lookin for lights

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P

peppers

New Member
Jul 21, 2010
146
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everywhere
there are many threads on the topic but I was thinkin bout mounting a few bicycle headlights so I get better lighting and visibility, I have been lookin around and cannot decide what to get though, I have one that has a tendency to shut off due to the vibration and I have to hit it to get it goin.

This topic confuses me a bit and I don't really want to spend a fortune but I still need to be safe.
 
C

city of angels

New Member
May 24, 2009
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tucson az
you could buy a motorcycle battery 7 aph and go to walmart and buy a set of fog driving lights thats what i did with my set up and its prettty bright here is pic of my bike and you could see the head light where i have it mount it.trk
 

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kerf

kerf

New Member
Jun 28, 2010
304
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Birmingham, Al
Re: looking for lights

Living in the suburbs of Birmingham, traffic is a particular problem for me and has long ago driven me into the dark. My first lighting system consisted of a 20w MR16 spot in a reworked Malibu light housing and a 5ah AGM. Ride time was about 1 1/2 hours but the 20w wasn't cutting it at my 30mph cruse speed. I changed to a 35w MR16 and it helped but put a strain on the 5ah battery. I just decided on an upgrade to a 7ah battery and an automotive driving light, using a 35w H3 bulb. It was only marginally better than the MR16 so again I upgraded.

This time, I used both the 5ah and the 7ah together and went to a 55w H3 bulb. That hit the sweet spot for me, plenty of light and a beam far enough down the road to stay out of trouble. I tried it the first time, before daylight last Sunday. I ran the 55w headlight and 6w tail light for about 45 minutes and my 9w parking lights for about 20 minutes. After letting the batteries stabilize for a few minutes, I checked them with a volt meter and found them at 12.5 volts. This is still 90% of full charge so I think I could get at least an hour and a half at full light output.
 

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kerf

kerf

New Member
Jun 28, 2010
304
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0
Birmingham, Al
Batteries are available here from Batteries Plus, lights from the local auto parts dealer. I used a 4x4 electrical box from Home Depot for my circuit box. Camera bags from Wally World or Bell Under Seat Bags work for batteries. Just look around and get creative.
 
M

motorbiker

New Member
Mar 22, 2008
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Tampa Bay Florida
Re: looking for lights

kerf said:
Living in the suburbs of Birmingham, traffic is a particular problem for me and has long ago driven me into the dark. My first lighting system consisted of a 20w MR16 spot in a reworked Malibu light housing and a 5ah AGM. Ride time was about 1 1/2 hours but the 20w wasn't cutting it at my 30mph cruse speed. I changed to a 35w MR16 and it helped but put a strain on the 5ah battery. I just decided on an upgrade to a 7ah battery and an automotive driving light, using a 35w H3 bulb. It was only marginally better than the MR16 so again I upgraded.

This time, I used both the 5ah and the 7ah together and went to a 55w H3 bulb. That hit the sweet spot for me, plenty of light and a beam far enough down the road to stay out of trouble. I tried it the first time, before daylight last Sunday. I ran the 55w headlight and 6w tail light for about 45 minutes and my 9w parking lights for about 20 minutes. After letting the batteries stabilize for a few minutes, I checked them with a volt meter and found them at 12.5 volts. This is still 90% of full charge so I think I could get at least an hour and a half at full light output.
Click to expand...
Nice ! ! ! usflg
 
B

bowljoman

New Member
Aug 7, 2010
370
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Wa
I've been using high output LED's , Cree's in particular, rechargable bateries and 12 v bottle gen. Overall the juice needed is less than the bulb types.
 
kerf

kerf

New Member
Jun 28, 2010
304
0
0
Birmingham, Al
Yes, the LED are much easier on batteries than halogen. My 55 watt only gives me a good 45 minutes of run time on a single 7ah AGM, a 50 watt equivalent LED only pulls 9 watts. The area that gives me concern is the lumens on each bulb. The halogen is rated at about 1550 lumens, while the Cree MR16 9 watt unit is only rated at 410 lumens. Can't really say that I understand the discrepancy, when they are marketed as being equivalent.
 
B

bowljoman

New Member
Aug 7, 2010
370
1
0
Wa
I run a pair of x-lamps on front, and it's pretty nice. Could be a little brighter.

The real advantage is never having to charge my batteries after a ride, since I can run rechargeable cells and the consumption is so low. THe bottle gen powers all the lights with juice to spare.
 
scotto-

scotto-

Custom 4-Stroke Bike Builder
Jun 3, 2010
6,505
24
38
Ridin' inSane Diego, CA.
NiteRider 200 MiNewt for the front and a Bell flasher for the rear.....you'll be seen as well as be able too see, but the NightRider isn't cheap. It's a combo that really works for me, really well.
 
scotto-

scotto-

Custom 4-Stroke Bike Builder
Jun 3, 2010
6,505
24
38
Ridin' inSane Diego, CA.
Re: looking for lights

kerf said:
Living in the suburbs of Birmingham, traffic is a particular problem for me and has long ago driven me into the dark. My first lighting system consisted of a 20w MR16 spot in a reworked Malibu light housing and a 5ah AGM. Ride time was about 1 1/2 hours but the 20w wasn't cutting it at my 30mph cruse speed. I changed to a 35w MR16 and it helped but put a strain on the 5ah battery. I just decided on an upgrade to a 7ah battery and an automotive driving light, using a 35w H3 bulb. It was only marginally better than the MR16 so again I upgraded.

This time, I used both the 5ah and the 7ah together and went to a 55w H3 bulb. That hit the sweet spot for me, plenty of light and a beam far enough down the road to stay out of trouble. I tried it the first time, before daylight last Sunday. I ran the 55w headlight and 6w tail light for about 45 minutes and my 9w parking lights for about 20 minutes. After letting the batteries stabilize for a few minutes, I checked them with a volt meter and found them at 12.5 volts. This is still 90% of full charge so I think I could get at least an hour and a half at full light output.
Click to expand...
Hey Kerf, is that a Tiny-Tach on yer dashboard? It looks like it.....nice set-up by the way!
 
K

klb6154

New Member
Jun 20, 2010
76
0
0
pittsburgh pa
cheap and easy headelight helper or if you are nuts like me it can be youre main light but remember i ride mine at night in an industrial are where i work that has street lights but this thing is bright. You can but it at wally world (walmart) its a headlight made by coleman it has a one watt spot light cost 21 bucks and by headlight it straps to youre head with any oter head light system it willhelp tremendously i use one for my main light but i also work night shift and use the same light on the roof tops of buildings
 
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