LEDRider LED Floods and Spots - FJR Forum discount

[Justin]

I'm all set! Thanks Justin.

You're welcome Chuck. You should have them Monday or Tuesday - Thanks for your business.

To answer the question above posed by ionbeam, I broke out the amp meter this morning and did some testing.

Voltmeter was reading 14.1 for both tests.

LEDRider LR4 flood: 14.1v x 1.8a = 25.38 watts

Another Brand Quad Cree XM-L flood: 14.1v x 2.1a = 29.61 watts

Note: These tests were not scientific. They were done using the existing wiring harness on my bike. Test from the fuse to the light plugs barely flickered on the ohmmeter. Ammeter is a cheap unit made by Cen-tech.

Edit: Tested a second LR4, reading was consistent at 1.8 amp. Second "other brand" was 1.9 amp.

Tonight's mission is to get some good night shots of the light pattern and distance. Bought a 4 channel remote control switch for the minivan so I can switch between multiple lights for testing. Using a 2 foot piece of angle aluminum as an ad hock light bracket

 

[Greg 03]

Is that price for a single light or a pair?

 

[Justin]

Is that price for a single light or a pair?

$80 each. A pair comes to $148.95 after FJR15 coupon, with Priority mail shipping.

 

[Justin]

OK, I need to a.) Find someone with a better camera than I have - and/or - b.) find someone that knows how to use a camera. Went out to get some shots tonight and I just could not capture the light at night properly.

I did compare them side by side to another vendor's light with a claimed 3600 Lumens output, and I could not see any difference.

I WILL get some pictures as soon as possible. In the interim, keep in mind, if you order lights from me, and you're not happy with your purchase, I have a no BS return policy.

 

[extrememarine]

I have a D-SLR Nikon and a wife who can wield it pretty well. If you send me both sets of lights, I'd be more than happy to install them on my FJR and send you hi-res night shots...

OK, I need to a.) Find someone with a better camera than I have - and/or - b.) find someone that knows how to use a camera. Went out to get some shots tonight and I just could not capture the light at night properly.
I did compare them side by side to another vendor's light with a claimed 3600 Lumens output, and I could not see any difference.

I WILL get some pictures as soon as possible. In the interim, keep in mind, if you order lights from me, and you're not happy with your purchase, I have a no BS return policy.

 

[Justin]

I have a D-SLR Nikon and a wife who can wield it pretty well. If you send me both sets of lights, I'd be more than happy to install them on my FJR and send you hi-res night shots...

OK, I need to a.) Find someone with a better camera than I have - and/or - b.) find someone that knows how to use a camera. Went out to get some shots tonight and I just could not capture the light at night properly.
I did compare them side by side to another vendor's light with a claimed 3600 Lumens output, and I could not see any difference.

I WILL get some pictures as soon as possible. In the interim, keep in mind, if you order lights from me, and you're not happy with your purchase, I have a no BS return policy.

I'm going to try again tonight with a "better" camera. Hopefully that does the trick. If not, we may have to work something out.

 

[extrememarine]

Sounds good. It will come down to controlling the exposure manually, and using a tripod for a clean, clear shot.

I have a D-SLR Nikon and a wife who can wield it pretty well. If you send me both sets of lights, I'd be more than happy to install them on my FJR and send you hi-res night shots...

OK, I need to a.) Find someone with a better camera than I have - and/or - b.) find someone that knows how to use a camera. Went out to get some shots tonight and I just could not capture the light at night properly.
I did compare them side by side to another vendor's light with a claimed 3600 Lumens output, and I could not see any difference.

I WILL get some pictures as soon as possible. In the interim, keep in mind, if you order lights from me, and you're not happy with your purchase, I have a no BS return policy.

I'm going to try again tonight with a "better" camera. Hopefully that does the trick. If not, we may have to work something out.

 

[urvman]

I want a pair! How about mounting brackets? Can you supply mirror mounting brackets (like those shown) also?

 

[Justin]

I want a pair! How about mounting brackets? Can you supply mirror mounting brackets (like those shown) also?

Sorry, we don't make brackets. Send a message to forum member garauld, he makes them for the Gen1, at a really decent price. https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/user/371-garauld/. Fast service too, should get there when you're lights get there . Looking forward to your order, let me know if you need help with anything.

 

[Justin]

OK, was able to get some "OK" pictures tonight. The hill I'm aiming at is about 200 feet. Bike is on side stand.

Here's FJR stock lowbeams:

FJR stock high beam:

Lowbeam +1 single LR4 (pole in the background is 350 or so feet)

Low beam + 2 LR62 Spots (will be in stock this week) (can't see the pole due to the tight focus of these lights)

Keep in mind these are comparative shots, and don't do the lights justice. Photos taken with a crappy camera by a crappy photographer

.

