[PredatorBlood]

I have been riding my 2007 Husky SMR 510 to work for the last 6 months in downtown San Francisco. Parking is cheap so it is ultra convenient (10 minute ride on the bike or 40 minutes by bus including walking). The problem is people drive like maniacs on the way home and now that Winter is here it is getting dark or is dark when I leave. The bike's headlight is not very bright so I am trying to make myself and the bike more visible. I am going to pick up a reflective vest (Icon Interceptor in High Vis Yellow) to wear on my way home. The bike is virtually all black (with red accents) so I want to minimize the impact these enhancements will make on the overall look during day light (Read: I do not want HUGE neon yellow reflective stickers all over it)

I have been considering reflective red rim stripes as a possibility but would also be interested in ideas for extra lighting like battery powered LEDs, etc. I don't want to bother hard wiring if possible, so anything that is small and runs on a watch battery or something similar would be good. I am also interested in helmet lights (forward facing to add brightness to where I look or rear facing for visibility). I have an Icon Variant helmet and would love to find a few small but bright LEDs to velcro to the bottom of the visor (maybe something like those phasor kaychain flashlights with constant on switch for example). The headlight on my bike is notoriously dim and I don't have the cash to do a HID conversion so I'm looking for an easy DIY solution for that as well.

Any ideas would be really helpful. Thanks!

Oh here is a picture of the bike - looking to keep visual impact to a minimum.

 

[chrismoto]

try superbrightleds.com they make replacement bulbs for headlights that are led and not too expensive you just need to match the bulb type they also sell led light strips and other goodies.

 

[nedrager]

I have rim strips, this pic is just with the flash from a little point and shoot camera in a lit garage. I'd imagine this looks a lot brighter at night with car headlights hitting it. They make them in black if you don't like the look but want the effect.

 

[medicfung]

trailtech hid ftw!!!

 

[Yev]

That bike is clean!
Reflective red or black rim stripes would be a nice touch.

 

[sourdiesel6.7]

wow those rim stripes are sick. and btw they make kits to turn you're blinkers into running lights/brake lights i had one on mine. i think its called a tail stoper? but seriouslly get a hid. best. investment. ever!!!

 

[PredatorBlood]

I have rim strips, this pic is just with the flash from a little point and shoot camera in a lit garage. I'd imagine this looks a lot brighter at night with car headlights hitting it. They make them in black if you don't like the look but want the effect.

I was thinking Red Reflective tape for the wheels. I like the look of them but am wondering if it would be too much Red considering I now have a Red EK MVXZ Chain on it. But then again, red looks pretty sweet. Who makes a black kit?

I am looking at the Rascal Grafik Kit - http://www.motorcycle-superstore.co...ascal-Grafik-Reflective-Wheel-Stripe-Kit.aspx

Regarding the headlight - I currently have the "running Lights" on the Acerbis LED Vision headlight wired to blink with the LED blinkers on the Zeta bark busters.

I want to go HID but it require rewinding the Stator among other things. It will basically turn into a money pit as far as I can tell.

 

[sourdiesel6.7]

I want to go HID but it require rewinding the Stator among other things. It will basically turn into a money pit as far as I can tell.

dude you know hids use less power right? i don't think you would need to rewind the stator as long as you have a battery to cover the large amount of power they use on initial start up. hids are actually pretty cheap as long as you buy the kits that just have the ballast and bulb instead of the super expensive x2 hid full getup.

 

[PredatorBlood]

dude you know hids use less power right? i don't think you would need to rewind the stator as long as you have a battery to cover the large amount of power they use on initial start up. hids are actually pretty cheap as long as you buy the kits that just have the ballast and bulb instead of the super expensive x2 hid full getup.

My understanding was the HID kits require a constant level of power being delivered via the electrical system. The Husky's power levels fluctuate (sorry my electrical knowledge is limited and I cannot recall the proper terminology for this) so it needs to be converted one way or another. From what I have read this is pretty expensive to do, and I already invested in the Acerbis headlight. I recently bought a couple Chinese "xenon" bulbs on the way rated at 50/50 watts that I read will not melt my headlight and were recommended in an old thread on this forum. They were only $5 each so we'll see how they look.

But if you have any additional info on doing an HID kit on a husky I am all ears as I don't feel safe at all riding around at night in a city that is famous for Cagers running red lights and hitting pedestrians.

 

[Fakemessiah]

check out these from Fibre Flare
http://www.fibreflare.com/ :thumbup:

 

[nedrager]

...Who makes a black kit?

Kits are all over eBay. Here's an example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-17-18-RE...es&vxp=mtr&hash=item588f51875e#ht_9626wt_1218

 

[KevinA]

Wire up some LEDs.

