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Auxiliary Lights for R1150

JRD

Live the Dream
Auxiliary Lights for R1150R

I'm thinking about getting a pair of auxiliary lights for my 2003 R1150R. Motolights or PIAA 1100X look best to me right now. What are your experiences with these products? Are there others you like?

Re Motolights: fork or caliper mount preferred?

Re PIAA 1100X: will the stock mounting hardware work for a caliper mount; if not, what are the options?

Re both: what is the quality of the wiring harnesses, instructions, and ease of installation? Cost of maintenance/replacement bulbs? Durability?

In the dark,

Joe D
 
Joe I have fork mount Motolights, and I am very happy with them. With caliper mount, you have to take them off when servicing the brakes, and I would wonder about heat from the calipers getting to the lights. they are a snap tp install, and the quality of the components are great. Bulbs are replaced for the life of the lights. they are cheap at the home center if you want to change types and wattage.
 
Motolights

lorazepam,

Do you have a photo of your motolights on your bike? I've been considering getting a set for my R1100s. I just haven't seen any on a bike yet.

Also, anyone have any opinions on the HID conversion headlight kits? Worthwhile or not?


Thanks...
 
Joe
Just installed a set of Motolights on my bike a few weeks ago. I have the caliper mount type. I picked this type just because I thought it made a cleaner installation. Just had a chance to use them this past weekend after coming back from a round of golf in Greenville SC. My biggest need for auxillary lights are the mountain roads that I ride. The ability to see into a sharp corner is what I now have with the Moto's. I also was never flashed by oncoming cars as I leave them on all the time. I replaced the "stock 35w bulbs with the 55w bulbs that they offer.

As far as the installation, I guess I'm just not much of a mechanic. The instructions said to allow for approx 2 hours and it took me about 5-6 hours. The instructions don't allow for different types of bikes and don't specifically address the concerns that BMW ABS owners have. Having said that, I made a call to Motolight to address a couple of concerns I had the night before I actually started the installation. Tina, the owner of the company picked up the phone and said that she and her husband would be on the road to Daytona on the Saturday that I was installing these lights. She gave me her cell number as well as her husbands and said please call us if you have any problems, " We'll be on the road". I did have a concern the next day and sure enough I left a message for Tina's husband Rob and he returned my call about 30 minutes later as they were checking into a hotel. Pretty cool customer service.

Overall a very satisfied customer and I would recommend the Motolights.

James O
03 R1150RS
 
Will the Motolights take the more powerful 55w bulbs without any change to the Motolight wiring harness or switch?

Willl the stock BMW R1150R electrics handle two 55w lights without modifications?

Thanks, Joe
 
Absolutely. The 55w bulbs are offered by Motolights themselves. I don't know at what point Motolight would not recommend a certain wattage but the 55's are no problem
 
Motolights not for long range

Joe,

I have caliper-mounted Motolights on my 1100R. They're very well made and they work fine as long as you understand that they are not long-range lights. They're excellent for conspicuity and for short-range, wide-angle lighting (excellent cornering lights), but they are not lights that will punch a deep hole in the night. For that you need something much brighter and with a much more focused beam.

For the longer-range lights on my 1100R I was not impressed with the various PIAA models I looked at, and ended up with a pair of 5-inch Eagle Eye lights. These are 100 watts each with a very long-range oval beam. These lights were originally designed for off-road racing and are therefore extremely rugged. On an 1100R or 1150R they are also very easy to mount; see the earlier thread on these lights and the simple mounting brackets.

Photo of my 1100R with the caliper-mounted Motolights and the higher-mounted Eagle Eyes:

BMW_R1100R_IMG_0833.jpg
 
New for the GS

I just read Marco Pozzo's note to the GS list where he compares Touratech's new Hella HID kit for the factory 1150GS high beam with his existing PIAA aux lamps. I am saving up for this kit, as fast as I can. It is designed explicitly for the 1150GS, and installation looks simple. I trust Hella, more than some others, for long term support of the pieces. The HID lamp takes less power than the stock lamp, so you don't need complex wiring and new fuses.

I have avoided riding in the country at night. I have lost one friend to a deer incident, and another friend will never ride again because of another of Bambi's cousins. If I am going to ride at night with some minimal impunity, I gotta have light.

