Aftermarket lights?!?!

[Josh 0]

Does anyone have any suggestions for after market lights for my KLS 250s? I like riding at night but my light is too "narrow" and I'd like a set of after market lights to work with my main headlight to illuminate the trails as much as possible... I'd like to spend less than $75 as well... Any Info, Youtube or internet links is greatly appreciated

[bikeslut 1]

You can replace your headlight, but that only does so much for trail riding. Even the brightest, widest, most brilliant beam will still be in front of your bike.

For trail riding, the answer is an auxillary light. Mounted below your eyes (along your helmet along the chin is popular)

This focuses the beam wherever you look- by mounting it below your eyes, it reduces glare from kicked up dust.

If you're clever and cheap, you can rig something up to run off your bike electrical system for pretty cheap. The good lights are a bit over your $75 target

[bikeslut 1]

Check out niterider lights for bicycles. You'll have to rig up a way to carry a battery pack, but you probably already are wearing a vest, backpack or jacket anyway- I stuffed my battery in my camelbak when I was mountain biking.

Insects love these lights, which brings out the bats. Its pretty cool to see bats when you're out riding

[robertaccio 412]

Cost alot-yes,

cost effective-very,

State of the Art-check.

The best quality -check,

local company- check,

supports the sport-check,

designed/made in US- check,

great customer service- check.

They now make ftted lite panel plates for many models of bikes that fit right into your OEM headlight assy call for your model.

http://www.bajadesigns.com/products/led-lights-led-light-bar/flush-mount-led-lights

[PastaPilot 17]

My friend Johnny Airtime also runs Airtime Lighting. He can get you similar products as Baja Designs but without the huge mark up. You'll not likely find anything near your $75 target that will really do what you need.

PM him or check his website.

Good luck.

[Joliet 0]

http://trailtech.net/kawasaki-x2-kits.html

I have used these kits, they are about as cheap and easy as I have seen for the halogen kit. You may have to call them to see if it will fit the 250. Or maybe someone here knows.

[Joliet 0]

My friend Johnny Airtime also runs Airtime Lighting. He can get you similar products as Baja Designs but without the huge mark up. You'll not likely find anything near your $75 target that will really do what you need.

PM him or check his website.

Good luck.

Here are his links.

http://jatproducts.com/

http://airtime-hid.com/what-is-airtime-hid.html

[CalNub 0]

Holy hell, his stuff is cheap. Half the price of other aux lighting I've seen.

[CalNub 0]

This was just posted on ADV to a similar thread. No experience with them, but thought I'd share based on the pricing:

http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/hstrial-QualiRegResou/-strse-LED-Lights/Categories.bok

Scroll down to M60

[Uncle Champ 116]

I bought a niterider kit used a couple of years ago and found that mounting it on the chinbar was the way to go, it is really helpful to see where you point your head instead of where you point the headlight. Hmmm if I had been using that light I probably would not be here in a cast!

Dam hindsight.

[Josh 0]

Check out niterider lights for bicycles. You'll have to rig up a way to carry a battery pack, but you probably already are wearing a vest, backpack or jacket anyway- I stuffed my battery in my camelbak when I was mountain biking.

Insects love these lights, which brings out the bats. Its pretty cool to see bats when you're out riding

Thanks alot for the info guys! I'm going to do some research on niterider as well as look at the website you guys gave me!!!! I'm going to work somethign out and eventually i post a reply! thanks again for giving me a head start! never knew about lights on the helmet!!!

[Crawdaddy 96]

never knew about lights on the helmet!!!

I've been using Trailtech HIDs on my helmet for years.....one spot and one flood mounted on helmet.......outdated now that everything is switching to LED........regardless, over the stated $75 budget:

http://www.trailtech.net/SCMR16_helmet_light_kits.html

[kato 53]

helmet lights for sale in the classified. fyi

[Uncle Champ 116]

Hey Josh I won't be using my light for a while and I know you are way far away but if you want the to borrow my setup let me know.

Charlie/Uncle Champ

[JohnnyAirtime 2]

Does anyone have any suggestions for after market lights for my KLS 250s? I like riding at night but my light is too "narrow" and I'd like a set of after market lights to work with my main headlight to illuminate the trails as much as possible... I'd like to spend less than $75 as well... Any Info, Youtube or internet links is greatly appreciated

Thanks alot for the info guys! I'm going to do some research on niterider as well as look at the website you guys gave me!!!! I'm going to work somethign out and eventually i post a reply! thanks again for giving me a head start! never knew about lights on the helmet!!!

Hey Josh... just got word of this thread tonight, from another SDAR member... and thought I'd chime in.

(BTW, thanks to Pasta and Joliet for throwing down my website links... )

The budget you have, will be hard to get your goal accomplished. See, it really ALL depends on "how much" of the trail you want to illuminate. Most of the helmet light kits I've owned, have been mediocre or don't last long enough on a night ride. I was given an HID Niterider to use in the Baja 1000 and .... well, it worked as my 'bike maintenance' light in the pits. It didn't do anything for me on the trail even at slower speeds in the desert. My headlight was brighter (a single beamed 35W HID) and wasn't an annoying blue color. I now have a helmet light that's a 10W Cree LED. It works pretty good, lasts about 5hrs and shines decently down the trail... but still, nothing past my own headlight. And yet, even that light isn't $75 or less.

If you open up your budget, the world is yours when it comes to good lighting... and getting some down the trail, and out to the sides where you'd like it.

