2016 LED Headlight

[Fred W]

Yes., true Those are not DOT approved head lights either. So we who run these are all flirting with a ticket.

FWIW - Since I installed LR4's I no longer feel the need to use my high beams during daylight. The Pulse Width Modulated (on the lowest setting) dimmed LR4's are nicely attention grabbing without being annoying.

 

[HotRodZilla]

High beams during the day are not illegal. AND I ride with mine on, DURING THE DAY, 99% of the time.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

High beams during the day are not illegal. AND I ride with mine on, DURING THE DAY, 99% of the time.

Well now that we know that YOU do it, it must be The Thing to Do!

Sorry, HRZ. Could not stop myself. I used to keep the brights on during the day but now, sort of like Fred, I have a very nice set of fork mounted LEDs that get lots of attention.

I remember reading that way back when they rode with the high beam on during the day so there was less chance of burning out the low beam part of the bulb which was what they used mostly at night.

Back on topic:

I am still wondering about the height adjustment for the low beams on the OP's bike. It would seem that they would be more visible if they were "adjusted properly". However the OP says he has ridden at night and they were fine. I am anxious to see these LEDs in person.

 

[N4HHE]

Headlight law does not distinguish between day and night. Must dim when approaching or following. Continuous running on high to be seen, as illegally suggested, is a ticketable offense.

When you first meet a 2016 FJR on high beams you will understand. A stock GL1800 of all years is also blinding.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

It is a crying shame that an initially useful thread wound up here. I wish I had not contributed to the decay.

 

[mcatrophy]

It is a crying shame that an initially useful thread wound up here. I wish I had not contributed to the decay.

That is what comes of a topic on an initially perceived problem "My headlights are intermittent, any clues?" becoming an unsubstantiated argument about whether or not running with full beam headlights is legal :argue: .

As I see it, mods either have to split the topic or dump it here. They probably chose the latter since the OP apparently didn't have a real problem in the first place, so it didn't warrant keeping the original topic where it was.

 

[Fred W]

This thread was useless from the start. Guy says "My headlights are broken on my brand new FJR", and then comes back later and says, Oh, nevermind, they aren't. They were just on low beam all along and my friend is either blind or an *****.

Furthermore, it was the OP who derailed the thread down the path of the (supposed) illegality of running on high beams during daylight. I just suggested he do it with his LED headlights for safety sake, since if his friend can't see those LED lights, other motorists won't either.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

While I agree with most of what Fred say here, I think it was not entirely useless. We all learned that the new LED headlights can fool an experienced riding buddy. None of us wants to get blindsided 80 miles from home, 30 minutes before dark with, "Hey, you know your headlights don't work?". Better to know ahead of time.

And the admins initially did Split the topic but I guess they thought like Fred and just dumped it all. At least any "useful" information is still available.

 

[Top_Speed1]

Since I updated my High's to 60w 6000lm bulbs (ea), no way in he** can I use them in the day as a DRL. I got flashed in broad daylight by the first 3 oncoming cars on my first venture out at 11am, sunny day. That was it, no more day usage. So, I guess for your type of usage, you can go too high (luminosity wise).

[pictured] My prior 40w LED on the left, the new 60w LED on the right. These are equivalent to a Clearwater Erica's at 6000lm and light up the road (at night) like its back to daytime. Picture does absolutely zero justice as to how bright these actually are, the aperture adjusts of course the image density/brightness.

It will be interesting (to me) to explore the Yamaha OEM ones. I'm not expecting master blasters like these, but I give Yami cudos for finally getting into the 21st century.

 

[AdamK]

If your riding buddies can't tell your low beams are on what does that say about your visibility to other vehicles when you're riding a 2016??

 

[RaYzerman19]

Same as previous years..... aim them up higher. Have someone ride your bike while you ride in front and you can judge the aim point that will make you visible. This may or may not be the technically correct aim, likely a tad higher. If you have had a group of FJR's follow you on a group ride, you'll see who is more visible, who is less. Many don't realize where their lights are if they don't ride at night. I don't recommend running with the highs on, it can obscure your signals and distance perception of oncoming traffic. You are better off having some fork lights in all situations IMHO.

 

[AdamK]

I guess what I'm wondering is, with these bright LEDs there isn't a lot of excess light being projected above the cutoff line. The cutoff is adjusted so it projects light onto the road but not up into oncoming traffic's eyes. So for visibility to other drivers you might need to ride with your high beams on with LED lights.....

 

[rbentnail]

Headlight law does not distinguish between day and night. Must dim when approaching or following. Continuous running on high to be seen, as illegally suggested, is a ticketable offense. When you first meet a 2016 FJR on high beams you will understand. A stock GL1800 of all years is also blinding.

As stated, IN ALABAMA, this is correct. That state requires dimming to low beams when meeting or following another vehicle whether day time or night. Been there, done that.

In other states, such as where I live now, day time running on high beams is actually encouraged with no such dimming requirement in the day time.

I still dunno why people don't get "YMMV" and feel the need to jump down another's throat all the damn time. Doing some frikkin research before you shoot your keyboard off sure would help.

