Additional Lights for my R75/6

[RW]

Hello from Northeast Ohio,

I'm asking any member in this thread for advice on purchasing additional
lighting for my 1976 R75/6. I've surfed the net a little, and am amazed at
some of the through the roof prices being quoted!

Right now, all I'm running with is the one original headlight, which, quite
frankly, isn't enough riding at night with my 52 year old eyes. I need more
light!

I work nights permanent, and am planning on using my bike to commute this
year, what with the gas prices being what they are.

Any information anyone can give me concerning reasonably priced additional
lighting would be appreciated.

Thank you,

RW

[Bobmws]

Hella FF50. Available from Ebay "Buy It Now" sellers for $35-40. Be aware of the electrical limits of your airhead, and keep them off during in town riding.

[manicmechanic]

Good lighting and which brands to purchase are always a good debate. Whichever brand you purchase, keep in mind, as Bob said, the charging limitations of your bike. I've recently taken the plunge and installed the Omega 400 watt charging system on my R90/6. Pretty easy install and I really like the results. Now I can run high beams headlights, the driving lights, and the Gerbings, and still charge the battery.

If you plan on keeping the bike stock, just keep the revs up.

[barryg]

Manic, good to hear about the results of your charging system upgrade. I'm also upgrading the system on my 74 R90, can't wait to have an abundance of watts.

[manicmechanic]

Just an observation of pre- and post-Omega characteristics. With the old system, coming to a stop, the red GEN light would gradually illuminate, then take a period of time at, say, >2800 rpm before it would finally go out. With the Omega, the light goes out pretty consistently just over 200 rpm and in a much shorter time. On the flip side, the light comes on pretty solidly about 1800 rpm . So the drill is, if you don't want to see the light, keep the revs up just a bit. The installation instructions allude to this.

[barryg]

I'm adding the BMW spotlamp kit, heated grip set, and the Gerbing liner. I'm already running Wixom bags that have the rear running lights. I have the halagon parking light bulb that I run as a headlight in low RPM situations in urban city traffic. The 74 also has a switch where I can turn the headlight and parking light off as needed. These little features help, but conserving only goes so far. I'ts going to be neat to have more to work with.

[pmdave]

After years of trying to squeeze all the potential juice out of my stock R100 system, I installed the Omega system last year. It's great finally having the same charging output as say, a K100.

I have also installed an LED taillight, which leaves adequate power at idle to keep the charge light at bay.

Yes, those night cutters are expensive, so do your research before squandering your greenbacks. When adding aux lights to any bike, start at the battery and install some good relays, so you're not trying to run big amps through the stock switches and wiring. On mly R100 I installed a Centech AP-1 fuse panel under the left side cover. For my oilhead, I found a more economical (and more compact) 6 fuse panel at the local auto supply.

For recommendations on aux driving lights, consider sending a note to one of the "iron butt" folks.

pmdave

[The_Veg]

If cheepness is your goal, and if you don't mind things looking a little homely, check out the make-'em-yourself lights over it IBMWR.

[kbasa]

Jim Davis makes a neat relay that supplies a stock headlight with power directly from the battery. It plugs directly into the factory harness and delivers full voltage to the headlight. The relay is only about $30 or so and many folks think it makes a big difference in light output.