I like to think that even some LED flashlights are getting up there in lumen output. So think of how much light you want, and can afford... then take a couple 300+lumen flashlights and tape them to your bars.... see if they make a difference, enough for you to go out and dump the bigger bucks on something twice as bright. For example, I have a 10W Cree single LED light, that's pretty darn bright.... for $89.00 But in all reality, for what your explaining... you'd need two. One facing 45° to the right and one doing the same to the left. Your already into a 20W increase over your current draw on the bike (which means you might not have enough stator output to power everything without a rewind), and $180 for two of those, which is already $105 over your budget.

.... I can show you many options for the "on the budget" type of upgrade. And you can always add to the option I show you, to make it brighter when your pocket book allows. But, you're going to have to pony up a few more bucks right off the bat.

Do you know what the stock stator puts out on that bike (this could be the first part of your road block)?? I looked everywhere on the www and couldn't find anything.

[Josh 0]

Do you know what the stock stator puts out on that bike (this could be the first part of your road block)?? I looked everywhere on the www and couldn't find anything.

I'm not sure what the stator puts out and I was just thinking about power consumption... I was thinking about maybe getting either a one of these off of amazon if it wouldn't draw too much power in either the 30 degree spot or 60 degree flood option... any thought??

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Power-Tractor-Round-Degree/dp/B007ZGBLNW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

[JohnnyAirtime 2]

I'm not sure what the stator puts out and I was just thinking about power consumption... I was thinking about maybe getting either a one of these off of amazon if it wouldn't draw too much power in either the 30 degree spot or 60 degree flood option... any thought??

http://www.amazon.co..._pr_product_top

Before you go buy one.... go check them out at "DDM Tuning" in Kearny Mesa.

They carry straight China LED utility lights... just like the one you linked to. They aren't very bright for the amperage they draw.... it'd be best for you to see first hand. OR, come over... and I'll loan you one. Take it home... and test it for yourself.

... I think I need to explain;

The more LEDs you put into a light, doesn't mean it's brighter. Imagine holding (10) 1watt LED flashlights in your hand... now, hold (1) 10watt... which one do you think is brighter, and shines further?! ....the 10watt will. The same goes for off-road lighting. You don't need a bunch of weak lights to make it bright, or a bunch of weak LEDs in a light bar... to make it bright. You need just a few higher output lights or LEDs to overpower the weak, and shine brighter... and much further down the road. This is the reason I only sell LED lighting that are made up of 10W Cree. They are the brightest in the market today.

The LED Utility light I have, was to be used as a backup light on my rock-crawler Samurai. However, it's output... isn't what I expected. Like I said, your more then welcome to come see for yourself, and take it home to test with it.

[Josh 0]

I'm not sure what the stator puts out and I was just thinking about power consumption... I was thinking about maybe getting either a one of these off of amazon if it wouldn't draw too much power in either the 30 degree spot or 60 degree flood option... any thought??

http://www.amazon.co..._pr_product_top

Before you go buy one.... go check them out at "DDM Tuning" in Kearny Mesa.

They carry straight China LED utility lights... just like the one you linked to. They aren't very bright for the amperage they draw.... it'd be best for you to see first hand. OR, come over... and I'll loan you one. Take it home... and test it for yourself.

... I think I need to explain;

The more LEDs you put into a light, doesn't mean it's brighter. Imagine holding (10) 1watt LED flashlights in your hand... now, hold (1) 10watt... which one do you think is brighter, and shines further?! ....the 10watt will. The same goes for off-road lighting. You don't need a bunch of weak lights to make it bright, or a bunch of weak LEDs in a light bar... to make it bright. You need just a few higher output lights or LEDs to overpower the weak, and shine brighter... and much further down the road. This is the reason I only sell LED lighting that are made up of 10W Cree. They are the brightest in the market today.

The LED Utility light I have, was to be used as a backup light on my rock-crawler Samurai. However, it's output... isn't what I expected. Like I said, your more then welcome to come see for yourself, and take it home to test with it.

Thanks a bunch! I'll def. keep this in mind as I'm actually kinda of strapped on cash at the moment... well I want to save for a few other things that need to be done before i grab a light such as I need a new fork seal and need to replace my water gasket as mine got a small leak! PS what are of SD county do you live in?

[zancat 0]

I'm going through the same exercise right now. I am breaking it down by lumen / watt, and lumen / $.

The better (and more expensive) LED's are putting out between 75 and 90 lumen / watt. As a reference a halogen (think old KC light) puts out about 15L / W. So 3000L is like having two old 100W KC lights.

I think color temp is important too. 5K is a whiter light, more like daylight. 6500 will be noticeably on the blue side. This means while an instrument might measure a good output from the light, we might not actually see what we are trying to quite as well.

Good luck! Post up what you settle on..

Z

[JohnnyAirtime 2]

I live in Clairemont (Near 805 and Balboa Ave)

And yes, the color is important. 4300-5000K is ideal, and the brightest.

5500K on up, loses it's lumen output and will start to turn blue.

Before it turns blue, it's a bright white... also, very bad for riding in pitch black. Hard for your eyes to see past the white of your light... when a more yellow light, is ideal (like a 4300K). Same with dust... the white, the more reflective.

Right now, the best LED to use in ANY lighting.... is a 10W CREE T6.

[BBLandcrab 0]

Good stuff. I'm in the same boat. My experience so far is with a 55w stock torch on a klr250 DS and a DHH 35w on my current 03 xr400 DS. I'm hesitant about LED, don't know if the 'white' light is my thing. However, using a helmet light sucked on the BBTR Moonlight Madness run a few years ago. It was a 900 lumen that attached to the top of helmet. I loved it when leading but visibility was greatly reduced in the dust when in the pack. Maybe it was my choice of mounting location? It was the only option at the time.

It all depends on what u can spend and how bad you want/need/really need to spend it!