Auxiliary Lighting

Orbit

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Now I'm back on the 1150gsa it's time to consider auxiliary Lighting. Back a few years ago this would be a light bar with Hella FF50's and some Hella DE's.

I know things have moved on and I know nothing of LED's.

What would be the current up-to-date light bar options?

Maybe a driving light and spot light.

Long lasting, durable and easy to fit.

Any ideas?
 
I have the SW Motech light bar on mine. easy fit and well out of the way of indicators etc... Cost around £37 if I remember rightly.
Also have fitted Denali 2.0 lights. Not big but give out a great light. Used mainly to make myself more visible to others rather than extra lighting.
 
I've got FF50s on mine, saw the price of some of the newer ones and went with the £20 new and boxed Hellas off ebay. They're great (although I have nothing to compare it to) and definitely increase both my visibility to others and my visibility at night.

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Search Ali express and others for cheap LED automotive spotlights.

On my yellow 1150 I had 24xDIY.com 3600lm led spotlights. Physically they were small bu5 they were exceptionally bright when paired with an HID headlight and main beam.

My 1150GSA had a pair of monster 5” LED spotlights (and HiD dipped and main), truly frightening at night on full beam :D

The big boys cost me about £60 for the pair, but they were quite heavy. The 24xDIY.com lights were actually more expensive, but they were very very good.

Denali lights get amazing reviews but they are far too expensive.
 
Are you in the uUK? I thought there was MOT issues with HID lights?

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The UK even has street lights on 95% of its roads. :D
Maybe where you live . Am I mistaken then about that?

I have to say the headlight and highbeam on the GS is even worse than my Bonneville's standard light. The aux lights make on hell of a difference.

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I'm tempted by Hella Ff75 and Hella De's purely because I'm not sure modern LED's will suit the age of the bike?

I may have to find an auto electrician near Tamworth to wire them up.
 
Fairly straightforward to do yourself - biggest issue is tucking everything away neatly. I've got one relay in the fuse box under the seat and one by the ABS unit. For the 12V feed to energise the relay I cut into the pilot light wire for my Micro DEs and the main beam for my FF50 driving lights. Tend to agree that at least compared to the square form LED lights the Hellas suit the 11XX better. If you want epic amounts of lumens from the Hellas you can go with HID converted ones from the likes of HID50.com. They are bloody good, but not cheap.

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I’ve got mine on a 3 way switch. Off all the time, on with dipped beam or on with main beam.
They also can be on full power, half power or strobe! :D
 
I’ve got mine on a 3 way switch. Off all the time, on with dipped beam or on with main beam.
They also can be on full power, half power or strobe! :D
Nobody likes a showoff.

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Maybe where you live . Am I mistaken then about that?

I have to say the headlight and highbeam on the GS is even worse than my Bonneville's standard light. The aux lights make on hell of a difference.

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I’ve ridden in Morocco at night many many times and northern Spain without the need for ‘extra’ lights. I’ve never understood the obsession of GS owners of 1100/1150/1200 and extra lights, I wonder how many of them actually ride at night :D... I have one single HID spotlight on my bike, I’ve used it once, riding up the Todra gorge at night, and even then I didn’t need to use it, I just liked the effect it gave off the rocks :D
 
It's to make their bike's Road presence even more commanding...........

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I’ve ridden in Morocco at night many many times and northern Spain without the need for ‘extra’ lights. I’ve never understood the obsession of GS owners of 1100/1150/1200 and extra lights, I wonder how many of them actually ride at night :D... I have one single HID spotlight on my bike, I’ve used it once, riding up the Todra gorge at night, and even then I didn’t need to use it, I just liked the effect it gave off the rocks :D

You've clearly never been on the Tamworth ring road after dark!:p
 
I’ve ridden in Morocco at night many many times and northern Spain without the need for ‘extra’ lights. I’ve never understood the obsession of GS owners of 1100/1150/1200 and extra lights, I wonder how many of them actually ride at night :D... I have one single HID spotlight on my bike, I’ve used it once, riding up the Todra gorge at night, and even then I didn’t need to use it, I just liked the effect it gave off the rocks :D

So what? Maybe you've got great night vision.

Having been followed by someone riding my bike I know that the micro DEs make the bike way more visible, and at night the spread is so wide I get more info from the side of the road when there are oncoming cars with bright lights. Up here deer are a massive hazard at night and the more light you can put forward the more chance you've got of avoiding a collision, so the FF50s help in that respect a great deal.
 
Nobody likes a showoff.

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To be honest I didn’t realise they had high, low and strobe when I wired them up. I got them second hand off here with a light bar years ago and have only just put them on. :D
 
Ok got light bar, got Hella FF50's and Hella Micro DE's.

Was going to start mounting them but the bolts that go in to the sides of the actual light units seem a bit stiff as if they're the wrong bolt. Are they just a tight fit?

Bolt are marked blue thread. Exactly the same on the other set. Dont want to strip thread. Any ideas? Any9got and experience with Hella FF50'S.
 
They are stiff, especially the Micro DEs which screw into alloy bosses, not plastic. Haven't got my bike here at the moment, but I seem to remember the fixings are closer to self tapping screws than bolts.
 
They are stiff, especially the Micro DEs which screw into alloy bosses, not plastic. Haven't got my bike here at the moment, but I seem to remember the fixings are closer to self tapping screws than bolts.

That's exactly it. As long as they go in. Cheers
 


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