Cheap Safety Mod (lighting)
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,443
Likes: 3
From: Sasser, GA
Cheap Safety Mod (lighting)
My brother-in-law has been wanting to add a pair of lights to the front of his Wide Glide for improved visibility (both ways), but he didn't want to spend the $ on H-D stuff and couldn't decide where they should go on the bike. I suggested we look at the parts store for some inexpensive ones and mount them to his forward controls. He found some at O'Reilly's that looked really good (much better than I was expecting) for about $25. I would have gone with black, but he chose the chrome ones, and they are all metal and quite bright. Some pics- hope they're not too big:
We used the peg bolts to mount them...only had to slightly drill out the hole in the bracket.
Another angle.
The switch mounted to the back of the elec. cover- easy to reach and not too noticeable. The lights came with plenty of wire, a fuse, and the switch. We did have to use a bunch of elec. tape to wrap the wires (since they were mostly red/white) and then zip tie them behind the frame after running them under the dash. Came out good over all-well hidden.
A couple of pics of him in the shade late in the day. I'd say he's a lot more visible. I don't know yet how much they help light up the road/shoulder at night, but I'll update when I do. It will be interesting to see how well they hold up over time.
On the move at a distance:
Closer, sitting still:
He's very happy with them - money and time well spent.
We used the peg bolts to mount them...only had to slightly drill out the hole in the bracket.
Another angle.
The switch mounted to the back of the elec. cover- easy to reach and not too noticeable. The lights came with plenty of wire, a fuse, and the switch. We did have to use a bunch of elec. tape to wrap the wires (since they were mostly red/white) and then zip tie them behind the frame after running them under the dash. Came out good over all-well hidden.
A couple of pics of him in the shade late in the day. I'd say he's a lot more visible. I don't know yet how much they help light up the road/shoulder at night, but I'll update when I do. It will be interesting to see how well they hold up over time.
On the move at a distance:
Closer, sitting still:
He's very happy with them - money and time well spent.
Tourer
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 334
Likes: 3
From: Romeo, MI
I like the concept. I wonder if there are any legal issues with having the extra lights down there?
Have you thought about putting them on your bike? Where would you mount them? I see that you have footboards. I do too.
Have you thought about putting them on your bike? Where would you mount them? I see that you have footboards. I do too.
Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,443
Likes: 3
From: Sasser, GA
SteveO, I'll see if he still has the box with a part # this evening. Romeo, I don't think there are any legal issues with them, at least not here in GA. I pass a guy with a similar setup all the time- it's amazing how much his bike jumps out of the crowd coming toward you BTW. Your boards are different, so you'll probably just have to wing it on finding a good mounting spot-shouldn't be too tough. Finding a place for the switch was actually a bigger chore for us. The fuse ended up under the seat.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,555
Likes: 3
From: Clarksburg, PA
I used those lights on my Suzuki and they held up fine...took them off when I traded it in, but I bet they still work.
Suzuki was nice enough to have a power-tap in right inside the headlight bucket so it was quick to wire in...I think they came on with the highbeam and did a great job for such a small light.
I aimed the right one to light up the right side of the road more...I work Midnight and ride at night and want to see the deer coming. Imagine how disappointed I was the first night I rode my Harley in. I thought the highbeam didn't work! I tore the diffuser out and installed a halogen bulb.
You could even mount the light like I did:
Suzuki was nice enough to have a power-tap in right inside the headlight bucket so it was quick to wire in...I think they came on with the highbeam and did a great job for such a small light.
I aimed the right one to light up the right side of the road more...I work Midnight and ride at night and want to see the deer coming. Imagine how disappointed I was the first night I rode my Harley in. I thought the highbeam didn't work! I tore the diffuser out and installed a halogen bulb.
You could even mount the light like I did:
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Look good and they definetly serve the purpose of beeing seen, now if they help you see better at night, all is well. And for $25 you can't go wrong.
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Thread Starter
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,443
Likes: 3
From: Sasser, GA
I used those lights on my Suzuki and they held up fine...took them off when I traded it in, but I bet they still work.
Suzuki was nice enough to have a power-tap in right inside the headlight bucket so it was quick to wire in...I think they came on with the highbeam and did a great job for such a small light.
I aimed the right one to light up the right side of the road more...I work Midnight and ride at night and want to see the deer coming. Imagine how disappointed I was the first night I rode my Harley in. I thought the highbeam didn't work! I tore the diffuser out and installed a halogen bulb.
You could even mount the light like I did:
Suzuki was nice enough to have a power-tap in right inside the headlight bucket so it was quick to wire in...I think they came on with the highbeam and did a great job for such a small light.
I aimed the right one to light up the right side of the road more...I work Midnight and ride at night and want to see the deer coming. Imagine how disappointed I was the first night I rode my Harley in. I thought the highbeam didn't work! I tore the diffuser out and installed a halogen bulb.
You could even mount the light like I did:
