Auxiliary Lights for RT?

[Kim]

I am unimpressed with my RT’s stock headlights and want to upgrade. I asked the local dealer what he recommended. He said that he stocked PIAA and the lights, mounting kit and installation would come to $650. I am looking for any and all advise. Is PIAA the way to go? How difficult of a job is installation? What is a good online source for the lights and mounting kit?

[PeterD]

Search this forum as follows:

 

Hella PIAA motolights

 

with the date range set to less than 2 years.

 

You'll get about 250 hits that should provide hours of pleasant reading (and help to loosen up your wallet).

[SDMike]

I am unimpressed with my RT’s stock headlights and want to upgrade. I asked the local dealer what he recommended. He said that he stocked PIAA and the lights, mounting kit and installation would come to $650. I am looking for any and all advise. Is PIAA the way to go? How difficult of a job is installation? What is a good online source for the lights and mounting kit?

 

If you need something NOW, www.cyclegadgets.com has a few options. I'm leaning towards the under the oil cooler mount myself...

 

Visibility, but not as much light thrown: Motolights on the fork legs.

 

Light thrown down the road: EMP brackets and Hellas, etc. or the above-mentioned under the oil cooler PIAAs.

 

Basically aux lights is another religious argument around here. You'll get as many opinions as people have belly buttons.

 

M

[GS_George]

I replaced my low beam on my LT with HID lights. 1000% improvement. Cost about $350 installed by the dealer (Ventura BMW).

[brogden]

I've recently added the "under the radiator" lights from Cycle Gadgets. Installation took about 2 hours with no real problems. I used their add-on switch so the lights are controlled using the turn signal cancel button.Result is amazing. Ca't believe I used to ride without them, there is that much difference. I highly recommend them. Total cost went around $370.

[flat_twin]

Kim, Check the archives as recommended. I recently added Piaa 1100x lights and mounted them on Martin Fabrication brackets that bolt to the upper front fender bolts. This to me was a good compromise. I wanted the "triangle of light" effect with the lights mounted on the forks and I wanted more light than the Motolights offer. I am very happy with the results. Daytime conspicuity is greatly improved and night time lighting is much much better. The pic is from Martin Fabrication.

I found the Piaa 1100X lights on Ebay much less than anywhere else. The kit included the relay and harness. I also bought an Autoswitch to control the lights with my turnsignal cancel switch. Works Great!

[Barglowski]

Try this post:

Illustrated HID Impact/Install

 

I'm going to opt for HID instead of extra lights/wires/switches to keep the bike lines "clean"...

 

Later,

jan

[TampaJim]

I got the PIAA 1100 kit for my RT from CycleGadgets. They sent me the wrong bracket but after that was corrected , installation was fairly straightforward.

Just used a manual switch -mounted on dash.

Lights work great-more light at night and makes bike very visable during daylight.

 

BUT..... after only one year, a bulb went out. Replacements are $38 plus shipping and you have to take the tupperware off to change .

[flyingreg]

Here is a very good deal I found on eBay for anew set of PIAA 510 driving lights, $147 is tough to beat.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...item=7987823962

 

Do not buy fog lights, they scatter the beam too much. The 510's have a fairly good focused beam.

 

After you get the lights, get a set of EMP brackets, you can't beat them neither for keeping the lights where they need to be.

 

One note of caution, unless you do a tremendous amount of late night riding in the backwoods of America, none of the really good lights will do you much good as they are shut off most of the time to keep from blinding oncoming traffic. JMHO, YMMV and all that jazz.

[Jon_M]

One note of caution, unless you do a tremendous amount of late night riding in the backwoods of America, none of the really good lights will do you much good as they are shut off most of the time to keep from blinding oncoming traffic. JMHO, YMMV and all that jazz.

 

I found that PIAA 1100s can be aimed low enough to avoid blinding oncoming drivers and still do what they are supposed to do, namely, fill in the dark spots in the near and intermediate distance, including the shoulders of the road. I ran them for eight years on a K11LT and plan to put them on my R12RT as well.

[flyingreg]

1100's are a good choice, forgot about them whilst doing a search. Allot of riders use them. I guess the same can be done with the 510's as well.

[Jerry_75_Guy]

I've seen Hella, Piaa, and Motolight installations, and all of them are very nice,

but I don't understand the need to spend $147 much less $300 and up,

when you can get Very similar performance with any number of more

inexpensive aftermarket light kits you can find at any auto parts store.

 

I purchased a Pilot brand light kit whose housings look identical to one of

the Piaa kits minus the embossed "PIAA" in the blue lens of the light.

I bought an all weather Piaa switch, and mounted the lights on the bottom

of my head guards, giving me the largest light triangle I could manage.

 

Lights on, they look a Little different from Piaa's, but not much.

 

Total cost in parts: $90 ($60 for the lights, $30 for the switch).

 

I've had the setup for three years and they work fine. I frequently get

comments from other drivers and riders (positive ones) about how bright

they are, and how much more noticeable the bike is with them on (Not that I

Rely on my conspicuity to save me Ed, ;-).

 

If money simply wasn't an issue (I Wish!!), you can't really go wrong with

any of the spendy options, especially if you let someone else do the

install (otherwise, what's money for, right?, let someone else do the

dirty work if you have the money to burn on $300+ lights).

 

Personally, I'd rather get pretty much the same effect for less than 1/3rd the price of some of the others.

and spend the savings on gas or on other accessories.

[jackie]

Another vote for Pilot lights. I think mine were on sale for $40. Plus I purchased the 100 watt bulbs for them so I really light up the road. I have the EPM brackets that go between the mirror and body. My "motor-mentor" told me it's good to have the aux. lights above the headlight and triangulated like that. I get lots of compliments on my lights.

[Tool Man]

Jerry,

My thoughts exactly which is why I shopped around too. I did this project more or less just to see if I could get away for under a hundred bucks.

 

The lights where 20 bucks at Pep Boys auto,use a 55w H3 bulb and are bright enough for my daytime "can you see me know" lights.

 

I machined my mount which fits under the oil cooler to some existing holes in the subframe:

 

I used the Autoswitch 5NCY turn signal cancel trigger harness ( Switch Kit ) 27.95

 

So minus my time machining the light mount total cost out of pocket was just under 50 bucks.

 

[Lone_RT_rider]

Tool man, you have and drawings or plans for that bracket? Spread the love man!

 

Shawn

[ChuckS]

Oh, I do love the bracket you built.... Tell me you have a bunch to send out to nice people like me

[tcshooter]

Amen on having any drawings or maybe some laying about waiting on members to scoop up.