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Clearwater Darla LED Light Install

RSL

RSL

Joined May 2015
925 Posts | 9+
Dallas, Texas
Working on adding the very bright Clearwater Darla LED lights to be more conspicuous to oncoming traffic.

Small but intense lighting. Connection to bright light to operate LEDs at 100% when the brights are on or flashed.

Rough metal fitment to see how it all fits. Pleased with location.

Now for a lot of trimming, drilling, painting, wiring, etc...

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2" light with over 2,000 lumen illumination each. Wakes the texting/cellphone/eating motorists.
 
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I've seen this install but on the front fender area. Are those going to be used in conjunction with the blinkers or are they just running lights?
 
Looks like your custom lights are interesting. I remain a Clearwater guy because of the lumen output. In 2013 we did a test of different LED lights. Guess which in this photo were the Clearwater Darla LEDs, which were set at only 75% brightness?

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Here is a comparison of a 35w HID, two 55w highbeam bulbs and two Darla LEDs at 100% brightness. Note, these are off-axis, just like most oncoming traffic.

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RSL said:
Looks like your custom lights are interesting. I remain a Clearwater guy because of the lumen output. In 2013 we did a test of different LED lights. Guess which in this photo were the Clearwater Darla LEDs, which were set at only 75% brightness?
Click to expand...

No doubt the Clearwater stuff is nice. Most manufacturers claim more light output than they really deliver. And most tell you emitter outputs not actual output. I think the Clearwater numbers are realistic. In reality, lumen output is just 1 aspect, and not nearly as important as beam pattern/light distribution, tint, and form factor.
 
All aspects of good roadway illumination. My primary concern is being much more conspicuous to traffic.

My experience of night riding with the additional lighting from the 6,000K Clearwater Darla LED lights is that the light pattern supplemented the K1600GT HID lighting well, within the 75mph Texas speed limit.

I seldom travel at night though. With the change to the Hyperstrada, long distance touring is done with my Hyperstrada on the back of my car on a Mototote MTX Sport carrier.
 
The beauty of this mount location is that it is out of harms way in a dirt nap. The lights are tight, thus don't detract from the lines of the Hyper.

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Yet, the lights are brilliant, capturing the attention of oncoming traffic.

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RSL!
I like your bracket for the lights.
Is it possible for you to show a sketch on the bracket and how it is attached to the bike?
 
what tires are you mounting for offroad?
would you suggest use this tires as dual-use, both road and off road?
 
appliance821 said:
There are other good suppliers of auxiliary LEDs and LED headlights. Here are a couple:

advmonster

Helmet Lights & Handlebar Mounts for Night Riding Accessories - motorcross, motorbikes, motorcycles, snowmobiles, quads, ATV, mountain bikes & bicycles - Cyclops Adventure Sports LLC - Lighting Your Adventure - Lighting for Sport

There's a lot of info in the vendor section at advrider forum, and if you register, there are adv discounts.
Click to expand...

Which model did your consider for our Hyperstada?
Is there any thread in how to mount them and where?
 
what tires did you mount?
do you use them on the street too?

how much did you spend for the LED installation at the end?
 
Another LED option.

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Which will oncoming motorists notice most?
 

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