twist out and then the globe can pull out.
Check the polarity is correct by turning the key on your motorcycle to the Aux position and your lights will come on. If one of the MT-07 LED globes does not light up just turn it around.
If you need more working room you can unplug all of the light wire connectors. This way you can completely remove the headlamp. You can now pop-out the power connector to the front headlight bulb. It will just pull out with a bit of force.
You can now remove the black rubber waterproofing seal from around the bulb. This will give you access to the globe retaining clip that needs to be unclipped and lifted up. The stock headlight bulb can now be removed.
Install your new bright MT-07 LED H4 bulb and clip it into place with the retaining clip.
TIP: Remove the black Auxbeam H4 3 point metal sleeve and clip this into place first. This will allow the metal retaining clip to fit over it. Then install the LED light bulb and screw it in place as shown below.
If you find the high and low beams are back to front, just rotate the LED lamp 180 deg.
Be aware that aftermarket LED light bulbs for the MT07 will be longer and wider at the base depending on the models. So you may need to trim the black rubber waterproofing seal so it slips over the LED light.
If your LED headlight has an extra power driver you will need to cable tie it to a free space behind the headlamp. You can now connect up all of the other electrical connections and bolt the headlamp back into place.
Best LED headlamp for MT-07 or FZ-07
The Auxbeam H4 9003 LED Bulbs are a great midrange front headlight for the MT-07. It is cheaper than the older Cyclops H4 LED and you get two of them in a pack. (You only need one)
This is the one I put in my MT-07 and it has been running great for over a year now. I chose the Auxbeam because it has the cable coming out of the rear of the LED light. Some others have the power cable coming out of the side. This makes installation more difficult.
- Super Power: H4 9003 led bulbs use high-power CSP LED chips and 360-degree illumination.
- Bright 25W/bulb, 8000LM per pair and 6500K cool white lights. Comes in a set of two so you get a spair.
- Fanless Design: Advanced cooling system brings the most stable heat dissipation, without noise, more quieter.
- IP68 Waterproof and Dust Seal
- Dual power for high and low beams.
- Anti-vibration rubber seals.
- 50,000 hours lifetime.
- Large two-year warranty
An alternative is the famous Auxito H4 9003 LED. They are also fanless and are very popular on Amazon. I like how you can swivel the LED around to get the perfect light throw shape if the Auxbem is out of stock.
Note: Check your country’s regulations in regards to LED lights as some high-power globes could make your motorcycle unroadworthy.
Popular LED headlight for Yamaha MT07
The Cyclops H4 LED headlight for the FZ07 and MT07 is very popular as it was one of the original LED lamps for motorcycles. It has gone through a few upgrades over the years and is a direct plug-and-play option for the MT07. It is bright, compact, and comes with spacing washers so you can get the perfect light throw. The only problem is that it is an expensive globe.
It does have an extra driver pack which you will need to find space to store.
- 5600k color temperature- Chips are 38 watts, drivers run at 28 watts, bulb pulls 28 watts total.
- Removable metal base plate for easy installation.
- Screw on connectors at the driver
- Standard H4 connector
- High / Low Beams
It is an expensive LED light for the money. But well-regarded in the motorcycle community.
Cheap Stock Yamaha MT-07 headlight bulb replacement
The stock headlight bulb is a Philips 9003 HB2 12v 60/55w. This means it’s 55 watts of power on a normal running low beam and 60 watts on a high beam. The color temperature is 4000 Kelvin so it is in between yellow and day white.
These newer bulbs have a unique blue cap on the top of the globe which creates a cool blue effect in the headlamp’s reflector in the daytime.
Now you may have an HB2, 9003, or an H4 bulb. They are all the same just named different. I wish the naming standard would stay the same.
Just remember to not touch the glass bulb with your bare hands as you will leave body oil on the globe which will burn in and stain the glass.
Side Running LED lights T10 / 194 / 168. Brightest T10 led bulb
The stock running lights for the MT07 are very yellow and are not very bright. These are the two lights that are on the side of the main headlight. They are easy to replace at the same time as the front headlamp.
I use the Marsauto 194 LED Light Bulb. It has a 6000K color temperature and is compatible with 168, 194, T10. These bulbs use 3030 5 SMD LEDs and are a direct replacement for your stock MT07 side running lights. They are the brightest T10 led bulb I have come across at 300 LM.
Each 3030 SMD is running at 5w at 60LM each so this gives you the 300 lux per T10 bulb. They are very bright.
Your stock aux running lights turn on when you first turn your key to the aux-on position. As these are stock incandescent lights on my Yamaha MT07 they have an orange glow to them. As per the picture above, so I decided to change them out to the Marsauto T10/194 LED lights which will be more white in color.
