LED driving lights for visibility

[breakdirt916]

which ones to get? the more I commute, the more I become of those high vis/loud pipes flying attention whores

-looking to spend <$80
-just for adding visibility to front (doesn't need to illuminate ground) - will likely mount near the mirrors
-1,800 lumen minimum
-relatively energy conservative - already running heated grips

did a search of the usual websites (superbriteleds & ddm tuning) and was thinking about two of these off-road lights because they're 1,800 lumens @$39.36 a pop

[golden chicken]

I have a 220 lumen LED flashlight and it is bright enough to blind people temporarily, especially in the dark.

I recently saw a rider during the day with his HIDs on hi beam and really what I saw was a bright, glaring point of light, as opposed to the shape of a motorcycle with a light attached. It was very difficult to gauge his speed and distance until he was quite close.

I'm not saying more lighting is a bad idea, I'm suggesting that too bright lighting can actually cause you more trouble.

[breakdirt916]

that would actually be better for my wallet...$40 gets a set of LED driving lights in the 2-300 lumen range

not looking to blind people...just be seen...already have a vest, LED taillight flasher, and reflective tape on the helmet/rear turn signals/rear pegs



these are $60, 320 lumen

[OreoGaborio]

So I'm guessing these are out of your budget, then.....
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/denal...s-and-m8-mount

But it's probably one of the best budget minded motorcycle specific full kits you're gonna get...

[breakdirt916]

wow, those look awesome!

I would like something as small as those so that they would fit into the curves of the bike

I'm kissing 50k miles on an 18 year old bike...I think 3 sets of those are worth more than my bike, lol

[Stromper]

Must not say obvious , must be positive

I too have Coleman Max flashlight which is blinding and would be a wonderful addition
to the front of a bike and they are $26

Unfortunately the field of LED seem to be knee deep in bs so its truly
hard to figure out good ones bulbs etc. China will sell you little bulbs with heat sinks
for like $11

[breakdirt916]

EWell, no wiring to deal with, I might actually try it!

I want to see how wide the beam pattern is...the single LED gig just isn't big enough to help

[breakdirt916]

saw a very visible ADV bike the other day...

the wider the lights sit apart, the better

new idea:



hookup as running lights...low power consumption

was reading a thread on FZRarchives, and the installer commented that the lights are indeed bright...

hopefully good enough for daytime use!

Ebay China $25.06 to "try it out"

[SVRACER01]

baja designs makes some as well as trail tech i believe
im with the GC though, a bright light may not make things any better. i will add though, that when i bought my SVS6 in AZ, it was my first 2 headlight bike. since street lights are every 12 ft down there you rarely needed highbeams so i decided to swap out one of the headlight bulbs for an equally powered yellow bulb. i actually immediately noticed less people pulling out in front of me, even in the daytime. the yellow bulb didnt seem to affect my vision at night (seeing where im going) but i admittedly didnt have many dark roads to ride down. but if youre just looking to add lights, then maybe just a yellow fog light or 2

[Garandman]

One slight issue: while there is evidence that daylight headlamps increase visibility, there is no evidence that more lights provides any benefit. My personal experience is that two headlamps helps, but that's an anecdote.

I've found that a hi viz jacket that makes you look like a cop works much better. And a white or other light colored helmet, ditto: proven safety benefit there.