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Let There Be Light?
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Tom $herman (-_-)
May 12, 2012, 3:49:02 PM5/12/12
to
Anyone use driving lights with good or bad experience? While the stock
headlight on the NT700V is fine for around town and freeway use, I am
looking for something that provides better visibility going into a
corner on secondary roads, and for seeing mobile hazards such as
opossums and raccoons on the shoulder. Also, since I travel at night
quite a bit, a back-up would be nice in case of bulb failure, since
trying to get at the bulb is reportedly a major operation in a lighted
garage with a full tool kit (so in the dark and rain with a minimal tool
kit does not sound appealing).
Needs to be something that:
1. Is for sale in the US (or by someone who takes credit cards and ships
to the US);
2. Will not blind on-coming drivers/at least quasi-legal for road use;
3. Does not require custom fabrication by a machinist to mount;
4. Weatherproof, since I ride in the rain.
I see that Honda offers fog lights for the Deauville? Any good, and any
UK dealer that would ship across the pond (since along with several
other accessories, not imported by Honda to NA)?
--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731°N, 83.985007°W
Post Free or Die!
headlight on the NT700V is fine for around town and freeway use, I am
looking for something that provides better visibility going into a
corner on secondary roads, and for seeing mobile hazards such as
opossums and raccoons on the shoulder. Also, since I travel at night
quite a bit, a back-up would be nice in case of bulb failure, since
trying to get at the bulb is reportedly a major operation in a lighted
garage with a full tool kit (so in the dark and rain with a minimal tool
kit does not sound appealing).
Needs to be something that:
1. Is for sale in the US (or by someone who takes credit cards and ships
to the US);
2. Will not blind on-coming drivers/at least quasi-legal for road use;
3. Does not require custom fabrication by a machinist to mount;
4. Weatherproof, since I ride in the rain.
I see that Honda offers fog lights for the Deauville? Any good, and any
UK dealer that would ship across the pond (since along with several
other accessories, not imported by Honda to NA)?
--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731°N, 83.985007°W
Post Free or Die!
Dean Hoffman
May 12, 2012, 4:25:01 PM5/12/12
to
aren't cheap but don't have to be mounted on a conventional light
bar. I have a set of the boss mount. My one complaint is of the clamp
to the mount. The light sometimes moves a bit. The mount itself stays
put. Some type of adhesive should fix the problem.
Snag
May 12, 2012, 5:01:45 PM5/12/12
to
beam type . Replace the bulbs with <IIRC> 4416 sealed beams . These are
also used as aircraft landing lights , and they *MUST* be properly aimed !!
I have a pair in my Ultra passing lamp pods , and they are fantastic for
those dark nights out in wooded areas . They throw a tight beam a long long
ways .
Snag
Learning keeps
you young !
CS
May 12, 2012, 9:11:56 PM5/12/12
to
"Tom $herman (-_-)" wrote in message news:jomerg$m6i$1...@dont-email.me...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both of my bikes have driving lights, the Valkyrie with the radiator pod
lights, and the RS with the typical three light setup.
While I often ride short distances at night, most of my riding is during the
day.
If I did any significant night riding, or had to commute through the
desert/woods/haunted forest I'd invest in a set of HID lights mounted on the
engine guards, and unlike my present setups, I'd have a switch to turn them
off. These are manufactured by several companies, so if you go this route,
I suggest you do some research into who makes the best units, offers good
customer service, and so on.
What I like about these is they consume less energy than conventional lamps,
and put out a buttload of light...kind of important on a motorcycle with
limited resources for electrical devices. LED replacements for
signal/brake/running lights are a good idea here too, however avoid the
setups where "load equalizers" are used, as they not only use the same
amount of power, they waste it as heat, which seems pointless to me. There
are systems out there where they avoid mechanical relays and give handy
options, such as self cancelling signals, flashing brakes, and so on.
CS
Both of my bikes have driving lights, the Valkyrie with the radiator pod
lights, and the RS with the typical three light setup.
While I often ride short distances at night, most of my riding is during the
day.
If I did any significant night riding, or had to commute through the
desert/woods/haunted forest I'd invest in a set of HID lights mounted on the
engine guards, and unlike my present setups, I'd have a switch to turn them
off. These are manufactured by several companies, so if you go this route,
I suggest you do some research into who makes the best units, offers good
customer service, and so on.
