[feeler pic - possible mod] Flamesuit on

[spicy]

(MSPainted auxiliary lights)

stupid or good?

i kinda like it, but the problems i see is

a) lights that would actually illuminate would be need to draw a decent amount of juice
b) lights that didn't actually illuminate would be purely for bling factor, which i'm not sure i'd be comfortable with...



~Spicy

[nilez]

I don't think they'd draw as much juice from the battery as you think. I think you can get away with it Question is, what part of the road are you trying to illuminate??? because your headlights will easily overpower them...

[R1]

If your looking for more light....

think about HID bulb upgrade. check out ebay!

[spicy]

i was more looking at them for an aesthetic standpoint, since the extra light-sources add some complexity to the really simply "drunken praying mantis" thing the stock SVS has going on ...

but i figure if i just got LEDs it would be a little shizzleous cuz LEDs aren't particularly good in automotive applications because of the light-distribution (short-range only).


i've seen other SV's and bikes with auxilliary lights, but they're usually mounted to the fork legs or (i think they're called) highway bars (?).

more light is generally better than less light, as long as it's worth it over the risk of overpowering the stock electricals/alternator/etc. some extra light down low would help illuminate changes in road texture (helping with potholes/road hazards, etc).

i'm not looking to double my light output (stock is actually pretty good, and highbeams are particularly good), but some extra light and a cooler look to the front end is more what i'm going for.

[taxonomy]

I've run two heated vests and heated grips on an SV, a 2001. I never had any problem even with them all on high.

I replaced my brake/driving/signal/license plate lights with LEDs. These are very bright, something like 30 LEDs per bulb, still prolly only draw a couple of watts.

I think with the two brake lights and the license light you're picking up about 10-12 watts over incandescents. If anything side by side the LEDs I have are brighter.

I think the instrument lights are a couple of watts too. It all adds up. I've also heard that non HID Sylvania Silver Stars actually are an improvement over most "normal" halogen bulbs. Whatever you do don't get higher wattage halogens. They will overheat in the stock housing and burn out.

A lot of the BMW guys I've ridden with have fork mounted HID lights. I think this is the way to go. Many of them are pretty serious touring riders, light matters to these guys.

At one point in my life I did a good amount of night mountain biking. If there ever was a sport where you need good lighting, that is it. Having lights from more than one angle is really useful as it increased depth perception a whole lot. I never realized how flat things looked until I started mounting lights in different locations. Get them as far apart as you can.

When things are lit from one point you have no shadow and can't see how round or deep the object is. Everything looks like a street sign. Everything looks like it's in the same plane too. Adding brighter light from one point source is OK but adding lights from many vantages will greatly increase how well you can use the light you'll have.

[schleppy]

I say go for it. Anything that may make your bike a bit more visible to cagers is a worthwhile mod in my book.

Also think about mounting them onto the forks. There are two nice threaded holes on each fork.

[SVRACER01]

put the blinkers in the headlights (upper corners) and replace stock blinkers with Aux lights