Head Light Solution

[Timbone]

After several different tries, I finally came to a simple headlight idea. I built two simple clamps for two bright flashlights and hung them off the handlebar.

Each light puts out over 300 lumens and is fueled by 4 AAA batteries. They see me.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

There you go, Timbone.

I run two headlights as well. Mostly in case one of them suddenly dies I won't be left out in the dark.

I also mounted them on quick releases. That way I can just pull them off nice and quick and put them in my backpack and head inside. So that they don't spend their entire life mounted on the bike and exposed to the weather.

 

[Timbone]

My rear lights are quick releases. That's the way to go, really.

I have had so many ideas, but battery powered lights are the natural solution. These engines are so low power and quirky you really can't waste a joule of energy running an kind of generator.

I invested a great deal of time and built a dual headlight: two bright LED bulbs, each powered by 4 AAA batteries. The design is a styrofoam superstructure held together with electrical tape and Gorilla duct tape. The headlight was really bright and I was excited about using it but it was hard to mount, looked UGLY, and on test runs the EMF pulse of the engine made the lights strobe at high RPM. In the end, the vibrations broke some of the small wire connections so I gave it up.

I am using a wireless brake light on the back that I bought from one of the motorbike vendors for about $25. It is quick release and easy peazy, and it is supposed to emit a bright red light when it senses the bike slowing or stopping. It actually doesn't work nearly that well in real life. In fact, the bright brake light function is pretty much on all the time, which isn't so bad. It helps me to be seen so it is a net positive. It runs very bright light off a charge for about 1 1/2 hours of running time.

 

[HeadSmess]

i tried one of those head mounted lights for a while...not good. seems the angle being so close to your line of vision prevents you from seeing shadows, therefore depth, which is a tad scary at high speed...

mounted on the handlebars etc...down low... perfect.

so if you want to SEE, dont attach them to your helmet.

no problem if its just to be SEEN though...

just found a nice lil twin beam one from the china shop for $5 the other day

 

[Timbone]

HS, there's one big advantage to helmet mounted lighting: you can aim it. At wild animals, that spot around the curve, or into the eyes of a car driver who's thinking about pulling out into the road where you will be soon.

 

[HeadSmess]

HS, there's one big advantage to helmet mounted lighting: you can aim it. At wild animals, that spot around the curve, or into the eyes of a car driver who's thinking about pulling out into the road where you will be soon.

yep. that i agree with. the aiming ability is nice.

iunno, maybe its just my eyes...but i really had to slow down when i had only a head mounted light on. and i HATE slowing down!

 

[Hello Moto!]

I ride my pedal bike at night lol. But I have a 1000lm flashlight mounted on that with two hose clamps. One around the light the other looped in that one and around the bars. Simple but highly efficient

 

[KCvale]

I have a couple of new builds sitting here that have 12V on-board and just starting to look for good 12V lighting for them.

As you might expect, I am kind of digging these...

But these might be more practical...

2 bikes, to headlights ;-}

 

[Frankfort MB's]

Gotta love those old KC lights
People round my place have used those lights for years

 

[skyash]

$10 on eBay 3000lm rechargeable bike light. Lights up the hole street. One charge last all week and it tells you when it needs a charge not just cut outon you . Comes with a helmet mount and free posting. From China of course