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Driving Lights

exharleyscott

New member
Looking for some input on driving lights. I like the clean look of the pia tucked inside the faring. I also think the caliper mounted Moto lights seem like a good idea. Is there a big difference between frame mounted compared to fork mounted. I guess I am looking for the best for my $$$.
 
Talk to Lorezapam

He's the king of doing right for those with a lean wallet.
 
I'm interested in this as well. Caliper mounts seem to make sense from a visibility standpoint (larger triangle) but the are close to the ground and closer to the road hazards, and they are right down at the end of the shock - where it shakes a lot. Could you guys who have some experience with RT light mounting let us know which brakets and where you got them? Thanks!
 
The Saeng Nite Cutters have a strong and off color beam that is yellowish. This is very conspicuous in the day time and I am convinced that it has been helpful in keeping vehicles from turning left in front of me (in particular a restored 50's vintage fire truck, out on a sunday afternoon, that juddered and locked up the tires as I approached). At night the lights bolster my low beam, but most important they allow me to use the word conspicuity. :wave
 
Hella FF50

There was a recent discussion on the LDRider list about the best "budget" driving lights. The consensus seemed to focus (pun intended) on the Hella FF50 light as providing a very good lighting level for a bargain price. I had recently purchased a pair for my K100LT prior to the discussion, but have not used them extensively enough to say that they are great for all circumstances, but I am very pleased with the look and performance. I am currently bidding on a set for my R100GS.
Price? I paid less than $40 including shipping from one of the e-Bay stores who constantly have them in their inventory. Do a search for Hella FF50 on e-Bay to see what you can buy at a reasonable cost. The kit came with wiring harness, switch, and relay.
Check it out, this could work for you.
 
The Moto lights are excellent for fill in lighting and conspicuity, but don't confuse them with driving lights, they just don't get down the road a great distance. The Hella FF50 is an excellent driving light, especially as it is a great price bargain. I live in the country where it gets dark! The Hella's really throw an excellent beam.
 
moto

I do not drive a lot at night, but I have been very happy with my caliper mounted Moto Lites, when I do. I also run them during the day.
 
I really like the caliper mounted Moto-Lights. I use them day & night & I have been told they really make you visible to other riders/drivers. Another advantage to the lights mounted lower & to the fork it that they steer with the bike & are less offensive to on-coming traffic.

They are very high quality & look like they are stock. I replaced the lamps with 55w wide MR16's. You can get these at any hardware store for about $10.00 each.

This is my bike last year before a bunch of modifications. I had the Moto-Lights installed at the dealer when I took delivery.
15508574-M.jpg
 
I like the MotoLights too- they really punch a good hole in the dark! I do prefer the fork-leg mount though, because the mounting band allows you to angle the light sslightly outward. I found that having them pointed straight ahead made the beams overlap and just make one bright circle in the middle of the lane. I angled them out so I can see all over the place, including any critters that may be lurking on the roadside.
I also mounted them way up high at the very top of the sliders. See the pic I posted in the mesh pants thread for a good look at where mine are mounted. The reason is better light penetration into the distnace- f'rinstance if I'm not on a really smooth road, fewer shadowy spots will be generated, or more of the low spots along side will be illuminated. I like to see ALL of my surroundings ahead. Also a good fringe benefit of the higher mounting location is that the lights are much less likely to be damaged if the bike goes down. A minor consideration of course, but good nevertheless. The higher mount gives them greater conspicuity value as well.
 
Moto Lights Waiting

I just added the calier mounted moto lights on my 04 r1150 rt. Over all the project took about 4 hours. It was the first time I removed the entire side panel. Install instructions were pretty easy. Just waiting for the 7 inches of snow the fell last night to melt so I can actually use them and adjust the beam.
 
Another vote for caliper-mounted Motolights

I put 'em on my K1200GT for daytime conspicuity, but was astonished at how they flood the road with light at night. Added to the stock headlight's illumination, they make a huge difference.
I like the clean look of the caliper mount and the brushed aluminum finish. I also like that I can buy replacement bulbs very inexpensively at Wal-Mart and install them myself. But I haven't needed to replace one yet in about 15,000 miles.
 
HID the only reasonable light

Why waste your money on second class lights? Replace the headlight with a HID system and stop fooling around. Price is similar.
Jim ;)
 
GS Tom said:
There was a recent discussion on the LDRider list about the best "budget" driving lights. The consensus seemed to focus (pun intended) on the Hella FF50 light as providing a very good lighting level for a bargain price.

I bought two sets off FF50s (one for each of my GS Adventures), each to be mounted on a TerraNova light bar.

I paid about $65 for my first set of FF50s. The second set came from Cabela's when they had the kit on for $29.99.

There may be better lights out there, but do I really need to see 2 miles down the road? I don't.
 
Look who's coming

Well the snow finally melted and I am happy to report I am impressed with my motolights. While they may not blast light out past my high beams, they do a great job of making me visable during the day time and lighting up the area off to my sides more then the standard RT lights do.

When riding to meet up with some friends they just counld not stop commenting on how much light was being thrown and how visable I was.
 
I went with the Motolights and I am quite pleased with them so far. Nice clean mounting and pretty easy to hook up on the RT.I am also pleased with the amount of light put out, even at highway speeds. Thanks for all of your input.
 
Auxilary Lighting

I have a set of PIAA 1200s on my R1150RS "04" vintage.
They are mounted to the bike using a mount from RBR manufacturing.
I really like the set up, not the cheapest on the market but one of the best
mounts I have ever seen or used. I may change the lights out but I will be
keeping the Light bracket.
RBR is an advertiser in the MOA.

hope this helps,

James
 
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