These use 10w and don't need constant voltage, so you could run them. Each one is supposed to be as bright or brighter than the husky stok headlight. AA guy on youtube has some wired to a TE 450. They are 2inche squares and have mounts for handlebars

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10W-STACKAB...es&vxp=mtr&hash=item5d30efac4e#ht_6843wt_1042

These are 20w and supposed to be much brighter.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10W-STACKAB...es&vxp=mtr&hash=item5d30efac4e#ht_6843wt_1042

Then you could wire up some LED DRL's to the hand guards and fork legs/guards like guys do on advrider. They have strips that are like tap and stick in place with LEDS
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-...ltDomain_0&hash=item19c9203c79#ht_2928wt_1170

 

[organ donor]

What's cheaper $100-$150 bucks or hospital bills? It would seem that if your fears are legitimate then dropping some extra coin on quality lighting is cheap money. Just my .02

 

[sourdiesel6.7]

ohh i dident realize the husky ran off ac power. i kind of just assumed it ran dc since that's pretty much the industry standard. my bad. :headscrat

 

[lstzephyr]

Honestly very little helps visibility at night as a good bright headlight and tail light. I used to have a sketchy little headlight on my bike but I got tired of almost getting run over at every intersection I came to. Now I have a 8 in baja designs racelight that was perhaps the most expensive thing on the bike, but it was worth it. I rarely if ever have anyone pull out on me anymore, even less than pull out in front of my lifted fullsize bright red dodge truck(I'm still amazed people miss my firetruck of a pickup, but that is another story). It was amazing the difference the headlight made, it took it from a sketchy dirtbike on the street to being like a streetbike as far as lighting.

BTW I have a theory that two lights side by side cause people to think a bike is a car but farther away than the bike actually is. I had a lot of people pull out in front of my sv650 at night and it had side by side lights. If you add extra lights take a second and think about how you will mount them and what it will be perceived as by car drivers. If you go with two LED lights, I would either stack two LEDs over the headlight you have(mount them in the shroud) or one on the bars and one on your helmet.

I think getting a good headlight, or spring for some decent LED lights to use as additional lighting is your best bet. If it is an a/c system you may be better off with halogens if you don't want to rewire the bike. I run my headlight on a/c with a 55w halogen for reliability. I can't remember if the LEDs will tolerate a/c or not, but I know the HID will not tolerate it.

A guy on advrider sells these. http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/hstrial-QualiRegResou/StoreFront.bok

Oh yeah, if you don't want to leave a bright headlight on all the time for aesthetic reasons you can always add quick disconnects and swap lights. I use to have that sort of setup before my spare/small light wandered off on some drz.

 

[turbo510]

Short of setting yourself on fire and wheelying down the sidewalk, the above suggestions are great. I put an HID on my suzuki and so far, it seems to get you noticed a little better. I haven't had any cars pull out on me since the install which has been several years. I can hop on my other bikes with regular bulbs and still get people pulling out.
Just keep your head on a swivel and assume they will do the worst thing.

Stay safe,

Steve

 

[rrp]

strobing LED's are a good idea.....
check bicycle shops or online......i have a pair of Knog Frog Strobe lights........extremely bright for small lights and have 4 lighting effects (constant, slow strobe, fast strobe, double strobe) $10 for one, front or rear specific(red or white light), available in different body colours.......runs on batteries and is weatherproof.......has a unique way of attachment, that allows it to be attached to handlebars, or even your wheel hub:thumbup:

strobe version is much brighter and is on the left:

for the headlight, i know the 2010 smr headlight is supposed to be much better than the other years (about $100).......not sure if it will run on the AC, but from my knowledge, it should.
one of the guys in the husky section has a post a few days old who works in a husky dealership and is offering discounts......look him up to see if you could get one......it would be a worthwhile investment now and in the future.

 

[thetable]

Why not just some black reflective vinyl in strategic places?

 

[maxpower]

I was thinking I would mount a few of these at strategic places on my WR
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-Rock-Li...ultDomain_0&hash=item518ca043b6#ht_2014wt_821
The seller has a few other types of led lights that would make a bike stand out.
Also I have seen a saftey device that pulses the head light as you are riding and another that does the same with the tail light as you step on the brake.
I have heard that both may not be legal. Id rather take my chance with the police that get hit.
Even after the winter is over, you cant be too visable to drivers.Lights to be seen are a great defense . I cant blame all of them.It is hard to see a bike. They dart in and out of cars. Sometimes blend in and are just small to pick up. And it doesnt matter whos fault it is (other then the lawsuit) when you are plastered over someones windshield because you werent seen.

So I thought a couple of those little aluminum lights mounted onto the roost guards for the radiator pointing forward.They would sit behind the shrouds and could be seen from the front.And somehow 2 pointg to the rear mounted neat the license plate
The rim strips are a great idea. I have seen them in colors to match the rim on ebay.

 

[rrp]

forgot about these.......
http://www.hyperlites.com/index.html
they have different variations of brake and running lights.....
plus white lights for the front as well.........