Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

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AlecMyrddyn
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Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by AlecMyrddyn »

So I'm thinking about adding some additional lights to my '11 R1200R. I've read through as many threads as I can, but I'm having a hard time making a decision. My goals, in order:
  1. Better visibility to other drivers, without being (too) obnoxious.
  2. An installation that fits well with the aesthetics of the 'R.
  3. I prefer the idea of LED, but it's not required.
  4. Better light pattern for riding at night.
The reason I prefer LED is that I'm often riding two-up with my fiance, and if cold, we are wearing 230 watts worth of heated clothing. We are using Heat-Trollers so unless it's really cold, we are only using some percentage of that. I'm still concerned about adding another 70-110 watts of non-LED lighting and possibly drawing more than the bike has free. (Does anyone know how many watts the 'R typically has "available" for accessories?)

The options I'm aware of and my current thoughts on them:

MotoBozzo - I love the placement and simplicity of these lights, and the included wiring/control module that uses the BMW switchgear to turn them on and off. 2 x 35W halogen bulbs (can be upgraded to 55W). I gather they run around US$200 shipped, which almost makes them reasonable to buy just to use the brackets and wiring for mounting LED lights to in the future...

Wunderlich's Micro-Flooter Lights - The metal cage around the light looks nicer than the MotoBozzo, but the bracket that attaches to the tank looks needlessly complex to me in the installation instructions. Separate on/off switch included. 2 x 55W halogen bulbs. US$335 shipped.

Clearwater Lights - I like the looks of the Darla or Glenda. From what I've read, the Darla are *very* bright. Does anyone have pictures of the D9/G9 mounting kit? Very spendy at US$588 shipped with the D9 bracket (where does this mount them? Fork? Caliper?), US$518 shipped with the "universal" bracket. Because these lights have no reflector, they have no cutoff in the beam pattern, meaning they really need to be dimmed when used as driving lights and only go full brightness when the high beams are on. They are designed to work that way and come with an included dimmer control.

PIAA 530 - Available as both a Driving Light or Fog Light, this LED lamp has a reflector that should eliminate the need for dimming if aimed properly, if you get the right lamp type. (They suggest running the fogs with low-beam and driving with high-beam.) US$325 shipped, but comes with no mounting bracket. So I would need to attach them to the MotoBozzo bracket or purchase a mount like the Lumalink. What I don't know is if the reflector can be rotated based on the orientation of how you mount them, or if they have to be mounted so the mounting bracket is at the bottom.



Anyone have any additional options that fit the 'R well? Any opinions on the above choices?

Thanks!
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jkhomes
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by jkhomes »

I really like my Photon Blaster from Skeene. It was easy to install. I would not pay for any of the extra options if I had to do it all over again. Here are a couple threads and a link to their website.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=25124
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=27393
http://www.skenedesign.com/lights/

If I rode in town more I would definitely get the Strobewise deceleration warning light. You can't get it at Whitehorse Gear anymore, but Strobewise does have a store on Amazon.
John K
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by Anyname »

I have both the Skene photon blasters and Clearwater Darla lights. I have the Clearwaters mounted on Lumalink brackets. I recently had the opportunity to see my own bike being driven towards me after it was serviced. It was seriously conspicuous. It may seem like overkill, but it's my observation that a major cause of fatal motorcycle accidents is cars making a left turn across traffic.
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psycle.vt
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by psycle.vt »

I have a reasonably effective (if ugly) solution - I mounted some now low price, very lightweight LED lights from China on my BMW handguards. They are powered off of a switched circuit on my Eastern Beaver fuse block, so they come on after the bike starts up. They are for being seen rather than lighting up the road and seem to be pretty effective. I bought the lights from White Horse Gear in NH a few years ago for $129, but recently saw the identical set at a super Walmart for $30.
Cy Young/VT (now NH)
13 R1200R (BLUE - the latest PSYCLE)
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jkhomes
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by jkhomes »

Cy, I would like to see a picture of that. Getting the lights spread out make the bike much bigger and seems like a great idea.

Anyname is correct about the primary cause of accidents. Also known as a SMIDSY (sorry mate I didn't see ya).
John K
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by deilenberger »

For conspicuity - it's hard to beat a headlight modulator. I can tell almost instantly when I've forgotten to turn mine on just by the behavior of autos, especially ones thinking of pulling out in front of me.

I use auxiliary lights for - more light. I went with Hella FF50's - which put out light about equal in brightness to an HID auxiliary light without the bother of a ballast. They're mounted on LumaLink mounts which clamp to the lower fork sliders just above the glued on reflectors. The lights are about level with the reflectors (they're mounted under the mount) and the center of each light is about 4" out from the fork sliders. Works great, and if you're a good shopper these lights can be found for well less than $100/pair. Despite being mounted on the fork sliders - I have yet to have a bulb fail on me (been on the bike about 75,000 miles now.) Nice part is - it's easy to adjust them to fill in the blank spots the standard headlight leaves you with. Since I don't use them for conspicuity, current draw isn't a big concern to me..

As usual - YMMV, and don't bother with the stories about how you hate modulators or people think it's a flash to turn thing.. first I don't care, and second - after well over 100k miles running them I've never had that happen. Not once.
Don Eilenberger - NJ Shore
2012 R1200R - I love this bike!
AlecMyrddyn
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by AlecMyrddyn »

Thanks for all the replies!

jkhomes and Anyname, Thanks for the idea about the LED Photo Blasters. I'll have to think about that a bit more.

Anyname, how much did the Lumalink brackets run you? They don't list a price on their website... After using the Darlas for a while, are you happy with them, or are they just too bright and you wish you had gone for the Glendas? How frustrating is the lack of a reflector to provide cutoff when using with your low beam?

psycle.vt, I have a set of BarkBuster Storm handguards, but I typically don't run them year round. I like to take them off in the summer to get a bit more airflow. A set of yellow Photon Blasters with the turn signal option mounted on them would certainly be visible... Not sure I want to have to keep them on all the time though...
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by GTS29640 »

I agree that the headlight modulator is probably the best thing going for conspicuity. It really grabs your attention. It's unfortunate it confuses so many people. Most of it's harmless except for the people that flash their lights back at you. They think you're flashing your lights and accusing them of having their high beams on. I had a very scary experience with this once. Nobody likes being accused of something they didn't do and some act in a vey irrational manner.
Gary

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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by Anyname »

I don't recall the cost of the LumaLink brackets, but if you fill in the info on their ordering page, it will show you the price.

The Clearwater lights have a rheostat type dimmer which is overridden to full power when you switch on your high beams. I bought the Darlas because I wanted the addition lighting power as well as the conspicuity.
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psycle.vt
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by psycle.vt »

My light solution probably won't work on the Barkbusters. My wife's R12R has them and I am pretty sure they would not safely support even the light weight of the LED lights. Mine are on older GS handguards (attached with custom bar end weights and bolts/custom washers from Excel Throttle Control) so they are well supported. I'll try to get a picture shortly
Cy Young/VT (now NH)
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dbrick
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by dbrick »

AlecMyrddyn wrote:A set of yellow Photon Blasters with the turn signal option mounted on them would certainly be visible... Not sure I want to have to keep them on all the time though...
After riding with various headlight modulators since the early 90s, I moved to the P3 Photon Blasters last year. I have the modulation set to "on," and don't have the turn signal option; they're mounted down at axle level.

My seat-of-the-pants impression is that they're as effective as the modulators were - I notice no increase in the number of oncoming cars turning in front of me.
David Brick
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by rickg »

I just had a set of Motolites installed on my R bike. Though I don't ride at night that much, I plan on using them for daylight conspicuity. So far I like them and my riding buddies tell me it is very noticeable when I am behind them. I like that they are low and make a nice big "safety triangle" to alert those cell phone talking soccer moms and texting slackers that there is someone else on the road so pay the f**k attention!!!!!

Rick G
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roger l
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by roger l »

Has anyone tried the auxiliary lights from Super Bright LED's ? I have listed a link below. They look to be good lights to add some daylight conspicuity. I have the Parabellum Scout fairing and was thinking about mounting them to the flat spots on the side of the fairing. They are made in the USA and the cost is much lower than the other lights listed above.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo ... ight/1386/


Thanks
Roger L
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by hetman »

There's a pile of light vendors on ADVrider.. I was thinking of going with the Lumalinks and maybe these:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839163

Same people are also engineering an LED headlight replacement but don't have one for us quite yet:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=948701

And here's a different popular vendor:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=976505
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by deilenberger »

hetman wrote:There's a pile of light vendors on ADVrider.. I was thinking of going with the Lumalinks and maybe these:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839163

Same people are also engineering an LED headlight replacement but don't have one for us quite yet:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=948701

And here's a different popular vendor:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=976505
The last one is quite interesting. A few comments (based on a background in optics/light..)

The 45 degree output IMHO is too wide on these. Problem with it is it will light up too much of your close in environment. That tends to draw your eye nearer to the bike. Ideally - you want light that projects about the same spread as your headlight does now. It appears the 25 degree may be closer to that. I'd love to see them in person some night.

Output per light is listed at 700 lumens. A standard H1 halogen bulb (55W) puts out more than twice that amount (around 1550 lumens.) The Hella FF50 lights I use each have an H1 in them.. putting more than 3,000 lumens of light out.

Since Hella has been around a long time they have an excellent beam pattern. It projects a very long way without a great deal of spread.

That said - at times - the Hella can be a bit of overkill, I'm reluctant to use them at night if there is any oncoming traffic, even thought the H1 bulb has an anti-dazzle coating on the end (meant to keep the oncoming driver from looking at the filament..)

Note that if you do get the Hella lights - you want the "driving" lamp kit, not the fog light kit. The fog light has a pattern that spreads rapidly, causing the same problem with drawing your attention too close to the bike.

DRIVING LAMP: http://www.4wheelparts.com/Lighting-Lig ... 7AodmQEADg

FOG LAMP: http://www.4wheelparts.com/Lighting-Lig ... 7AodZSwADw

LumaLink used to use a photo I sent them of my installation on my R12R.. dunno if they still do, but I've changed the location of the lights since I took that photo, and located them below my LumaLink brackets. I realized that having them above risked them hitting the tank if I was at full front-end compression and the bars fully turned. It never happened to me - but when I was doing some suspension redesign with Hyperpro, we spotted this potential problem and having them below the bracket avoids the possibility entirely.
Don Eilenberger - NJ Shore
2012 R1200R - I love this bike!
AlecMyrddyn
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by AlecMyrddyn »

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I ended up ordering and installing the MotoBozzo lights because of a combination of price and looks. To me they almost look like a factory option on the bike, tucking in nicely under the front edge of the tank. They were just about $200 shipped, and the install was pretty easy.

I'm now trying to decide on how to augment my brake light. I'm currently debating between a set of Skene P3's or the BMW Supplemental LED (Part numbers 63000445578 for the Light and 61000445580 for the harness?). I'm slightly leaning toward the BMW light just because I like the appearance slightly more.
hetman
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by hetman »

How do you like the light output of the MotoBozzo lights?

I have the Skene's on the back and really like them. I've followed bikes with them also and they're great at grabbing attention.. much brighter than the tail light. Looks-wise, not that great but they're pretty small compared to that BMW thing, and to me they look nicer on the sides instead of making the tail even longer.
AlecMyrddyn
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by AlecMyrddyn »

hetman wrote:How do you like the light output of the MotoBozzo lights?

I have the Skene's on the back and really like them. I've followed bikes with them also and they're great at grabbing attention.. much brighter than the tail light. Looks-wise, not that great but they're pretty small compared to that BMW thing, and to me they look nicer on the sides instead of making the tail even longer.
Thanks for the feedback on the Skene P3s. I'm definitely still considering them.

I haven't gone out at night since putting the MotoBozzo lights on, so I can't really comment on them from that perspective yet. They are nice and bright and attention grabbing as I stand end of my driveway 40 feet away. They stay bright for a pretty wide arc off to the side as well.

I'll try to remember to take some pictures in the next few days so you can see what I mean. Note that I ordered them with the default 35 watt bulbs, and you can evidently put 55 watt bulbs in them if you want more brightness.
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Re: Additional Lighting for '11 R1200R

Post by AlecMyrddyn »

Photos from this cloudy morning. I have the MotoBozzo reflectors angled up as high as they go. They can be angled down very easily.

Image

Image
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