Super-Bright LEDs?

[Rog(UK) - Yorkshire Dales]

I want to make my Rockster more visible to car drivers who are waiting at junctions, but not to annoy oncoming drivers. I've already put 55W permium 'white' bulbs in the headlights. I don't really want to mount twin driving lights on the front calipers; a. because I already have enough light straight ahead; b. because the bulbs will have a pretty hard life there and c. because I don't want to spoil the looks of the bike.

I have been thinking of placing some bright lights behind the front forks and at the side of the oil coolers, (avoiding the swing of the front forks, of course) and with a slight angle away from the bike. I figure that oncoming traffic would not see the lights, but they would be visible to drivers on the right and left at junctions. I think they could be positioned such as not to cause offence to oncoming drivers, but would be seen from the sides of the road at say forty metres.

Question. How bright are Super Bright LEDs? Oh, and am I just barking up the wrong tree?

Ride safely,

Rog.

[Rog(UK) - Yorkshire Dales]

I can probably answer my own question. There won't be enough room BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBLE TRAVEL OF THE PARALEVER....!

Have I had my walk yet?

Rog

[jon pierce]

Hi Rog, if they can't see you with your headlight on dipped beam then they probably won't see your extra lights, or at least that's my theory!

[lacrimosa]

I've installed a Xenon Headlight instead of the original lamp, and I can guarantee you that people see my bike!

Xenon isn't anoying for other trafic if installed correctly.

[riceburner]

I want to make my Rockster more visible to car drivers who are waiting at junctions, but not to annoy oncoming drivers. I've already put 55W permium 'white' bulbs in the headlights. I don't really want to mount twin driving lights on the front calipers; a. because I already have enough light straight ahead; b. because the bulbs will have a pretty hard life there and c. because I don't want to spoil the looks of the bike.

I have been thinking of placing some bright lights behind the front forks and at the side of the oil coolers, (avoiding the swing of the front forks, of course) and with a slight angle away from the bike. I figure that oncoming traffic would not see the lights, but they would be visible to drivers on the right and left at junctions. I think they could be positioned such as not to cause offence to oncoming drivers, but would be seen from the sides of the road at say forty metres.

Question. How bright are Super Bright LEDs? Oh, and am I just barking up the wrong tree?

Ride safely,

Rog.

You're barking up the wrong tree.


Assume they will NOT see you, and ride accordingly.

You never know if those extra lights will blind the person, aggravate the person, or even HIDE you from the person at the junction, so expect them NOT to see you and ride AS IF you KNOW they are going to pull out on you.

The responsibility for your life is YOURS ALONE, do NOT allow others to take responsibility for YOUR safety.


(sorry if that sounds a bit harsh, but it's what I've learned, the hard way.)

[rockster.ch]

what RB said - and take the time and effort to fit machine guns front-and-back rather than LEDs

[Lion_Lady]

I added PIAA 001s to my Rockster, underneath the oil coolers:



Modified small angle brackets (from Home Depot) and bolted them into the front screw under the oil cooler. Used a plastic nut/bolt as a keeper to prevent the light from rotating and putting the bracket into the paralever.

P

[Rog(UK) - Yorkshire Dales]

RB wrote

Assume they will NOT see you, and ride accordingly.

You never know if those extra lights will blind the person, aggravate the person, or even HIDE you from the person at the junction, so expect them NOT to see you and ride AS IF you KNOW they are going to pull out on you.

The responsibility for your life is YOURS ALONE, do NOT allow others to take responsibility for YOUR safety

Thanks RB. It's not harsh and I am not offended. When I ride, I am always thinking 'Road Safety' and trying to stick to Advanced Riding techniques and thinking that all car drivers out there are out to kill me! After hitting a Range Rover at 60mph (which literally pulled straight in front of me after allowing the three cars which I was following, to pass), I have possibly become more conscious of my own visibility. As everybody knows, a junction crash is the most common and if I could do somthing to make myself more visible without becoming a 'plonker', then I would do so.

The subject of bright headlights and being visible at an angle is an interesting one. Modern production methods have enabled the manufacture of very precise reflectors - the light goes where it is required and is directed away from oncoming traffic, with much lower light scatter. This means that, particularly to the offside , ones visibility is increased very little - the light rays just do not go there. In effect the bike is behaving like a stealth fighter. It's a bit like riding in rain when the light is not reflected BACK from the road surface (if it's reasonably smooth). You can't see the road surface.

That's the reason I was thinking of attaching two riding lights - each angled slightly away from the bike so that drivers at junctions on either side would see the light, but oncoming drivers would not.

'P', I like your lights. Cool. When I looked at the PIAA (UK) site, I couldn't see the 001s. The range started from the 002s. Are the 1s still available in the US?

Best wishes

Rog.

[Neil]

Lacrimoso when you said you fitted a XENON lamp was that a XENON globe or a complete new light and does it give better illumination
Neil

[lacrimosa]

This is the xenon kit itself, so you don't have to change the headlamp unit itself (housing)

I'll make a pic of the lights later on today, so I can show you what it all looks like.

Cheers

Steven

[single650]

I have the LionLady's solution on mine.

The extra riding lights certainly show and they make dodging piles of tractor doo's at night much easier

[riceburner]

RB wrote

Assume they will NOT see you, and ride accordingly.

You never know if those extra lights will blind the person, aggravate the person, or even HIDE you from the person at the junction, so expect them NOT to see you and ride AS IF you KNOW they are going to pull out on you.

The responsibility for your life is YOURS ALONE, do NOT allow others to take responsibility for YOUR safety

Thanks RB. It's not harsh and I am not offended. When I ride, I am always thinking 'Road Safety' and trying to stick to Advanced Riding techniques and thinking that all car drivers out there are out to kill me! After hitting a Range Rover at 60mph (which literally pulled straight in front of me after allowing the three cars which I was following, to pass), I have possibly become more conscious of my own visibility. As everybody knows, a junction crash is the most common and if I could do somthing to make myself more visible without becoming a 'plonker', then I would do so.

The subject of bright headlights and being visible at an angle is an interesting one. Modern production methods have enabled the manufacture of very precise reflectors - the light goes where it is required and is directed away from oncoming traffic, with much lower light scatter. This means that, particularly to the offside , ones visibility is increased very little - the light rays just do not go there. In effect the bike is behaving like a stealth fighter. It's a bit like riding in rain when the light is not reflected BACK from the road surface (if it's reasonably smooth). You can't see the road surface.

That's the reason I was thinking of attaching two riding lights - each angled slightly away from the bike so that drivers at junctions on either side would see the light, but oncoming drivers would not.

'P', I like your lights. Cool. When I looked at the PIAA (UK) site, I couldn't see the 001s. The range started from the 002s. Are the 1s still available in the US?

Best wishes

Rog.

Problem is Rog, that it doesn't matter how bright your lights are, if your bike is painted fluorescent fuschia, and you're dressed like a gorillagram.... if they're not looking for you, they won't see you.

Ride as if you are invisible.

[riceburner]

As an example...



if you were travelling in a straight line, on a country road, in the mid-afternoon/early evening, on a bright, warm spring day.... would YOU see a K1200R 50 yards in front of you in the middle of the road with it's brake and hazard lights on??


Because the bastard who hit me at 40mph didn't.

[lacrimosa]

This is what the bike looks like with the xenon installed.
I can assure you this is REALLY bright, but is doesn't bother traffic on the other side of the road, at least not if properly installed

Next thing is to find a new bulb to go with the xenon, too much difference for the moment