 

[ionbeam]

I still dunno why people don't get "YMMV" and feel the need to jump down another's throat all the damn time. Doing some frikkin research before you shoot your keyboard off sure would help.

[some innocuous statement] HIGH EMOTIONAL REACTION ----- disengage brain --- engage fingers --- spew forth a rejoinder --- and in the bonus category, include a picture or poster so that the OP can read and understand the picture if they can't read and understand your words :lol:

HID and LED lights can be quite directional depending on the reflector design making the light look dim if seen off center. I have chosen to run flood type LED driving lights because the wide beam angle makes for a very useful conspicuousness several lanes wide for people looking at my motorcycle either oncoming or in the rear view mirror.

 

[Fred W]

Sharp vertical cutoff is not limited to those new-fangled lights, either. The light pattern given off by the halogen H4 lights in a well designed reflector, or even more-so for the projector designs, can be very sharp. The intent is to not dazzle the oncoming traffic at night. The consequential side effect is they become less conspicuous in the bright daylight to varying degrees.

With as much ambient light as there is during daylight hours, even on a cloudy day, an oncoming motorist may be annoyed at your bright conspicuity lighting, whether that be aux lights, illegally bright headlight upgrades, or running the stock headlight's high beams during the day, but they will not actually be temporarily blinded the way they will be at night. IOW you will not lose your "Day Vision" as your pupils are already contracted enough due to the ambient light levels.

The other argument often sited against daytime high beam use is the one that it makes it harder for oncoming traffic to estimate your speed and distance. How do they estimate your speed and distance at night when all they can see is a bright light in the dark? Should we not ride at night because they can't judge our speed and distance?

Personally I'd rather that they just reliably recognize my presence on the bike and worry about the finer details of speed and distance less.

Oh yeah... YMMV.

 

[N4HHE]

NHTSA, State sponsored rider training classes, the MSF, and the conclusions of the Hurt Report all encourage you to do exactly this for your own safety.

Show me where NHTSA advises motorcyclists to run headlights on high beam. Even if they do, an "advisory" from NHTSA does not have the weight of law, or even of regulation.

Whatever MSF says has no more weight than anything else published on the internet.

When the Hurt report was written most motorcycles had a single 35W incandescent filament headlight. Some had a radical 50W incandescent with 55W on high! Not even halogen. Much less HID. Or LED.

 

[N4HHE]

Headlight law does not distinguish between day and night. Must dim when approaching or following. Continuous running on high to be seen, as illegally suggested, is a ticketable offense. When you first meet a 2016 FJR on high beams you will understand. A stock GL1800 of all years is also blinding.

As stated, IN ALABAMA, this is correct. That state requires dimming to low beams when meeting or following another vehicle whether day time or night. Been there, done that.

In other states, such as where I live now, day time running on high beams is actually encouraged with no such dimming requirement in the day time.

Show me North Carolina code supporting your claims.

 

[rbentnail]

Headlight law does not distinguish between day and night. Must dim when approaching or following. Continuous running on high to be seen, as illegally suggested, is a ticketable offense. When you first meet a 2016 FJR on high beams you will understand. A stock GL1800 of all years is also blinding.

As stated, IN ALABAMA, this is correct. That state requires dimming to low beams when meeting or following another vehicle whether day time or night. Been there, done that.

In other states, such as where I live now, day time running on high beams is actually encouraged with no such dimming requirement in the day time.

Show me North Carolina code supporting your claims.

Both "claims" are supported by the official NCDOT motorcyclist's handbook. You know, the required reading given out at the drivers license office for the written and practical exams.

Very similar to the MSF Publication used in Alabama. Yes, AL uses the MSF's direct pub. At least we changed some of the wording

.

AL says, "Studies show that, during the day, a

motorcycle with its light on is twice as
likely to be noticed. Use low beam at
night and in fog."

NC says, "Studies show that, during the day, a

motorcycle with its light on is twice as likely

to be noticed. Use of the high beam
during the day increases the likelihood
that oncoming drivers will see you.
Use low beam at night and in cloudy
weather."

 

[Pterodactyl]

During daylight I always run my FJR on high beam with my Clearwater Darlas with amber lenses and Denali LEDs on as well. I know there are people who mutter to themselves, "Look at that a-hole." The important part is, "Look at..." At the inquest where they are investigating my death, I want the entire room to bust out laughing when the cage driver who pulled out in front of me says, "I just didn't see him." As far as being a ticket-able offense.... it must be up there with illegal mattress tag removal as a priority for enforcement. I've been riding with this set-up for three years in many states (including AL) with no LEO interest.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

During daylight I always run my FJR on high beam with my Clearwater Darlas with amber lenses and Denali LEDs on as well. I know there are people who mutter to themselves, "Look at that a-hole." The important part is, "Look at..." At the inquest where they are investigating my death, I want the entire room to bust out laughing when the cage driver who pulled out in front of me says, "I just didn't see him." As far as being a ticket-able offense.... it must be up there with illegal mattress tag removal as a priority for enforcement. I've been riding with this set-up for three years in many states (including AL) with no LEO interest.

Uh, that probably has nothing to do with your headlights.

Sorry, it was just too easy. And since this thread has slid so far and is already in NEPRT, why not?