Thanks for posting this Rikky, really interesting and so typical of trying to get aftermarket bits to cure a basic bike issue, i.e. the rubbish headlight on this bike. You're right, you may get something from checking the beam height, but my guess is not a lot. At least these lights should hopefully reduce the risk of a SMIDSY!
In the day 😁 (40 years ago) I used to add big ass lights to my road bikes. Because wanted something like you're trying to do, for me placing them on the handlebars was the best way to project down the road. Don't forget that's really old tech bulbs I had. But that's what worked for me.
It has crossed my mind to get the lights higher up so that they can point downwards towards the road.... Should have got a GS! I could have fitted scaffolding (crash bars) to that and then hang lights all over the bike 😂
@@RikkyTang Oh yeah, that's the other thing we always did, put crash bars on the bikes. In some ways I do miss the old days, I used to like the crash bars then. A lot different to my little frame sliders I've got now 😁
A few thoughts come to mind. One, use a foglight lens on your left (ditch) side and the driving light lens on the right. Next, set your lights up with the EZCan, you can vary how the two lights behave. So the right side light could vary power with your dipped and full beam switch. You also mentioned that the lights dip when you hit the brakes. You might be better going with fork mount lights.
Hi Paul, thank you for your thoughts! Personally, all I really want is an improvement to low beam penetration down the road (without dazzling oncoming traffic) and I'll take that at the expense of lighting up the side of the road. I've already got the dipped beam running the D4's at 20% but the problem is that the beams are too low to really help and I'm still getting flashed. As I have said elsewhere, I'm planning to check my headlight alignment in the hope that it was set too low from the factory. If that's the case then I can hopefully just use the D4's for main beam duties and even on the brakes the dipped beam won't drop too low. If it doesn't work out then maybe fork-mounted spots are the way forward 👍
@@RikkyTang Have you contacted this guy? Maybe a youtube mashup in the works. th-cam.com/users/ABIKETHING It is unfortunate that BMW didn't do better on the R's headlight. The LEDs on the R1250RS are very good. That said, I have been thinking about putting aux lights on mine.
Great video, sorry to see the trouble that you are facing to have an exrra light source. On a side note, you could always strap a bag of cement to the pillion seat to raise the front dipped beam!
Alright Rilky Tang, new viewer here! Just had a thought. Why dont you rise the D4’s up so you can see more down the road and the tap over the sections that might be blinding other road users? Or have a something along that line? 🤷♂️ just throwing it out there because might save you some penny’s
Hello Ross thanks for watching and welcome to the channel! Blanking aeras of the spot lights is something I haven't thought of I'll say that. It would take quite a bit of trial and error I feel... I might do some testing in the back garden with some bits of card and make some patterns on the wall of the house 😊 Cheers!
www.nippynormans.com/denali/brackets-for-horns-and-spotlights/machineart-mark-2-light-bars-r1200r-lcrs-lc-r1250r-lcrs-lc Beware, I've damaged the pain on the frame where I've bolted these into the bike. Try to protect the pain with fabric washers if you can.
Hey Rikky it seems to me your dilemma is that really you want a dip that throws the same distance as the main which is impossible unless I have missed something.. For your lamps to do the job you want them to do ! would they not have to be sort of angled toward the side of the road so as not to dazzle on coming traffic .so in effect they would illuminate the pavements and or hedges on the left ,I was going to do a similar thing and may well do it this year but I was thinking just for daytime riding to be more visible . Interesting vlog look forward to you finding the solution but I think your in a vicious circle here . sorry : D
Hi Mal, it's not that I want to have the dipped beam throw as far as the main beam, it's just that the dipped beam isn't very good. Plenty of other owners of the 1250R and 1200R have said the same thing when you look at the dedicated forums. I've ridden other bikes with much better dipped beams which do go further down the road than mine... I'm hoping that the problem is that the beam is set too low from the factory and I can improve matters fairly painlessly now!
