Yellow or clear lens for aux lights?

[mneblett]

I have a pair of Clearwater Ericas. I purchased a pair of their lens covers (slip-over rubber boots with insertable plastic lenses). Both clear and yellow lenses were provided. Trying to decide which to use.

 

Riding environment: year-around daily commuting in the mid-Atlantic region (Wash., DC and suburbs). Fog is rare. Rain ~25% of the time. Occasional long-distance slab run.

 

A lot of riding at night due to the daylight savings time shifts and frequently working late. Most of the night riding is in urban/suburban areas, so relatively infrequent high beam use -- but when I use the high beams, I want to be able to see from Virginia to at least Eastern Ohio (hence, the stupid-bright Ericas ).

 

I also use the Ericas at their lowest setting during the day as daytime running lights, forming a visibility "triangle" with the bike's headlight. I'd love to be able to do the same with the Ericas at night, but my experience with them on my K16GTL (mounted much higher than they will be on the RTW) is they are too bright for night use even at low power.

 

I was thinking of using the yellow lenses so that I can continue to use the lights for conspicuity at night, but I'm concerned that the yellow light will significantly reduce the down-range lighting when they are on with the high beams -- something I am unwilling to accept (a 10% decrease, maybe, a 50% decrease, no way).

 

I am asking the Collective because I simply have no experience with yellow aux lights. Should I use the yellow lenses? Should I stick with the clear lenses?

 

Your thoughts would be most appreciated. Thanks!

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Mark

 

You might end up trying both to see what you personally like.

 

Personally, I don't like any of the yellow frontal lighting & think that yellow front lighting only belongs on a 1990's era Citroën.

 

If you are mounting them higher up you should get less reflection back in fog & mist using the yellow option.

 

Let us know what you end up with.

 

[tallman]

Yellow is almost always very conspicuous on the front.

The ones I've seen were outstanding for being noticed, IMO.

 

Have been on many rides where the sweep rode w/yellow lights

and I was in front. It was extremely easy to pick him out in my mirrors to determine if all the bikes were still ok.

That said, I have no experience w/the new LED wrt illumination.

 

My first PIAA's were mounted where the BMW emblems went on the side on my RSL. They had a slight yellow output and were effective at night.

 

Try 'em both.

Don't overlook the possible one of each combo as it will distinguish your front triangle and still offer options wrt night lighting if one color throws a better night effect.

Clear on R for more side of road and yellow in left for conspic?

Good luck.

[Jake]

Yellow. Yellow is cool. It says "caution", as in , excuse me, I'm coming through. People move out of the way for yellow, but they are rarely upset in doing so. Yellow is the color of conspicuity. Everything else is boring.

[elkroeger]

I'm partial to yellow for fog lights. Snow, sleet, fog and all that. It helps me see some relief that gets washed out with white only. But then I hope you won't be riding in those conditions.

 

I'm also partial to yellow for conspicuity. A couple years ago, we came very close to becoming a statistic on a 2 lane busy highway in Eastern Oregon. On a hot summer day, around lunctime, an impatient driver didn't see us coming, was passing and almost took us out (he was skidding off into my shoulder as we passed each other). I have 50W narrow beam moto lights, and my wife has similar HID aux lights, All of them were on, and this idiot didn't see six headlights off in the distance. After that, I switched to yellow. I hope I don't have to find out if they really work any better. But I know I am better tuned in to oncoming traffic with yellow lights.

 

As far as visibility at night between yellow and white, given that the rest of the light remains the same (this is what I did switching to yellow moto lights), I didn't see a lot of difference. Maybe a little less with yellow. But I think, people either love 'em or hate 'em.

[bdfbeemer]

I have darla's with yellow and erica's white. Darlas are mounted a little lower.

[RTinNC]

Yellow for sure if you are looking to be seen in daytime hours. Have been running Moto-lights with amber bulbs since 2000 and they stand out better than white bulbs, especially on the highway in the maze of white lights. Glad to see there are finally some more amber options in the LED's now too.

[mneblett]

Thanks everyone for the inputs.

 

I've decided to start with the yellow filters in place first. If the Ericas still throw "enough" light at night when the high beam is turned on, I'll leave the yellow filters installed for daytime and low power night use.

 

The night high beam test will be interesting, as I was pretty spoiled by the white light from my high-mounted Ericas on my K16, and I don't want to give up much of that "reach."

 

My thinking is that, as I understand it from the reading, the yellow filters will cut down on the blue-end-of-the-spectrum frequencies most associated with glare -- if there's enough light for high beam use, then I'm less likely to get flashed at night with the lights on at 10% power.