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Light setups

By XRalways,
in General Dirt Bike Discussion

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XRalways

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Looking to see what people have done for their light setups. I dont feel like dropping $400-600 on a headlight. Anyone have any alternatives rigged up? Would like to maybe get a couple fairly small, but bright, LED lights to mount to the handlebars. Also saw a picture of someone who had the lights attatched to the forks ( but the setup cost $365 ).

Just curious to see different setups. Thanks.

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gr4vitas

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$20 give or take gets you this:

 

 

 

Or you could just buy this and throw it right in your stock headlight and triple the light output:

 

https://www.amazon.com/MICTUNING-LUMA-9003-Headlight-Bulbs/dp/B01B2XPK3K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1483536567&sr=8-4&keywords=h4+led

 

Don't waste your money on those 'baja designs' lights. They're charging people four times what they should be. You can make your own for extremely cheap or just buy H4 LED lights for 1/3 the cost.

 

If you wanted to get a REALLY nice setup in terms of quality (durability) of the LED light itself, you might spend $100 and buy top of the line LED's. Any more money than that and your just getting completely ripped off.

Edited by gr4vitas
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doopilot

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I bought a couple  Nite-Eyes 1200 lumen.   I have only used them for mountain biking.  Put one on the handle bar and one the helmet.    We haul ass at night so, I would be comfortable using them on my dirt bike also.   Of course when you ride with a group, It also helps,   

 

I paid about 40 buck each,  

 

I have seen a write on, where one caught fire when charging, but it was probably damaged.  I just charge them and unplug them,  FYI

 

Here is the description:

 

  • EXTREMELY BRIGHTEST 1200 Lumen CREE-T6 LED Technology, Dual Working MODE (3 MODE or 5 MODE ), Easy Transfering to use Different Application, Low Battery Reminder with RED LIGHT Indication
  • Powerful Rechargeable Waterproof ABS battery pack 8.4V 6400mA ,Keep Long time Riding up to Approximately 3-1/2 Hours on High, 6 hours on medium, 24 hours on Low, Battery Overcharge Protection on Battery Charger

 

Ebay

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XRalways

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I'm not going to be using the lights all the time; but would like the lights to do some night riding. This is why I want something that I can install/remove in a small amount of time. I like those pods, but would prefer something to be run off the battery on the bike. I can make quick connects for the lights, and remove when I dont need them. But those are definetly an option - and for the price, be hard to argue.

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ims roll

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I just posted a lighting subject over in the Beta section, so I have been doing some looking around also... If you can, find someone with a good light, everyone who says a $40 light is as good as a $300 says it because they have not had a $300 light...

 

Common guys motorcycles are an investment... why would you take a $10,000 bike and bolt an ebay $40 light on it... Do yourself a favor and at least find someone who has a good one and check it out, personally I have done both, i've tried the $40 ebay square lights, and I have tried the BD ones... The cheapest Baja Designs headlight is 5x what an ebay one does... and it doesn't fall apart after 4 months. 

 

We should all know this but there is a reason they only cost $40.... And it is not because the Chinese like giving us super good deals on super good stuff. 

 

EDIT: Personally I have the Baja Designs universal headlight w/ mask on my bike, it is the pro light which is 4300 lumens in the correct directions, I paid $245 online, it came with the light, the mask, and the harness to go right to the battery. The mount to the headlight mask is garbage but the light is plenty bright, I race the night desert series here in NV with that light. It is good to about 60mph. Ask yourself... in a racing condition how often are you over 60 if your not a A+ rider. If your just trail riding or even 70 on the street it would be MORE then over powered. 

Edited by ims roll
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ims roll

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Another alternative because I do not want to just be negative about the ebay lights, try looking into a helmet light. Task makes some badass helmet lights that are easily removed and plenty bright for the average rider. I have personally seen riders at the night series with two task helmet lights and don't even have a light on there bike and race,  

 

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/839/69016/Task-Racing-Moto-Adventure-Helmet-Light?term=task

 

 

SUPER good lights and on top of it they are very universal, you can take it with you to the lake, ride your bike around the park, ect

 

Might not be a bad idea for the money, don't have to worry about mounting it to anything or building brackets. no commitment to having it on any one thing ect. 

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XRalways

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I just posted a lighting subject over in the Beta section, so I have been doing some looking around also... If you can, find someone with a good light, everyone who says a $40 light is as good as a $300 says it because they have not had a $300 light...

Common guys motorcycles are an investment... why would you take a $10,000 bike and bolt an ebay $40 light on it... Do yourself a favor and at least find someone who has a good one and check it out, personally I have done both, i've tried the $40 ebay square lights, and I have tried the BD ones... The cheapest Baja Designs headlight is 5x what an ebay one does... and it doesn't fall apart after 4 months.

We should all know this but there is a reason they only cost $40.... And it is not because the Chinese like giving us super good deals on super good stuff.

EDIT: Personally I have the Baja Designs universal headlight w/ mask on my bike, it is the pro light which is 4300 lumens in the correct directions, I paid $245 online, it came with the light, the mask, and the harness to go right to the battery. The mount to the headlight mask is garbage but the light is plenty bright, I race the night desert series here in NV with that light. It is good to about 60mph. Ask yourself... in a racing condition how often are you over 60 if your not a A+ rider. If your just trail riding or even 70 on the street it would be MORE then over powered.

