Clearwater auxiliary lights info

[jalingo]

Hello hello La famille FJR , hope everybody’s healthy and doing good !!

What you guys think about Clearwater led lights ? 

beside being pricy and super bright  , how does those goodies are overall ?

i will really use aux. Lights a lot once installed 

I use heated gear with a dimmer, and have LED low beam that are good 

how does the battery react with those on + the rest ( heated gear + phone charger ....) ?

A lot of bikers run those lights by 2 sets , one steady and the other one on the forks !!?? Would this be too much for the poor battery ?

how does a general installation is ? Your cousin Frenchy is not friendly with wiring at all !!!  beside the basic stuffs

They look very addictive once you have extra lights on 

Please suggest me something else if you guys know

thanks a lot for the future answers and   Be safe out there 

 

[escapefjrtist]

Clearwater lights are high quality. Installation isn't too bad and their wiring diagrams are fairly straight forward and easy to follow. Take your time and you'll be fine. Looks like you have a GEN II so no worries running aux LED lighting and heated gear. On my '15A, I have aux lighting and run factory grips and heated jacket without problems.

~G

 

[sapest]

I installed Clearwaters on my 2012, and they worked well, no issues with water leaks, etc. I was very happy with everything but the price. They just worked, always a good quality in aftermarket accessories.

I installed LR-4’s from LEDRider (https://ledrider.com/) on my 2016, and they work equally well, without any issues, and I was much happier with the price. The exterior powdercoat has faded from black to a golden tan. Again, they just work.

It may be the Clearwaters have a better beam pattern or reach. There are many comments on this forum about both products. The best part; you get to choose ! Check out the mounting options for each brand, that may assist you in making your choice.

-Steve

 

[BkerChuck]

I have a pair of Clearwater Kristas n under mirror mounts that I put on my 2007 and have kept and mounted on my 2014 with the simple purchase of new mounts. I also have a pair of the Clearwater Darlas on fender mounts. Installation and wiring were pretty straightforward and when I did have a small issue they were easy enough to reach by phone and were able to talk me right through my problem. I had no issues running the 2 sets of lights, my GPS, and heated jacket liner and heated gloves on either of my FJRs.

I helped a friend install some LED rider lights with a Skene controller on his 2006 FJR and they worked fine even with heated gear and a GPS running. I did feel the Skene controller instructions were a little trickier to follow but not impossible. Light output on them was decent but the anodizing faded much quicker than the finish of the Clearwaters.

 

[RossKean]

Clearwater lights are very good but very expensive.  I bought my 2011 used and it came with Clearwater Ericas on mirror mounts and Glendas with amber lenses mounted on the forks.  If they had not come with the bike, i wouldn't buy them because of the cost.  There are a bunch of good quality alternatives out there.

The FJR charging system will handle the additional load of the LED auxiliary lights easily; even with other stuff such as GPS, phone charger, heated jacket liner etc.  I always recommend using an on-board meter to monitor voltage if you are running a bunch of extra stuff.  

 

[jalingo]

Clearwater lights are very good but very expensive.  I bought my 2011 used and it came with Clearwater Ericas on mirror mounts and Glendas with amber lenses mounted on the forks.  If they had not come with the bike, i wouldn't buy them because of the cost.  There are a bunch of good quality alternatives out there.

The FJR charging system will handle the additional load of the LED auxiliary lights easily; even with other stuff such as GPS, phone charger, heated jacket liner etc.  I always recommend using an on-board meter to monitor voltage if you are running a bunch of extra stuff.  

Thanks Ross 

the 2006 alternator generates around 300w roughly right ?

 

[jalingo]

Called Rigid this morning , they said 7000 lumens kit and up might not run properly on the bike , but the person don’t know much about bike lights 

 

[ice_station_zebra]

Thanks Ross 

the 2006 alternator generates around 300w roughly right ?

No, a Gen II charging system produces 590Watts or ~49 amps

 

[Niehart]

I like Clearwater's lights. Top & bottom on my old FJR.

I only have the fork Clearwater's on my 2015. (Thx's for the install help escapefjrtist)

 

[jalingo]

Got in touch with Denali lights in Rhode Island , very nice dudes 

the D7 model ,super bright, tons of reviews and half price of the Biggest Clearwater 

i like the plug and play system , and a 3 position switch 

What you guys think ?

