My last GS has a set of Hella FF50's for driving lights, and a set of Motolights for conspicuity. The FF50 lights were great, but no longer available. The motolights were very expensive, and nearly useless. On my new to me GS I want to go with LEDs. I have installed a few different sets on friend's bikes, and have been impressed. BUT, I want to keep the price reasonable, and want driving lights that put out! So, what have you used, pros and cons?
Best and most expensive - Baja Designs Squadron Very good and a bit less $ - Rigid D2 Less $ and no comparison on light output - Krista May be others out there but those are from my personal experience and a side by side shootout.
Those look like they would be worth a shot, but they are sold out. PS I love the Kristas, but not the price. I have installed a couple sets for others.
FF50s are still out there. My local shop has a couple of sets on the shelf.. http://www.casporttouring.com/cst/motorcycle/drilight/8283811.html
Jim, bite the bullet and buy the Krista's. I have a friend that has the Rigid Industries D2's...they are less expensive, they are brighter, but they lack controllability.
There is now a controller/dimmer which should work with any LED lights. http://blackdogcw.com/black-dog-sho...s&utm_campaign=MidDec12_news&utm_medium=email I have 2 sets of Rigid lights and love them. US made too!!
(Reasonable price) I'm trying to go a different direction with this GS. My last one had the best I could find (at the time), and I had a LOT in accessories. This time I purchased a 120K mile bike with no accessories on it but a Givi screen. My goal is to outfit is with all reasonably priced, but effective, farkles. PS There might be a new Accessories DVD in my motive, or maybe I am just poorer than I used to be.
Kristas don't have any controllability either until it is added externally. I use the Clearwater IQ-170 controller with my D2's or you can use most any PWM controller.
Reasonably priced and they put out ADVmonster starting around $100 a pair for inmates. Promotion code in the vendor forum. Read what other ADVriders are saying in my vendor thread.
Those mounts were made by some ADVrider guy who did it at work with access to some CNC machinery using a design from another ADV guy who'd had the design. Cut from solid billet alum. They work by replacing the stalk for your turn signals and add the curved bracket for the additional lights. Sorry to be so vague but it was one of those group buys... if you signed up and paid your money, you eventually got a set (I waited several months). The guy that ran the group buy goes by YBViking here on ADVrider. Not sure if there were any left or any plans to make more. If that's the case, it's too bad cuz they work really well, solid as shit. If you contact YBViking, he could tell you the status. Sorry I could not be of more help.
Think I bought the wrong bike... I have searching the past two weeks on a decent set of LED lights for my Honda Shadow.
Jim Conspicuity favorites are Hella Micro DE Fogs. An extra $35-50 and you convert them to HID from H3. Excellent cut-off, best I've ever seen, and the projector lens is visible from wide angles due to the convex shape. Someone just offed a pair very cheap on bmwst.com. Driving favorites are Wally world $20 tiny rectangular H3 lamps uprated to 100W. Currently using Mondomotos (vendor thread) Bullet LEDs http://www.mondomotos.com/product/MM10aux/ to augment the already well designed R12RT lamp system. So, I have a bit of an unfair perspective. They are a little bit of a floody pattern for a true old-fashioned driving light that used to be considered a pencil beam. They fill in the balance of the roadside quite well though. Not really a long range lamp however. I suspect they would have augmented my R11RT HID headlamp quite well on high beam though. That might be closer to a GS setup comparison.
Or, if you HID convert them and flip them over so the cutoff is on the bottom of the beam they make awesome driving lights out in very dark rural areas. I recently did this on one of my bikes (tied into the high beam) and think it's a great bang for the buck in the lighting department.