I have decided to install some auxiliary driving lights onto my FJR 1300 - 2008 Model off a bracket below the mirrors I think. I don't know what light to purchase, I see Denali do a set for £300.00 which look to be the dogs b****** . I want them to be on all the while at night even through on coming traffic.
However I have been on e-bay and see you can pick driving lights up for around £30.00. Can someone point me in the right direction. I don't wanna pay £300.00 if I can get away with £30.00, but on the other hand I don't wanna spend £30.00 for crap. Your thoughts and suggestions would be most appreciated.
Bazza
Bazza it seems you're only looking at LED lights. Good. LEDs have become better and better and cheaper and cheaper. Except at the very top end where the better probably are better, so not cheap. HIDs still work as well as they ever did, but the warm-up delay makes them less attractive these days.
I take it that when running at night into oncoming traffic you will be at least using low power on the lights? Your choice there is to have one or more pairs that reduce in intensity when you dip your lights from high beam to low beam; alternatively run two or more pairs of lights on separate switches.
Deciding exactly what you want the aux lights to achieve is the first decision - to see or to be seen. That is not universal. I'm in Australia. Like riders in west Texas or Nevada, I often feel the need for very long range down the middle punch to help me see wildlife that may kill me. I'm also on deserted roads so I can make the most of thousands of lumens. Riding my Tenere through the outback one night I was 'flashed' by an oncoming truck nearly 20 MILES away. That sort of lighting is probably pretty useless in most situations like in and around population areas and twisties. Those roads are better lit by a wide/fog beam that helps you see around corners when tipped in a bend.
Consequently I tend to run two switches - one for SPOT and one for WIDE, both only available via the high beam as is the law in Oz.
Having a third switch for a pair of smaller lights aimed at a lower or a divergent angle so as not to dazzle the oncoming traffic and only triggered by the low beam is one way to still have aux lights running all of the time.
Here's a few of my FJRs sporting three different aux light set-ups:
Clearwater Glenda and Krista on a dimmer.
A mix of HID and Twisted Throttle Denali D1 on one switch, and Denali D2 on another switch.
Two sets of LEDs - 2x 3500Lm on one switch, 2x 1000Lm on another switch
So the decision on how much to spend is not so simple. Once you figure out what the lights are supposed to achieve, then buy the best for your budget.