What I like about these is they consume less energy than conventional lamps,
and put out a buttload of light...kind of important on a motorcycle with
limited resources for electrical devices. LED replacements for
signal/brake/running lights are a good idea here too, however avoid the
setups where "load equalizers" are used, as they not only use the same
amount of power, they waste it as heat, which seems pointless to me. There
are systems out there where they avoid mechanical relays and give handy
options, such as self cancelling signals, flashing brakes, and so on.
CS
Jeff
May 12, 2012, 9:49:43 PM5/12/12
to
"Tom $herman (-_-)" <""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI$southslope.net"> wrote in
news:jomerg$m6i$1...@dont-email.me:
To get more light I replaced my stock bulb with a Sylvania Silverlight
Ultra. They have a whiter light and are 50% brighter than stock, while
rated at the same 55 watts. They make them in H7 size so they should fit
your bike.
news:jomerg$m6i$1...@dont-email.me:
Ultra. They have a whiter light and are 50% brighter than stock, while
rated at the same 55 watts. They make them in H7 size so they should fit
your bike.
User Bp
May 12, 2012, 11:35:35 PM5/12/12
to
"Tom $herman (-_-)" <""twshermanREMOVE\"@thi$southslope.net"> wrote:
> Anyone use driving lights with good or bad experience? While the stock
>
Yes, both 8-)
> Anyone use driving lights with good or bad experience? While the stock
>
Some time back I rigged a pair of Hella Optilux 1500 driving lights
to my VFR800. They were wired through an SPDT center off switch
to a relay, so they could be turned off, turned on with the high
beams or turned on with the low beams. Daytime they're on with
the lows, night on with the highs
The aim ended up rather odd: The beams were crossed in front of
the bike and aimed up. This put the outside light into a turn
when the bike was leaned over. It gives a good look into a turn
as one is entering but is hostile to other drivers, so it can't
be used in traffic. It seems to be somewhat useful to make other
drivers aware of my presence in daylight; dipping the modulated
high beams brings up the aux lights, with a notable change in
appearance.
My SV650s has a similar arrangement using ultracheap MR16 driving
lights (~$25/pair) that worked just fine until the enclosed optics
fogged up. To experiment in your riding environment and find out what
works something like that might be a good start.
Given the way motorcycles lean I don't think it's easy to make
a traffic friendly cornering light. The "crossed sabers" scheme is
good for a quick look into a corner, straight ahead the stock lights
aren't bad.
I'm doubtful HID will prove useful and would love to see (but not pay
for) an LED cornering light.
There are a few ruminations at
http://www.zefox.net/~bob/mc/hid.html
Hope this helps,
bob prohaska
sleazy
May 13, 2012, 3:33:24 AM5/13/12
to
specific mounts. I ran the 510s on my BMW and loved them. The other, more
difficult option is to convert your headlamps to HID and re-aim.
David T. Ashley
May 14, 2012, 12:17:55 PM5/14/12
to
On Sat, 12 May 2012 14:49:02 -0500, "Tom $herman (-_-)"
<""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI$southslope.net"> wrote:
>Anyone use driving lights with good or bad experience? While the stock
>headlight on the NT700V is fine for around town and freeway use, I am
>looking for something that provides better visibility going into a
>corner on secondary roads, and for seeing mobile hazards such as
>opossums and raccoons on the shoulder. Also, since I travel at night
>quite a bit, a back-up would be nice in case of bulb failure, since
>trying to get at the bulb is reportedly a major operation in a lighted
>garage with a full tool kit (so in the dark and rain with a minimal tool
>kit does not sound appealing).
>
>Needs to be something that:
>
>1. Is for sale in the US (or by someone who takes credit cards and ships
>to the US);
>2. Will not blind on-coming drivers/at least quasi-legal for road use;
Whether to care about oncoming drivers is possibly something that
<""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI$southslope.net"> wrote:
>Anyone use driving lights with good or bad experience? While the stock
>headlight on the NT700V is fine for around town and freeway use, I am
>looking for something that provides better visibility going into a
>corner on secondary roads, and for seeing mobile hazards such as
>opossums and raccoons on the shoulder. Also, since I travel at night
>quite a bit, a back-up would be nice in case of bulb failure, since
>trying to get at the bulb is reportedly a major operation in a lighted
>garage with a full tool kit (so in the dark and rain with a minimal tool
>kit does not sound appealing).
>
>Needs to be something that:
>
>1. Is for sale in the US (or by someone who takes credit cards and ships
>to the US);
>2. Will not blind on-coming drivers/at least quasi-legal for road use;
could be debated.
I ride on country roads at night sometimes, and I have had people
flash their highbeams at me if I forget to turn mine off.
