Winter looming

[Love6060]

So with winter looming around the corner.

I got thinking, who has ever installed fog lights on there bike?

Reason I ask I because I will be riding down the a303 between Sept and Oct at night. And then Plymouth to Scotland at least once a month.

Yes I could drive but I own 2 bikes and the wife needs the car.

So if you have what did you fit, and was it simple.
Although I don't mind a challenge.

[Ruffian]

Lots of the new adventure bikes have lower auxiliary lights fitted now.
The triumphs and bmw are good examples.
The more modern led/smd lights draw such little current compared to conventional bulbs and would work well.

I have fitted similar to vans/lorry's but never to a bike couldn't be too much different.
What bike would you be fitting it too?

[Love6060]

Hi,

I have been looking around and I have to agree LED is the way forward. It's finding the right one though.

Honda VFR 800 Fi 01 is the bike of choice.

[Atomic]

When comparing the LED lights, have a look at CREE - have heard folk talk of them.

[Ruffian]

Cree are similar to smd and a very very bright and don't have multiple points of light so don't produce multiple shadows which is nice.

The well known auction site has some small smd explorer lights for sale from around £10 with the metal casing for strength

[Love6060]

thanks for that info boylard100 i am investigating now. may take me a while, before i find what i am looking for its got to look right.

[graham22]

So you want to be a 'Foglight W@nker' like the Ewen MacBoreman wannbes?

Seriously, these & the 3 headlight Harley crowd just pee everyone off with their badly adjusted 'auxilary' lights.

Only pulling your leg. My experience of the VFR800 was of a bike actually having pretty good lights as standard, 2 x 55/60 H4 units, the same as many cars.

I'd just look into getting a good brand set of Xenon/White bulbs for it, not Ebay fakes or Ballast kits, just good quality bulbs. Then just make sure your lights & visor are kept clean.

[Andy900]

Just fitted HID's to mine, well bright.

[billinom8s]

i'd go down the uprated bulb direction rather than the system change

[Love6060]

I have got osram xenon bulbs fitted at the moment. But I have not had the opportunity to try them out at night yet.
That said I have decided to leave them As is. only concern is when I hit those dense fog patches we shall see when those experiences hit.

Thanks for the Input guys and helping me to save some cash.
I just need a spare bulb kit now.

[Ruffian]

Osram night breakers are great upgrades for standard bulbs without having to worry about wiring etc.

Hid's do work well but have seen cheaper kits get very temperamental and a couple actually catch fire.

[Tractorwackyracer]

Looks like I am a w@@ker then !

[graham22]

Looks like I am a w@@ker then !

If you're running them in non-poor visibilty conditions....

The problem with bikes, usually adventure bikes, the fog lights are high up and just end up dazzling with suspension movement.

Despite having cars with front fog lights for 20+ years, I can't remember the last time I used them to decent effect - that includes when my folks lived in Stithians which meant many a foggy night via Four Lanes (if you know Cornwall you'll know what I mean).

Always found it more useful to run high beam with the level brought down - appreciate can't do this on most bikes though.

As for new cars using them as corning lights, what a load of ecu driven b0llocks.

Also aftermarket Xenon HIDs - the standard light units aren't designed for this type of bulb, it just throws the light everywhere, dazzling other drivers who get pee'd off & end up flashing us with factory fitted units too!

Goning to stick with good quality halogen bulbs - have noticed the difference since fitting the standard dip beam one back in the Hayabusa (80w high beam though!).

[Mervin]

Tell me about modern cars and fog /cornering lights ,because the bloody dealer did not when i got it , and people kept telling me only one for your fog lights is working , well I dont drive the car she does, and could not tell me if she had the fog lights on at any given time or not ,( TBH i jumped in a car one day in the middle of winter and she had been driving it in the dark most of the time , i said how long has the headlight been blown , "did not even know one was blown she said ) any way every time i turned the fog lights on both came on , so on the second service i said to her find out WTF is going on with the fog lights , the dealer then explained the cornering light thing , when i went out and turned the lights on and turned the steering lo and behold that side bloody fog light came on , end of head scratching

[graham22]

Merv - that's brilliant. Guess you/she didn't notice how much the cornering lights were helping!

Can't say I've ever thought 'can't see where I'm manouvering here, I'll turn on my fogs' hazard lights mybe when reversing in total darknes but not fog lights.

I said ECU driven - have you noticed the amount of VW T5's with one driving light out? I've been told it's not a bulb or light issue but a fault with the ECU.