Farkle future is bright. SUPERBRIGHT LED spotlights, CREE 10w LEDs & SuperMOFO HIDs

[Grey Beard]

Are any of these lights stamped (on the glass) with an 'E' Number? The German TÜV guys are a bit touchy about these things if not

Ideally I would like to fit one HID spot and one super bright LED (Cree?) fog lamp in place of the 2 fogs on my R1200GSA. We are only allowed a total of 4 lamps on the bike in German TÜV tests (including the dipped and full headlights, but ignoring the little side light).

Grey Beard

 

[Fanum]

Are any of these lights stamped (on the glass) with an 'E' Number? The German TÜV guys are a bit touchy about these things if not

Ideally I would like to fit one HID spot and one super bright LED (Cree?) fog lamp in place of the 2 fogs on my R1200GSA. We are only allowed a total of 4 lamps on the bike in German TÜV tests (including the dipped and full headlights, but ignoring the little side light).

Grey Beard

I'll check

EDIT....CHECKED

0-420-50 (Cree square one) is CE certified
0-420-55 (round stackable one) is CE certified
0-420-60 (twin LED oval shaped) is CE certified.

I have some fairly good images from Durite of these lamps but I'm afraid I can't see closely enough to say for sure if they have 'CE' actually on the glass....I will be getting a batch of them to bring to the Hograost this week coming, so I'll have a close look, but I'd imagine that as they are certified (according to the official tech specs) that they will be marked as such.

The BIGMOFOHIDs are not certified CE, so could cause some problems if fitted to a German registered bike

Will confirm the markings as soon as I get them back in my grubby mitts though and will post soon as

Hmmmmm......actually, thinking about it and looking at the pics again, there are CE markings on the brackets

Will check for sure though for you

 

[Grey Beard]

I'll check

EDIT....CHECKED

0-420-50 (Cree square one) is CE certified
0-420-55 (round stackable one) is CE certified
0-420-60 (twin LED oval shaped) is CE certified.

I have some fairly good images from Durite of these lamps but I'm afraid I can't see closely enough to say for sure if they have 'CE' actually on the glass....I will be getting a batch of them to bring to the Hograost this week coming, so I'll have a close look, but I'd imagine that as they are certified (according to the official tech specs) that they will be marked as such.

The BIGMOFOHIDs are not certified CE, so could cause some problems if fitted to a German registered bike

Will confirm the markings as soon as I get them back in my grubby mitts though and will post soon as

Hmmmmm......actually, thinking about it and looking at the pics again, there are CE markings on the brackets

Will check for sure though for you

Thanks Fanum,

But it is not the CE marking that is important in Germany. For the lighting mod to be legal, the lamps must have an 'Auto E' marking on the glass of the lamp (not the bulb). Normal halogen bulbs (H7, H1, etc. even have the 'E' number stamped in black print on the metal part of the bulb, but the TÜV people here need to see it stamped/etched/moulded into the glass of the lens. Each European country has it's own 'Auto E' number, Manufactured in Germany would be E1, Netherlands E4, UK E11, etc. etc. Stuff sold by Touratech, Wunderlich, BMW, etc. is naturally already certified to the Auto E requirement, but is limited in choice and much more expensive.

The TÜV guys weren't too happy even with some low power Wunderlich LED daylight running lamps I had fitted, even though they were 'E' marked. Probably because they had not seen these before.

Grey Beard

 

[Fanum]

I was with the MD of Durite today and we asked him......NONE of the durite lamps are marked on the lenses, as when they were purchased and imported, they hadn't passed CE certification....they've made them UK legal and acceptable by having the stickers on the brackets, but as you well know because you have to deal with the Germans, that won't wash there.

The next batch WILL apparently have the appropriate markings though.

I don't know how much stock they have to get through before a new batch is ordered though, and they tend to order depending on currency fluctuations (£/$) as well.

As soon as I hear they have the markings, I'll post it up here.

