Monopoly on Motolights

[TARKIO]

Shopping around for auxiliary lighting now that I am doing a lot more night time winter commuting,and simply amazed at how pricey the motolights are. There certainly is the sense of price gauging. A BMW forum posting even went so far as to suggest Motolights holds a patent on the design. That's no more possible than trying to patent a pencil eraser. However I have not been able to find a comparable caliper- mounted design. If Yamaha had the same pricing scheme as Motolights we would all have to fork out $50K for our FJRs, in which case I would cash out my kids college fund. Any suggestions other then running Hellas? Don't want to run 80/100 replacement bulbs due to illegality in some jurisdictions.

 

[SnowAviation]

Sometimes you get what you pay for, I looked at the Motolights site and their lights look pretty nice.

It looks to me like they have taken the standard Lowe's variety of low voltage halogen light

and repackaged it in a quality housing, installed a lens to focus the light into a beam versus flood,and

then added a wiring harness and switch to make a complete kit.

You can find much cheaper driving lights but you gotta make a mount, then the wiring harness, relay

switch etc...

Certainly not worth $385 plus to me, but I can see how someone would consider that a fair price.

 

[flapsup]

Motolights also has to manufacture the mounts that are not your typical automotive fare. FWIW, I think they are better designated as a safety farkle because they make you much more visible to oncoming traffic. Not so good for your vision or what you might see at night. The caliper mount they market doesn't put the lights up high enough to illuminate much of the roadway. They do a nice job of filling in the gap between the front wheel and the near edge of the headlight beam, but the standard bulb doesn't add any real distance to your visible field.

The higher powered bulb option is there but it isn't focused very tightly and you can't respectfully leave them on with oncoming traffic.

Totally pricey, but they really help to make you seen.

Just my $.02 worth.

 

[LDRydr]

As a long-time (and happy) user of Motolights, I can tell you that you get what you pay for.

Although the bulbs look the same they are not the same as the ones that you can purchase at Home Depot or other lighting stores. Yes, they can be used in a pinch but the beam pattern is different.

Think about all the abuse a light takes mounted so close to the road surface. Sand, rocks and pebbles, constant moisture hitting it at 80mph. These lights are built battle-tough and don't leak. And they're guaranteed for life. Not just the lamp, but the whole assembly. So when I noticed the reflector was degrading on one of my bulbs I called them to get a replacement lamp. She ended up asking me all sorts of questions about what type of wiring the light had, while I was wondering why since I just needed a replacement bulb. She determined that mine had an older-style wiring harness that used a different grommet setup to seal out moisture where the wires went into the light. She sent me a whole new wiring package and the updated seals.

I called them another time when the small spanner wrench that's used to remove the retaining ring lost one of its pins. It turns out the customer service lady I talked with is the one that builds the wrench and was glad to hear me call to tell her about it. She sent me out a new one, no charge of course.

YMMV but I'm a happy customer and any bike I own will have Motolights mounted on it. Again, let me say you get what you pay for.

 

[tmc]

Shopping around for auxiliary lighting now that I am doing a lot more night time winter commuting,and simply amazed at how pricey the motolights are. There certainly is the sense of price gauging. A BMW forum posting even went so far as to suggest Motolights holds a patent on the design. That's no more possible than trying to patent a pencil eraser. However I have not been able to find a comparable caliper- mounted design. If Yamaha had the same pricing scheme as Motolights we would all have to fork out $50K for our FJRs, in which case I would cash out my kids college fund. Any suggestions other then running Hellas? Don't want to run 80/100 replacement bulbs due to illegality in some jurisdictions.

If you are going to drop that kind of coin on Motolights, may I suggest an LED alternative:

https://www.pashnit.com/product/clearwater/...ha_FJR1300.html

 

[SacramentoMike]

I've been talking up the Clearwater LEDs on the forum for a while now. The manufacturer is here in my area. I posted a month ago about a special price he's offering at least until Christmas--here. They're just what you're looking for--great visibility, plus low electrical draw and forever bulbs. Check 'em out.

 

[Hello Kitty]

Another happy motolights user here. As others have said, not so much for lighting the way as being seen. having a larger 'triange' of light as the motolight caliper mount offers helps others both see me and better sense my speed. I always hear that it's hard for other road users to tell how fast motorcycles are coming at them when it's just a single headlight and no other point of light.

I also have, and love, the 4GHID's for riding through desolate areas and night and wanting to see the critters and other possible threats.

To each his own, but I LOVE my motolights!

 

[squeezer]

To each his own, but I LOVE my motolights!

Ditto.

And I also didn't get them for better vision -- I agree that high mounted lights are the way to go for that. I got them for conspicuity.

I first became aware of motolights on a group ride about a decade ago. I was second in a line of about 8. The guy riding sweep had motolights. He was the one that stood out in my mirrors all day. I thought, "I want that." Hi-Viz gear don't mean crap compared to these things.

But, you know, YMMV. And, yes, they aren't cheap, by any meaning of that term.

 

[SockMonkey]

Another very good option: Denali LED Lighting