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driving lights on 5th gen


9C1

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Not sure if this will look okay on my 2000 VFR but I've got some LED driving lights off my prior bike and thought I'd see how they do.  I'd like to install them low on the forks.  Anyone done this?  Since I've got the lights I just need clamps, but can't seem to find any.  Any help is appreciated.

 

PS - I found this vid of a guy who has very similar lights on his VFR but I would like them a little lower on the forks if possible.  

 

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I'm in the process. I just need to hook them up. No rush right now; two feet of snow out side and no heat in the garage.

 

My 2001

 

 

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Those lower fork mounted lights are not a great idea, They add to unsprung weight, they suffer from hard vibration from the wheel & even if LED their mounts & wiring are subject to that vibration too. They would be much better fitted to the main body of the bike IMO.

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I know it's not a 5th Gen but I converted my 6th Gen to have the indicators in the mirrors and mounted the driving lights where the indictors where. High enough to point in the right direction and solid enough not to vibrate.

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Look like a bit of an abortion to my eyes.  Our beautiful 5th Gen has all it's indicators integrated into the fairings and the main light cluster, avoiding all the ugly dangly bits most bike designs are plagued with and are usually the first thing modified by bike owners in an attempt to tidy up the dangly bits.

 

Best I have seen are indicator modifications.  Sure there is a kit out there somewhere which turns them into running lights illuminated permanently which flash as per normal when indicating.

 

Otherwise, is it really worthwhile?  Do a couple of extra LEDs really provide more visibility over and above your main lights being on?

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I'll be the first to admit that I like the looks of the VFR without adding anything on.  I have a pair of Rigid LED spots and I've had them mounted on two prior bikes (a Shadow 1100 and a Nighthawk 750).  On those bikes they were mounted to the frame, and without question, when I ran with those lights it made people stop from pulling out in front of me more times than I can count.  They absolutely improved people's ability to see me coming plus they helped a lot at night on the highway.  On the VFR, there's no easy place to mount them on the frame and there's no way I'm cutting into the fairings to mod them, which is why I thought about the forks.  Not ideal but I figured they might be worth the try.  Thanks for the suggestion on lights on the mirrors - I'll check them out.

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I’d look into Skene Design products. I have several of his products on my Tiger. 

 

Are those Rigid lights DOT approved? If not, they’re considered an offroad light and should probably have them on a dimmer like Skene’s IQ-275. Every LED auxiliary light I’ve met is blinding. The ability to run them at a reduced power will be beneficial to oncoming traffic. 

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On 07/03/2018 at 12:11 PM, Mohawk said:

Those lower fork mounted lights are not a great idea, They add to unsprung weight

I can't image they'll make any noticeable difference. I wouldn't fit them purely because they look bloody awful.

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3 hours ago, M1962 said:

I can't image they'll make any noticeable difference. I wouldn't fit them purely because they look bloody awful.

I have long noticed the absence of light on the inside of corners in the dark. This I hope solves that problem.

 

The added unsprung weight I figured would not be noticeably significant. I'm no knee dragger. I do not know about the DOT angle, but a video demonstration of their durability shows them being hammered on, stabbed by an ice pick and looked just about indestructible.

 

As for their blindness causing, I bought a specific light pattern that is wide and short. And I hope to point them in such a way to prevent that. And I have them switched so I can turn them on and off at will.

 

I believe the different light pattern seen by oncoming traffic may also add to my conspicuity which I believe is highly desirable. Time will tell and I will report back the results.

 

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Appreciate that. I meant 'a difference to unsprung weight' which I think is insignificant. In terms of seeing and being seen I agree with you, it's just that they make the bike look like an adventure bike!

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I don't have a 5th Gen, but I do have a bunch of V4's.

 

They all have auxiliary lighting. All are mounted to the frame or fairing, and are independent of the oem wiring.

 

Despite living in one of the foggiest places on the planet, they are not fog lights. They are for Moose and to a lesser extent Deer and Bear.

 

Maine is the most heavily forested state in the US at 90%. Many of our secondary roads resemble tunnels in the woods as they are not cut back very far, so at night a fully grown Moose walking out across the road can really ruin your day.

 

I have my lights angled out to the side maybe 15 degrees and up about 10. The average car or motorcycles head lights will not pick up a Moose's eyes reflection, as they are around 8-9 feet above ground. At dawn, dusk or night this may be your only way to see them as I can personally attest they blend it to the woods pretty darn well.

