Seriously, though, I'd like to read more on a setup like this.
boulder_adv_rider wrote:
> > Finally, I mount a self-contained HID to my helmet > which in itself is incredible. I get 3 hours out of that before > needing a charge/new battery. On full discharge, it's like stadium > lighting. > > >
True, but they're more concerned about weight and simplicity (field repair-ability). A better light pattern is not why they're singles.> The stock setup is fine for most riders. If dual lights were so > great, they'd be in the Baja. They're not. They run a single > MASSIVE round and auxillaries (spot and flood).
Find someone with an '08 and run next to him/her on the road. The difference is obvious. My friend has an '07 and he prefers me to run out front at night. An additional benefit to dual beams is that if the low blows on the road, I can pull the high beam bulb and swap it so I still have a low (or vice versa off-road when I don't have to worry about blinding someone). With a single bulb, on the rare occasion that you don't lose both filaments, you have no choice with the filament that's left. Finally, using one reflector for both filaments in a single bulb means that a designer had to make a compromise somewhere. It's impossible to have both really good high and low beam patterns with one reflector. The only redeeming factor I can see to the prior year's headlights is that it turns with the forks... if you're doing really technical low speed riding and turning lock-to-lock at midnight, I guess that would be a plus. Of course, those who've already made up their minds to hate any updates to a 20 year old design will always find a way to justify it. On a somewhat related note... I think the new stickers on the '09's look like ass in a can. :S --Jonathan "smthng" Kalmes Springfield, VA 2005 Yamaha FJR1300ABS - "Blue Bayou" 2006 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon - "Teflon" 2008 Kawasaki KLR 650 - It's here, but it hasn't earned a name yet.> I'm yet to see any evidence it's brighter (more > lumens) or a more efficient beam pattern. The rounder and more > conical a housing becomes, the more concentrated the beam that's it.
http://smthng.info
"Shake well... some settling is natural."The feeble headlamp on the pre '08 KLR has been a favorite grumbling point for years on this list. Go do a search if you want, every few months for the past six years it comes up again and folks once more grumble about unsatisfactory solutions that put a little more light on the road but not as much light as a modern headlight solution. Maybe "most" riders don't have a problem with it, but "most" riders don't do a lot of riding at night either because (duh) the headlight sucks.> --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "E.L. Green" wrote: > > > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "boulder_adv_rider" > > wrote: > > > plastics and dual head lights? Remind me why I need two bulbs > and an > > > expensive cluster? > > > > Uhm, because the old setup sucks? > The stock setup is fine for most riders.
Yes, round is the best shape for headlights. Unfortunately it is also illegal to have a large round 130 watt headlight like the Baja bikes on the streets because you would blind oncoming traffic. Thus the reason to instead have two smaller 65 watt headlamps. The shape of the new headlamps is to make them pass the DOT standard, which specifies where the light is allowed to go on the road (i.e. you're not allowed to blind oncoming traffic), not to look "nice".> If dual lights were so > great, they'd be in the Baja. They're not. They run a single > MASSIVE round and auxillaries (spot and flood). Most pro riders
Uhm, it has two 65 watt light bulbs. The KLR has one 65 watt light bulb. Starting to see the difference? Note that I have both setups (the old KLR setup, and the new KLR setup in its original form as copied from the Wee-strom), so my own two eyes are evidence, though apparently you, having not seen the new setup and old setup directly compared, believe you know better because, well, your gut tells you so, right?> add a helmet light. The new KLR light might look nice, but it's > worthless to me. I'm yet to see any evidence it's brighter (more > lumens) or a more efficient beam pattern. The rounder and more
Err, no. What happens is that the square bulb puts a square pattern onto the road with sharp cutoffs because it interferes with the parabolic pattern of the reflector. Once again, I HAVE BOTH OF THESE HEADLIGHT SETUPS. I am talking about what *I SEE*, not some BS theory pulled out of my a$$.> conical a housing becomes, the more concentrated the beam that's it. > A square bulb arguably provides wider dispersion for twists and turns
Sounds to me like you are admitting that the stock headlight sucks, because if it didn't suck, you wouldn't need to do all of this. On my Weestrom, which has a dual-headlight setup identical to the new KLR, I upgraded my bulbs to the "+50%" bulbs but otherwise did nothing to the headlights. The difference between that and my KLR (which has the same bulb, but only one of them) is like day and night. There is no scenario I've encountered where I wanted more light on the road, and the light is everywhere that I want and need it unlike the rectangular pattern of my '02 KLR, which is straight ahead and does not disperse well. _E> When I started running deserts and mountains at night, I found the > need for more light. So I upgraded my headlight wiring and socket > and went to 90w/90w. For speeds in excess of 70mph in the desert, I > add HID lights mounted and supplied by the KLR. These draw next > less power than H-bulbs and produce a hell of a lot more lumens (but > cost a lot more). Finally, I mount a self-contained HID to my helmet > which in itself is incredible. I get 3 hours out of that before > needing a charge/new battery. On full discharge, it's like stadium > lighting.
It's obvious if you see them side by side. I've ridden both vintages of KLR at night and the 2008 headlights make the previous square beams seem like 60's vintage Boy Scout flashlights. You'd have to be blind not to notice the difference. __Arden> > snipp... I'm yet to see any evidence it's brighter (more > lumens) or a more efficient beam pattern.
Kawasaki has not changed the basics of the bike, with the exception of the 08 for quite a long time, don't expect it to be 'all that different' than the 08!> > Look like the 08 with new decals.. > Mike H. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: nakedwaterskier > To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 12:58 PM > Subject: [DSN_KLR650] 09s are out > > http://www.trader.ca/powerpage/details.aspx?vlotid=118391&adid=7187139 > http://www.trader.ca/powerpage/details.aspx?vlotid=118391&adid=7187139> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >
I don't ride much at night because I live in deer country.> > I don't ride much at night because I don't like to ride at night, not > because of any real or imagined shortcoming of the KLR headlamp. >
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