Driving lights for Niken

[maximNikenGT]

Just spoke with Baja Designs. Even though I bought a pair of lights from them direct, no option to exchange the stock automotive wiring harness for motorcycle since I bought the lights as a packaged pair. Even if I had specified wanting a motorcycle wiring harness when I placed the order, i would still have to buy the motorcycle specific harness separately for $39.95 (product number 611049) that significantly cuts down on the wire length.  

Wiring Harness & Switch, Off Road Bikes (Universal) | Baja Designs

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Baja Designs offers high performance LED...

 

 

 

 

[Switchglide12]

Instead of spending $39 for the new wire, why don't you just cut the wire to desire length?

[betoney]

4 hours ago, maximNikenGT said:

Ok a downside to getting auxiliary lights designed for offroad trucks - you get a massive amount of cable. Connectors that go from the battery to the wiring harness for the lights is 8 feet long from battery connectors to their endpoints as shown in the top part of the photo. When stretched out. This top cable above the tape measure additionally splits into a secondary 8 foot cable  that ends in a mechanical switch to turn on and off the lights when connected to your battery. 

Additionally you have an additional 5 1/2 feet of cable (cable  beneath the tape measure) to connect the two lights to the top cable that runs to your battery. So you've got about 14 feet of cable run to run under your bodywork on the bike. I'm going to call Baja Designs and see if I can exchange for a smaller cable run specifically designed for motorcycles. 

 

With as many lights available that are specifically designed for touring and adventure motorcycles, what drew you to the lights designed for offroad trucks? 

[maximNikenGT]

48 minutes ago, betoney said:

With as many lights available that are specifically designed for touring and adventure motorcycles, what drew you to the lights designed for offroad trucks? 

First off, I don't technically need auxiliary lights. However I feel a lot safer during North Carolina night rides in the country with no visible street lights for miles. That being said...

I've ridden my Specialized Roubaix road bicycle for the past 10 years and have a Dinotte tri-LED XML-3 Cree light that has also shaped my auxiliary light preferences on my motorcycles (I ride mostly before sunup or after sundown). I normally ride at the 1600 lumen setting but occasionally hit the 2000+ in the country. I've had Cygolite, Nite riders, Nite ize, and all kinds of lights anywhere from 150 lumens all the way to 2000+ lumens. 

Over the years I've had PIAA, Catz, Hellas, as well as cheaper imported lights  internationally on cars, trucks and motorcycles. I chose based upon a few factors: engineering build quality (I'm a mechanical engineer by education), company's number of years in the business, anticipated bulb life, ease of getting replacement parts, transparency on light distribution pattern and throw distances, cost, and American built preferences.

Baja Designs actually designs their lights with Baja motorcycles in mind as well and their pricing seems to reflect the economies of scale when mass producing lights for an automotive market. E.g. Clearwater Lights seems to have some of the nicest lights for motorcycles, but at a very high price point since they don't appear to cater to an automotive segment per se.  

 If the lights and electricals can handle the offroad heat/ dirt /dust / mud / rain / shock punishment of a Baja1000, it should suffice on my personal bike without breaking a sweat.

Admittedly, the  pricing of these can get pricy for their high end models, but the trickle down engineering from their premium lineup makes it's way down to their more affordable offerings. That plus swapping out to a pair of yellow lens for $30 USD along with a lifetime warranty on the lights sealed it for me. 

 

 

[maximNikenGT]

4 hours ago, Switchglide12 said:

Instead of spending $39 for the new wire, why don't you just cut the wire to desire length?

Very good idea - just wasn't sure if these  connectors were a proprietary kind specifically engineered for Baja Designs (which they do not appear to sell separately on their site). 

I've never seen these kinds of connectors before. Anyone know the name for them?

 

[Switchglide12]

1 minute ago, maximNikenGT said:

Very good idea - just wasn't sure if these  connectors were a proprietary kind specifically engineered for Baja Designs (which they do not appear to sell separately on their site). 

I've never seen these kinds of connectors before. Anyone know the name for them?

 

Those are waterproof connectors. You can also get them from Amazon for cheap. What you can do is cut the middle out use the 2 ends so you can still have the connectors. 

