Question for Motolight users

[JMR]

No doubt how effective Motolights are making a bike more visable to other traffic, how effective are they at providing auxiliary lighting? I'm considering getting a set, just trying to find out what to expect regarding the night view...thanks.

[randy]

I have had moto lights on my bike for about 55,00 miles. I see no real benefit as far as helping me see the road late at night. However you can check in with Chris K, or Joel G. and they will confirm, with the yellow lens, and the caliber mount, my bike is 100% more visible. I use the motolights for visibility not viewing enhancements. You can do a search on motolights, and PIAA and there are two or three good threads with pictures showing the various set ups. Do a search and I think you will be able to answer your question.

[Kinsley]

At 35W each, not much help, but some.

I do ride pre-dawn, but don't ride after dusk very much.

For the added conspicuity and night time vision when needed, I added some Hella FF50s for a reasonable price. They are 55W each.

[David]

I took shots of the various levels on mine 12GS:

 

[BUSTED]

When I bought mine and installed them in 1996 it was for help riding in fog and for lighting the shoulder area better. I kept them low and wide. They helped greatly. Now as for conspicuity, the lady that hit me head on at 11:00 in the morning told the officer that she didn't see me!

[GoGo Gadget]

On my R1150RT, they helped a lot. I could barely tell when I turned my high beam off or on. Not much difference. With my R1200RT it is the opposite. I can barely tell when I turn the moto lights on or off. But I get plenty of people bitching at my lights being too bright, so it is making me more visible.

[JMR]

With my R1200RT it is the opposite. I can barely tell when I turn the moto lights on or off.

Gogo, are you using the 35 or 50 watt bulbs?

Thanks to all for the good info in your replies! David, the pictures of your GS are really impressive, (got to look into a HID sometime).

[JMR]

I took shots of the various levels on mine 12GS:

 

David, Great pictures! Are those 35 or 50 watt bulbs you're showing? Thanks again!

[David]

I took shots of the various levels on mine 12GS:

 

David, Great pictures! Are those 35 or 50 watt bulbs you're showing? Thanks again!

 

I don't remember for sure, but I think they were 35 watts each. By the way, the HIDs in this picture draw 35 watts, too!

 

And the fence was 60 yards away.

[GoGo Gadget]

With my R1200RT it is the opposite. I can barely tell when I turn the moto lights on or off.

Gogo, are you using the 35 or 50 watt bulbs?

Thanks to all for the good info in your replies! David, the pictures of your GS are really impressive, (got to look into a HID sometime).

 

I am using 35w bulbs. I was playing around last night. Since I got rid of the switch that came with the moto lights and installed a flush mount switch, I can turn them on and off much easier. So I was trying all the various combinations as I rode down a lonely country road in the dark.

 

I recant my statement about not being able to tell they are on. I can, but mostly do to the wider spread of the moto lights. I am not lighting things up way down the road with the Moto Lights over the headlights, but I am casting a wider beam. So on the highway with nothing around me it is not that noticeable, but on a tree covered lane I am lighting up the trees better.

[tallman]

David,

Thanks for posting those pics again.

They are another example of how subjective, and objective feedback is often very different.

I know my Motos light up farther down the road, and to the side, In the dark I appreciate the side lighting as a bambi alert.

To the OP.

I ride some empty roads in the dark.

I can play w/the Motos and PIAA's to see what they do.

I definitely see some Bots dots or reflective feedback from farther away w/Motos on.

The PIAA's mounted higher, illuminate farther down the road, but that is due to mounting position, I think.

I run the 50w in my Motos.

[David]

You're welcome, and you point out one thing we really need to keep in mind. "Motolights" are just carriers. The bulbs have a huge influence on what the carriers do. Not only do the wattages vary, but the beam spread varies dramatically.

[Ken H.]

"Motolights" are just carriers. The bulbs have a huge influence on what the carriers do. Not only do the wattages vary, but the beam spread varies dramatically.

Good point. Slight hijack, the amber bulbs that Motolight sells look like just regular bulbs with an amber lens cover silicone glued on. Has anyone tried to remove the amber lens cover and move it to a different spread bulb successfully? I switched to their amber ones and like the color better but the spread less. Wondering it its do-able or just as likely to break it.

