6v Lucas 525 LED stop and tail light

Description

This 19 LED array is the brightest 6 volt stop and tail light unit available and provides excellent illumination of the Lucas 525 style of rear light fitted to many classic motorcycles and cars produced in the mid-1950s. It is compatible with both positive and negative earth 6v electrical systems with internal circuitry to automatically adapt to the motorcycle’s polarity.

It is a dual intensity lamp which means that all of the LEDs illuminate for the tail light function and then they all become even brighter when the brake is applied. This gives excellent illumination of the rear lamp with a clear difference between the tail and stop light functions.

The light unit is comprised of a circular array of 19 bright red LEDs. We also have a white LED version available, however we recommend the red LED version for use with the Lucas 525 rear light unit as it gives superior brightness and makes it glow a deep red colour which is very visible to following motorists. The white LED version gives slightly better number plate illumination with some styles of rear light, but not with the Lucas 525 type so we suggest using the red LED version for this application.

The LED has the standard BAY15D dual contact offset pin base which is sometimes also known as the 1157 fitment. It has been tried and tested installed inside a Lucas 525 rear lamp and has been found to fit perfectly. The large circular array of LEDs gives excellent visibility of the stop and tail light functions which is as good, if not actually a little better, than the standard filament bulb.

The Lucas 525 (L252) tail light

The Lucas 525 tail lamp (sometimes also known as a L525) was a popular rear lamp fitted to countless motorcycles in the mid-1950s.  It was used by a number of manufacturers including BSA, AJS, Matchless, Ariel, Royal Enfield, James and Triumph amongst many others.  It uses a twin filament bulb to give both stop and tail light functions.

It looks very similar to the slightly later Lucas 564 (L564) tail lamp but is discernible by its more tapered lens.  Lucas stopped producing the L525 lamp shortly after the slightly larger and squarer L564 model was introduced and so many motorcycles were swapped over to using the newer model.

Both the Lucas 564 and 525 tail lamps are popular for fitting to modern motorcycles such as the various new Triumph Bonneville models to replace the somewhat ugly stock tail lamps and give a more classic look.  They are often also supplied with the various ‘fender eliminator kits’ (FEK) and modern reproduction units are widely available.

Please note: This item is only the LED ‘bulb’ upgrade and does not include the Lucas rear lamp unit itself.

Additional information

Why buy this LED light?

If you’re looking for a 6v LED light upgrade for your classic Lucas 525 motorcycle or car rear lamp then this is quite simply the best there is available! It is suitable for all vehicles with a 6 volt electrics and is compatible with both negative and positive earth systems (it features internal circuit to automatically adapt to the motorcycle’s polarity).

In terms of power consumption, this LED light consumes only 0.38 watts when the tail light is on and 1.46 watts when the brakes are applied. Compare this with the 5 and 21 watt power draw from a standard 21/5W filament bulb and you’ll see that it consumes only a tiny fraction of the power. This makes it ideal for installing on classic vehicles (particularly those with dynamos) where the charging system needs a helping hand to keep the battery fully-charged. It is also a great way to free up some power to upgrade the headlamp to a higher wattage model for better illumination of the road ahead.

Alternative options

LED lights for 6 volt applications are few and far between and this LED unit is by far and away the best we have found, at least until our custom 6v Lucas 525 LED lighting board becomes available! So there aren’t any other 6 volt options at the moment.

If you’re motorcycle has a 12 volt electrical system then there are some alternatives for you to take a look at. The best of these (and we think the best currently available anywhere!) is our 12v super intensity LED stop and tail light. This features a total of 36 warm white LEDs enclosed in a glass globe and closely resembles a conventional tail light bulb in both looks and performance, except that it consumes only a tiny fraction of the power.

Buy the best!

Here at MatchlessClueless we have tried and tested countless LED lighting options and have found very few that live up to our high standards of quality and brightness. The majority of LED units on the market aren’t that good and give disappointing performance. That’s exactly the reason we started produced our own LED lighting boards in the first place!

However we have recently been able to source a few good quality LEDs which we think are good enough to offer on the MatchlessClueless website. These are not quite as good as the LED lighting boards we design and make ourselves, but they are the next best thing. All LEDs are not created equal, even is they look similar to the ones you see here. This is why we are confident in recommending and selling only the best LED lighting options for your motorcycle.