Bill

 

[casper]

Do the Oval twin LED ones put out useful light on the road or are they more to be seen with.
Also can they be mounted either way up.
Looking for something to assist dipped beam similar to a micro de pattern.
Cheers

 

[Fanum]

Yes they can be mounted either way up (if you mean hanging down from bar or sitting upright from it)

They could be mounted like a rugby ball stood up if you have a vertical surface, but the mounting brackets only goes on the longer edge of the oval, IYSWIM.

The beam of the oval ones is about half way between a fog and a spotlight.....sort of floodlight shaped, not long distance but certainly longer throw than a foglight, which has a flat, short and wide beam.

Imagine a quarter of a large pizza....that's about the shape of it, whilst a spot beam is like a really narrow slice of a really really big of pizza slice and a fog light is like just under half of a kiddy sized pizza

Damn, I love these really technical, jargon heavy explanations

EDIT...If it helps the way you imagine it, those oval ones were designed as very bright area worklights, to throw as much light around a largish room as possible, or to mount on the back of a rescue vehicle to cover an area etc.

Ideally, I'd match then up with a set of spotlights to cover both the middle ground (ovals) and long distance illumination (spotlights)

 

[Grey Beard]

I was with the MD of Durite today and we asked him......NONE of the durite lamps are marked on the lenses, as when they were purchased and imported, they hadn't passed CE certification....they've made them UK legal and acceptable by having the stickers on the brackets, but as you well know because you have to deal with the Germans, that won't wash there.

The next batch WILL apparently have the appropriate markings though.

I don't know how much stock they have to get through before a new batch is ordered though, and they tend to order depending on currency fluctuations (£/$) as well.

As soon as I hear they have the markings, I'll post it up here.

Bill

OK, thanks

Grey Beard

 

[Madmountainman]

Hey Bill, is there room on the light bar to run those monster HID's underneath and the single 5W rounduns on top for day running lights?
Will be taking a closer look at the hog.

 

[Fanum]

Hey Bill, is there room on the light bar to run those monster HID's underneath and the single 5W rounduns on top for day running lights?
Will be taking a closer look at the hog.

Yes. Obviously it depends how your light bar is drilled/slotted up though.

It's an M10 mounting bolt so I had to drill a new hole in my Rugged roads light bar.....all the other ones are either M6 or M8

 

[Madmountainman]

I've got a Migsel one, but i know a small engineering unit over Marsh Barton with the relevant pillar drill requirements.

 

[Fanum]

I've got a Migsel one, but i know a small engineering unit over Marsh Barton with the relevant pillar drill requirements.

Bear in mind these bigmofo's are 2.5kg each......you can fondle them tomorrow, but even with a MIGSEL mount, you may want to think about a fillet of support bracing welded into the angle of the bracket.

If you told me you wanted the BIGMOFO's for offroading, I'd tell you straight.....nope, NOT a good idea, unless you want to throw proper money away, or you reinforce the bracket (and look at the Beak subframe.......I don't want anyone coming on here in 6 month's time and saying they weren't warned )

For road use, with a decent light bar and both of the welded mount points on the beak subframe in decent working order (Mine'sbeen broken for a couple of years and has supported quite a few different lights, but that's another story ) you ought to be fine with the BIGMOFO's....

We are having a prototype reinforced HD light bracket made up at a local fabricator's.....they had way too much on to be able to get them done for the HR, particularly as it's a one off for now, but soon I hope to be able to show you that, mounted up and in detail.

We also have a 'Quickfit' option coming out, which will mean even the most electricklery challenged numpty will be able to fit a light bar and their choice of LED floods/spots/running lights in under 10 minutes, no wiring ability or understanding of relays required

These will also be good for the off/on roader, who will be able to take off the lights and bar in a few minutes to go laning, then put them back on with one tool in a matter of minutes as well

Watch this space for that one

 

[Fanum]

The new online shop is finally up and running......It's my first attempt at producing a 'proper' online shop, and TBH I'm quite pleased with the result.