My gut response is "Get lost buddy--if I hit something on a bike, I
die. Between my safety and your comfort, I'm going to choose my
safety".
So, I'm not sure whether you should care.
@*o*@
May 14, 2012, 12:51:08 PM5/14/12
to
On May 12, 8:35 pm, User Bp <b...@www.zefox.net> wrote:
> The aim ended up rather odd: The beams were crossed in front of
> the bike and aimed up. This put the outside light into a turn
> when the bike was leaned over. It gives a good look into a turn
> as one is entering but is hostile to other drivers, so it can't
> be used in traffic.
I aimed the Carillo driving lights on my GS1100 to cross, and I didn't
> The aim ended up rather odd: The beams were crossed in front of
> the bike and aimed up. This put the outside light into a turn
> when the bike was leaned over. It gives a good look into a turn
> as one is entering but is hostile to other drivers, so it can't
> be used in traffic.
give a cold rat's ass about what
car drivers thought, because my safety is magnitudes of order more
important to me than any notions
of "courtesy."
The problem that I ran into was that my *wiring harness* wasn't up to
the extra electrical load and the
connectors started melting.
Wiring the headlight relay directly to the battery didn't help because
the alternator still had to carry the extra wattage.
@*o*@
May 14, 2012, 12:47:03 PM5/14/12
to
On May 14, 9:17 am, David T. Ashley <dash...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I ride on country roads at night sometimes, and I have had people
> flash their highbeams at me if I forget to turn mine off.
>
> My gut response is "Get lost buddy--if I hit something on a bike, I
> die. Between my safety and your comfort, I'm going to choose my
> safety".
>
> So, I'm not sure whether you should care.
I agree 100%.
> I ride on country roads at night sometimes, and I have had people
> flash their highbeams at me if I forget to turn mine off.
>
> My gut response is "Get lost buddy--if I hit something on a bike, I
> die. Between my safety and your comfort, I'm going to choose my
> safety".
>
> So, I'm not sure whether you should care.
Fuck the cagers.
CS
May 14, 2012, 7:51:34 PM5/14/12
to
"David T. Ashley" wrote in message
news:otb2r7pcucp4msulo...@4ax.com...
On Sat, 12 May 2012 14:49:02 -0500, "Tom $herman (-_-)"
<""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI$southslope.net"> wrote:
>Anyone use driving lights with good or bad experience? While the stock
>headlight on the NT700V is fine for around town and freeway use, I am
>looking for something that provides better visibility going into a
>corner on secondary roads, and for seeing mobile hazards such as
>opossums and raccoons on the shoulder. Also, since I travel at night
>quite a bit, a back-up would be nice in case of bulb failure, since
>trying to get at the bulb is reportedly a major operation in a lighted
>garage with a full tool kit (so in the dark and rain with a minimal tool
>kit does not sound appealing).
>
>Needs to be something that:
>
>1. Is for sale in the US (or by someone who takes credit cards and ships
>to the US);
>2. Will not blind on-coming drivers/at least quasi-legal for road use;
Whether to care about oncoming drivers is possibly something that
could be debated.
I ride on country roads at night sometimes, and I have had people
flash their highbeams at me if I forget to turn mine off.
My gut response is "Get lost buddy--if I hit something on a bike, I
die. Between my safety and your comfort, I'm going to choose my
safety".
So, I'm not sure whether you should care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He should, and you should too.
First and foremost, if drivers are blinded by high beams, they can't control
their car as effectively, and lose some of their ability to avoid objects on
the road.
Second, one of those objects is you.
Those facts cannot be debated.
I'm sure some folks will want to debate whether having drivers come toward
you with diminished sight is hazardous or not.
Perhaps folks can debate whether they should be overdriving/overriding their
headlights. High beams are great when hauling ass at night, but they still
won't show a tire or other dark road debris. It is possible one could argue
that if the rider is so concerned about his safety, he'd have a properly
adjusted low beam, and wouldn't ride faster than their low beams will safely
allow.
Then there's the whole courtesy issue. I suppose lively debates can ensue
over whether folks should be showing courtesy to each other, and no doubt
plenty will ring in with opinions that they should never expend effort to
show courtesy to drivers, yet should expect every courtesy from them. These
may be the types who think it's cute to buzz cars or otherwise ride like
morons, then get their panties in a bunch whenever they get cut off.
