Adding lightes to see and be seen!

43437 Views 181 Replies 35 Participants Last post by Bikram, Dec 27, 2016

andy3d

Discussion Starter · Jan 19, 2015 (Edited)

PART 1)

I commute on my bike and always at night on the way home. This ride includes 10 miles of dark (total blackness if no moon) winding canyon with loads of critter - often see skunks and coyote in the road.

So I’ve tried to add light and make my self more visible.

1) Added a HID Xenon head lights as the stock lights are a joke!
Innovited AC 55W HID Xenon Conversion Kit With "Slim" ballast - H7 - 3000K (went Yellow!) got on Amazon.

Install was easy. The tricky bit was the bulbs were not as chunky at the base so was a little loose when clipped back in. I fixed this with padding the back up with some 3M double sided tape.

2) I also add some TruFLEX LED strip lights to back of the mirrors. I have tried many strip leds and these are the brightest, guess you get what you pay for as they are expensive.
pics:
https://flic.kr/p/qRFWmB
https://flic.kr/p/qRFWpx
TruFLEX® 40 LED from Custom Dynamics Motorcycle LED Lights Motorcycle LEDs Lighting Accessories

Install was very easy. I just stole power from one of the wedge lights using Posi-Tap Quick Connects (these are great). I still need to do work on hiding the wires.

1 - 20 of 182 Posts

andy3d

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jan 19, 2015 (Edited)

PART 2)
3)I upgraded my Wedge Parking Light for an LED bulb with these
https://www.superbrightleds.com/sear...ts/WLED-W19-T/
This is a pic after putting one of the led bulbs in to compare
https://flic.kr/p/qsJqTU

4) To be more visible from behind I added a break strobe and an extra led TruFlex strip. I also linked the indicators to stobe (I might have to change the patten as this is borderline

)

Metric/Universal GEN2 Magic Brake Light Flasher
Motorcycle Brake Light Flasher Strobing Motorcycle Lights

This is link to the lights in action - they look much brighter to the eye.
http://youtu.be/Bgfc0yo_JXI

I put these in the rear turn signals:
1156-A45-T 1156 Amber
https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...led-tower/526/

I had to file one on the the little bumps on the led bulb down as the didn't match original. It only took 1 min to file off and still "plugged" in fine.
I would say they are only about 20% brighter than stock.

This was all on a 2012 model.

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Reactions: 1

Warprints

· #3 · Jan 19, 2015

The stock headlight on this bike is worse than a joke. I've put Phillips X-treme Vision bulbs in, but they don't really do much but make the bike more visible to oncoming traffic.

andy3d

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 19, 2015

Warprints said:
The stock headlight on this bike is worse than a joke. I've put Phillips X-treme Vision bulbs in, but they don't really do much but make the bike more visible to oncoming traffic.

I wish they would have designed it so both lights were on at low beam and high beam. My triumph had this and as you would imagine had double the light!
The HID Xenon does give a lot more light than stock. They are so bright I had to set the lights (little dial on back) to the lowest position as not to piss off on coming traffic.

Warprints

· #5 · Jan 22, 2015

andy3d said:
I wish they would have designed it so both lights were on at low beam and high beam. My triumph had this and as you would imagine had double the light!

This is the first bike I've ever owned that didn't run both lights (left and right) if it had them (my early bikes only had one headlight).

ninja22

· #6 · Jan 29, 2015

andy3d said:
PART 2)
3)I upgraded my Wedge Parking Light for an LED bulb with these
https://www.superbrightleds.com/sear...ts/WLED-W19-T/
This is a pic after putting one of the led bulbs in to compare
https://flic.kr/p/qsJqTU

4) To be more visible from behind I added a break strobe and an extra led TruFlex strip. I also linked the indicators to stobe (I might have to change the patten as this is borderline

)

Metric/Universal GEN2 Magic Brake Light Flasher
Motorcycle Brake Light Flasher Strobing Motorcycle Lights

This is link to the lights in action - they look much brighter to the eye.
http://youtu.be/Bgfc0yo_JXI

I put these in the rear turn signals:
1156-A45-T 1156 Amber
https://www.superbrightleds.com/more...led-tower/526/

I had to file one on the the little bumps on the led bulb down as the didn't match original. It only took 1 min to file off and still "plugged" in fine.
I would say they are only about 20% brighter than stock.

This was all on a 2012 model.

On the Wedge LED's what color did you select? Doesn't look yellow on that pic.
Thanks!

andy3d

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 30, 2015

I picked the cool white color as it was the brightest.

sprockethead

· #8 · Jan 30, 2015

2

andy3d said:
3)I upgraded my Wedge Parking Light for an LED bulb with these
https://www.superbrightleds.com/sear...ts/WLED-W19-T/

Went ahead and ordered the green and I am quite pleased with the result. Thank you for the idea and the link andy3d.

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andy3d

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 2, 2015

Love the green, wish I had thought of that!

Reactions: 1

Airman

· #10 · Feb 2, 2015

andy3d said:
PART 1)

I commute on my bike and always at night on the way home. This ride includes 10 miles of dark (total blackness if no moon) winding canyon with loads of critter - often see skunks and coyote in the road.

So I’ve tried to add light and make my self more visible.

1) Added a HID Xenon head lights as the stock lights are a joke!
Innovited AC 55W HID Xenon Conversion Kit With "Slim" ballast - H7 - 3000K (went Yellow!) got on Amazon.