 

[Switchglide12]

how you guys attaching photo's. I been trying everything it keep tells me my file is to big

[maximNikenGT]

2 minutes ago, Switchglide12 said:

Those are waterproof connectors. You can also get them from Amazon for cheap. What you can do is cut the middle out use the 2 ends so you can still have the connectors. 

 

You're a good man! Learned something new!

As many lights as I've had over the years this is the first time I've seen them utilize a waterproof connector like this. 

[maximNikenGT]

4 minutes ago, Switchglide12 said:

how you guys attaching photo's. I been trying everything it keep tells me my file is to big

If on iPhone there's is an option to attach a photo other than the actual size. Click on "actual size" and you can choose a photo size to attach. Not sure if it's the same on Android. 

 

[betoney]

6 minutes ago, Switchglide12 said:

how you guys attaching photo's. I been trying everything it keep tells me my file is to big

If on PC, you can right click and 'resize'.  Copy and paste into the forum thread.

 

[Switchglide12]

10 minutes ago, maximNikenGT said:

You're a good man! Learned something new!

As many lights as I've had over the years this is the first time I've seen them utilize a waterproof connector like this. 

These are the connectors I use for all of my motorcycle wiring. It is very similar to the ones in Baja 

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A6LTK44/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_wIRZFbWXP9NAE

[Switchglide12]

4 minutes ago, betoney said:

If on PC, you can right click and 'resize'.  Copy and paste into the forum thread.

 

I am using Mac. Let me see if I can find other alternative ways

[maximNikenGT]

So now my next challenge is trying to figure out a good mounting bracket to use on my incoming crash guards. Problem is, the crash guards aren't quite exactly horizontal or vertical. The one small part that is horizontal happens to be directly behind the front suspension forks so that's not ideal for auxiliary light position since part of the lights will be blocked by the shock tubes. 

SW Motech crash bars are 27mm/1 inch diameter steel weighing about 4.5 lbs each. The mounting bolt for my auxiliary lights are 10mm (3/8 inch) in size, so the mounting bracket must have a mounting bolt hole this size.

If I try a horizontal bracket, it appears I'm forced to get some kind of adjustable bracket in order to try and make it work, however a good number of reviews of the adjustable brackets seem to indicate a high failure rate because of the movable design ex. PIAA L Mounts or Denali mounts.

If I try a vertical bracket, the only places I have a pseudo vertical bar don't generally have a long enough mounting bracket for my lights to clear the crash bars and aim them where I want them. If I had picked a smaller light then the clearance issues wouldn't have been a problem. 

Looks like I'll have to wait to get the crash bars installed until I can figure out the right mounting bracket to use. 

[maximNikenGT]

7 hours ago, Switchglide12 said:

These are the connectors I use for all of my motorcycle wiring. It is very similar to the ones in Baja 

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A6LTK44/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_wIRZFbWXP9NAE

Son of a gun - just saw these in the box! Baja Designs includes two extra waterproof connectors to let you trim the harnesses. 

[Switchglide12]

6 hours ago, maximNikenGT said:

So now my next challenge is trying to figure out a good mounting bracket to use on my incoming crash guards. Problem is, the crash guards aren't quite exactly horizontal or vertical. The one small part that is horizontal happens to be directly behind the front suspension forks so that's not ideal for auxiliary light position since part of the lights will be blocked by the shock tubes. 

SW Motech crash bars are 27mm/1 inch diameter steel weighing about 4.5 lbs each. The mounting bolt for my auxiliary lights are 10mm (3/8 inch) in size, so the mounting bracket must have a mounting bolt hole this size.

If I try a horizontal bracket, it appears I'm forced to get some kind of adjustable bracket in order to try and make it work, however a good number of reviews of the adjustable brackets seem to indicate a high failure rate because of the movable design ex. PIAA L Mounts or Denali mounts.

If I try a vertical bracket, the only places I have a pseudo vertical bar don't generally have a long enough mounting bracket for my lights to clear the crash bars and aim them where I want them. If I had picked a smaller light then the clearance issues wouldn't have been a problem. 

Looks like I'll have to wait to get the crash bars installed until I can figure out the right mounting bracket to use. 

PM me your cell or email I send you info on how to mount your lights. I have been unsuccessful of posting picture here.