 

[garyahouse]

No doubt I'm going to make some of you mad at me, and remember I'm not dissing anybody's opinion, but I contacted Glenn at Clearwater Lights to ask him about these new lights. I told him I wanted some specific info about them and the dimmer switch recommended on this thread. Below is my letter to him:

On Fri, Oct 11, 2013 at 1:40 PM, Gary House <[email protected]> wrote:
I have a set of your Kristas. Love em. Recently, one of the guys posted up some new lights on the FJR forum here:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/154957-ledrider-led-floods-and-spots-fjr-forum-discount/?p=1099878

Then the comment was made to use this dimmer with them:

https://www.lights.skenedesign.com/IQ_175.shtml

I am not qualified to point out whether or not this will work, and why these lights are a good bargain or not. I can tell already that a bunch of guys are going to jump on these things because they're advertised at 80 bucks apiece. I have supported Clearwater products on the forum and many of our members have bought from you. Not asking you to bash the competition, but if you could shed some light (oops, no pun intended) on this new product and the recommendations being given on the forum, I'd appreciate it. I trust your knowledge in this field and I would love see an intelligent response on the forum… and whether or not these recommended dimmers will work with these lights, and why.

Thank you

Gary House
FJR forum

Below is part of Glenn's letter to me. (copied with Glenn's permission):

Gary,
I took a quick look at their website and sure enough it is a rehash of low quality China stuff. One of these was (is) marketed by another guy on a motorcycle forum. I am sure he is a nice guy, but he did not design nor does he make these. Lots of returns, failures and broken brackets. You get what you pay for. Their new dual LED light was sent to me last year by the actual factory in China that makes them asking if we could market (their products). We rejected it in QC (quality control). Blisters on the reflectors, flaking chrome, threads in the housing were not tapped correctly, brackets would not tighten, NO thermal protection (one burned up badly over the weekend), loose soldering inside. I could buy these for $18ea in 500pc qty. I guess for $80, someone is making money. They are all over eBay. Not for us or our customers. Anybody with a website can start a lighting company. It takes decades in business to fine tune a real business that offers great customer service. Our motto is: "We have tens of thousands of happy customers, find me an unhappy customer, and I will buy you a steak dinner......". Actually, I have had to buy 3 steak dinners in 22 years.

There are no other LED lights that are specifically designed for motorcycles available that are made in the USA. None of better quality. I have seen "conceived" in the USA under an American flag logo on some products. I have seen fish tank lights sold as motorcycle lights, I have seen medicinal herb grow lights sold for motorcycles and all kinds of crappy stuff sold at discount prices. And I have seen some of the websites disappear after a dozen or so customers complain. Not at Clearwater."

Glenn

He wrote far more than this, but I have to take some additional time before putting it up on the forum.

-Gary

My thoughts:

This forum has a long established and good relationship with Clearwater Lights. They are not the only company on the planet, but their expertise is respected here. Can ya get good quality lights elsewhere? Of course. But mamma always said, if it seems too good to be true, it just might BE INDEED too good to be true.

Just be careful not to think you'll get more than you're paying for.

Gary

darksider #44

 

[Justin]

My thoughts:
This forum has a long established and good relationship with Clearwater Lights. They are not the only company on the planet, but their expertise is respected here. Can ya get good quality lights elsewhere? Of course. But mamma always said, if it seems too good to be true, it just might BE INDEED too good to be true.

Just be careful not to think you'll get more than you're paying for.

Gary

darksider #44

First off, I have nothing bad to say about Clearwater. They make an awesome product, and are known for great customer service. Their lights come at a steep premium though. That said, I have run these import lights for many thousands of miles without a failure; and, have not encountered the issues you quoted above. It would be nice if money was not an object, but for some it is. I personally cannot afford to pay a 5X premium for my lighting needs, and I'm sure others can't as well. The lights I sell are very good quality, coming from the same factory that makes some of the top flashlight brands available. And, I stand behind them. So, not only are you saving a lot of money, you also get service. If you don't want to take part in the discount offer I made to members here, then by all means, don't.

 

[ionbeam]

I have done headlight evaluations for cars with a Phillips Lighting Engineer friend of mine that developed the first HID lighting system for Mercedes Benz. When we compared lighting systems we went to a business in western Massachusetts just to be sure we had a really dark setting. For just beam pattern we used one light and illuminated a brick building's wall at ~30 feet to show the total beam area and get a rough idea of the beam uniformity. Then we used my Quantum Instrument light meter to measure the actual output of the lights. We chose 25' from the bulb to setup the meter tests. We aligned the meter with the center of the bulb and set it up at as close as we could to align precisely with the light beam. We started with the meter sitting on the ground and moved the meter vertically until the meter was 6' above the ground, one person calling out the readings to another person writing them down. Then we returned the meter to the center of the beam and measured 3' to the left and 3' to the right on a horizontal line, right on the center line of the light, and always keeping the meter 180º to the light source and recorded the readings.