@@RikkyTang isn't there a screw on each side between the indicator and the mask? manual means losen with supplied tools, adjust tilting the mask up and down and then fasten it again? the manual suggests that it can b adjusted in the dealership by the mechanics too :) (can just refer fixing the problem w the German manual, page 126)
@@ronr6605 I'm sorry I was perhaps not very clear in what I said earlier, I do indeed mean to say that the whole headlamp unit can be adjusted. In my manual (P.120 eng version) it says that the headlamp can be adjusted downward in case of the bike carrying a heavy load. It doesn't make a reference to adjusting upwards so I assumed that there wasn't the allowance to do that. However, if the until is already pointing further down than it should be, then I may be in luck and can adjust it up to a better angle 😊
@@RikkyTang Hi Rikky yeh hopefully that will solve your issue .How about different bulbs doe's anyone do such a thing as an LED bulb or similar maybe . : )
@@crumblymal8479 No I'm afraid that LEDs or HID's don't fit in the headlight housing unless you literally take a Dremel to it. Not that I'm exactly a stranger to a Dremel... but at around £800 for a new headlight shell I just don't want to go there! Besides, the bike is on PCP and so I only own about 15% of it at this point 😂
Morning :) 40 to 50ish mph I guess is quite fast at nights on a bike and on b roads. Guess the modern adv w 50 extra lights r just modern mods that r smart 'nuff 2 know that putting 100 backmirrors at the scooter (age wise now gs) looks stupid on the way to Starbucks. xD Nah srsly being seen better at day, mayb more discrete would b the way 2 go 4 me... the lights look fine to me, I wouldn't faff around w it.👍
I don't think 40 is particularly quick on b roads even at night, depending on how twisty/straight the road is. Previous bikes I've owned have had much better dipped beams than this one. I'm hoping that its really due to the beam being set too low from the factory and that I can then stop obsessing about the lights haha! You make a good point about two-wheeled fashion and trends though!
As you know I have same bike. I've got BMW driving lamps fitted and I really don't have a problem with dipped or main beam? Perhaps I eat more carrots than you.🤣
It could be that I'm older and my eyesight is fading 👓😆 I'm hoping the is that the headlight is aimed too low and I'm going to get that checked out at the weekend.
Time to tell you how I got on with the Denali D4's!
0:00 Intro
0:21 Fitting the adpaters and D4's
9:36 On the road
12:34 Conclusion and other thoughts
Thanks for posting this Rikky, really interesting and so typical of trying to get aftermarket bits to cure a basic bike issue, i.e. the rubbish headlight on this bike. You're right, you may get something from checking the beam height, but my guess is not a lot. At least these lights should hopefully reduce the risk of a SMIDSY!
Please can yo tell what black bars/hanger that are (0:38) on which you mount the LED-lights? Where can I buy it? Thanks for helping😀
In the day 😁 (40 years ago) I used to add big ass lights to my road bikes. Because wanted something like you're trying to do, for me placing them on the handlebars was the best way to project down the road.
Don't forget that's really old tech bulbs I had. But that's what worked for me.
It has crossed my mind to get the lights higher up so that they can point downwards towards the road.... Should have got a GS! I could have fitted scaffolding (crash bars) to that and then hang lights all over the bike 😂
@@RikkyTang Oh yeah, that's the other thing we always did, put crash bars on the bikes.
In some ways I do miss the old days, I used to like the crash bars then. A lot different to my little frame sliders I've got now 😁
A few thoughts come to mind. One, use a foglight lens on your left (ditch) side and the driving light lens on the right. Next, set your lights up with the EZCan, you can vary how the two lights behave. So the right side light could vary power with your dipped and full beam switch.
You also mentioned that the lights dip when you hit the brakes. You might be better going with fork mount lights.
Hi Paul, thank you for your thoughts! Personally, all I really want is an improvement to low beam penetration down the road (without dazzling oncoming traffic) and I'll take that at the expense of lighting up the side of the road. I've already got the dipped beam running the D4's at 20% but the problem is that the beams are too low to really help and I'm still getting flashed.
As I have said elsewhere, I'm planning to check my headlight alignment in the hope that it was set too low from the factory. If that's the case then I can hopefully just use the D4's for main beam duties and even on the brakes the dipped beam won't drop too low. If it doesn't work out then maybe fork-mounted spots are the way forward 👍
@@RikkyTang Have you contacted this guy? Maybe a youtube mashup in the works. th-cam.com/users/ABIKETHING
It is unfortunate that BMW didn't do better on the R's headlight. The LEDs on the R1250RS are very good. That said, I have been thinking about putting aux lights on mine.
Great video, sorry to see the trouble that you are facing to have an exrra light source.
On a side note, you could always strap a bag of cement to the pillion seat to raise the front dipped beam!
