Thinking of adding driving lights to my XJ1100

[LCS249]

Gotcha.

They taught that in MSF training as well. "If you stare at the oncoming truck (boulder, curve, etc.), you will drive into the oncoming truck (boulder, curve, etc.)."

Knew of a woman who did that hear. Came around a curve on her bike, saw a giant boulder and drove right into it while thinking, "Have to avoid the boulder, have to avoid the boulder."

[Eveready1100]

Just a note on the HID BI Zenon Bulbs, I originally got 8000k bluish bulbs with my kit which were very impressive till I hit a heavy rainstorm one night on the trip home from work. I could still see the centreline & guide posts ok, but couldn't see much else. They had very poor penetration in that instance.
I ordered a pair of 4300k bulbs (yellow/white OEM colour) to try to rectify that deficiency and noticed when I was fitting them, that they had a small shield inside the bulb that the others didn't have. After hooking it up, the result is that it has a near perfect cutoff just like the halogen, with very little light scatter above that line. With the light aimed responsibly, it doesn't light anywhere it's not supposed to. That's besides the point that it's now nearly as good as having fog lights on in the rain. They're that good!
Maybe the HID manufactureres are lifting their game?

[LCS249]

That's very helpful info, Eveready1100, thank you.

[justme1100]

That's interesting ... Can you tell me more? What else do you have, if anything? Did you ever use the accessory 12-V plug?

Just for charging the phone at this point.

[LCS249]

I'm still figuring this out and will let everyone know where it ended up when done.

LS

[xsroadrunner]

LS...I have been reading this thread on ADVrider forum. LED aux. lighting is really an excellent way to go and these lights will work on any bike...new or old...the results speak for themselves. Its also a good read...
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=607184

[LCS249]

Thank you. Looking now.

A question -- too bright to look at is not the same as throwing light farther than Halogens, which is my need. Do you believe that they can outperform standard bulbs? (Would love to hear "yes.")

... And, having looked it over, are they strictly for off-road? (Wouldn't mind stretching the law on dark country roads.)

L.

[xsroadrunner]

Thank you. Looking now.

A question -- too bright to look at is not the same as throwing light farther than Halogens, which is my need. Do you believe that they can outperform standard bulbs? (Would love to hear "yes.")

... And, having looked it over, are they strictly for off-road? (Wouldn't mind stretching the law on dark country roads.)

L.

I do believe without any real conclusive evidence that LED's will out perform std bulbs... plus they draw next to nothing amperage wise...and I dont see why these couldnt be used on the street....but one should be choosy in when and where they should be used and not just anywhere all the time. By the looks of them one unit would do but I see alot of folks pair them up...one flood and one spot. If you mount them low like fork lights then I would think that would be less blinding to oncoming traffic...but I dont know for sure...YMMV Interesting read tho...

[LCS249]

Yep, the links in the site you posted show powerful looking lights, but they seem like they'd benefit from "hoods" to help prevent blinding oncoming traffic.

I like all the options, including that standalone switch. I'd only turn them on in dark, lonely patches. Riding around the city, with lots of cars and streetlights, seeing what's ahead is less challenging. But most of us in New Mexico end up on the back roads in the high desert, where there it's just you and the road ... and almost no traffic. So hitting an animal or missing a curve is a constant concern.

[xsroadrunner]

Yep, the links in the site you posted show powerful looking lights, but they seem like they'd benefit from "hoods" to help prevent blinding oncoming traffic.

I like all the options, including that standalone switch. I'd only turn them on in dark, lonely patches. Riding around the city, with lots of cars and streetlights, seeing what's ahead is less challenging. But most of us in New Mexico end up on the back roads in the high desert, where there it's just you and the road ... and almost no traffic. So hitting an animal or missing a curve is a constant concern.

I used to live in AZ and know full well the types of roads...outside of city limits...you're talking about...these LED lights are ideal for that. the product line has been refined since the beginning of that thread...Seems like a whole load of people are buying these...I would like to put a set on my XJ11 and my ST1100. In the meantime I'm taking it all in...

[LCS249]

I'm seriously thinking about doing this to skirt the amperage issues. It's darker in the winter, which is when I'm most likely to use the heated jacket, so these could be a plus.

So you're leaning toward a combo of a spot and a flood?

L.

[xsroadrunner]

I'm seriously thinking about doing this to skirt the amperage issues. It's darker in the winter, which is when I'm most likely to use the heated jacket, so these could be a plus.

So you're leaning toward a combo of a spot and a flood?

L.

Well I am still debating what it is i want these lights for...since the majority of my riding is daylight hours...my initial purpose was for more daytime visability...in which case 2 spots with a more focused beam would enhance that effect. However there are times when I do ride at night.. having a flood would provide a wider beam of light to see well off of both sides of the road. One could also go with 2 floods for those dark roads. I think that combining one of each is prolly the best of both worlds. Regardless of the configuration you choose these look to be well worth it and will provide exactly what it is you need. And as stated earlier ...especially when you want to run other electrical farkles you're not going to tax your alternator like you would with std bulbs..or HID's that will suck up alot of amperage...
Finally when you compare prices these LED Lamps are a bargain compared to the HID systems..however this is by no means the cheapest system out there...you could go to wally world and buy a cheapo $30 set of lamps...but the quality and quantity of light IMO wont be there. YMMV

[Eveready1100]

The gizmo under the clock and above the guages is a "Battery Condition Indicator" or that's what it said on the box. I picked this up from my local Autopro shop about a decade ago, after being shown one that a friend of mine had fitted to his bike.



Hooks up directly to the battery terminals and I've got it switched so i just flick it on whenever I want to see how things are going. It has a series of LED lights across the front which shows if the battery is discharging, holding steady, or in charge mode. It's been a very handy thing to have on board especially when trying out new electrical goodies such as driving lights, HID headlight etc.
Cost me about 20 bucks back in 2001, still works well, though the casing has distorted somewhat from being parked in the sun at work forever, and sounds like just the device you fellas are looking for to monitor the state of your charging systems.

[Eveready1100]

I tried to stick this on the end of my last post but time stands still for no one. I found a link to what looks to be a newer, more compact version (sounds familiar?) - CLICK

[bikerphil]

Here's something similar we have over here in the states....

http://www.harborfreight.com/alterna...ter-46972.html