The back end is working and although you can register to buy, you don't have to and you can still order stuff.

I'll be adding the tosser discount code soon, but for now, it has all the lights on it at their normal prices, but what might be of interest is the full technical data sheets including measurements, CE ratings, IP ratings and so on.

I'll post again when the tosser discount code is worked out, but please take a look...criticisms and comments are welcome so I can improve the shop look, feel and usability

FOR SHOP CLICK HERE

 

[MADJC]

wow look cool

 

[essjay]

http://ja4x4.co.uk/Shop/product-info.php?pid185.html

Should the above not actually be 12w as it's 4 x 3w? Although the 1.4A @ 12v suggests 16.8w....

 

[Fanum]

http://ja4x4.co.uk/Shop/product-info.php?pid185.html

Should the above not actually be 12w as it's 4 x 3w? Although the 1.4A @ 12v suggests 16.8w....

'Quad 3 watt'

I haven't made the measurements myself......any info is direct from Durite, and all I can say for certain is that it has 4 x 3w GEN 3 LEDs in it and it's chuffing bright.

Possibly more useful to look at total lumens rather than power consumption too

 

[Fanum]

We're giving a few switches a try out at the moment, as we're going to ramp up to doing full kits of these LED lights.

If you've ordered a set (and thanks to those who have) in the last few days, don't be surprised to find a freebie switch enclosed......All we'd ask is for a bit of feedback on how they look and fit on the bike (if you want to use them that is, feel free not to or just pass them on if you like)

Today for example, We sent out two of these:

Red LED for showing lights NOT on, green led for....can anyone guess?

The switch is not waterproof or splashproof, but Gert and I have both had one fitted on our own bikes for a long while with no problems......they are surface mount pods with a self adhesive pad, and are rated well above the current draw of the LEDs themselves, so there's absolutely no need to fit relays

For our first couple of guinea pigs, these are freebies, but for orders after this week, they'll be £5 each, but as mentioned above, you do need to know that they are NOT waterproof so I'm afraid we won't be taking any back if they've failed for that reason

We've also had a chat with Durite tech people today about them maybe producing an IP67 version, and they will be having a look at it.

In the mean time, we do have full IP67 switches but frankly, they're a little big for most people's tastes.
(They're designed for the dashboards of Landies and other cars....44mm x 22mm rectangular cut out panel mount)

 

[Fanum]

We've been told today that the 10w Cree spotlights are on their way from America in a container unit.

Expected into Felixstowe the first week of September

That's these ones......

But with the spotlight beam rather than the floodlight beam which we currently have in stock.....we don't know if the 'Euro' pattern ones are in the same shipment, but hopefully they are.

These are the ones that can be stacked/slotted together in banks, so you could have a flood and a spot on both sides but still only have a light pod with a combined size of a fraction over 10cm by 5cm tall

(But getting the complete flood/spot effect to illuminate the whole road ahead)

Prices might be a little less than the current £175 a pair delivered, as there is a whole container load coming

Will update as soon as we get more info

 

[Fanum]

For switches, fuse boxes, wiring, relays, beacons, connectors, waterproof multi connectors and all other automotive electrics, please click HERE

 

[Fanum]

Remember these??

Well this week I've been working on Kattrin's XRV750 (She's Gert's significant other)

As well as a new screen, a paint tidy up, fabbing up a new exhaust and bracketry , full service and replacing every rubber pipe on the bike after it pissed a tank of fuel all over the shed I got round to fitting some of the LED twins for her

Pics from my phone so not great quality

They're wired drekkly to the sidelight feed, as they take such a tiny current.

Mounted on some quick and nasty brackets I made up from some ally plate lying around, they're nice and high and wide to give maximum visibility but they don't obscure anything like indicators.