This testing showed the beam dispersion on the wall and it showed us the the absolute brightness (light power) of the lamp as well as the delivered power across the area of the lamp to map the effectiveness of the reflector. We tested 6 different lighting systems like this and found that the meter was better at determining how much light power was being delivered than out eyes were.

NERDS having fun, two or four wheels. On the way home at ~2:00 AM my passenger and I had a wide eye moment as a herd of deer stepped out in front of my car that was traveling solidly in three digit territory. Inches matter sometimes. I really wish that I had one of the better lighting systems installed...

 

[Chuck35]

No doubt I'm going to make some of you mad at me, and remember I'm not dissing anybody's opinion, but I contacted Glenn at Clearwater Lights to ask him about these new lights. I told him I wanted some specific info about them and the dimmer switch recommended on this thread

What did Glenn have to say about the dimmers?

 

[garyahouse]

I have no stake in this, so I'll keep my comments to myself. I will however, do what I can to answer the dimmer question:

Glenn's comments about the dimmers:

"BTW Jerry Skene is an outstanding engineer, business owner and an honest guy. His products are very good. I am not sure his controller will work with our lights, but I will have to check with him to be sure. It depends if he is using a PWM signal on the 12v+ or if he is providing a Clearwater compatible PWM digital signal. His controller will work very well on halogen lights. But I bet he does not have anything to do with those China LED lights."

I asked him if he thought the Skene dimmers would work with the LED's offered on this thread. It appears that his repsonse dicatated some rather narrow parameters for compatibility with the LED lights that Clearwater manufactures. That was his answer. He'll be at Daytona this coming weekend. I'll talk to him if I can find him.

Gary

 

[Justin]

The new mini lights came in and are added to our website for order . Sorry for the dirty bike

LR10 Light (Remember to use "FJR15" coupon)

Model Number: LR10
Cree XML T6 Emitter
Stainless Steel Mounting Hardware Included
25 Degree Beam Pattern
1000 Lumens
.85 Amps
10-30 Volts DC Input
IP68 Waterproof
100% Aluminum Housing
Thermal Protection
Shatter proof, Scratch Resistant Ultra Clear PMMA lens
CE Certified
51.2(D)* 61.0(W)* 66.7(H)
Compatible with all PWM 12v LED Dimmers (Skene Etc)

These are great looking little lights that throw out a lot of light for their compact size. They really stand out and improve visibility as well. Picture below mounted on the bike for testing.

Lights on, dimmed to 15-20% (stock low beam)

Full power, off angle: (Stock high beam)

Price for these units is $65 each - FJR15 coupon code is good for these as well.

 

[gcoug]

If I could afford Clearwater, I'd buy them. I'd love to have money available when the group buys go down. I can't so I'll consider alternatives. Visibility is visibility whether Clearwater or other. If they end up sucking people who buy them will let us know. I applaud Glenn but welcome Justin to the mix.

 

[extrememarine]

Not everyone can drop $500+ on a set of lights. The product offered here is an alternative, one of many on the market. As with any vendor and product, a key factor to it's success is the vendor's willingness to stand behind the product and resolve any issues that may arise. We expect it from Glenn's company, and the expectation should be no different from Justin.

Thank you Gary for reminding us of one of the options, and thank you Justin for bringing options to the table.

Some may not like this, but it is my opinion - if you want to have a discussion comparing brands and what one vendors says about another vendor's product, take it somewhere other than a vendor's thread.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Not everyone can drop $500+ on a set of lights. The product offered here is an alternative, one of many on the market. As with any vendor and product, a key factor to it's success is the vendor's willingness to stand behind the product and resolve any issues that may arise. We expect it from Glenn's company, and the expectation should be no different from Justin.
Thank you Gary for reminding us of one of the options, and thank you Justin for bringing options to the table.

Some may not like this, but it is my opinion - if you want to have a discussion comparing brands and what one vendors says about another vendor's product, take it somewhere other than a vendor's thread.

That's O.K. some folks don't like my opinions either. But I do think your spot on Wayne. Now If someone wanted to take the time and effort to make a spreadsheet simular to what has been done with tires.

Dave

 

[Chuck35]

My LR4's came in tonight. Fast shipping Justin!

One of them lit up the yard quite well off my car battery.

Now I'm thinking I want a pair of the Super mini's on the forks also. The controller is rated for a good bit more amps than all 4 will draw.