I'm a big fan of the HID. I have the vvme kit on mine and have zero complaints.
As for the LED running lights, if the Hellas aren't doing much to give you usable light but to be seen only, what is the point of having both? If you're looking to save some power then switch them out.
... It all depends on what type of light you have. Im not a fan of fog lights, great light off to the sides but enough ahead of me for reaction time.Where I ride (Georgia Mountains), "off to the sides" is a higher priority than further down the road in a straight line, at least for me. The extra side lighting helps me see more of the upcoming corner, and also helps to light up the ever-present deer lurking just off the side of the road, ready to make a kamikaze dash in front of me. There are nearly 10,000 deer collisions each year in GA, (Thankfully, most of them are NOT bikes), so I don't dare out-run my headlights after dusk. My closest near-misses have always been deer that were completely hidden in the underbrush until I was nearly upon them, and the side lighting I get from my fork-mounted lights was the only way I saw them at all.
Have you done the headlight bypass of the JBox?
Murphs has a kit or you can roll your own, with some wiring and a couple relays, which is what I did.
It was night and day difference on my '00 C10. What was a yellow beam became now bright white with much better night time visibility.
When the bulb needed replacing, I went with the next step up 55/60 Phillips bulb and noticed even more improvement.
I previuosly had added a pair of 55w hella optilux driving lights because my headlight seemed so weak. They are still nice in the more isolated back roads, but are not always required now that I have the headlight bypass.
Check this out tele130, http://www.webbikeworld.com/lights/bikevis-led-lights/. Come to think of it, I might have to jump on these.
Cheers
Ron
Tele, are your Hella lights fog or driving lights? I run a set of Hella FF50's (driving lights) on my 02. I am amazed at the amount of light they throw down the road. I can see signs, reflectors, and eye shine easily way over a mile and a half. I would have to say they easily out-shine line of sight.
It all depends on what type of light you have. Im not a fan of fog lights, great light off to the sides but enough ahead of me for reaction time.
Where I ride (Georgia Mountains), "off to the sides" is a higher priority than further down the road in a straight line, at least for me. The extra side lighting helps me see more of the upcoming corner, and also helps to light up the ever-present deer lurking just off the side of the road, ready to make a kamikaze dash in front of me. There are nearly 10,000 deer collisions each year in GA, (Thankfully, most of them are NOT bikes), so I don't dare out-run my headlights after dusk. My closest near-misses have always been deer that were completely hidden in the underbrush until I was nearly upon them, and the side lighting I get from my fork-mounted lights was the only way I saw them at all.
I don't recommend this, but once I mounted my little Kodak Play>Sport video camera facing roughly 45 degrees to the right, instead of head on. Took an evening (still plenty of light) ride up through the mountains, and reviewed the video. It was a 2 hour ride, but it took me 3-4 hours to review it all. Honestly, I did not see a single deer when I was riding, but the video showed that I passed three of them on the roadside, and that was only the right hand shoulder! Although eye-opening, 2 hours of video showing only the side of the road rushing by was not youtube material, and has since been erased. I can't erase the images from my brain as easily, and now I just dread riding after dark.
These:
http://www.rallylights.com/detail.aspx?ID=159
I have these. They really do light up the world at night. I have a commute issue like you, except I leave at about 5a.m. for work. I run these in tandem with some cheapy lights, using a relay tied into the headlight to switch back and forth. I used to have a 55w HID Chinacrap headlight, I took it off when it quit working, The Hella FF200 are so bright that they TOTALLY washed out the light from the HID. Folks that were up at Talladega last year for Vintage Festival at Barber, and stayed at our resort saw the experiment. It really surprised me. Come on down to Barber in three weeks and see for yourself.
Stay away from stuff that has itty bitty reflectors, they will not throw the light as well, at least any I've seen so far. Not compared to the FF200.
A note on the FF200, they are made in Germany, with good heavy harnesses and non Chinacrap relay. It would be interesting to see them fired up side by side, but my money would be on the Hellas. Their good stuff is top shelf, and they know optics.
Those look like the "KC's" I'm considering buying. Plus, their backed by their 23 year warranty, and $90.00.
Hey Chris. They were boxed as "Driving Lights". However they have that Rainbow lens on them which throws kinda of a yellow light. I'd like to keep these (critters along the side of the roads can't hide anymore) and pair them up with a spot type light. Like a lazer beam...not a wide beam but a long distance beam. Best of both worlds.I have heard that the quality of light output is directly proportional to how the lights are mounted. Rumor has it you can stick a candle on a GBYII light bracket and the candle will have the same lumins as HID. This may not be true, but when it comes to personal safety can you afford to be a doubter?A note on the FF200, they are made in Germany, with good heavy harnesses and non Chinacrap relay. It would be interesting to see them fired up side by side, but my money would be on the Hellas. Their good stuff is top shelf, and they know optics.
In a lot of things, you do get what you pay for. And I know the Hella's do work well.
Who ever said I'm picky
Hey Tele!
However, I have since discovered that the C-10 mirrors are each held on by a single bolt at the base of the rubber boot (with a couple of studs to prevent rotation of the boot). I'm sure I've seen at least one Connie that has stuck a mounting bracket betwen the boot and the mounting base, and attached extra lights there. Lights that are mounted higher will be more useful in everyday driving situations than lower ones, as pointed out in the C-10 Mods section. Lights that are mounted lower help more in foggy situations, I'd guess because light isn't being reflected at a near right angle right into your eyes (photonics experts feel free to inject scientific explanation here).