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I know this has been covered before but I just wanted to get some follow up from people about how things worked out. Currently I run a Moose coil (75w?), no tailight, UFO twins with a 50w narrow beam and a 25w wide. This setup works okay but I would like to make it as good as it can be. I have a 25hr team enduro race coming up at the end of the month and there is going to be a lot of night riding.

What are the best MR16 halogen bulbs available?

What are the best reasonably priced LED bulbs?

Anybody ever try an HID setup? I suppose a DC rectifier would be needed to run them.

33 views and no comments? Someone has to have a good setup.

Better no comments than bogus BS that is useless to you...like this.

Re: The best

I've never concerned myself with 'the best'. They don't last long enough to really matter in that regard. I've not found a particular brand better or worse than another, although I'm sure differences exist. Mine seem to leak (water past the lens) on a regular basis. Maybe that says I'm running crap lights.

Check THIS for what are good prices from what I've purchased before. Note they have both 2 & 4K hour rated pieces. They also have a considerably larger selection in angles and power ratings.

Re: Best reasonably priced LEDs

I have found a large difference in price in these..based on the number of elements and all. I have also found that they don't hold up. Anecdotally anyway, the couple I have used ended up in bits banging around under the lens in short order..and I RTV'd one of them to keep that from happening.

Another thing to consider in the case of the tail light is a marker light in it's own housing. They can be had from Wally's for cheap (I've been told). Having their own housing seems to make them more durable. Of course, you have to modify something to fit them in someplace, either the existing lens or the fender.

Re: HID

Expensive. A lot of heat, I believe. I don't know that HIDs run on AC. There is going to be a fair amount of loss (considering the supply in the first place) if you rectify the lighting coil output.

Your 50/25 setup will likely work just fine. Personally, riding at night gives me the creeps. When you're on a single track side hilling rocky wet mess with your bike bouncing around (thus, your lights) in the pitch black...I get a bad case of rectal cramps.

Not so bad in more open riding, but close, tight stuff is just nasty in the dark.

sez me.

When it's dark and you're miles from your rig, it just works out that way.

Oh..if you're using straps on your shell, adjust them using foam blocks or some other blocking/spacing material to aim your lights to maximum advantage.

You might want to also check into the helmet-mounted light systems. I'm with CC on the whole riding tough terrain in the dark thing. My eyes are seldom looking where the headlight happens to be pointed. The last time I did this it got very dark, and at the end of 7 miles I was exhausted from the stress. It made the other 42 miles of daytime riding seem like I was on cruise control.

Thanks guys.
Well, I am not a big fan of night riding either, but I got talked into a 25hr team enduro desert race (12 mile track, S. of Yakima, WA, "starvation ridge") at the end of october. The track is kind of maintained, so hopefully there won't be any suprises, no single track or anything. The race starts at 10am, so we will have 8 good hours of daylight to get acclimated to the track before nightfall. It should be interesting to say the least!

Sounds like I should keep my 50/25 setup and find something to put on my helmet. I will buy at least one spare bulb though, maybe two.

Well in preparation for the 25hr at Starvation Ridge I have some stuff on order for lighting.

For my UFO twins I am going to run my current 50w spot and maybe something different for the other 25w lamp. I bought a 3w "luxeon" LED lamp from eBay for $20 shipped, I am going to compare it to the 25w halogen to see if it is worth switching. I think the stator will be happier (brighter at low RPMs) with a 53w draw instead of the 75w I am trying to get out of it now.

I also ordered a 50w halogen helmet light from cyclops motorsports for $110. I am going to run it off a 12v 7aH SLA (sealed lead acid) battery either mounted to the bike or back of my chest protector. 7aH should give a 60 minute run time no problem (course is 18miles long, so about 40min laps, it is a team race so riders switch every lap). I bought two batteries off eBay for $27 shipped, so with two batteries and a charger I should be able to make it though the night with my 5-man team.

I will post of some pics and comparisons as the components come in.

Should be an interesting race to say the least. Some of the pro guys have $1000+ lighting setups, twin 8" HID lamps on the bike and twin HIDs on the helmet, should be neat to watch as the blow by me

Well, don't buy those new high-output LEDs (Luxeon 3w) and hope for them to work. The one I bought burned out after 10 seconds, the voltage must be to high or dirty for them. It was supposed to run on 12v-14v DC/AC, but I guess not.

So I am going to run the 50w Cyclops light off a battery and keep the 50w/25w setup in the UFO twins. I will let you guys know how the race goes.

Carry a HIGH IMPACT Flashlight with you just in case you dump & both your systems shut down temporally

Or a pocket full of glow bugs!