[David]

"Motolights" are just carriers. The bulbs have a huge influence on what the carriers do. Not only do the wattages vary, but the beam spread varies dramatically.

Good point. Slight hijack, the amber bulbs that Motolight sells look like just regular bulbs with an amber lens cover silicone glued on. Has anyone tried to remove the amber lens cover and move it to a different spread bulb successfully? I switched to their amber ones and like the color better but the spread less. Wondering it its do-able or just as likely to break it.

 

Back when I talked to Rob about this, back in '02, they were working with a special coatings firm. I don't know what they ended up with. But I wanted mine yellow long before they were available, so I had a little fun with it. Go grab some Pebeo Vitrea craft paint (color: 160 sun yellow1.5 fl oz) at any craft store. It's thermo hardening, so you apply it to the glass cover portion and bake it in the oven. Put a second coating on, and bake it again. It turned out great, and now I can use white bulbs (lots cheaper and available anywhere).

 

This place used to sell yellow bulbs, but I found them to be fragile:

 

http://www.all-lights.com

[BrianT]

The 35 Watt bulbs didn't do a whole lot for me at night to add light down the roadway, but replacing them with the 55 Watt ones do make an improvement on the stock headlight.

[russell_bynum]

The 35 Watt bulbs didn't do a whole lot for me at night to add light down the roadway, but replacing them with the 55 Watt ones do make an improvement on the stock headlight.

 

FWIW, I like the 75W narrow spot bulbs best. The stock 35w bulbs are OK for making you more visible but as you said....they don't really put much light down the road.

[RichEdwards]

I use these on my GS and my GT:

http://www.lightbulbsdirect.com/page/001/PROD/MR16Color/FNC-FG

12 degree spot, 50 watts, $7.55 each. I don't know how long they last because I have never burned one out (and it's been about three years and 80,000 miles since I installed the first ones.)

[bakerzdosen]

FWIW, I like the 75W narrow spot bulbs best. The stock 35w bulbs are OK for making you more visible but as you said....they don't really put much light down the road.

Like these?

 

That seems like a lotta light there...

[jakfrost]

And hopefully the game waiting to cross the road in front of you...which is why I use them. 60 miles of my commute is on back country roads where there are often trees on one side and grain/corn fields on the other.

 

This time of year it's dark on the way to work and mostly dark on the way home. The Motolites keep the scan for eyeballs easier.

 

Jim W.

[gezerbike]

I too run the 75 watt spots ( 12 degree ) on my RT and have for years, but they are a little rough on the lenes...they keep getting a glaze like coating on them. When I brought it up to the Motolites folks at the Nationals, they felt they were just to hot. But between the 75w Motos and the 135/125 Piaa headlight, I can light up the road like no bodies business. I just plan on replacing the lenes once a year for a whooping $ 15. Actually, a set of lenses and a set of 75w bulbs combined cost me less than just one Piaa relacement bulb. Not a bad deal.

[GoGo Gadget]

Looking at Home Depot, the only 50w spots I saw had a 25deg spread, is that too wide to get enough light down the road?

 

The Motolight 35w is 8deg and 50w are 12deg.

[Big D]

I have my MOTOS mostly for visibility and I find the Amber bulbs to be most effective since most drivers are not used to seeing amber lights and notice them more. I also upgraded to the 50 watt bulbs. I also got the rims that come off by hand since I can never find the wrench supplied the few times I needed it.

D

[Jim VonBaden]

The 35 Watt bulbs didn't do a whole lot for me at night to add light down the roadway, but replacing them with the 55 Watt ones do make an improvement on the stock headlight.

 

FWIW, I like the 75W narrow spot bulbs best. The stock 35w bulbs are OK for making you more visible but as you said....they don't really put much light down the road.

 

Just curious, do you run the 75 watt bulbs all the time? It seems that more than doubling the wattage might overtax the wiring intended for 35 watt bulbs. I could be way off, though I love my Motolights, their wiring seems a bit fragile.

