BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Don't want to overload my electrical system, like the low draw on LED's.

But want something good and bright, esp for those oncoming drivers with
their head so far "up" they don't realize their large by huge driving lights
are aimed right at oncoming driver's faces. Or they don't give a crap.

Also drive lots of 2 lanes late at nite coming back from work and
lots of deer on the road. Have that headlight relay setup in along
with a Hella bulb, great setup. But would still like some serious
driving lights (have a handlebar mounted rocker switch hooked to a
switched electrical source in the fusebox), ones I have now just don't
light up the world quite good enuf.

Thanks for any leads!

Macx,

LED lights might be bright, but they don't project their light far enough to be useful on a motorcycle. Ok as city lights so you can be seen, but the current crop are useless as night riding lights. The Aussie FarRider's group here has had a few threads going about LED lights and a few lights have been tried. Forget them. Needs a few years more technology development. Great for pushbikes. No good for motorbikes.

Besides, you have a 700 watt alternator. Why the heck do you want low-draw? I'm now running an upgraded halogen headlight, plus two 6 inch 100 watt spotlights, plus a heated vest (old technology wires), plus my GPS. It isn't a problem. If you want to see - Get good halogen spotties. You have ample power to run them.

Some of our guys even find that HID spotties have their drawbacks (apart from expense). They produce a very white light that reflects back off every sign. You blind yourself, plus have to switch to low a lot sooner than when on old halogen lights as you tend to blind on-coming drivers.

Save some money for some other farkle that's useful and go with some nice halogens. That's my 2 cents.

+100
Totally agree.
LED tech is still 'early days' and being developed and although extremely bright the the light is 'soft' and diffuse.

macx wrote:Don't want to overload my electrical system, like the low draw on LED's...

You do realize that the alternator on our bikes has better output than that of a typical small car?

+1 on LEDs not having the candlepower output needed. I installed a pair of $16 driving lights from the local AutoZone "off road use only" on my front forks. Switched out the fork/fender bolts for longer ones and used a home center angle brackets to mount the lights.
I do my morning commute in the dark on two lane back roads that wind through prime deer country. Those lights do a great job, and no tears shed if/when one of the lights dies.

P

I've found a company, Clearwater Lights, www.clearwaterlights.com. They look to be on the cutting edge of LED technology.
They are currently designing the mounting brackets for the R1150R, R1200R and other BMW models.

And if you read their full blurb their lights are to aid you being seen, not really for seeing.

LED lights are bright, but they don't have the night penetration that you need for spotting animals in the dark! And the price! Go buy 10 sets of good halogens for the R - It has the power to run them and and you can get parts (bulbs) at any service centre or fuel stop if you need them.

I do a hell of a lot of night riding, and can assure you that LEDs won't cut it if you are looking at spotting roos, wombats, foxes and deer. They may have a use if set up as 45 degree side lights for the close-up critters, but that's about it. We've tried them over here, and they don't work effectively as riding lights. Night rides here are a high risk game of dodgems with the roos on outback roads. I guess you guys have the deer, so you know how bad it can get at night. If you want 'city lights', then LEDs are fine. If you want night-riding lights, then it's halogen or HID.

I'm kind of stuck in the middle on that one - visibility versus long range night vision.

I have done the Hella Zenon bulb and relay thing and I like the extended vision range and
extra brightness this has provided over the stock setup.

I've already got a pair of those cheapie LED lights that are bright enuf when you look at
them at night from a ways in front of the bike, altho I'd be first to agree they don't do much
in the way of extra illumination of the territory in front of the bike for the rider.
Also have the Run N Lites for visibility.

Getting laid off so have so save my pennies in case I can't find a job in the near future.

Glad to know the R has an alternator sufficient to run some "real" lights if I go that way
later - never stopped to look at the actual output numbers.

One thing that continues to gripe me, whether in the country or in the city, are these
jerks with the driving lights that are brighter than their headlights and invariably aimed
upward right into an oncoming driver's face. I hate not being able to see anything but
stars for 100 yards after I meet one of those meatheads, or having to close my eyes
or shift my gaze way off to the right side of the road for a couple seconds while I'm
meeting one. Neither is a great option.

Nuff said.

Thanks for the info, probly go HID when I know I have that next job.