Personally, I've had good luck showing/receiving courtesy. While there are
unthinking jackasses out there, the great majority of drivers out there just
want to get to their destination with the least amount of delay and drama,
and quite a few are happy to extend some courtesy to riders, even here in
LA.
CS
news:otb2r7pcucp4msulo...@4ax.com...
On Sat, 12 May 2012 14:49:02 -0500, "Tom $herman (-_-)"
<""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI$southslope.net"> wrote:
>Anyone use driving lights with good or bad experience? While the stock
>headlight on the NT700V is fine for around town and freeway use, I am
>looking for something that provides better visibility going into a
>corner on secondary roads, and for seeing mobile hazards such as
>opossums and raccoons on the shoulder. Also, since I travel at night
>quite a bit, a back-up would be nice in case of bulb failure, since
>trying to get at the bulb is reportedly a major operation in a lighted
>garage with a full tool kit (so in the dark and rain with a minimal tool
>kit does not sound appealing).
>
>Needs to be something that:
>
>1. Is for sale in the US (or by someone who takes credit cards and ships
>to the US);
>2. Will not blind on-coming drivers/at least quasi-legal for road use;
Whether to care about oncoming drivers is possibly something that
could be debated.
I ride on country roads at night sometimes, and I have had people
flash their highbeams at me if I forget to turn mine off.
My gut response is "Get lost buddy--if I hit something on a bike, I
die. Between my safety and your comfort, I'm going to choose my
safety".
So, I'm not sure whether you should care.
He should, and you should too.
First and foremost, if drivers are blinded by high beams, they can't control
their car as effectively, and lose some of their ability to avoid objects on
the road.
Second, one of those objects is you.
Those facts cannot be debated.
I'm sure some folks will want to debate whether having drivers come toward
you with diminished sight is hazardous or not.
Perhaps folks can debate whether they should be overdriving/overriding their
headlights. High beams are great when hauling ass at night, but they still
won't show a tire or other dark road debris. It is possible one could argue
that if the rider is so concerned about his safety, he'd have a properly
adjusted low beam, and wouldn't ride faster than their low beams will safely
allow.
Then there's the whole courtesy issue. I suppose lively debates can ensue
over whether folks should be showing courtesy to each other, and no doubt
plenty will ring in with opinions that they should never expend effort to
show courtesy to drivers, yet should expect every courtesy from them. These
may be the types who think it's cute to buzz cars or otherwise ride like
morons, then get their panties in a bunch whenever they get cut off.
Personally, I've had good luck showing/receiving courtesy. While there are
unthinking jackasses out there, the great majority of drivers out there just
want to get to their destination with the least amount of delay and drama,
and quite a few are happy to extend some courtesy to riders, even here in
LA.
CS
Tom $herman (-_-)
May 19, 2012, 7:59:33 AM5/19/12
to
that they are doing anything wrong, which is the fault both of both
minimal mandatory driver training and lack of enforcement by police
(since they are lazy and would rather write easier to collect on
speeding tickets).
Tom $herman (-_-)
May 19, 2012, 8:01:07 AM5/19/12
to
Tom $herman (-_-)
May 19, 2012, 8:04:28 AM5/19/12
to
I will take your points into consideration.
Jeff
May 19, 2012, 11:20:56 AM5/19/12
to
"Tom $herman (-_-)" <""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI$southslope.net"> wrote in
news:jp8224$u9b$2...@dont-email.me:
both to burn out at once?
Tom $herman (-_-)
May 19, 2012, 1:06:57 PM5/19/12
to
May wait until winter, since getting to anything on a NT700V is lengthy
operation. :(
User Bp
May 19, 2012, 11:21:51 PM5/19/12
to
@*o*@ <aengus...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The problem that I ran into was that my *wiring harness* wasn't up to
> the extra electrical load and the
> connectors started melting.
>
> Wiring the headlight relay directly to the battery didn't help because
> the alternator still had to carry the extra wattage.
Good point and very true. It's best to tap the control signal for
>
> The problem that I ran into was that my *wiring harness* wasn't up to
> the extra electrical load and the
> connectors started melting.
>
> Wiring the headlight relay directly to the battery didn't help because
> the alternator still had to carry the extra wattage.
the relay off the headlight circuit but feed the power to the lights
from a point close as possible to the RR output. Usually the RR connector
is something you can't get into, so it's useful to do something
like this:
http://www.zefox.net/~bob/mc/vfr/rrterms.jpg
The modification illustrated was motivated by connector meltdown. In the
event the connectors are still ok it would suffice to make soldered
splices to the wires coming out of the RR.
