Spotlights (independant of high or low beam)

Using Ebay and common parts I have fitted 2 neat little spotlights for £52 all in
They are tapped off the switched side of Fuse 2 with an inline fuse and AMP superseal connectors used throughout

They fill in the foreground and give breadth of view
(as the pictures were taken on a mobile phone I have had to mess around with them to reduce the effect of the automatic exposure and colour correction and give equivalent views.)

(1) standard main beam
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(2) standard dip beam (the camera found this too dim to focus )
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(3) standard dip with spots
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They don't seem to glare other drivers - and are quite unobtrusive but i do get given a bit more space
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Wired in this way
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If anyone wants the urls for the parts that i used, how i wired it in or more photographs please ask

Jon, that looks great. I might copy that! Would you be able to send me (or just post them here; that seems a better idea) the URL of the Ebay page, and perhaps some more info (or pictures) of the "common parts" you used. Could you also add a picture of how you wired it to Fuse 3?

Thanks!

Hi @bioman Have gone through my post again and corrected the fuse number
what i did
I had already run a wiretap (twisted and soldered supported by self amalgamating tape) to heated grips from the switched power input to fuse 2 (or B) - this is power to Tail lights, license plate light, passing, ignition relay.

The heated handlebar line already has an inline fuse so i tapped after that meaning that my power supply to the spots is switched and fused. They are 10w each so  1.67a load on top of the heated handgrips.
 I connected there and throughout with amp superseal connectors like these Ebay Linky AMP superseal
I vaseline the insulator before sliding the waterproof collar on and vaseline the stripped wires before crimping.

There is space between the 4 relay carrier on the right side and the airbox so i put my wiring in there
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Then for simplicity I ran the earth to the rear mounting screw for the 4 relay carrier (I already have an additional main earth to that screw).  If you are doing this it is important to (1) scrape the paint off the frame, (2) coat it all in vaseline (3) use a screw with a collar so that all the screw pressure is on the metal parts and not on the plastic carrier for the relay (4) test it for zero resistance once it is assembled.

I shrink sleeved the feed and earth up to the small gap behind the steering head using cable ties to run it tight along the main loom away from any moving or rubbing parts.
The wire from the handlebar switch reaches down to a 3 way connector in the space behind the steering head.

The wires from my spotlights are not long enough to reach there so sit behind the headlight but the amp connectors are often really waterproof so i expect that is ok - anyway it is fused

The switch i used is Ebay linky for on/off switch because it matches the switch i used for my dash control.

The spotlights that i use hang on a longer headlight bolts and clear the fairing and the "wings" on full lock  Ebay linky small drving lights

If you want any more details - please ask

lcjohnny, thanks for the write up. I've wanted to add driving/spot/fog lights for a year or two now. As a rule I don't spend too much time riding after dark if I can help it. Mostly I would like the added lighting for safety, I want other drivers to see me coming. I had not thought of the weather proof connectors before.

I like it.

I was thinking about doing a similar mod to mine as well since I already have a eastern beaver harness, installation would be a breeze. My goal would be to use them as cornering lights as looking in utter darkness while turning in the night and spotting the feral wild boar at the last moment is not something I want to experience again. I'm just afraid that turning them outwards might bling other drivers.

On my Sport I fitted a relay to the spotlights using a wire tap on main beam to trigger it so i can uprate at any time.

As a possible solution for the piggies, you could mount the lights really low on the fork legs (I know it's un-sprung weight), but that may work without dazzling?

Yeah putting them lower could work. I would have to experiment with the placement and direction when leaning since this is the time when the risk of shining in the eye on an incoming driver would be the highest.
How do you fasten them to the bike?
I'm looking into these along with a 2 position switch.

Hi EvilGarfield - yes they look like nice spots

To reduce glare you need a light with a cut-off like a headlight - i have not found any spot or flood lights with a cut off.
So mounting spots lower and more parallel with the road would likely increase glare (and would increase unsprung weight and wear on the wiring).

So mine are checked by me in a tunnel to get them as high as possible without glare.  They are pointed downwards more than the headlight as you can see below.

I have them on a separate illuminated switch so for the MOT and police inspection my legal headlight is as standard

Bigger pix showing mounting below

1) from the front
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2) from the side showing how they hang on the headlight bolt and miss the "wing"
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I think that they will last me until i get my JW speaker

to be clear, I did no plan to mount them on the unsprung side of the fork and I was planning to angle them down. My issue is even angled down, if they are up at the headlight level, when leaning right, they could still shine at the wrong level for a driver in the opposite lane. by having a way to clamp them anywhere on the fork I could experiment different placements/orientations.

Anyway, worst case, with the 2 way switch they can be OFF, Ring ON or Full ON, so I should be able to tun them off when crossing other people

Thanks lcjohnny, for adding all the details!!

If you wire up the lamps to go on with high beam you don't have to worry about glaring at oncoming traffic & can maximise each lamp's aim to your requirements. Works well for me - lights up deer & roos nicely & the road ahead in turns. My lights are supposed to be able to be wired up to use 30% power as daytime running lights, but I could never get that to work, even on 4 bikes, but really quite happy without that "feature"/complication.
I have mine mounted on the fork sliders on the V7's on brackets I knocked up, and on the mirror mounts on the 1100 Sport's fairing. I approve of those people who have mounted the lamps to brackets made to attach to the lower headstock clamp using the bolt holes provided by the factory.

I have changed to title of the thread as these spots are intended to

1)  Allow me to maintain speed when i dip headlight for oncoming traffic - by giving infill below main beam height

2) Make GRiSO noticeable to other drivers who are distracted by: answering the phone, picking their nose, adjusting their climate control, posting on arsebook, focussing their crash-cam etc etc

3) improve vision and visibility in fog (not tested yet lol)