Headlight upgrade?

cessna151 · Post by **cessna151** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 2:18 pm

I'm not sure if something is wrong with my headlights or if it's normal but, in either case, the stock headlights project a beam that has a horizontal rectangle shape so that when the bike leans into a turn the beam angles down at the ground on the inside of the turn as illustrated below.

Since the road ahead isn't illuminated when corning it seems dangerous and i have to slow way down. So i would like to either upgrade the current lights or add more lights in the two blank unused sections of the headlight housing. Can anyone comment on how to proceed with this project such as which would be best, what to buy, and how to do it? Thanks for any help!

tomtic · Post by **tomtic** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 4:46 pm

Hmmm. The problem of headlights not allowing you to 'see' around a corner are well known, and the new(ish) BMW K1600 has electronic adaptive headlights to get round this.
I suppose adding more lateral lighting may help, but you might run into problems with oncoming traffic when on a straight bit of road. You might very well blind oncoming traffic, and also the bike may not pass its annual inspection (MOT in the UK).
Just a couple of points to beware of, but good luck with this project - let us know how you get on!
Tom

cessna151 · Post by **cessna151** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:18 pm

To clarify, i'm not talking about the usual "can't see around the corner." The problem is when the bike leans over, the light actually projects much closer, in other words, standing upright the light projects about 50ft out, but when i lean the bike over it is only projected about 15ft out, but at an angle like in my illustration. So on the inside of the corner the light is shinning about 15ft out, but on the outside the light actually shines up above the horizon (probably blinding oncoming traffic). I hope this makes sense.

Anyway, i haven't been able to find any how-tos about adding lights. So if anybody could help me get started, that would be much appreciated.

Cracksta · Post by **Cracksta** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:42 pm

Mines does exactly this but not been a problem at all since most roads are lit by street lamps.

Might just be user preference unless you ride on road in complete darkness? I'd imagine cars would have the same problem but not really an issue for most.

maddiedog · Post by **maddiedog** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 10:32 am

I recommended this in another thread -- you should mount an extra set of lights on the lower part of the forks. A guy I ride with has fork-mounted foglights on his Silverwing, they make a HUGE difference.

cessna151 · Post by **cessna151** » Fri Jan 18, 2013 10:46 am

Cracksta wrote:Mines does exactly this but not been a problem at all since most roads are lit by street lamps.

Might just be user preference unless you ride on road in complete darkness? I'd imagine cars would have the same problem but not really an issue for most.

In the USA the only lit roads are within the city limits. Most of my riding is on unlit roads outside the city limits. However, thanks for confirming i don't have faulty lights.

maddiedog wrote:I recommended this in another thread -- you should mount an extra set of lights on the lower part of the forks. A guy I ride with has fork-mounted foglights on his Silverwing, they make a HUGE difference.

I saw that thread, however, mounting location isn't really my problem, it's how to get started with what to buy and how to wire it properly.

Thanks for the suggestions so far! All input is welcome.

maddiedog · Post by **maddiedog** » Fri Jan 18, 2013 2:05 pm

Ah, understood. If I were to do the mod, I would replace the primary headlights with LEDs and wire the foglights in parallel with the headlights.

There are WAY TOO MANY options for foglights (there are over 10000 products in the search for "LED Foglight" on Amazon alone), but I'm cheap, so if I were doing it, I'd probably get some generic one from Wal-Mart that looked good and drop some LED bulbs from DealExtreme in there.

Cracksta · Post by **Cracksta** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 4:41 am

yep, your lights arent faulty and this is something i've noticed too. Most of the streets I ride have some street lighting so not quite pitch black.

Yes you will probably need additional lights as mentioned, good luck with the modding!

Alibally · Post by **Alibally** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:41 pm

I got a set of small led lights from here, http://www.bikevis.com/motorcycle-led-r ... ights.html
I have still to fit them as the bikes in storage until the better weather, but I have powered them up sand they are BRIGHT.

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