Can you see getting there?

[Super Dave]

Ok, you've got to drive there, generally, to the race track. 

I've been in vans and things for years.  Lights are important 'cause I always seem to have to drive all night.  Anyway, I did some research and changed things on my current ride to improve my ability to see, and be seen...

More here...

Not completely finished, but I learned a good deal in this process. 

[surftheasphalt]

Yep dave ,I make same changes on my Dodge pickup,new lights work great,

[r1owner]

Did you check out the Sylvania Silverstar bulbs?  They seem to make a big difference too.

[APP_Racing]

Good info, I have just been adding more lights.  PIAAs that are a fog/driving light.  Appear White but really help out with the wider angle and seeing those pesky creatures lurking on the sides of the road.  I have been looking into Clear replacement glasses as well and I think you research has made up my mind.

At the moment I have 3 sests of lights, the stock driving lights, PIAA fog/driving and set of super bright off road beams (mainly for the times when we hit the 2 lanes).  Have to turn them off when in traffic but at 2 in the morning they work great.  Just hope the cops don't see me.  Something about the amount of light a vehicle can have at one time or something.

Thanks for the info.

[Super Dave]

Did you check out the Sylvania Silverstar bulbs?  They seem to make a big difference too.

Looked at them.  Good availability, but they didn't have the lumens that the one's I got had. 

For me, my biggest gain was probably from the new clear lenses.  Nicer bulbs were still going to be highly diffused.  Still, more and more light is good.  I could have gone with HID's, but there are real issues with them.  I think I explained it in my piece.

[Super Dave]

[qy

At the moment I have 3 sests of lights, the stock driving lights, PIAA fog/driving and set of super bright off road beams (mainly for the times when we hit the 2 lanes).  Have to turn them off when in traffic but at 2 in the morning they work great.  Just hope the cops don't see me.  Something about the amount of light a vehicle can have at one time or something.

Thanks for the info.

No problem!

Fog lights are specifically yellow.  They work in foggy conditions because of the kind of light that it is. 

DOT has specifics on the amount of lumens that a particular beam (9007, 9004) can produce, +/-15%.  Honestly, a lot of the new bulbs might be above what the DOT allows.  Sometimes, those extra lumens can produce glare.  That's one of the problems with HID's.

One thing that I haven't checked on the bus is how many volts of power I have at my plugs.  That also can affect the lumens that are produced.  There are relay kits available that will ensure that one has a direct path of power to the bulbs.  Because of wiring resistance, etc., there may not be 12v at the bulb.  That will lead to less light out put and, in some cases, reduced bulb life.

[Scotty Ryan]

So Dave - does this mean that I'm not going to have to shine the flashlight in front of the bus on our overnight drives anymore????  That was the only thing keeping me awake - other then your rumblestrip alarms!!!!

[JBraun]

I installed a relay in my truck that closes a set of contacts attached to the low beam when the high beams are turned on. In other words, you get all your lights at once. When my high beams are on I could light up a football stadium.
It's easy to do and works great.
Not too friendly to oncoming traffic if I forget to turn them off though.

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

I installed a relay in my truck that closes a set of contacts attached to the low beam when the high beams are turned on. In other words, you get all your lights at once. When my high beams are on I could light up a football stadium.
It's easy to do and works great.
Not too friendly to oncoming traffic if I forget to turn them off though.

Someone has a full size chevy I see.

On my old sonoma I just had a pair of driving lights and fog lights in the push bar. I aimed them at work with the headlight aiming setup so if someone flashed their brights, well lets just say I had around 3 MILLION CP on the roll bar facing forwards which lit at the flick of a switch. Usually that got the message through. . Also had 1,000,000 facing rearward for those assholes who came up behind you with their brights on.

[tomdavid]

Try these guys as they have all sorts of neat stuff. The RayBrigs are a great up great for a little $. I put them in both my street bikes and the difference was signifcant.

http://www.coolbulbs.com/raybrig.asp

[funsizeracing]

Good info, I have just been adding more lights.  PIAAs that are a fog/driving light.  Appear White but really help out with the wider angle and seeing those pesky creatures lurking on the sides of the road.  I have been looking into Clear replacement glasses as well and I think you research has made up my mind.

At the moment I have 3 sests of lights, the stock driving lights, PIAA fog/driving and set of super bright off road beams (mainly for the times when we hit the 2 lanes).  Have to turn them off when in traffic but at 2 in the morning they work great.  Just hope the cops don't see me.  Something about the amount of light a vehicle can have at one time or something.

Thanks for the info.

+1 for the PIAA's

I love the PIAA bulbs.  I see horrible at night, once panic stopped for a mail box and two bushes.  Thoughit it was a critter.  Converted the car and all the bikes to them. 

[APP_Racing]

On my R1100RS I cheat and run a GS buld set that is 130/100, offroad only.  Works excellent and makes you much more noticeable during the daytime.