 

Jim

[paulcbrowne]

I talked to Cycle Gadgets today, the folks who supplied my Motolights. They said that 50 w bulbs are fine but do not go any higher.

[russell_bynum]

The 35 Watt bulbs didn't do a whole lot for me at night to add light down the roadway, but replacing them with the 55 Watt ones do make an improvement on the stock headlight.

 

FWIW, I like the 75W narrow spot bulbs best. The stock 35w bulbs are OK for making you more visible but as you said....they don't really put much light down the road.

 

Just curious, do you run the 75 watt bulbs all the time? It seems that more than doubling the wattage might overtax the wiring intended for 35 watt bulbs. I could be way off, though I love my Motolights, their wiring seems a bit fragile.

 

Jim

 

Yep...we run them all the time and no issues with the wiring so far.

 

The nice thing with the narrow spot bulbs is you can aim them so that you don't blind oncomming traffic. That's a huge pet peave of mine, so I really like the ability to both throw lots of light down the road AND not annoy the crap out of everyone else.

[BrianT]

Yep...we run them all the time and no issues with the wiring so far.

 

The nice thing with the narrow spot bulbs is you can aim them so that you don't blind oncomming traffic. That's a huge pet peave of mine, so I really like the ability to both throw lots of light down the road AND not annoy the crap out of everyone else.

Same here and I'll second the recommending going with a narrow beam. With my old PIIA 1100's on a previous bike I used to try to run them 24/7 but had to give up and not run them at night with other traffic around. The beam spread was so wide that I would constantly get flashed by oncoming traffic or trucks I've passed as they seemed to blind everyone even when they pointed damn near straight at the ground. With the motolights not one flash and not one person has chased me pissed off at me, unlike the PIIA's.

[gezerbike]

I had to go out on the net to get the 75 watt / 12 degree bulbs. I think I had to order 2 or 3 sets to make it work moneywise. The last time I orderd some, I sent a set off to one of the members here. As to running them all the time, the answer is no. I live out in the country and most of my riding is in the country as well. I might turn them on if I am in really heavy traffic for a short period of time. As to whether the wiring is good enough for those bulbs, the guy at Motolights told me on the phone that the wiring is heavy enough, but they don't suggest using 75 watt bulbs since they are not street legal. If I ran them all the time, I would switch back to the 50 watt bulbs....I have noticed that the ceramic plugs that the bulbs plug into seem to get pretty brittle, and I attribute that to the extra heat generated by the 75 watt bulbs.

[dwillie]

I had to go out on the net to get the 75 watt / 12 degree bulbs. I think I had to order 2 or 3 sets to make it work moneywise. The last time I orderd some, I sent a set off to one of the members here. As to running them all the time, the answer is no. I live out in the country and most of my riding is in the country as well. I might turn them on if I am in really heavy traffic for a short period of time. As to whether the wiring is good enough for those bulbs, the guy at Motolights told me on the phone that the wiring is heavy enough, but they don't suggest using 75 watt bulbs since they are not street legal. If I ran them all the time, I would switch back to the 50 watt bulbs....I have noticed that the ceramic plugs that the bulbs plug into seem to get pretty brittle, and I attribute that to the extra heat generated by the 75 watt bulbs.

Where do you recommend getting these 75w 12 degree bulbs? Thanks, dwillie.

[Mike]

The nice thing with the narrow spot bulbs is you can aim them so that you don't blind oncomming traffic. That's a huge pet peave of mine, so I really like the ability to both throw lots of light down the road AND not annoy the crap out of everyone else.

 

To answer the OP, I find that my Motolights with the 50W narrow spot bulbs do make an appreciable, though not huge, difference in illumination.

 

I have the caliper-mounted Motolights on my R1200ST, which has pretty good stock headlights. The Motolights are well-made and mount nicely. They seem to be pretty durable. However, I think their design has some limitations, at least the way I use them. I run with my Motolights on constantly and, being a sensitive guy like Russell, I am concerned about blinding oncoming traffic and annoying those cars/motos that I'm following. Even with the narrow spot bulbs 50W bulbs I find that I have to aim the Motolights pretty low, compromising their useful illumination. I've considered switching the lower wattage (35W) bulbs since they have less beam spread--my speculation is that, while they may put out less light, they may be a better overall choice if they can be aimed more effectively.

