Headlight advice

Rockjaw

Member
Local time
1:26 PM
Joined
Mar 19, 2014
Messages
214
Location
Deltona florida
Hey all,..just got a Shwinn with an 80cc

Can someone recommend a good headlight for the price? I dont mind paying 30-65bucks..i believe there is a wire for free power as well so dont need a battery.
Thanks!
 
sorry about the sideways picture but this is the cree 5000 it last quite a long time on a charge will last you days and comes with a charger.
 

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I plan to get another and splice it off of the same battery. not because it is not bright enough but as I want a very wide feild of veiw around turns. I only wish it was a 12 volt instead of 8 so I could use the same battery for the vapor. I have to run two batteries on the bike. being that it multi brightness I cannot run a resistor on the 12 volt to lower voltage.
 
If brightness is not a concern check out jnmotors
http://www.jnmotorsbikes.com/product_p/jnm1134.htm
they have a shwinn style headlamp for sale. check the voltage output on your cdi. it varys with speed. I beleive it is 7V max. you may consider then a voltage regulator
not this exactly but something like it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LM338K-Line...564?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ea1cecc4
it should not only convert but regulate as well. I was going to do this before I decided Im just going to get a couple rechargable batteries and save myself a headache.
 
Links to eBay may include affiliate code. If you click on an eBay link and make a purchase, this forum may earn a small commission.
If brightness is not a concern check out jnmotors
http://www.jnmotorsbikes.com/product_p/jnm1134.htm
they have a shwinn style headlamp for sale. check the voltage output on your cdi. it varys with speed. I beleive it is 7V max. you may consider then a voltage regulator
not this exactly but something like it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LM338K-Line...564?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ea1cecc4
it should not only convert but regulate as well. I was going to do this before I decided Im just going to get a couple rechargable batteries and save myself a headache.

Ok awesome! thanks! will check that out..also Im new to this on the road...anyone know if its legal to be on the sidewalk with the motor running as long as Im pedaling?
Thanks!
 
Links to eBay may include affiliate code. If you click on an eBay link and make a purchase, this forum may earn a small commission.
awesome thanks! will check that out!
also im new too this, anyone know if its legal to be on the sidewalk with engine on while i am pedaling?
thanks!
 
The cree is your best bet. That bullet light won't do crap for you. Even with led bulbs, it's not bright enough to outshine a streetlight, and doesn't cast a wide enough beam to provide any visibility in real darkness where there are no streetlamps. Really don't get it, you're willing to spend up to $65 but will settle for the crappy option? Not to sound mean, but that cree is only $26. If I hadn't built my own lighting system, I would consider a cree. You definitely WANT to be concerned with brightness, not just legality. In a debate of choosing the option that won't get you pulled over vs the option that saves your life, always go with the option that saves your life. Unless of course, you're just in it for a darwin award....anyhow, building a lighting system is not overly complicated nor very expensive. Well, the lights I used weren't cheap, but any 12v led light will work as long as you can figure a way to mount it. I used motorcycle forks and they came with mounting brackets. I bought a moped headlight and an led bulb to power it. But the charging system is simple. A bicycle generator will produce enough power to charge a battery. Keep in mind, a higher capacity battery will take longer to charge, not to mention weigh more and be harder to fit to the bike. I use a 12v, 1.2 Ah sealed lead battery I got on ebay for like $11 shipped. To convert the generator ac current to DC (necessary for charging a battery) I use a scooter rectifier I got on ebay for $8 shipped. The generator cost me $25 shipped. I looked up a diagram on how to wire the rectifier, it's a 4 pin, they can all be wired the same way. You'll need a power terminal, which is a small piece of equipment that you can wire multiple positive or negative wires to, commonly used to connect car audio systems to the battery. Mine was given to me, but you can find them used for 5 or 10 bucks. So not counting what I spent on lights (you can also build your own pretty cheap, just need to know how), we're talking less than 60 bucks. You can try to use the white wire to power a light, but anything over 1.5W is going to rob spark and the bike might not even start. And 1.5W is not really very bright at all. You can build a circuit into the white wire, but without a battery if you get stuck pedaling you're screwed. Just some stuff for you to think about. Simple option is the cree, just have to recharge it every now and again, but at least it isn't dependent on engine power.
 
Here's my post on a Cree that I tested out. It is quite bright. It lasts about 2.5 hours on the strobe, but less on the high setting. My guess it would last 2.5 hours on the low setting. It has a 8.4v 6400MmAh Battery Pack, but I could upgrade to a 10,000MmAh battery pack for under $20.00. I don't ride my bike at night, so I really don't need it other than when I am touring on my non-motorized bike. A friend of mine stated it hurt her eyes at 100 yards distance when I shined it at her on the high setting. I am sure the less expensive versions of the Cree headlight would suit most just fine.

http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?41569-9800lm-amp-x-cree-xml-t6-led-headlight

New York and Florida are the 2 states that don't allow motorized bicycles and are strict on enforcement. Definitely don't ride on the sidewalk, regardless of what state you live in.

Good Luck,

Chris
AKA: BigBlue
 
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