It's never a good idea to connect steady loads to the battery terminals
unless the RR has separate voltage sense wires to the battery.
bob prohaska
CS
May 20, 2012, 4:05:48 PM5/20/12
to
"Tom $herman (-_-)" wrote in message news:jp8jvi$7lj$2...@dont-email.me...
On 5/19/2012 10:20 AM, Jeff wrote:
<snip>
It's always good to have a couple extra fuses on hand, at least one of each,
though they're small enough to carry a bunch.
Not sure why you are worried about switch/wiring failure, but you can carry
a Leatherman* type tool, some wire, electrical tape, and even a little
multimeter without consuming much space. I do this on long trips, though
instead of extra wire I just plan on using the test leads.
Although I'm not worried about my bike, I've been called upon to help others
with their malfunctions...thus is one consequence of being known as a handy
fixer-upper.
This stuff takes very little space. Now I carry my tools in a saddlebag,
but eventually I'll find a weatherproof lockable box I can bolt on
something.
CS
*I carry a Paladin Powerplay PT-525, which is more suited to electronics and
telecom stuff.
On 5/19/2012 10:20 AM, Jeff wrote:
> The diagram I saw online showed two bulbs in your headlight. Do you expect
> both to burn out at once?
>
Well, if there was a wiring or switch issue, it could happen.
May wait until winter, since getting to anything on a NT700V is lengthy
operation. :(
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> both to burn out at once?
>
Well, if there was a wiring or switch issue, it could happen.
May wait until winter, since getting to anything on a NT700V is lengthy
operation. :(
It's always good to have a couple extra fuses on hand, at least one of each,
though they're small enough to carry a bunch.
Not sure why you are worried about switch/wiring failure, but you can carry
a Leatherman* type tool, some wire, electrical tape, and even a little
multimeter without consuming much space. I do this on long trips, though
instead of extra wire I just plan on using the test leads.
Although I'm not worried about my bike, I've been called upon to help others
with their malfunctions...thus is one consequence of being known as a handy
fixer-upper.
This stuff takes very little space. Now I carry my tools in a saddlebag,
but eventually I'll find a weatherproof lockable box I can bolt on
something.
CS
*I carry a Paladin Powerplay PT-525, which is more suited to electronics and
telecom stuff.
Tom $herman (-_-)
May 20, 2012, 4:52:30 PM5/20/12
to
On 5/20/2012 3:05 PM, CS wrote:
> "Tom $herman (-_-)" wrote in message news:jp8jvi$7lj$2...@dont-email.me...
>
> On 5/19/2012 10:20 AM, Jeff wrote:
> <snip>
>> The diagram I saw online showed two bulbs in your headlight. Do you
>> expect
>> both to burn out at once?
>>
> Well, if there was a wiring or switch issue, it could happen.
>
> May wait until winter, since getting to anything on a NT700V is lengthy
> operation. :(
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> It's always good to have a couple extra fuses on hand, at least one of
> each, though they're small enough to carry a bunch.
>
Yeah, I have a few extra on the bike.
> "Tom $herman (-_-)" wrote in message news:jp8jvi$7lj$2...@dont-email.me...
>
> On 5/19/2012 10:20 AM, Jeff wrote:
> <snip>
>> The diagram I saw online showed two bulbs in your headlight. Do you
>> expect
>> both to burn out at once?
>>
> Well, if there was a wiring or switch issue, it could happen.
>
> May wait until winter, since getting to anything on a NT700V is lengthy
> operation. :(
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> It's always good to have a couple extra fuses on hand, at least one of
> each, though they're small enough to carry a bunch.
>
> Not sure why you are worried about switch/wiring failure, but you can
> carry a Leatherman* type tool, some wire, electrical tape, and even a
> little multimeter without consuming much space. I do this on long trips,
> though instead of extra wire I just plan on using the test leads.
>
trouble free that way. Only real issue on the NT700V was the shift
lever bolt backing out, leaving me stuck in 5th gear, but that may have
been dealer assembly error.
I don't think you can fix anything on the NT700V without pulling body
panels, which is not a minor operation. :( See why the AT bikes are
usually only front faired, with naked sides.
> Although I'm not worried about my bike, I've been called upon to help
> others with their malfunctions...thus is one consequence of being known
> as a handy fixer-upper.
>
> This stuff takes very little space. Now I carry my tools in a saddlebag,
> but eventually I'll find a weatherproof lockable box I can bolt on
>
I really dislike messing with electrical stuff. I would rather pay
someone else to do it.
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