« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Yet another new member  (Read 1690 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline landsmand

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
  • My K bike model:: K1300S 30th Anniversary Edition
  • Location:: English Cotswolds
Yet another new member
« on: June 26, 2018, 02:10:07 pm »
Good afternoon.

Here I am - 62 in two months' time, long-time biker (continuously, no breaks, since age 17), long, long,. *long* track record of mainly sports bikes (until Madame informed me on my 60th that it was 'time to grow up'), since then, just the one bike, an MT-10 Yamaha Hooligan Special. Now, that's a fantastic bike for a Sunday afternoon blast or a bit of misbehaviour, but it's not ideal for the longer trip, so, looking around and seeing what others have done, I settled on a very nice 2013 30th Anniversary Edition K1300S, which I picked up yesterday and am very, very happy with.

One question which springs to mind is lighting. I've been spoiled by more modern tackle - what are the best options for either HID or LED lights?

Logged

Offline TomL

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3107
  • Karma: +49/-5
    • View Profile
  • My K bike model:: K1300S
  • Location:: Hertfordshire
Re: Yet another new member
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2018, 06:16:19 pm »
Welcome to the forum landsmand.

The lights are rubbish for a bike of this performance. I fit a 50w HID 6000k unit to the dipped main beam with a couple of Philips X-treme Vision +130% bulbs in the high beam.
Logged
As I have grown older, I've learned that pleasing everybody is impossible, but pissing everyone off is a piece of cake.

Offline Phmode

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12045
  • Karma: +90/-19
  • I am the evil webmaster, do not cross me!
    • View Profile
  • My K bike model:: BMW K1300S 2012
  • Modifications and add-ons:: Sargent Seat, Powerbronze Screen, Akrapovic Silencer, Ilmberger Hugger, K12S Black Top Yoke, Helibars, Cruise, Centre Stand, Sidestand Extender, Full 3M Film, Barkbusters Hand Guards in winter.
  • Location:: Ledbury, Herefordshire
Re: Yet another new member
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2018, 08:57:35 pm »
Welcome. HID in dip and one main, +130 in t'other main.

Lots of stuff in here on how to.
Logged

Offline Matt

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2819
  • Karma: +20/-2
    • View Profile
  • My K bike model:: KTM 1290 Super Duke GT
  • Modifications and add-ons:: Oberon slave cylinder, 3D printed nav mount
  • Location:: Berkshire
Re: Yet another new member
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2018, 09:54:12 pm »
Welcome! I'm running an LED in the dipped and normo bulbs in the main.

There's a running thread somewhere all about it, as Bri says.
Logged
"Why was the spider disappointed after browsing the web? Because he couldn't find any fly downloads!"
Claude.ai effort at an original joke - 2022

Offline landsmand

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
  • My K bike model:: K1300S 30th Anniversary Edition
  • Location:: English Cotswolds
Re: Yet another new member
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2018, 11:30:41 am »
Quote from: Matt on June 26, 2018, 09:54:12 pm
Welcome! I'm running an LED in the dipped and normo bulbs in the main.

There's a running thread somewhere all about it, as Bri says.

Any particular reason for not simply using the same bulb in all three?
Logged

Offline black-k1

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2033
  • Karma: +23/-2
  • An Original Old Git.
    • View Profile
    • The Old Gits
  • My K bike model:: ex K1200S, K1300S Sport & K1300S Motorsport owner. Now a Kawasaki H2 SX SE owner
  • Modifications and add-ons:: Upgrade to Kawasaki H2 SX SE! Almost 220bhp at the wheel! BST Carbon wheels and Sargent seat
  • Location:: Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK
Re: Yet another new member
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2018, 12:40:21 pm »
Quote from: Phmode on June 26, 2018, 08:57:35 pm
Welcome. HID in dip and one main, +130 in t'other main.

Lots of stuff in here on how to.

Best "Lumens per £" option. Buy a cheap H7 HID car kit with slim ballasts and they should "just" fit inside the headlight shell so no cutting, drilling or trailing wires. I have a 100W halogen in the third position and the combination is excellent.
Logged
Correct rear brake use is scientifically proven to shorten stopping distances in EVERY road situation.

European Motorcycle Tours since 1998
The Old Gits - www.old-gits.org

Offline richtea

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4403
  • Karma: +47/-3
    • View Profile
  • My K bike model:: K1300S
  • Location:: Banburyshire
Re: Yet another new member
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2018, 01:23:35 pm »
Quote from: Matt on June 26, 2018, 09:54:12 pm
Welcome! I'm running an LED in the dipped and normo bulbs in the main.

There's a running thread somewhere all about it, as Bri says.

Which LEDs are you using Matt, and do they fit with no mods?
And do they focus as well as the original? I worry (probably needlessly) about the LEDs being in a slightly different position, and thus not being in the centre of the reflective parabola.

They sound a more attractive solution then HID.
« Last Edit: June 27, 2018, 01:27:43 pm by richtea »
Logged

Offline black-k1

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2033
  • Karma: +23/-2
  • An Original Old Git.
    • View Profile
    • The Old Gits
  • My K bike model:: ex K1200S, K1300S Sport & K1300S Motorsport owner. Now a Kawasaki H2 SX SE owner
  • Modifications and add-ons:: Upgrade to Kawasaki H2 SX SE! Almost 220bhp at the wheel! BST Carbon wheels and Sargent seat
  • Location:: Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK
Re: Yet another new member
« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2018, 02:00:37 pm »
Quote from: richtea on June 27, 2018, 01:23:35 pm
Quote from: Matt on June 26, 2018, 09:54:12 pm
Welcome! I'm running an LED in the dipped and normo bulbs in the main.

There's a running thread somewhere all about it, as Bri says.

Which LEDs are you using Matt, and do they fit with no mods?
And do they focus as well as the original? I worry (probably needlessly) about the LEDs being in a slightly different position, and thus not being in the centre of the reflective parabola.

They sound a more attractive solution then HID.

I can't comment on LEDs but the HIDs really are very easy to fit, even if it takes a little "jiggling" to get the ballasts in exactly the right position to fit into the headlight shell, and have a clear dip beam cut off line.
Logged
Correct rear brake use is scientifically proven to shorten stopping distances in EVERY road situation.

European Motorcycle Tours since 1998
The Old Gits - www.old-gits.org

Offline Phmode

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12045
  • Karma: +90/-19
  • I am the evil webmaster, do not cross me!
    • View Profile
  • My K bike model:: BMW K1300S 2012
  • Modifications and add-ons:: Sargent Seat, Powerbronze Screen, Akrapovic Silencer, Ilmberger Hugger, K12S Black Top Yoke, Helibars, Cruise, Centre Stand, Sidestand Extender, Full 3M Film, Barkbusters Hand Guards in winter.
  • Location:: Ledbury, Herefordshire
Re: Yet another new member
« Reply #8 on: June 27, 2018, 07:43:19 pm »
Quote from: landsmand on June 27, 2018, 11:30:41 am
Quote from: Matt on June 26, 2018, 09:54:12 pm
Welcome! I'm running an LED in the dipped and normo bulbs in the main.

There's a running thread somewhere all about it, as Bri says.

Any particular reason for not simply using the same bulb in all three?

The dip is on permanently so no warm up time for the HID in my case.

The main HID takes a perctible time to flash up so I use a 130+ bulb in the other side for instant lumens on main.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »