More down the road lighting wanted, any advice on brands or location on the bike?

PurpleRoads

Joined
Jul 12, 2019
Messages
1
Age
67
Location
Minneapolis MN
I have an ST1300 and I am getting to the age where I would like a little more light out in front of me when I ride at night. There are many brands to choose from, how much light is enough, fork lights or under the mirrors? Those who have done this please fill me in.
 
Lots of discussion about this in the dedicated Lighting forum... https://www.st-owners.com/forums/forums/lighting-visibility.55/

I'll add this... IMO, the first step to get more light out front is to switch to LED headlights. Start there and see if that's enough for you. A couple threads discussing this...

H4 LED - 2018 Evitek, F2 replaces G6 | Lighting / Visibility

I am getting questions about not being able to find the Evitek G6 bulb. I too needed to get another set and could not find them either. So I did some looking around. There is a lot more stuff out there now and confusing! In 2017 they came out with the T8 bulb with a fan and the S1 bulb without...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com

Why brighter more focused LEDs are better. | Lighting / Visibility

This is it in a nut shell There seems to be a real problem with automotive and bike lighting. NO ONE is leading the charge to a better system. DOT seems to be stuck in the 1970's. It took them 20 years to approve the H4 system. DOT is a follower not a leader. Current metrics are dismal at...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
 
Last edited:
I put two ClearWater Darla lights located essentially at the top of the front fender. I love them. There is a 'volume' knob on my handlebars so I can dial them up or down. They are linked to the high beams so if I flash my high beams they flash at full brightness and I find that comforting during the day when I go through an intersection. Just two or three flashes of light in an effort to ensure that oncoming drivers see me.

At night, I keep them on low yet they give me as much light as I could want without angering oncoming drivers. Plenty of light and I have not yet had anyone flash me asking me to turn of my brights. Turn on the bright lights when no one is coming and I am probably visible from space.

Super pleased and would highly recommend.
 
Go with F2 LED headlights first like Paul said. Then I would go with under mirror mounts second, Clearwater's if price is no issue. And fork mounted LED'S last. JMO.
 
PurpleRoads said:
how much light is enough, fork lights or under the mirrors?
Click to expand...
The further down the road you want to see the higher up your lights need to be. +1 on fork lights being last given your stated priorities.

Another +1 on the F2 headlights. Lots of benefits starting with much reduced clearance draw. No need for external brackets wiring or switches. Proper beam for on-road use (just remember to check headlight adjustment after installation).

For additional down range illumination you should shoot for an on-road beam pattern (cut off of top of the beam) to avoid impairing vision of oncoming drivers. Using off road lighting on roads demands a lot more care and consideration of others. Unless you want to ride like you're out to blind them.

One last thing - choosing super bright lights and have them improperly aimed too close to the front of your bike could impair your "night vision" when you switch them off.
 
How far down the road do you want to light up? I've read the LED lights don't project down the road that great. Maybe at $500 they would, I don't know. Back in the "good ole days", the answer was a pair of 910 PIAA lights, with the 110 watt lamps, hanging under the mirror pods. Of course you left a trail of singed roadside grass and bushes in your wake. I bet the alt. had trouble keeping up with the lights.

Don't know if they are still available, but the European headlamp housing (ST1100) project a much more usable pattern. A plus is you can use standard 9004 or H4 headlamps unmodified.
 
Ron said:
Back in the "good ole days", the answer was a pair of 910 PIAA lights, with the 110 watt lamps, hanging under the mirror pods. Of course you left a trail of singed roadside grass and bushes in your wake. I bet the alt. had trouble keeping up with the lights.
Click to expand...
I have PIAA 910s on both of my STs - the 1100 and the 1300. They are awesome, they direct a very narrow beam of light waaaaay down the road. I really highly recommend these lights. No problem with electrical load on an 1100 with a 40 amp alternator or on a 1300.

It took me over a year to find a NOS (New Old Stock) set of 910s for my 1300. I noticed the other day that @The Dan has a used set for sale, complete with ST 1300 mounting brackets. I can't find the post where he listed these, so if you are interested, send him a PM and ask if he still has them.

Michael
 
I went with KC HiLights years ago , put 50W bulbs in to not overload the elect . system , made my own solid rod brackets that un-pin & pull out of receiver pipes , so I can remove fairing if needed. They come on with the bright beams of headlights by relay / or can turn them off with separate switch - which is most of time due to traffic.

IMG_2024 c.JPG
 
If $540 is a bit stiff for your wallet, try advmonster's lights. They cost $80 for a pair (no need for their stronger mounting bracket). I've put them on two bikes and two guys in our BMW club have also bought them.
 
Clearwater lights are good lights...but grossly expensive for what you get. I have those because the first owner of my bike installed them. I'd never buy them myself. I suggest looking at the Model 55 from ADVMonster.

Mounting lights low gives you a nice triangle for others to see you, but is not really good for you seeing farther out down the road. Mounting the lights as high as possible, allows you to aim them out and down. Mounting them on the forks, only allows you to aim them out.

I highly suggest looking for a tight spot beam. Aux lights are more often flood lights. That's great on a deserted road, but really can't be used in traffic. That Model 55 has a tight pencil beam light that you can aim in your lane and use in traffic.

Chris
 
PIAA 910s on Ron Major/Dale Wilson/Dick Seng under-mirror mounts on my ‘91 SSMST. The original 110w bulbs were overkill, replaced with 55w. Powerful long-range illumination. Standalone PIAA on/off switch on the left handlebar switchgear housing. 140K miles. I also have a Euro headlight module with an HID in the right reflector. FWIW

John
 
Last edited:
I should have added to my post above, two inch LED lights mounted low on the forks will throw some light down the road (pencil beam) but are primarily for conspicuity. Larger lights mounted higher and throwing more lumens will illuminate farther down the road (again, a narrow pencil beam because floods will blind oncoming traffic). In lighting, as in most other things, you get what you pay for, and Clearwater lights are outstanding (as is their price). They advertise that they are made from billet aluminum and I have heard their customer service is first rate. These are probably a lifetime investment. I've seen them on a surprising number of BMW bikes at their rallies, so the cost is clearly not hindering sales. While others have said brand x or y sold for a fraction of CW's cost on Amazon perform as well, I suspect a side by side comparison by a guy like @spiderman302 will show the superiority of the Clearwater brand. That said, I will not afford the CW's and other lights give me sufficient light to navigate at night.
 
I used ADVMonster Model 30s on two different bikes. I'm guessing I had around 60,000 combined miles on the lights. They always looked like new and performed flawlessly.

The Clearwater lights I have on my BMW on the other hand, corroded. They had a coating of black paint on them that flaked off and the underlying aluminum, corroded.

I think BMW owners buy the Clearwaters because that is part of the "costume". BMW owners are just as concerned with having the "right" accessories as H-D owners are.

Chris
 
Linked2Mark said:
.................They are linked to the high beams so if I flash my high beams they flash at full brightness and I find that comforting during the day when I go through an intersection. Just two or three flashes of light in an effort to ensure that oncoming drivers see me.
Click to expand...

Be careful with that. Some numb nut preparing to turn might interpret that as you giving them the go ahead.

Remember mounting lights to the forks adds unsprung weight and affects suspension response.
 
ST-Traveler said:
if you upgrade to LED head lights you won't need auxiliary lighting.:biggrin:
Click to expand...

But big ole 5 inch LED's hanging under the mirrors sure helps when you need left lane bandits to move to the right. I think some folks think it's the Highway Patrol when the sun comes up behind them and says, "move over please."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom