Helmet light by Lead Dog: Work with stock stator?

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firffighter
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Helmet light by Lead Dog: Work with stock stator?

Post by firffighter »

I've done 2 night rides this year (what a hoot), and am planning on doing the Buttstomper 24 hr. race next year with my brother.

My question is will the helmet light work with my stock stator? The lead Dog helmet light uses 35 watts and I believe the stock headlight on the KDX puts out 35 watts. I am not running the rear tail light either.

Think it would work?

Any other options without breaking the bank? I dont want to put $200-$300 into a lighting system for 1-2 rides a year.
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jc7622
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Post by jc7622 »

I've been researching lights recently. If it is anything but HID (high intensity discharge) it will work off the stator, assuming it doesn't exceed the stator's output capacity and I think 35 watts will be OK.

HID lights need to run off DC power. This requires the addition of a battery and some coil mods to work right (float he ground - whatever that means). The upside to HID lights is that they are much brighter per watt. A 35 watt HID light is generally as bright as a 100 watt halogen light. They are pretty amazing. A friend has a 35 watt HID Trail Tech helmet light and it is incredible.

You can also run either type of light off of a battery pack. Go to http://www.batteryspace.com and get one there if that is what you need. The best bang for the buck is NiMH batteries. Li-Ion is the best, but they are very expensive. Get a 12 volt with about 4 Ah (amp hours) or 4000 mAh (milli amp hours) or greater. That is roughly what the aftermarket helmet lights use. They also sell chergers and different types of battery-to-light adapters and plugs.

Use this as a guide to see how long you can run a light on a battery pack:

(battery voltage X capacity in Ah) / light watts = run time in hours

Example:

12 v X 4 aH / 35 = 1.37 hours run time

Another option is to build your own lights. There are a lot websites on the web showing how to do it. Most use the standard MR16 type bulb that you can buy at the hardware store. Most helmet lights use this exact same bulb also.
firffighter
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Post by firffighter »

Does anyone know what the stock stator output is in watts? I think that with the 35 watt helmet light and 35 watt headlight I would exceed stock output.

I did notice that Stealhy sells a HID bulb to replace the stocker for $8. Might try that first.
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jc7622
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Post by jc7622 »

Do you have a link to the Steahly HID bulb. I can't find it.

I think the stock output is 35 watts. You can buy 75w and 85w upgraded stators from several places.

An HID bulb also requires a ballast. Trail tech sells a small ballast that plugs into the back of an HID bulb. Batteryspace also sells Trail Tech brand bulbs and ballasts. The Trail Tech HID bulbs, and most other brands also, are the standard MR16 style bulb base.

Supposedly to run HID you als have to have your KDX converted to DC. I talked to a guy once who said he ran his HID light on an AC system, though.

Go to this link - http://www.1stoplighting.com/fixture/1/ ... cl115.html - and look at the underwater light. It uses a standard MR16 bulb. I plan on buying one of these at Lowe's or Home Depot and putting a 50w halogen light in it and using it as a helmet light. I ma going to buy a NiMH battery pack online and carry it in my pack. I think there is suffecient room in it if you wanted to install an HID bulb and a small Trail Tech ballast. It is designed to be used underwater in a pond, but I found a review of it online where some guy was using them above ground as heavy duty landscape lights.

For my bike mounted lights I plan to use a light like this - http://www.partsamerica.com/productdeta ... Code=3157D

It is a 7" HID light. I found where people on KTMTalk were using them and making brackets to hold them on the front of their bike. I will either convert my bike to DC or mount a battery pack on the bike to power it.
firffighter
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Post by firffighter »

Sounds good. I will do a little more research on a good setup. I really want a helmet light because the 24 hr. race I am planning on doing is in really tight terrain, so looking around corners would be really helpful. Thanks for the ideas and links. Very helpful.

I saw the light in a Stealhy catalog from last year I believe.
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canyncarvr
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Post by canyncarvr »

Re: 'Does anyone know what the stock stator output is in watts?'

The stock lighting coil is supposed to put out 45 watts. That is likely a generous output assessment.

75W out of an Electrex coil is iffy. They aren't that easy to find anymore either. Doan make'm no moh.

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