 

[jalingo]

No, a Gen II charging system produces 590Watts or ~49 amps

Even better !! Now I understand why some dudes run tons of stuffs on the battery and the bike not even cough !! 

 

[Bounce]

Gen II charging system produces 590Watts or ~49 amps

Total or available after feeding all the stuff the bike needs to run?

 

[RossKean]

Total or available after feeding all the stuff the bike needs to run?

That would be a total for sure but better overhead than a Gen I and many other bikes.  Still going to be close to the edge if you are running heated seats, jacket, pants etc for driver and pillion plus high power auxiliary lights.  (Have to remember that heated gear cycles on and off every few seconds in proportion to the setting and a 90W jacket liner may only average 30W over time although it needs to be fused for the max)

 

[ice_station_zebra]

Total or available after feeding all the stuff the bike needs to run?

Total.

 

[KevinLewis]

It all depends on the condition but more likely it can be total. 

 

[sidewinder]

Clearwater lights are very good but very expensive. I bought my 2011 used and it came with Clearwater Ericas on mirror mounts and Glendas with amber lenses mounted on the forks. If they had not come with the bike, i wouldn't buy them because of the cost. There are a bunch of good quality alternatives out there.

The FJR charging system will handle the additional load of the LED auxiliary lights easily; even with other stuff such as GPS, phone charger, heated jacket liner etc. I always recommend using an on-board meter to monitor voltage if you are running a bunch of extra stuff.

Can you list the other less expensive alternatives? I’m in search of a set.

 

[RossKean]

@sidewinder

Edit - I would normally try not to direct someone away from the item in the original post but it was almost two years ago and the OP seems to have found what he wanted. If more appropriate, I could take this response to PM but it might be useful info for others...


A search here - or ebay, Amazon, Aliexpress, or ADVrider etc will net you thousands of hits.

This is something I put together for a friend of mine...
By NO means a comprehensive list but will get you started.

As I mentioned, mine are Clearwater - Glendas on the forks and Ericas on the mirror mounts. Very pricey...

And a bunch of others...
This will get you started. Try to look for on-line ratings and reviews.

ADVMonster LED Lights - ADVmonster
Baja Designs LED Auxiliary Lights | High Quality LED Lighting | LED Lights Off-Road | Baja Designs
Rigid Amazon.com: Rigid Industries 202113 LED Light (D-Series Pro, 3", Flood Beam, Pair, Universal), 2 Pack: Automotive
Denali DENALI Electronics - LED Lights, CANsmart Controllers, Horns, & More
Cyclops (headlights and aux) Dual Sport Bikes - LED Auxiliary Lights (cyclopsadventuresports.com)
Skene - variety of products and controllers Skene Lights - motorcycle safety lighting

and an online article at Motorcycle.com
Best LED Lights for Motorcycles

Found another source with cheap lights and no specific recommendations - might be worth a look?
Off-Road & Power Sports | Vehicle Lighting | Super Bright LEDs

Consider something like Hyperlites (flashing brake lights) for conspicuity

Hyperlites Flashing LED Motorcycle brake lights, White LED Running Lights and Turn Signals​

Just in case you needed to fill in a few hours with some reading...

 

[Panman]

I would make sure the light's are dimmable, my Rigid's are not. Not a big deal if you only want them to turn on with the high beams but some folks like to run them to be more conspicuous running in day time traffic. I put a small set of 2" (1 /14 Lens) LED's that are dimmable to 20% with the Skene controller mounted on the fender that run all the time.

 

[RossKean]

I would make sure the light's are dimmable, my Rigid's are not. Not a big deal if you only want them to turn on with the high beams but some folks like to run them to be more conspicuous running in day time traffic. I put a small set of 2" (1 /14 Lens) LED's that are dimmable to 20% with the Skene controller mounted on the fender that run all the time.

Agreed. Dimmable is a must. Some of these Auxiliary LEDs are extremely bright. I run my Ericas at minimum brightness all the time (day and night) but they go to 100% with high beam (and flash with the horn). Not all dimmers (controllers) are created equally - choose carefully and make sure you get one that doesn't flicker and is waterproof - not to mention reliable. Make sure that it will handle the full wattage of your LEDs.

 

[sidewinder]

Great, thanks for this information.