Driving Lights - Need Suggestions

Hello XJers and others, if you have added driving lights to your ride, I'd like to know about it.

This is the idea I was looking at: http://www.webbikeworld.com/lights/moto ... lights.jpg

Any suggestion is welcome, but low-cost is my price range. Thought of cheap fog lights, but how do I mount without high-cost fabrication? My goal is to be seen better.

Thanks!

 

Bad link above.

Seems like cheap lights = poor lights (i.e., corrodes away real fast, doesn't throw much light, overtaxes electrical system/wires, etc.). The 750 Seca/Maxims came with a 35w aux light that is the limit for wiring through the switch gear (w/o a relay and dedicated wiring) and does not help much.

If you are going for function over style - go with 1 or 2 10w LED units from Solstice like this. They are available at a couple places; some as complete kits.

If you are going for style over function, go with some good quality dual-filament front amber turn signals and wire the lower wattage filament up to be a running light (& rear - in red - if you want). Something like this.

 

check out the advanced lighting kits.
http://ledsupply.com/led-kits.php
pretty much spend as much as you want.
they mount in a hole in a metal junction box so a little hack sawing on a cheap box and some imagination should get ya going

 

Here's a better link. http://astore.amazon.com/webbikewcom-20 ... B002Q1KTD4

I want to achieve something like this without spending 300. I don't mind getting a decent light, just don't want the cost to be mostly in mounting.

So maybe more mounting suggestions is what I need. Thanks!

 

Can you fabricate your own mounts?

Thats what I did.

 

Hey thanks darkfibre. That's what I assumed I may have to do, but was just looking for someone to copy. I don't have a lot of time to tinker, between the kid, the wife, and the house projects.

I also don't have any machining equip, but I am excellent at re-purposing s**t I can find in my tool box or hardware stores.

Great looking bike. That green is incredible, and the engine looks brand new. Are your head/driving lights all mods, or were they already designed for a bike and you just fab'd the mounts?

 

Also, are they all wired in thru the Headlight connection? Or separate/switched?

 

Here's a link to the Vision X kits for 2 driving lights. No "light bar" (like the above link - bar w/o lights), but all the electrical items prepackaged AND only 20W electrical draw.

 

darkfibre, that bike looks awesome... I love the paint and the headlight setup!

ColoradoDan, keep this updated 'cause I'll be watching to see what you come up with!

 

If you want to be seen better you could get a led glow kit. http://www.ledunderbody.com/led-motorcy ... -kits.aspx
I love mine, unfortunetly it doesnt help you see better.

 

The top set of lights are aftermarket dominator units (ebay) and the bottom lights are Lightforce 170s from my 4x4.

Dominators are high/low with a relay, and the Lightforces are wired separately with their own relay. I plan to change the setup so that the driving lights can only come on when high beam is on.

 

Okay zap2504, that is some hot s**t. Probably a little too rock n roll for my style, but I like it. Maybe when I was younger.

Also I want something more for daytime - have a feeling those would be muted with the sun up. Thanks for suggestion though, someone else will probably benefit.

Hi Mikeyman, will do. I will probably debate with myself over what I really want for a long time anyway.

 

Okay so now I want to consider an average set of fog lights that one can get for auto usage, but what is the best wiring design?

Directly wired with the headlight, feeding off the same power, and their own fuse? That way it is on with the starter, and always running day or night. Anyone done this?

Or a separate switch, like darkfibre?

 

if their for daylight they should be wired to the hi beams with their own relay for power,(you do run your hi beams all the time, right ?) and that's what you have to watch. you don't have a lot of extra power. the wires for your headlight are borderline now, you don't want to put anything else on them, use a relay
or think about LED's

 

For daytime running or conspicuity lights (DRLs) go with LED light strips (blue front, red rear, amber side); the brightness of the LEDs are much more attention grabbing and they use very little juice (so they are easier to wire and will work with your bike's electrical capability).

Oddly enough, one of the most attention-grabbing things I have seen on a cycle was the chrome lip on a H-D rear rubber fender flap as it waived around in the wind. The random reflectivity was the key (it's how us humans are wired :wink: )

 

Okay, I am updating this old thread, now that I have found and installed my lights. I got these from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Po-White-Daytime- ... roduct_top

With the low draw due to being LEDs, I just wired them into the open slot on my fuse box.