I have the round Honda LED's in my B. They do light up the road right in front of you but not far down the road, plus they are not cheap.
On my 2015 Valkyrie I have Pathfinder's LED's with the blinkers. I think they look better and a little brighter in front of you.
On my B I replaced the factory headlights with LED Pathfinder's and they really light up the ditch's.
So I think the cowl light are more for being seen by other drivers than throwing light down the road.