I have a 2015 Wee and looking to add some auxiliary lights. Trying to research the various light mounts for the DL650, wondering what others have done. Would be very interested in ideas for a DIY mod - a fun project and an excuse to drink some beer. I have some cheap led aux lights from ebay, but also looking at adding PIA lights to help with off-road at night/ dusk.
I have seen the Denali light mounts, I think for $50 there are some pretty creative and functional ideas others have successfully employed.
The best way I found to mount Clearwater Krista lights was to use the 1" (27mm ) round bar light mount on my crash bars. (SW Motech ) (Actually there were no 1" at the time so I had to mill out the 3/4" ones) Some mounts will not work with larger lights check the specs.
I have been using PIAA 1100x driving lights for 10years and many, many miles. First on a BMW-K11RS and then a K12RS. Although these lights are not in fashion right now, they still light up the road ahead and are still available online for ~$150 a pair, which is what I paid for them several months back. They were packaged for a Victory model application, but so what? I purchased a PIAA ON/OFF switch and a 12v relay at my local auto parts store. I did replace all the #12 wiring that came with the lights (plainly not from PIAA) with #16. There are many easy-to-follow online wiring diagrams for aux lighting that include 12v relays.
When the lights are on my battery indicator light is green. If you're running lights and heated clothing, I think you may have to choose which comfort is more important.
The bracket mounts are my own design for my 2015 DL650XT. They are each made from a small piece of maple. Wood, that is. Sealed and spray canned with satin black. Each piece was drilled and tapped for the socket head machine screws that come with the lights. Then each bracket was mounted to the plastic bodywork (as high as seemed practical) with 10-24 Stainless machine screws with a #10 washer and SS Nylock nut inside the panel (so as not to conflict with other wires, etc). The wires from the lights pass through a hardware store rubber grommet. Total cost after the PIAA switch and 12v relay was only a couple of bucks for SS fasteners and some spray paint which was already on hand.
Maybe some part of my application will be useful to you. Happy Trails! Kenney
EMFL, those DIY projects are always rewarding (frustrating, sometimes, but rewarding as the final product shapes up). I put aux LEDs on my Vee. At one time I had bright light bars above my headlights. I fashioned a bracket that bolted into the 4 bolts holding the windshield brace in place and swooped down to just above the headlights. That gave me more 'straight ahead' light. My LED headlights were bright enough for the straight ahead light so I soon wanted light that turned with the handlebars/forks. I removed the light bars and picked up smaller (but just as bright) aux lights that I now have hanging off my handlebar grips. I DIYed a brace to go under each grip and set the lights out far enough that they clear the tank on a lock to lock turn. I thought of hanging them off the fender bolt so they'd turn with the forks but they are too bright to be that low. The higher up they are the better, so I chose the handlebars as the best option. I guess it just all depends on what lights you use (size, weight, shape) and where you want that light to shine (straight ahead, turning, fog, etc...). If you are a DIY kinda guy, maybe these ideas will spark a thought for you. Good luck.
There are few places where "fog lights" have to be more than 4" from the turn signals by law. Seems like somewhere in Canada or Michigan or somewhere else really cold, but I have never read of single ticket being issued.
Those lights are so directional (pencil beams) that it will probably never be noticed or interfere with the turn signals anyway.
BanditDave, Any pictures you can share? Curious how the Silastic Sealant would work. I am terrible at caulking projects, but this sounds too intriguing not to consider. THANKS!!
'15 650XT - I mounted mine on the crash bars but had to add some Gorilla tape to build up the bar diameter. Also running Eastern Beaver single headlight / relay harness to free up 55W / 65W to run other accessories.
I made small mounts out of aluminum that go on the forks between the reflector mount and the abs and speedo clamps so the lights would turn withe wheel.
I was considering the mounting lights on the reflector mount. I did not take into account that the lights would turn with the wheel, that would be a nice added feature for night/ dusk riding. I was going to use an L-bracket.
Thanks for everyone's posts and sharing thier aux light setup.
I did mine over the weekend and decided to add them to the forks, where the reflectors were.
Pics are below
First pic is showing where I removed the front reflector
2nd pic is showing the parts I purchased at local hardware for about $2 and $8 for beer. The parts are 2x 2" M8 bolt, 2x 1/2" spacer, 4x washers ( The lights were purchased separately on eBay for around $20).
The remaining? pics are how they look. Thanks again for the input, really appreciate it.
I hope you used some loctite or I suspect those will loosen up.
I actually like the little mounts those lights should have come with. They have stayed put pretty well for me and my wife on her scooter when I use a nylock or lock washer.
Also, have you considered used a fastener that you can tighten and loosen by hand? Like a wing bolt or something like that? If those loosen on the road, it'd be annoying to have to pull out your toolkit to get your wrench out.
If you used the original mount bracket, then mounting to the same location, you could get freedom to adjust in both L/R and up/down direction. Right now you can only adjust up and down.
Yes, I did use Loctite. Thanks for mentioning this.
I was hunting around my local hardware store for a bracket that I could attach using the original fastener, however I came up empty. I could have bought a flat aluminum plate, but I don't have a way to bend it precisely. If you know of something please let me know.
I will have to report back on how this setup holds after several long rides.
I came back from a 150 mile ride this weekend to test out the auxiliary lights, included a ~5 mile fire road. The auxiliary lights held up very well. No movement. I did make some marks on the bolts with white-out as part of my pre-ride check. I will most likely add a lock washer for my sound-of-mind. (I did consider mounting these sideways with the original bracket, but I would encounter the same potential issue of them coming loose. And for my own preference, I preferred the cleaner look of them without the bracket)
For those looking to mount aux lights on the forks, if you do a lot of off road I can envision potential damage to the lights from being banged against rocks/ other debris and would recommend installing them up higher, similar to KenneyB, Motor7, trapperdog and others on the post. As my riding preferences shift from road to dirt, this is something I can see modifying.
Thanks again for the ideas. Definitely not done tinkering with the lights.
I made a paper mount for test fitting, thereafter cut it out from 2mm stainless steel,,,,it gets attached to the inside behind the flicker mount....I am just still waiting for the spotlights
Have just installed a set of MAX-INC driving lights using the SW Motech crash bar mounts. Worked out pretty nicely and seem to work well (although I still need to get out onto an unlit country road!)
Also recently added the EB Headlight relay loom which improved the light output of the headlights significantly!
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