Or I could just eat more cream cakes 😂
@@RikkyTang 🤣🤣 Seriously though, its great watching your video's and I appreciate the time it takes to make. Keep well.
Do you know if that mount will fit if you have a crash bar. Thank you
Alright Rilky Tang, new viewer here! Just had a thought. Why dont you rise the D4’s up so you can see more down the road and the tap over the sections that might be blinding other road users? Or have a something along that line? 🤷♂️ just throwing it out there because might save you some penny’s
Hello Ross thanks for watching and welcome to the channel! Blanking aeras of the spot lights is something I haven't thought of I'll say that. It would take quite a bit of trial and error I feel... I might do some testing in the back garden with some bits of card and make some patterns on the wall of the house 😊 Cheers!
What mounting bracket is that ? I don’t have that in my bike .
www.nippynormans.com/denali/brackets-for-horns-and-spotlights/machineart-mark-2-light-bars-r1200r-lcrs-lc-r1250r-lcrs-lc
Beware, I've damaged the pain on the frame where I've bolted these into the bike. Try to protect the pain with fabric washers if you can.
Hello ! I have the same bike too. Did you changed your light bulb @RikkyTang please ? Can i have the references ?
Hi there, I did not change the headlight bulb on the bike, I just added the extra spotlights.
@@RikkyTang it look so bright on the camera, mine almost look yellow 😞.
Hey Rikky it seems to me your dilemma is that really you want a dip that throws the same distance as the main which is impossible unless I have missed something.. For your lamps to do the job you want them to do ! would they not have to be sort of angled toward the side of the road so as not to dazzle on coming traffic .so in effect they would illuminate the pavements and or hedges on the left ,I was going to do a similar thing and may well do it this year but I was thinking just for daytime riding to be more visible . Interesting vlog look forward to you finding the solution but I think your in a vicious circle here . sorry : D
Hi Mal, it's not that I want to have the dipped beam throw as far as the main beam, it's just that the dipped beam isn't very good. Plenty of other owners of the 1250R and 1200R have said the same thing when you look at the dedicated forums. I've ridden other bikes with much better dipped beams which do go further down the road than mine... I'm hoping that the problem is that the beam is set too low from the factory and I can improve matters fairly painlessly now!
@@RikkyTang isn't there a screw on each side between the indicator and the mask? manual means losen with supplied tools, adjust tilting the mask up and down and then fasten it again? the manual suggests that it can b adjusted in the dealership by the mechanics too :) (can just refer fixing the problem w the German manual, page 126)
@@ronr6605 I'm sorry I was perhaps not very clear in what I said earlier, I do indeed mean to say that the whole headlamp unit can be adjusted. In my manual (P.120 eng version) it says that the headlamp can be adjusted downward in case of the bike carrying a heavy load. It doesn't make a reference to adjusting upwards so I assumed that there wasn't the allowance to do that. However, if the until is already pointing further down than it should be, then I may be in luck and can adjust it up to a better angle 😊
@@RikkyTang Hi Rikky yeh hopefully that will solve your issue .How about different bulbs doe's anyone do such a thing as an LED bulb or similar maybe . : )
@@crumblymal8479 No I'm afraid that LEDs or HID's don't fit in the headlight housing unless you literally take a Dremel to it. Not that I'm exactly a stranger to a Dremel... but at around £800 for a new headlight shell I just don't want to go there! Besides, the bike is on PCP and so I only own about 15% of it at this point 😂
nice
Morning :) 40 to 50ish mph I guess is quite fast at nights on a bike and on b roads. Guess the modern adv w 50 extra lights r just modern mods that r smart 'nuff 2 know that putting 100 backmirrors at the scooter (age wise now gs) looks stupid on the way to Starbucks. xD Nah srsly being seen better at day, mayb more discrete would b the way 2 go 4 me... the lights look fine to me, I wouldn't faff around w it.👍
I don't think 40 is particularly quick on b roads even at night, depending on how twisty/straight the road is. Previous bikes I've owned have had much better dipped beams than this one. I'm hoping that its really due to the beam being set too low from the factory and that I can then stop obsessing about the lights haha! You make a good point about two-wheeled fashion and trends though!
As you know I have same bike. I've got BMW driving lamps fitted and I really don't have a problem with dipped or main beam? Perhaps I eat more carrots than you.🤣
It could be that I'm older and my eyesight is fading 👓😆 I'm hoping the is that the headlight is aimed too low and I'm going to get that checked out at the weekend.