 

If they had a sharper upper cutoff they'd be better. I like them . . . a lot . . . but they're not perfect.

[russell_bynum]

Even with the narrow spot bulbs 50W bulbs I find that I have to aim the Motolights pretty low, compromising their useful illumination.

 

That's why you really need two sets of lights...one to augment the low beam (aimed low, and preferably with a wide beam to illuminate the sides of the road, but with a very sharp cut-off to avoid blinding/annoying other traffic.), and one to augment the high beam (aimed high with a narrow beam and lots of wattage.)

 

In a perfect world, you'd also have at least one light angled up about 45 degrees to throw light into the corners when the bike is leaned.

 

On my RT, I used the PIAA 1100X's under the oil cooler and aimed very low. The upper edge of their beam was slightly lower than the upper edge of the stock low beam headlight. That did a good job of totally filling in the gaps in the low beam, and throwing light out to the sides of the road. Then I had the big PIAA 910's (110W 10-degree narrow beam) over the mirrors on EMP brackets. One was aimed up a few degrees over the top of the high beam. The other was aimed the same, but was loose enough on it's mount that I could reach up and aim it up 45-degrees when I was going into cornering mode.

 

The 910's could only be used when no traffic was present. The 1100X's could be used all the time...except when I rode in the Bay Area. For some reason, those folks got all pissed about the 1100X's....I rode all over the country and the Bay Area was the only place people got pissed about those lights. Go figure.

 

Anyway...no single light solution is going to do for every lighting problem so you either go with multiple different lights, you decide what problem(s) is most important and just solve that, or compromise.

[Mike]

The good news is that the stock headlights are pretty good on the ST, so the Motolights are just augmenting an already good lighting setup. I also had the PIAA 1100X's on my RT and, while I felt they were overpriced, they did have a more useful beam pattern than the Motolights.

 

Having said all that, the combination of stock ST lights and the Motolights is, overall, excellent.

[russell_bynum]

The good news is that the stock headlights are pretty good on the ST, so the Motolights are just augmenting an already good lighting setup. I also had the PIAA 1100X's on my RT and, while I felt they were overpriced, they did have a more useful beam pattern than the Motolights.

 

Having said all that, the combination of stock ST lights and the Motolights is, overall, excellent.

 

Yeah, good point. Sometimes I think the stock lighting on the 1100's would be better if I just rode along holding a candle out at arm's length. The new bikes are MUCH better.

[g_frey]

Get a HID setup for your low beam, it beats everything else I have tried. cq lights is what I went with. No problems and often all I use.

[gezerbike]

I had to go out on the net to get the 75 watt / 12 degree bulbs. I think I had to order 2 or 3 sets to make it work moneywise. The last time I orderd some, I sent a set off to one of the members here. As to running them all the time, the answer is no. I live out in the country and most of my riding is in the country as well. I might turn them on if I am in really heavy traffic for a short period of time. As to whether the wiring is good enough for those bulbs, the guy at Motolights told me on the phone that the wiring is heavy enough, but they don't suggest using 75 watt bulbs since they are not street legal. If I ran them all the time, I would switch back to the 50 watt bulbs....I have noticed that the ceramic plugs that the bulbs plug into seem to get pretty brittle, and I attribute that to the extra heat generated by the 75 watt bulbs.

Where do you recommend getting these 75w 12 degree bulbs? Thanks, dwillie.

 

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/sh...true#Post744538

[JMR]

Thanks all! ...that's a lot of good info that's been posted.

[Bill Murray]

I had Motolights (with 50W bulbs) on my R12ST. I though they did a great job of providing additional illumination. In addition to the added illumination, the triangular effect created by the headlight combined with the Motolights does significantly improve your visibility to other drivers. I also agree with the comments about the how well the amber color version helps you been seen (one of my riding buddies has that setup on his K12GT). I was satisfied enough with my Motolights that I plan to add them to my new K1200R-Sport as soon as I am able to do so.