 

My 4th Gen, with auxiliary lights , extra turn signals, no cut frame sliders and not seen, extra brake lights (they are for the fog) :)

 

 

large.DSCF2762.JPG.eaa21c28c04ab97ac8a9bee48c18c914[1].jpg

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Maine - how did you mount those specifically?  My lights are too big but the ones you have or maybe those Skene lights that ducnut mentioned may look reasonable there.  

 

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Hmm, if I lived in an area so densely populated with wild moose or bear I think I'd be driving a bloody great truck rather than riding a motorcycle! Be careful out there.

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17 hours ago, 9C1 said:

Maine - how did you mount those specifically?  My lights are too big but the ones you have or maybe those Skene lights that ducnut mentioned may look reasonable there.  

 

I used the fastening points for the fairing so I did not have to alter the plastic. I made a bar out of some 3/4 X 1/8 aluminum pieces and used nylon ferrules to lower it to the desired position. There are no clearance issues with the fender. I wired through a fuse directly to the battery and installed a lighted  switch, the red one on the left in photo 2, to remind me when I shut down the bike to turn them off.

 

The lights are 35 watt halogens that many auto stores and Wal Mart carry. They were $19 and I had maybe $5 in aluminum, wire, inline fuse etc.

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On 3/17/2018 at 5:21 PM, FromMaine said:

I don't have a 5th Gen, but I do have a bunch of V4's.

 

They all have auxiliary lighting. All are mounted to the frame or fairing, and are independent of the oem wiring.

 

Despite living in one of the foggiest places on the planet, they are not fog lights. They are for Moose and to a lesser extent Deer and Bear.

 

Maine is the most heavily forested state in the US at 90%. Many of our secondary roads resemble tunnels in the woods as they are not cut back very far, so at night a fully grown Moose walking out across the road can really ruin your day.

 

I have my lights angled out to the side maybe 15 degrees and up about 10. The average car or motorcycles head lights will not pick up a Moose's eyes reflection, as they are around 8-9 feet above ground. At dawn, dusk or night this may be your only way to see them as I can personally attest they blend it to the woods pretty darn well.

 

My 4th Gen, with auxiliary lights , extra turn signals, no cut frame sliders and not seen, extra brake lights (they are for the fog) :)

 

 

 

Deers, bears, mooses. Oh MY! Holy Socks! I won't think Minnesota is so bad after hearing about Maine. Our moose in MN have lost enough habitat, and we've become warm enough for the bad-for-moose-bugs to survive winter. They have pretty much immigrated to Canada. I have seen one bear but not in MN. But we do have deer. And I hate it when hunting wolves is allowed. Just about the only predator of them left. Except for vehicles; especially motorbikes! Ahrrrrgh!

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Someone here has clear front turn signals on his/her 5th gen with switchback led bulbs. They are white until the turn signal is used, then they flash amber. I don't know how much additional light they would provide, but I know it would make your bike a lot more noticeable.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/172813211224?var=471595970864

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=led+switchback+bulbs

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10 hours ago, Lint said:

Someone here has clear front turn signals on his/her 5th gen with switchback led bulbs. They are white until the turn signal is used, then they flash amber. I don't know how much additional light they would provide, but I know it would make your bike a lot more noticeable.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/172813211224?var=471595970864

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=led+switchback+bulbs

 

I have this setup installed on my 5th gen (light smoked housings, switchback bulbs from superbright led), they do not throw any usable light during riding. That said, the bulbs I run are just white/amber leds (~$12/pr) on the same base, a more expensive setup like this one from VLEDS (~$150/pr) that advertises 650lm output might be a different story: http://www.vleds.com/shop-products/v6-triton/switchback/v6-triton-wa.html

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I love them. They are Rigid Industries SR M2 Driving (part number 91231-3).

 

It is quite obvious to me they greatly increase my conspicuity.

 

I've used them riding at night through deer country. They really light up the corners going through turns. When combined with the H4 LED headlights, especially on high beam, turn night into day.

 

I've not been flashed by on-coming vehicles.

 

Each light weighs .625 pounds (10 oz) (.28 kg).

 

No going back now.

 

Spring2018Lights.JPG

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56 minutes ago, zupatun said:

Post a link or a closeup?

https://www.rigidindustries.com/products/all    

 

I called the local Rigid Industries to order mine.

 

Ask for product description SR-M2 - Driving   part # 91231 (3)  {while not listed, I assume the parenthetic 3 in the number of bulbs in each}

 

The local dealer alerted me to the need of a cable to connect the lights to the wiring harness is necessary. Sorry, I do not have the part number.

 

I mount them between the fender and the fork using the lower front fender mounting screw on each side.

 

 

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