If you change your main headlight to LED it is advisable to also change these side running lights. That way the LED colors will remain the same.
If you go with the Auxbeam H4 main LED headlight bulb its color temperature is 6500K. The Marsauto T10/194 LEDs are 6000k so the color temperature is just about identical. Check out the color chart below.
Each bulb has 5 pcs of high-power SMD LEDs, with a color temperature of 6000K (xenon white). The main voltage is 12V and they are not polarity sensitive. But if you do have an issue try turning them around.
My friend was using some cheaper T10 LED globes from eBay on his Kawasaki Ninja and he had to turn them around as they didn’t work. 50/50 chance hey, so make sure you test them out before bolting your lights back up.
Are T10 and 194 bulbs interchangeable?
Yes T10 is the size and 194, 168, W5W, 147, 152, 158, 159, 161, 168, 192, 193 are different bulb incandescent watts. These bulbs are commonly used in interior vehicle lights and sidelights. Some vehicles even use them for number plate lights. They are all the same physical size and can be replaced with 1 LED T10.
LED T10 bulbs will be super bright compared to older incandescent bulbs. Some cheaper LED T10 bulbs will be polarity sensitive, so if they don’t work when you fit them in try turning them around.
How do you angle a motorcycle headlight Yamaha MT07?
You don’t need to remove the headlight to adjust the beam angle. There is a slot where you can insert a Philips head screwdriver to adjust the angle both up/down and left/right.
To adjust the headlight beam (vertically), insert a crosshead screwdriver into the gap “a” in the headlight assembly, and then turn the adjusting screw.
a. Turn the adjusting screw “1“.
To adjust the headlight beam (horizontally), insert a crosshead screwdriver into the hole “B” in the headlight assembly, and then turn the adjusting screw number 2.
Motorcycle headlight adjustment height beam angle
The best way to adjust the headlight height on your motorcycle is to park in the dark on the flat ground pointed at a wall that is 25 feet away. The top of the light beam should be 33 inches high on the wall. Any higher and you will be blinding other motorists on the road.
Check the left and right alignment to make sure that the light beam is in the middle of the motorcycle.
- Park the motorcycle in a straight line to the wall.
- Position the motorcycle so that the front axle is 25 ft or 7.6 m from the wall.
- Draw a vertical line on the wall.
- Sit on your motorcycle and point the front wheel straight forward at the wall.
- Measure the distance from the floor to the center of the LED light bulb.
- Mark this same distance measured at step 5 on the wall.
- Draw a horizontal line through the vertical line on the wall that is 2.1 inches or 53.3 mm lower than the measured bulb centerline at step 5.
- Turn on your low-beam motorcycle lights.
- Adjust the headlight beam angle so that the center light hot spot is in the center of the lower mark.
- Verify headlamp alignment.
- Ride the motorcycle at night to confirm alignment.
The high beam will obviously be higher and this is ok it is only the low beam that we are concerned about. Check out the video on a quick light beam alignment.
Fan or Fanless LED headlight bulbs?
Forced fan LED headlights will keep your lights cooler than fanless LEDs, but it adds an extra point to fail. I prefer fanless LED low and high-beam headlights. The bases are usually larger due to the extra surface area needed to cool the LED.
Even though LED lights are rated to last say 30000 hours your cooling fan is not designed to last that long. I design all of my Yamaha MT 07 performance mods to last forever.
I can also hear the fan running if the motorcycle is off and the headlights are on. It is all about silent running when my motorcycle is off but the lights are on.
Check out some of the other Mt 07 upgrades I have done to my motorcycle.
Conclusion MT-07 headlight upgrade
The Yamaha MT-07 LED headlight upgrade is a very easy mod you can do to get more light out of your front headlights. It is also a fairly cheap upgrade. For under $100 I now have bright LED running lights that will last me the life of the motorcycle.
Now if you purchase high-quality LED lights you won’t have to deal with the dreaded LED turn signals not flashing or hyper blinking fix.
Just make sure to adjust the beam angle as it will change after upgrading to LED lights on your motorcycle. You don’t want to be blinding oncoming motorists with your super bright LED lights. Ride Safe.
I am a qualified Industrial Electrician for the past 20 years and I love to share my knowledge on home repair and maintenance jobs.
I love fast toys like Motorcycles, Cars, Jetskis, Boats, and Computers so writing about them is easy. Working on them is fun.
To keeps costs down I do all my own mods, repairs, and servicing. These skills I want to share with everyone. DIY is a skill everyone can learn.
Wow this is great write up!