My GS came from its first owner with two little PIAA 1100s. They were mounted with sticky tape, and were in the path of the new Parabellum windscreen, so they've been resting in the closet. I just ordered Micatech's titanium light bar (great ordering service from this company) and PIAA 1100 mounting adapters for installation this weekend. My pal John Ryan has two driving lamps mounted on his front end, and I have been impressed with how visible he is to cages in the daytime. Riding ahead of him, I pick him out instantly in the crowd, even in my rear view mirror.

So, my thesis is: the PIAAs will give old Jim conspicuity, and the HID high beam will allow me to spot Bambi in time to be slowing down a LOT before we meet.

Now, where was that thread on replacing alternator belts? :confused:
 
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Hey gang, I just mounted up some PIAA 1100X Lights on my 1150RS using the RBR manufacturing light bar out of Weare NH.
The owner Wade Fowler is a nice guy and gave me all kinds of help putting the whole thing together. He has some really cool light bars for the GS models. You can check out his web site at www.rbrmanufacturing.com
I will post a picture of the lights and bar when I get this forum thingy figured out.
I really like the results of the new lights I think that daytime running will make me much more conspicuos and the night time riding will just plain benefit.
just my two cents.
See ya'all on the road,

james:thumb
 
75 w Motolights

I mounted a set of caliper mount Motolights and then installed 75W spots I picked up at Home Depot for about $ 5 ea......I then installed a Piaa Super White 80/80 ...= to a 135/125 bulb. The Piaa gives me mucho distance and the Moto's fill in the balnk quite nicely...on our trip to Deal's Gap last December, the guys in the group said I looked like a 747 coming in.......lottsa light .
 
Light pics

Here are the motolights, with the fork mounts. I finally got around to getting a picture.
 

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Here is a view of where I put the switch. The left turn indicator is pointing toward it. I have the gps mounted with velcro, and I will use one of the adhesives that garmin provides. I have to rotete the unit toward me to get the key out, but it is a low cost alternative to a complex mount. I would rather take out just a plastic one than some aluminum cheese slicer mounted in front of me.
 

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I have caliper mounted MotoLights on my 1150GS Adventure & Love them. I have the 55w lamps installed & I could not be happier. I like the idea of the 75w lamps. I may have to look into that.
 
Looking for custom mounts for the R1150gs

I just recently purchased a R1150GS, and I'm also looking for additional fog/driving lights. I suffer from bad night vision and need all the help I could get. I was told that there is a specific mount that could be mounted right under the front fender and would use the existing holes and screws that are already on the bike. I also heard that you could hard wire and integrate these lights into the brights switch. I also need to replace the larger of the 2 bulbs in the existing headlights. Does anyone have a suggestion of a more effective aftermarket bulb that sheds more light?
 
IDWOLF,motolights have a brake caliper mount,and fender mount for their lights if you wish not to mount them with the fork straps,and WWW.CYCLEGADETS.COM sells a device called AUTO SWITCH DRIVING LIGHT CONTROL. You can order one for use of the high beam switch or one made for BMW motocycles only wich uses the turn signal cancel switch to turn your driving lights on and off. Cool stuff check it out.
 
Re: Looking for custom mounts for the R1150gs

IDWOLF said:
I just recently purchased a R1150GS, and I'm also looking for additional fog/driving lights. I suffer from bad night vision and need all the help I could get. I was told that there is a specific mount that could be mounted right under the front fender and would use the existing holes and screws that are already on the bike. I also heard that you could hard wire and integrate these lights into the brights switch. I also need to replace the larger of the 2 bulbs in the existing headlights. Does anyone have a suggestion of a more effective aftermarket bulb that sheds more light?

You should hook up with knary. He's right there in PDX with you. He's got some nice lights on his bike and I don't think he spent a fortune on them either.
 
lorazepam said:
Here is a view of where I put the switch. The left turn indicator is pointing toward it. I have the gps mounted with velcro, and I will use one of the adhesives that garmin provides. I have to rotete the unit toward me to get the key out, but it is a low cost alternative to a complex mount. I would rather take out just a plastic one than some aluminum cheese slicer mounted in front of me.

Hi,

I just bought an R1100RS and was wondering how to mount the Garmin StreetPilot. Does that really hold it OK?

I like the lights on your bike too.

Jim :brow
 
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