Install was easy. The tricky bit was the bulbs were not as chunky at the base so was a little loose when clipped back in. I fixed this with padding the back up with some 3M double sided tape.

2) I also add some TruFLEX LED strip lights to back of the mirrors. I have tried many strip leds and these are the brightest, guess you get what you pay for as they are expensive.
pics:
https://flic.kr/p/qRFWmB
https://flic.kr/p/qRFWpx
TruFLEX® 40 LED from Custom Dynamics Motorcycle LED Lights Motorcycle LEDs Lighting Accessories

Install was very easy. I just stole power from one of the wedge lights using Posi-Tap Quick Connects (these are great). I still need to do work on hiding the wires.

I also installed the Innovited 55w HIDs, well, I've installed the left one... I bought the 5000k, it's a bright white, not blue. I just installed the left one because I wanted to see what the light was going to be like before I put them both in.
I think the stock lights are pretty pathetic.The difference is so great that whem driving at night and I cut the high beam HID off it looks like the road goes dark. The HID does have a circular pattern, and yes there is side scatter, but it's mostly on the road in front of you and helps light the sides of the road when you're in the corners.The install is pretty simple, but I had to cut the spade connectors on the power wires off and replace them because they were way to small for the H7 plug. I wish they had installed an H7 plug there, but hey, the kit was only $48 on Amazon.

Reactions: 1

ninja22

· #11 · Feb 4, 2015

andy3d said:
I picked the cool white color as it was the brightest.

Thx! Ordered.

ninja22

· #12 · Feb 4, 2015

Warprints said:
The stock headlight on this bike is worse than a joke. I've put Phillips X-treme Vision bulbs in, but they don't really do much but make the bike more visible to oncoming traffic.

Is there a specific size or midel number for the bike or just the H7's on Amazon are ok?

Airman

· #13 · Feb 10, 2015

andy3d said:
PART 1)

I commute on my bike and always at night on the way home. This ride includes 10 miles of dark (total blackness if no moon) winding canyon with loads of critter - often see skunks and coyote in the road.

So I’ve tried to add light and make my self more visible.

1) Added a HID Xenon head lights as the stock lights are a joke!
Innovited AC 55W HID Xenon Conversion Kit With "Slim" ballast - H7 - 3000K (went Yellow!) got on Amazon.

Install was easy. The tricky bit was the bulbs were not as chunky at the base so was a little loose when clipped back in. I fixed this with padding the back up with some 3M double sided tape.

2) I also add some TruFLEX LED strip lights to back of the mirrors. I have tried many strip leds and these are the brightest, guess you get what you pay for as they are expensive.
pics:
https://flic.kr/p/qRFWmB
https://flic.kr/p/qRFWpx
TruFLEX® 40 LED from Custom Dynamics Motorcycle LED Lights Motorcycle LEDs Lighting Accessories

Install was very easy. I just stole power from one of the wedge lights using Posi-Tap Quick Connects (these are great). I still need to do work on hiding the wires.

Where did you put the ballast on the right side ? I installed the left to see what it would look like..(I'll never go back) stuck that side to the fairing, but the right side is kind of crowded.
I didn't change the aiming on the left BTW. No one flashing me so far. Lots of side scatter down low which works well in corners. Probably the cutoff of the stock light makes me think the pattern is circular.

ToNY97

· #14 · Feb 13, 2015

I needed the pros/cons of HID vs. LED

Is there a downside to installing a better quality (not hard to do compared to OEM) halogen? Something 6-8K for a bluish hue.

ToNY97

· #15 · Feb 13, 2015

Another question:

On our bikes there are (2) 5w smaller bulbs and (2) 55w larger H7 bulbs.
When you upgrade do you change each one or just the larger bulbs?

andy3d

Discussion Starter · #16 · Feb 14, 2015

Airman said:
Where did you put the ballast on the right side ? I installed the left to see what it would look like..(I'll never go back) stuck that side to the fairing, but the right side is kind of crowded.
I didn't change the aiming on the left BTW. No one flashing me so far. Lots of side scatter down low which works well in corners. Probably the cutoff of the stock light makes me think the pattern is circular.

you are correct. Lot's of space on the left in the fairing but the coolant is in the way on the right. I ended up taking the mirrors off and the two bolts on the the sides on the dash so I could lower whole front piece. This gave me access to a nice large area under behind the dash - perfect for hiding the ballast

andy3d

Discussion Starter · #17 · Feb 14, 2015

ToNY97 said:
Another question:

On our bikes there are (2) 5w smaller bulbs and (2) 55w larger H7 bulbs.
When you upgrade do you change each one or just the larger bulbs?

by 5w do you mean the wedge bulbs? If so I replaces these with brighter LED lights and the H7 build with the H7 xenon bulb that can with the HID kit.

ToNY97

· #18 · Feb 14, 2015

If wedge means the smaller bulbs in the upper outside edge of the larger ones.

On the left side they would be in the 11 o'clock position.

ToNY97

· #19 · Feb 15, 2015

what's the best premium halogen? Sylvania, Philips, etc.

ninja22

· #20 · Feb 15, 2015

Is there a How To on the wedge/parking lights? I feel like I will tear it up.
Thx.

1 - 20 of 182 Posts

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