After a few near misses, I dedided it was about time I let everyone on the road know I was there.
I already had a bright red bike with loud exhaust, but obviously that wasn't enough.
Time to get serious about being more visible.
After having a few of the branch members given tickets last years because they were displaying coloured lights, I decided to play it safe and stick to non-flashing, white lights.
A quick search of the internet pointed me in the direction of the following kit:
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/e11400.m1842.l3160/7?euid=5ef6773ef4d543a989349e1c772c8066&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Febaymotors%2Fws%2FeBayISAPI.dll%3FViewItem%26item%3D260578939208%26ssPageName%3DADME%3AL%3AOC%3AAU%3A3160 ,
Nothing too flash, just an inexpensive kit to add a little bit of extra visibility to the bike, especially at night.
The kit arrived a few days later, so it was time to wire up the under bike lights and see how bright they were. Lights were losely fitted and connected to the cigarette lighter I have installed under the seat. With the garage lights on, I wasn't sure if the power was running through the lights.
Garage lights turned off, wow!!!
Now that I was aware of how bright the lights were and where they threw their light, I fixed the lights permanently.
Next step, front lights.
Once again, I was looking for something inexpensive that would do the required task and was easy to fit.
I decided to settle for a set of these:
The fittings supplied with the lights were attached to the screen supports, giving a solid base to attach the lights to the bike. Unfortunately, they are a brass coloured aluminium, so some time in the future I'll have to arrange for better quality fittings, but for now they do their job.
Once the bases were fitted, installing the lights was a breeze. I joined the light's wiring into the recently installed under-bike light circuit to avoid any issues with the bikes electrical systems. It also gave me the ability to turn on the lights at my leisure.
Wired up and all bolts tightened, it was time to fire up the full lighting system.
Garage lights off, lighting switch turned on, and here's the result.
With standard lights:
With newly installed lights
Now that all the lights were fitted and working, I took the bike out to see how well they worked and adjust the newly installed front lights.
The under bike lights certainly make me highly visible on the road at night, and the new front lights increase the range of the headlight without blinding oncoming traffic.
I'm in the mood for a little more... wonder what I'll do next.........
Thursty
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