grw
03-21-2008, 10:29 AM
Whiners,
I ordered a set of halogen riding lights from Martin Fabrication. I should say that it was refreshing to get a quick communicative email from a vendor. I asked a question about which kit to order for my '85 K100 standard and got a response right away asking me to measure the front fender fastening bolt. I supplied the info and got an answer back indicating which kit to order. Polite and helpful email. Usually a good sign.
The lights showed up yesterday. An unfair comparison with Motolights would probably leave one unimpressed. Motolights are entirely machined from solid aluminum. The Martin Fabrication (MF) lights are composite construction. The rear housing is cast (aluminum) and the front section with lens, reflector, bulb, etc. is stamped steel. The two sections are held together by two screws. The lamps are well finished and there are no obvious flaws in the components. The rear is painted silver gray (in my case) and the front is chromed. A little bigger than Motolights but not much.
The pretty bits from MF are the mounting brackets which are machined from billet aluminum and are very slick looking. These are the parts that adapt the light housing to the fender bolt. The supplied hardware looks nicely plated and includes spacers, washers, and nyloc nuts (no need for loctite).
The kit comes with a really nicely constructed wiring harness that includes the power relay and power switch with very good directions. The directions include additional information for a mounting option I did not choose but otherwise were direct and to the point. MF provides lengths of shrink tubing and a nice tap for connecting the coil hot of the relay to a switched line on the bike.
The total cost of the MF lights shipped to my door was a little more than a third the price of a Motolights setup for the K bike. I'll post some photos and a re-cap on my experience installing the lights.
-Gary
I ordered a set of halogen riding lights from Martin Fabrication. I should say that it was refreshing to get a quick communicative email from a vendor. I asked a question about which kit to order for my '85 K100 standard and got a response right away asking me to measure the front fender fastening bolt. I supplied the info and got an answer back indicating which kit to order. Polite and helpful email. Usually a good sign.
The lights showed up yesterday. An unfair comparison with Motolights would probably leave one unimpressed. Motolights are entirely machined from solid aluminum. The Martin Fabrication (MF) lights are composite construction. The rear housing is cast (aluminum) and the front section with lens, reflector, bulb, etc. is stamped steel. The two sections are held together by two screws. The lamps are well finished and there are no obvious flaws in the components. The rear is painted silver gray (in my case) and the front is chromed. A little bigger than Motolights but not much.
The pretty bits from MF are the mounting brackets which are machined from billet aluminum and are very slick looking. These are the parts that adapt the light housing to the fender bolt. The supplied hardware looks nicely plated and includes spacers, washers, and nyloc nuts (no need for loctite).
The kit comes with a really nicely constructed wiring harness that includes the power relay and power switch with very good directions. The directions include additional information for a mounting option I did not choose but otherwise were direct and to the point. MF provides lengths of shrink tubing and a nice tap for connecting the coil hot of the relay to a switched line on the bike.
The total cost of the MF lights shipped to my door was a little more than a third the price of a Motolights setup for the K bike. I'll post some photos and a re-cap on my experience installing the lights.
-Gary