I whacked up another bracket to mount a switch with an LED in it onto the dash, in line with the other dash control lights

The nice thing about these lights wired up like that is because they draw such a tiny current, she will be able to leave ignition on and have these LEDs shining brightly for putting up tents at rallys etc......the LEDs only draw .9 a so half an hour with them on shouldn't flatten the battery much at all

And yes, I did smudge the spray paint on the dash bracket in the rush to get them finished this afternoon so they can ride to Germany tonight. ....Katrrin's taking a 13mm spanner in her bumbag to do final set up positioning, but these are flood/spot pattern, so they will light up a good wide stretch of the road in front as well as be excellent running lights

 

[RobertG]

Single Superbright Gen 3 LED spotlights

Well I finally got around to taking a few photos of the install for these lights.

The housing is extemely solid aluminium with an excellent (I assume powder) coating. They have a real quality feel to them and to be honest much better than I was expecting for the price. The mount brackets are stainless steel and although thin are extremely strong and more than capable of locking the units on. Install was a breeze and they could be mounted up or hanging. There is a tiny (really really tiny) little bracket supplied with them to allow you to mount two side by side. The bracket is so small I think all it would be useful for is aligning the fittings - you would have to properly mount both fittings witht he stainless steel brackets (that is, you could not mount one and then clip the other on using the tiny bracket). Anyway, I don't think there would be much benefit having two side by side.

I think they look really great when mounted. Very neat quality accessory.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgalavan/7983964149/" title="P1030329 (Custom) by Robert Galavan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8322/7983964149_cb7a6d466c_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="P1030329 (Custom)"></a>

It is hard to show what they look like at night as you can make them look brighter or darker by changing the photo exposure. Here are two examples.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgalavan/7983969518/" title="P1030344 (Custom) by Robert Galavan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8456/7983969518_8805b746c7_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="P1030344 (Custom)"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgalavan/7983964383/" title="P1030343 (Custom) by Robert Galavan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/7983964383_90e8846e11_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="P1030343 (Custom)"></a>

As with all LED fittings I have seen, they can throw a decent amount of light right in front of you, but don't help much at distance. The following photos are taken in almost complete darkness. To make the photos more comparable I took them both with the same fixed manual exposure settings. The wall is about 10M away.

Below is just with the LED's on (engine off).

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgalavan/7983969096/" title="P1030335 LED spot only by Robert Galavan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8319/7983969096_87490047f7_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="P1030335 LED spot only"></a>

Next photo is with dipped beam and the LED's on.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgalavan/7983969644/" title="P1030338 (Custom) by Robert Galavan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/7983969644_5425df0b00_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="P1030338 (Custom)"></a>

I have the LEDs pointed down as a) they throw a decent amount of light up to 10M and after that the benefit is marginal and b) it reduces the dazzle for oncoming traffic.

Needless to say the lights really add to your visibility at night. During the day these lights are also extremly noticable. I have only had them on for a week but I have noticed a LOT of cars (and today trucks) pulling over to let me pass. There is obviosuly a good "glint" from the lights that is picked up in mirrors. I don't think that it is so bright that it is a problem for drivers, but it is getting me noticed which has to be a good thing.

I powered the lights from a Fuzeblock which is triggered from the parking light (always on with ignition). It can be wired with a very light cable as the total current draw is less than an amp. Bill kindly provide a small push on/off switch which would have been more than up to the job but I decided to mount a toggle swith on the bars as I wanted ready access and couldn't find an obvious location for the push button. After extensive searching I am now sure there are not many good (looking) options out there. The best I could find was a spurious Yamaha light switch which looks like it belongs.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgalavan/7983969470/" title="P1030313 spotlight switch fits in well by Robert Galavan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8174/7983969470_833c9d7390_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="P1030313 spotlight switch fits in well"></a>

Curiously this switch is marked to switch off when down, unlike all other switches in the civilised world. I therefore mounted it upside down and removed the text "off" which would have been at the top (30 seconds of fingernail scraping).

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgalavan/7983964187/" title="P1030320 spotlight switch by Robert Galavan, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8313/7983964187_8940e64341_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="P1030320 spotlight switch"></a>

Overall 10/10 for an excellent set of LED lights that will help get you noticed.