Looking for some extra lights for the ST 1100 . A guy has two D2"'s for sale. I know they are a little dated , but I understand they are good lights : My question is about the term "driving light" . Is this a considered low beam or a full (high) beam light ? Will I blind meeting traffic like a high beam does ?
Rigid D2 driving lights
- Thread starter JJames
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check out alpena less $ very bright blaine farm and fleet
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JJames
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Do you know which version would that be ? I can't find very much that can be dimmed. My biggest need is for going into /through unlit tunnels . One can meet traffic in there too . I'd like something bigger that those small pod style , because I imagine bigger light alot better. I could get caught in the dark night too.
I thought they dud but I couldn't find anything on their site, might be an option for some of their other lights.
I've used this on some of mine in the past.
Skene Lights Online Store
Online ordering for all Skene Lights visibility lighting products including the P3, Photon Blaster, IQ-275 dimmers, LED modules and more.
www.skenelights.com
Have you upgraded your headlights to LED's? That will make a significant difference. I found D2 lights - Denali on this website:
denalielectronics.com
That website says you get an extra lens with the light, the installed lens is for a spot beam (very narrow, projects far down the road). The extra lens is for a spot/flood hybrid to provide wider illumination closer to the bike. A switch will dim the lights to half brightness.
I could not get @Mellow's link to Skene lighting to work.
D2 LED Light Pods with DataDim™ Technology
We designed the D2 light to create an impressive beam of light that is the perfect balance between nighttime distance and daytime conspicuity. Don’t be fooled by their smaller size; the installed spot lenses throw a beam of light 525 feet down the road, while the included flood lenses create a...
denalielectronics.com
I could not get @Mellow's link to Skene lighting to work.
Andrew Shadow
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The term Driving Light has nothing to do with whether it is a high beam or a low beam light, or how much light it produces. Whether a light is a high beam or a low beam is determined by where the light source, be it a filament or an LED, is placed in the bulb. This will determine where it is located in the reflector, which determines whether the light shines up high (high beam) or down low (low beam). How much light any given light produces is a function of its design, not whether it is a high beam or low beam light.
The term driving light refers to the light's beam pattern. With lights that are otherwise equal in all respects, a driving light will have a narrower more focused beam pattern that is designed to project light further in to the distance than a standard light, which will have a wider beam pattern that will not project as far. The driving light will project further, but will provide less illumination to the sides.
Whether this light will project up high, and blind on coming drivers, or lower down so that it does not, is determined by how it is aimed vertically.
Regardless of whether they are aimed to high or not, some lights are so bright that they will blind oncoming drivers and will need to be turned off or have their light output reduced by the use of a controller to prevent blinding oncoming drivers. This is why they are often marketed as off road lights.
The term driving light refers to the light's beam pattern. With lights that are otherwise equal in all respects, a driving light will have a narrower more focused beam pattern that is designed to project light further in to the distance than a standard light, which will have a wider beam pattern that will not project as far. The driving light will project further, but will provide less illumination to the sides.
Whether this light will project up high, and blind on coming drivers, or lower down so that it does not, is determined by how it is aimed vertically.
Regardless of whether they are aimed to high or not, some lights are so bright that they will blind oncoming drivers and will need to be turned off or have their light output reduced by the use of a controller to prevent blinding oncoming drivers. This is why they are often marketed as off road lights.
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JJames
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No , I have not upgraded the headlights to LED yet. But I have them on the shelf here. Been waiting to get ahold of an extra sett of the rubber bulb covers / gaitor . But your right , i should put them in , and go to the nearest tunnel for a test drive. I did buy these police extra light mounds . They are solid stuff , think I should have at least one powerful LED on the left flank
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JJames
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Thanks for the lesson. I had a feeling it didn't mean :- you don't have to turn them off when meeting traffic . Over here they call driving lights = Day time lights (low beam)
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JJames
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Rigid D seires : They also have one they call : Spot -is that the same as driving or even narrower ? Are they suitable for MC and cars ? The Nordic countrys are now aloud to have unlimited amounts of lights on the motor vehicles , so kind of confusing what is suitable for road use. But in pitch dark I guess strong is best
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Yes driving lights should be considered/used as you would high beam lights but they aren't replacements for high beams and here in CA can't be used on the street without high beams. Their purpose is to put light down range as with high beam. However they have a more focused/narrower beam that usually outdistances your high beams when all are properly aimed. So yes true driving lights should be dimmed when over taking or approaching other vehicles.
Here in CA driving lights can only legally be operated with high beams - not by themselves or with low beams. The CVC names auxiliary lamps as driving and passing. Upper beams (aka high beams) are used when not near other vehicles. Lower beam (aka passing beams) are used when approaching other vehicles as prescribed. Driving lights with upper beams and passing lights with lower or upper beams.
Of course you'd want to check your applicable laws as to requirements and operation.
Driving lights often are available in 10 or 20º beams sometimes referred to as spot or pencil beams. The 10º spots usually provide light farther downrange than 20º driving lights.
When buying lights a little research goes a long way. Not all lights do some manufacturers claim. The worst offenders are flood lamps sold as on-road driving or fog lights. These shoot a larger round circle of light much like shining a flashlight against a wall. With no beam forming or cut off of the top these will certainly annoy if not blind other drivers. Around these parts floody lamps are off-road only and not legal for the roadway.
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JJames
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Yes ,I have noticed those : fog ,flood and work (defused ?) ,often much cheaper price.
I suspect the term Driving Light is a marketing invention that includes a wide array of luminaires. What is important is the width of the beam (usually described in degrees or the area illuminated at a specific distance from the vehicle). In the old incandescent days, halogen lamps were described as narrow spot, spot, narrow flood, flood and wide flood by different manufacturers and were similarly imprecise. All that really mattered was the beam spread and if it illuminated the area (or object) properly. The same goes for driving lights. Identify what you want to see, and choose the beam pattern accordingly. For use on the road there are rules and laws to prevent you from blinding oncoming traffic. Many of us mount auxiliary lights that, strictly speaking, are illegal, but if used judiciously, we will never be cited for breaking those laws.
Andrew Shadow
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Spots usually have an even narrower and more focused beam pattern, but each light's specifications need to be referenced to know what they actually are. Spots will project down-range further but will not provide much side illumination. You need to decide if you want to see the road only, the road and the shoulders, or the road, shoulders and a little more of what is to the sides of the road. Being able to see extremely far down-range is not of much use if you can only see an area 15 feet wide. The danger lurking just off to the side of the road that may be moving on to the road as you approach needs to be seen as well, or you risk a nasty surprise when you get there, which doesn't take long at 100 Km/H. It results in the same effect as out driving your lights.