Looking to add lights. General consensus?

[KCvale]

I doubt I'll ride much at night but one can have a problem and then find themselves riding home in the dark.

Like 2old I only ride at night if I have to but riding at night with no light is no fun at all, especially on a dark road or in my case along a canal bank in pitch black.

 

[RumblingV8]

In short, it's the car that was about to cut across my path doing the panic braking, not me ;-}

After almost being cut off tonight on my way home from work, I'd say I need this effect.
Would you say the cord is long enough for the battery pack to find a home underneath my gas tank? I have my CDI tucked up in there as well for a cleaner look.

Only thing that bothers me is lack of symmetry... wish i could tuck that brightness into a bullet headlight style enclosure but I'm not in the mood for that kind of effort.

 

[KCvale]

After almost being cut off tonight on my way home from work, I'd say I need this effect.
Would you say the cord is long enough for the battery pack to find a home underneath my gas tank?

Battery cable is 14", light cable is 28" so yes, plenty of cable to hide the battery.

Only thing that bothers me is lack of symmetry... wish i could tuck that brightness into a bullet headlight style enclosure but I'm not in the mood for that kind of effort.[/QUOTE]
The issue for putting these in an enclosure is heat, and the power button.
These guys get hot in solid full power on mode.
Not an issue for daylight strobe mode but despite my best efforts I can't find a way to make a remote on/off switch, you have to get to that back button to operate it.

 

[2old2learn]

KC, if we were to open one wire running from the battery to the headlight and run that to a remote on/off switch and leave the headlight's push button switch in the ON mode, do you think that would do Two things, prevent battery drain due to the led glow on the headlights switch and enable remote convenient control?

 

[KCvale]

KC, if we were to open one wire running from the battery to the headlight and run that to a remote on/off switch and leave the headlight's push button switch in the ON mode, do you think that would do Two things, prevent battery drain due to the led glow on the headlights switch and enable remote convenient control?

Tried it, it don't work.
When you plug power in the power button turns on, nothing else, toggling power does nothing.
I pulled one apart, the 'button' is not a real button, it is actually part of the tiny circuit board that makes the thing function, which it won't do until it has power first.

What can work however is a CREE T6 based flashlight.
The one I used to put in a bullet housing ran on 2 18650 LI batteries, half of what the compact lights use, but the On/Off button toggles modes with each On click.
Cumbersome as you have to On/Off through each of it's modes every time, but it shuts off and you can control it with a remote button.

I'll have to find the thing on it on my web site a few years back, if my memory servers it a 4-stroke Felt Army build...

 

[libranskeptic]

Intuitively, given:

leds are low volt

li-ion/lifepo4 canisters are lo volt

multiple canisters are a hassle (balancing/housing)

cars have 2 lights on 2 front corners & it works for them, so why not bikes -2 lights widely spaced?

THEN:

isnt the ideal a ~cree pack that runs from the native voltage (3.2v-3.4v) of a suitable lifepo4 cannister like the 38120?

(a 10ah cannister is 33 watts for an hour, .33 kg, my guess is you can recharge from usb), methinks i saw 12/13 ah cells also

lovely threaded contacts on each cell
e.g.
http://www.batteryspace.com/lifepo4...gerate32whwith6mscrewterminal-unapproved.aspx

disposable cells should be fine for rear lights small needs. not worth wiring them in (3.2v wont like distance)?

I have 2 x 2$ 2xAA on back, last forever but if one goes flat or has problems, always have one for now.

one trap i have found, is if you get greedy about cell size in cheap tail lights, is they shake loose on bumps. So Maybe opt for aaa over aa? Ideally the cells should be housed facing up and the tail light pointed back.