Therein lies my issue. $245, and the mount is garbage. Maybe some people are OK with spending their hard earned coin on garbage, but Id rather not. If I am spending $100's on a light, it better be top notch.

Like I said, the lights I had on my ATV were awesome. Never failed once and I probably had about 300 hrs on them. Everywhere I went, people asked where I got them. The entire set up cost me maybe $100 ( lights, wiring, fuse, fuse holder, flex conduit, switch )

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adriancnh

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Therein lies my issue. $245, and the mount is garbage. Maybe some people are OK with spending their hard earned coin on garbage, but Id rather not. If I am spending $100's on a light, it better be top notch.

Like I said, the lights I had on my ATV were awesome. Never failed once and I probably had about 300 hrs on them. Everywhere I went, people asked where I got them. The entire set up cost me maybe $100 ( lights, wiring, fuse, fuse holder, flex 

 

$20 give or take gets you this:

 

 

 

Or you could just buy this and throw it right in your stock headlight and triple the light output:

 

https://www.amazon.com/MICTUNING-LUMA-9003-Headlight-Bulbs/dp/B01B2XPK3K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1483536567&sr=8-4&keywords=h4+led

 

Don't waste your money on those 'baja designs' lights. They're charging people four times what they should be. You can make your own for extremely cheap or just buy H4 LED lights for 1/3 the cost.

 

If you wanted to get a REALLY nice setup in terms of quality (durability) of the LED light itself, you might spend $100 and buy top of the line LED's. Any more money than that and your just getting completely ripped off.

Ive had plenty of those $20 lights and they are trash. Can't throw light far at all, some people are fine with that, others want quality. 99.99% of people would be completely incapable of making a light as good as the BD let alone do it for cheaper. a squadron pro is only $200 comes with lifetime warranty and is TINY. the light output on one of them is greater than my 20'' 120W chinese bar... with a better color too

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ims roll

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"Ive had plenty of those $20 lights and they are trash. Can't throw light far at all, some people are fine with that, others want quality. 99.99% of people would be completely incapable of making a light as good as the BD let alone do it for cheaper. a squadron pro is only $200 comes with lifetime warranty and is TINY. the light output on one of them is greater than my 20'' 120W chinese bar... with a better color too"

 

 

 

You can not change peoples minds on the internet... It is almost like we all start threads to merely reassure our dissension, not altar it. 

 

It is simple.... If it was better/cheaper/faster ect to build a light or use a cheaper light... The pros would do that instead of buying from BD.... I am no pro, nor are many. But if they are willing to do 100mph across the desert with a Baja Design/trail tech light then I shouldn't have any reliability or light issues going half the speed. The risk for reward is not there for me, you wouldn't fill your tank with 89 because it's cheaper then 91 but still does the same thing...

 

 If I get a little froggy and decide I wanna do 65-70 in a short burst while out trail riding and my $40 ebay light dies on me at that moment... That $250 invested in a light sure will sound cheap when your paying for the doctors visit... Even something as simple as a broken arm is 10's of thousands without insurance, + time off work blah blah blah. 

Edited by ims roll
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ims roll

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Therein lies my issue. $245, and the mount is garbage. Maybe some people are OK with spending their hard earned coin on garbage, but Id rather not. If I am spending $100's on a light, it better be top notch.

Like I said, the lights I had on my ATV were awesome. Never failed once and I probably had about 300 hrs on them. Everywhere I went, people asked where I got them. The entire set up cost me maybe $100 ( lights, wiring, fuse, fuse holder, flex conduit, switch )

 

 

I was just trying to give you an idea, for $245 you get a headlight, a mask, a mount and a wiring harness.. The only issue is the plastic bars that hold the light into the mask, they work they are just flimsy... You are over here talking about buying a cheap ass light and fabricating your own mount anyways, why not just buy the good squadron for $200 and build your own mount... It's up to you but I would never waste my time to build a mount for a shit light only to save $100.... One thing we learned racing off-road cars is this..."You can NEVER have enough light" 

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adriancnh

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you don't need an XL, just a single standard squadron pro, you can find them for $200 on amazon or BD on here offers a decent discount. 

 

Or here, just bought mine from them http://www.alternativeoffroad.com/Baja-Designs-Squadron-Pro-LED-Light_p_478.html

 

An even cheaper option that will give a quality output. My buddy has a set and they are still very impressive

http://www.alternativeoffroad.com/Baja-Designs-Squadron-Sport-LED-Light_p_777.html

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benzo fury

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My buddy ran one of these LEDs http://r.ebay.com/vWaQRU on an XR600r, and a few friends run them on their banshees and raptor 700s now because their just stupid bright, cheap, and take a real beating being sealed and alluminum.

Check them out. I love mine so much I bought one for all my rides and 4 more for my jeep. Good lights and come with mounts. You may have to come up with something clever to mount it on a bike tho, I just made a simple sturdy bracket for the mount. $35 for 2 of them is a great deal. Even cheaper if you buy more. Mine have lasted for a couple hard years so far, no problems and my bikes easily pushed the 60watts when Riding.

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adriancnh

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The XL was the only option offered in the website.

What shell can be bought for those lights to go in?

not sure about shells, not even sure if a wr shell fits on the yz? I figure whatever route you go you'll need to make something custom to work. I'll be making a custom mount for my XL80 to my YZ tomorow.

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