Well, I suppose I'll let the cat out of the bag, then.....
I obtained the very lamps you see above (literally, the same lamps) from Baja Designs last week as part of a proposed Group Buy.
The prices for the Group Buy were attractive beyond all measure. Since we have Baja Designs dealers looking at this forum, I'll not get into the pricing specifics, but as I alluded to in the original thread several weeks ago, they are nothing short of astounding.
When the Solteks finally arrived, I was taken aback at their size and heft.
Only then did I realize that we have never actually seen the outside housing dimensions. Yes, we knew the lens itself was just 4" in diameter - larger than the PHIDs, smaller than the Hella FF200s - however, none of the PDF brochures or other on-line literature from Baja Designs actually speaks to the total dimensions.
So......
When I finally took the Soltek out of the box, it was immediately apparent that they are
NOT going to fit on the existing Top Gun brackets. No way, no how. They are physically too big, and too heavy. You can not place them "upright" because they will strike the mirror stalk. You can not place them "hanging down" because the housing is so huge, the inboard side of the lamp strikes the fairing body.....(!)
At that point, I decided I am not in a position to pursue this project any longer. The only way to mount these lamps and not have them bounce all over hell and creation is to fabricate a new, massively beefier bracket. Since all components reside within each lamp housing, their weight is substantial compared with the PHIDs. Very substantial. To simply extend the existing Top Gun bracket outboard another inch or so to accommodate this lamp would create, IMO, a moment arm that is unreasonable for this application. To preclude the beamcast from jittering all over (and eventual bracket failure due to fatigue), a modified Top Gun bracket would not only have to extend outward another inch, but be heavily reinforced with angled gussets, etc. to provide a more stout platform for these hefty boys. Alternatively, another mounting solution altogether would have to be designed, prototyped and tested.
This is something I don't have the equipment to do.
Therefore... I offered them to Skyway in the hopes that he would be willing to take on the bracket problem. He agreed to tackle it, so I sent these lamps to him last Friday. Which brings us up to the present.
Now, then, I did do a side by side comparison with the PHIDs before firing them off to Skyway. It should be no surprise that the Solteks do indeed throw out a lot more light, because their reflector housing, like the rest of the lamp, is rather huge compared with the PHIDs. The beamcast, however, appears much more tightly focused, even though these are the "Driving Lamp" pattern.
So, without further ado...... at 22ft from my garage door, bike up on the centerstand, PHID on the left, Soltek on the right:
