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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: moto on July 25, 2023, 05:02:12 PM
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I have LED spotlights on my T3 that are just too bright and concentrated. With them I can barely see anything off-axis, since their reflected glare on the road blinds me. I also use them to warn drivers, and for that they are fine. I need advice about using amber-tinted flood lamps instead.
Would I violate any laws about flashing colored lights if I flashed the amber flood lamps to warn car drivers of my presence? Would I get cited?
Does anyone have advice about how satisfactory these are likely to be for spotting incoming deer at night in the country?
Should I get white ones instead? (I hate the color contrast with my halogen headlamp -- it looks yellow and antique by comparison with 6000 degree LEDs.)
Thanks as always.
Moto
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Check out driving lights from the many manufacturers, their beam pattern is wider than spot and longer than fog. Denali has a large assortment of sizes, beam patterns, white and yellow lenses. Their website is also informative. Horst.
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I had them on my former ‘74 Eldo. Adequate aux lighting, and cut through the fog nicely. Not an issue flashing them. Emergency/police/fire vehicles use blue or red, depending on the state.
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How about one fog and one pencil beam?
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A flood beam is too wide. You'll want a fog beam.
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What is the difference between a fog beam,and a flood beam? I know the spot beam is for distance.
Rick
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What is the difference between a fog beam,and a flood beam? I know the spot beam is for distance.
Rick
Wisconsin Administrative Code, Chapter Trans 305.5, Definitions, says: "(15) “Fog lamp” means an auxiliary lamp using a fluted lens which projects a wide−angle beam of light intended to illuminate objects 400 to 700 feet in front of a vehicle. This lamp is also referred to as an adverse weather lamp."
The flood lamp I am considering does not have a fluted lens (EDIT 3: or at least I think it doesn't). It projects a wide circle of light up, down, and side to side.
I should have mentioned a couple of other considerations. I want a field of light that does not cut off above a certain height, so that it still projects useful light while I am banked over. Also, I am mounting the lights sideways, at a 90 degree angle from the usual bottom mount, so I can't use lamps that have asymmetrical beams unless they can be rotated in their holders, and even then the first consideration probably rules out most contenders.
I am learning from the posts so far. I'll keep checking them.
EDIT: the lamps I have in mind are yellow, not amber, as a customer photo makes clear. They are not "selective yellow," the color formerly required by France, so far as I know.
EDIT 2: here is my current choice: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MQVJD59/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2WDKQP0B7KF8V&th=1 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MQVJD59/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2WDKQP0B7KF8V&th=1). Cheap enough for an experiment!
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I restrict myself to lights that are SAE approved to avoid concerns of blinding others and to comply with laws and regulations for vehicle lighting. Fog lights have wide beams that are narrow top to bottom when projected on a wall, mount them low for best results. My lights are by Rigid and are white fog lights with an amber cover. YMMV
Brian
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A quick search: WI statutes Wis Stats 347.07(2)a "states no person shall operate any vehicle or equipment on a highway which has displayed thereon:
(a) Any color of light other than white or amber visible from directly in front"
In the unlikely event of anyone challenging the color of your beams, be prepared to make the argument that they are amber, not yellow, if you are so inclined.
The statutes following may contradict this, but I thought this much might be useful to you
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I used to run these aux lights on my GL500 Silver Wing. They are 4" diameter in rubber tractor light housings. The amber fog was wide and flat. The white was a Cessna 55w landing light and holy cow, did it light up the road. It also taxed the charging system so I added an ammeter to keep an eye on things and reserved its use to extreme cases on lonely highways.
(https://i.ibb.co/rcJ9krj/20201231-163958.jpg) (https://ibb.co/rcJ9krj)
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this guy makes some nice looking moto lighting packages
https://www.easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/Lights/EB-60A/EB-60A.html
I find that quality yellow fogs pick up the edges of the road well, even with a low, precise cutoff. Deer are a huge issue in my 'hood. These were a difference maker on my truck. Clearly moto cornering would have a huge impact on how these project. These are 3000K yellow Diode Dynamics Fogs.
(https://i.imgur.com/ARYXcJk.png)
This is another excellent lighting company. Made in USA. 8 year warranty. Engineering focused. I've been impressed
https://www.diodedynamics.com/
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Everyone's situation is different. I'm not worried about running down straight stretches of highway in the fog. Instead, my only concern is with some very winding and wooded roads I like to ride around here. I want to see deer, so I need light off to the sides when I'm banked over as well as when going straight ahead. This condition means that standard fog lamps are not appropriate, since their narrow bands of illumination would be up in the air on one side and down on the ground on the other, around bends. Of course spot lamps are also no good for seeing deer off to the side. So I'm going with some flood lamps. DOT approval, as far as I can tell, is for car-like driving, without any banking, and I haven't found any DOT-approved floods.
A couple of you reported good results with yellow/amber floods or fog lamps, which is encouraging. I will try the floods I mentioned earlier. Maybe the yellow light will selectively brighten the yellow/tan fur of the deer, making them "pop" against the background! If so, I'll report. By the way, I ride very, very slowly after dark, if at all.
EasternBeaver, recommended by kidsmoke, understands the requirement for rotational symmetry in back-roads motorcycle lamps. They have a single light that combines spot and flood components. It costs more but might be the best choice. See the link in his post.
The discussion here clarified a few things for me, though you couldn't tell by what I've written. Thanks to all, and ride safe.
Moto
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What is the difference between a fog beam,and a flood beam? I know the spot beam is for distance.
Rick
Fog is flat and wide, lighting the roadway.
Flood is wide up and down, and side to side. A big cone.
Problem with using floods on the street is they will light the treetops and may blind other drivers. Floods also suck in rain or fog because they illuminate the precipitation and limit visibility.
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I haven't found any DOT-approved floods.
You won't find DOT approved floods.
my only concern is with some very winding and wooded roads I like to ride around here. I want to see deer, so I need light off to the sides when I'm banked over as well as when going straight ahead.
If you rotate the fog lamp lenses about 30-degrees in their housings, you will get the desired lighting of the side roads while cornering. I did that on a Triumph Sprint 20+ years ago with good results, when I used to ride a lot at night.
Then I quit riding so much at night... :laugh:
You might also look at an "off road beam" (they're also not DOT-approved). It's wider than a spot (driving) beam. If you aim them up and to the outside a bit, they might do a better job than the flood beam. I really think the flood beam will just be too wide.
Good luck in your quest.
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We just need someone to make an inexpensive gimbal and gyroscopic fog light mount that keeps the light level with the road when the bike leans.
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We just need someone to make an inexpensive gimbal and gyroscopic fog light mount that keeps the light level with the road when the bike leans.
That is a brilliant idea!! Hard to believe it is not already commercially available.
Does not need to be a gimbal, but merely have a pivot parallel to the length of the bike.
Should be very easy to draw and get a local machine shop to fab. I would use UHMW as a material.
Might need to add a bit of weight below the pivot to keep the light a bit more stable.
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two lights mounted on a horizontal bar supported by two parallel arms to allow a pendulum effect.
but would the swinging of the lights drive you nuts or would oncoming drivers find them annoying.
worth a try?