I want to swap to an HID on my Blackline but there is just no room to put the ballast, I may try and put it under the seat and get an extension for the bulb. I don't even see how Harley can legally call the stock unit a headlight... it's like someone walking in front of you with a candle, lol!

I've also been looking into possibly fitting a projector in the stock light housing for correct HID focus but I just don't know if there is enough room.

Jake

 

I live/ride rural roads alot. I've had more than my share of field rats (deer) jump in front of me. So far I've been lucky. I've had some laying in tall grass in the ditches jump up and run in-front of me so fast there is no way you could see them fast enough to avoid them, lights or not. I try to convince myself that my very loud pipes scare them and make them jump before I get there. Don't know if that's a fact or not, not going to go out and test it if I can help it. There are enough rats in my area I absolutely refuse to ride after dark but most the scares I've had are during the day. I have very bright lights in all my cages and have hit many deer the last few years, both day and night. The bright lights did not enable me to see them in enough time to avoid them. Just be careful and slow down in rat infested areas is the best defense. The only good rat is a dead rat, in my freezer.

 

I live in rural Texas and deer are a problem year round... and not just the live ones. Road kill is a hazard as well. Then there are the feral hogs, foxes, raccoons, possum, skunk, etc.

I have LED lights all around to include fender tip lamps. The headlamp provides significant light ahead of me and the passing lamps illuminate the periphery extremely well. You still have to be vigilant.

 

Spydyr, the stock head lights on a Harley are crap, always have been, probably always will be. If I am lucky I can see maybe 30, 40 feet ahead of me before the light really starts falling off. I am not saying it will prevent it, I am saying I would like to at least do what I can to get as much light as far out in front of me as possible in the hopes of at least giving me a fighting chance to see them in time to TRY to prevent it from happening again.

I have been around deer my whole life and I know they come out of no where and in an instant. I don't see how getting as much light out there in front of me can hurt, if nothing else. You hit a deer on a bike then tell me how you won't start looking at ways to increase your chances of missing one or to do as little damage as possible to your bike and more important your body.

I went with a different set up with a few things on the front of my bike which caused me to drop the Axillary lights. I can tell you though from the many years of riding though that I would still want/need additional light up front. If I can't achieve that with just a head light upgrade then they go back on and I upgrade those lights or bulbs too.

I got VERY lucky, very lucky indeed. If after that encounter with that deer and I didn't at least TRY to do something or to aid in more light in front of me, well, in my opinion a person would be an *******! Is that going to save me from ever hitting another deer? No, it's not but it will at least give me a better chance than with this tock headlight. Like the one guy said, dead deer in the middle of the road is just as dangerous and with the stock headlight you are going to be on top of him before you see him inn time.

I once hit a possum long ago, same thing, **** stock head light and I had just enough time to lift my left foot so all he took off was my running board and gear shifter, clean off. Would a stock headlight have prevented that? I don't know but what I do know is I am not going to see anything in time in the dead of night out in the country with my stock headlight.

All I asked for was help with picking the right headlight for what I want and need. I'm ok with criticism or being questioned because even through that one can learn a lesson. I also allow my Son to ride with his G/F on back, the Mother of my one and only grandson/baby on the back of my bike. I would never want to see either of them hurt because they have a baby they need to get home too. THAT is all that matters, getting everyone a fighting chance to get home safe and sound. If a few hundred bucks will AID in that, that is a small expense in comparison and one I have no problem with doing it. Is it a guarantee? Nope, it sure isn't but it is better than that stock piece of **** headlight that comes on a bike.

 

I went to Napa about bought the brighter bulb(can't recall what number, but it was talked about here). I never did really compare as it put the new bulb in before riding season so I could not do a real comparison test.

It seems brighter as it shines on the garage door when I pull in. With the ridiculous headlights in most all new cars, why are bike lights left so far behind? Though, in that thought I don't drive/ride at night much due to the blinding lights on most cars. When will BRIGHT be bright enough? They say it is all about safety, but what about oncoming traffic? What are you suppose to do? I usually put my left hand up and block the lights so I can see the road.

I see plenty of bikers with passing lamps on, and usually they are aimed at oncoming traffic. Making it difficult to see the road. I understand wanting to "Be seen", but for oncoming traffic it is a nightmare. I was actually on my bike when one came up behind me at a traffic light. I had to flip my mirrors outta whack just to make it bearable to look forward and see the traffic light.

 

Yesterday, we went 2 hours to the west and there were a lot of 2 lane roads with trees, bushes and just nothing but scenery on both sides. Coming back, a couple of cars were in front of me, probably 200 yards and then all of a sudden, a deer goes in between us. If they had been slower or I had been faster, someone would have hit it. It the first time I had seen one shoot across a highway. And it was during the day, 5:30, so I got to see it and do a WTH!

 

Well, I'm all down with improving reaction times but gotta say it's not much comfort anymore. Last weekend a deer during the day jumped in front and I missed it by about 10 ft after braking. Stuff happens. And I do have loud pipes.

I've always been hyper-vigilant driving a cager just like a bike, since I grew up riding bikes.

A year ago in January I had a deer come out of nowhere during a spell of road that wasn't heavily wooded. In fact I saw a herd of deer coming forward about 200 yrds away through a pasture. So all seemed great.

Out of nowhere this stray doe jumped from the ditch right into my car. No warning or reaction time allowed. The deer took out my driver's window. I mean the deer's head took out my window. No front quarter damage, and the deer's impact rolled down the passenger side of the car for further $$$ damage.

This is the ONLY experience where I had no warning or opportunity to react. The point is that it does happen. DON'T expect lighting to be the answer. I suspect on a bike the loud pipes might have made a diff. But I'll never know that answer.

 

I put spots on angled out and up a little for the sides of the road but I have hit a deer and it was infront of me in an instant...Could not even find the time to curse...

Ds

 

Thanks tbonetony06... and I'm glad you made it through the deer hit. I always get nervous around dusk... end of last season coming back from bike night I was almost home, and purposefully going slow because I kept thinking about deer. Sure enough, one ran out in front of me just a little way up the road. Had I been going faster we might have been at the same spot at the same time.

I looked into an LED headlamp but Harley specifically states it will not fit a nacelle housing. That bites.

So I was thinking of at least getting the LED passing lamps. Might look stupid having two bright smaller lights and one dull main light, but better than all dull, right?

 

I have the phase 7 passing and headlight LED's can't even tell you how much better I can see and just as important be seen. They are costly, but hard to put a price on safety.