LED Headlamp for Motocross

BenChiew

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 8, 2011
Messages
3,185
Location
Malaysia/Ship to Portland, Oregon
Hello all gurus. I am sorting help for you guys to point me towards the right direction.
I want to do night rides thru the trails on a motocross bike. These bikes are built for speed and do not have headlamps.

I am thinking of mounting a headlamp on a helmet.
1 It should have reasonable throw and a good spill.
2. Waterproof or at least shower proof.
3. Have preference of led for low consumption.
4. I have many AA eneloops and hopefully the headlamp runs on this.
5. I do not have a fixed budget just yet but can spend up to $500 for it.

If any kind souls would give some much needed info would be very much appreciated.
 

dinac

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
13
we also ride ATV in woods, and my friend is using Trustfire 501b
he is driving throughthe wood like me what have 2 x 55 halogen Hella lamp
 

BenChiew

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 8, 2011
Messages
3,185
Location
Malaysia/Ship to Portland, Oregon
I ride atvs too. I have mounted rigid industries d2s. I have a pair in flood and another in spot. A pair shoots where the Atv points and another pair follows the handle bar. So it turns whenever I turn.

Motocross is a bit different. The cross bike does not have enough electricals to mount a light and I need the light where I turn my head.

I will check out the head lights you suggested. Thanks
 

spelunkik

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Messages
59
Maybe consider using two headlamps at once. One that is very good at throw is the Fenix HP11 which runs on AAs. One that has a lot of lumens with a good mixture between throw and spill is the Zebralight H600, but it runs on an 18650. Put them together and you would see everything, and altogether it shouldn't weigh very much. Both are very efficient, very waterproof, and the total would be well under $500. The disadvantage is dissimilar battery types, but it would seriously be a great combo. I highly recommend an 18650 headlamp (Spark or Zebralight), because you're simply not going to get enough light with just AAs, and you will certainly need a lot of light for motorcross.

Stenlights are also good, and I think they can even run off of AAs. If you are willing to spend approximately $370 on a headlamp, this is probably another good option for you. The advantage here is that you have everything you need in one headlamp.

I agree with the bicycle lights suggestion. Lots of power there, but it may be difficult finding those in AAs.
 

JB01245

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 5, 2006
Messages
82
Check out the Amoeba Standard setup runs on 2 cell Li-Ion pack and also has a AA battery holder.
 

glenrexellyn

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Messages
9
Check out the DiNotte XML-1 AA. You would have to modify the mount but the price is not bad and the company is well respected in the MTB community.
 

BenChiew

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 8, 2011
Messages
3,185
Location
Malaysia/Ship to Portland, Oregon
Someone also pointed towards a Baja Designs Stryker 2 headlamps. Supposed to last 12 hours on a single charge and puts out something like 1000lumens.
Anyone heard of them here?
 

ryguy24000

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 17, 2011
Messages
398
Location
PNW
What kind of bike do you have? All the trail gurus in this area have bike lights on their bikes. I would probably get the light designed for the bike as well as a "personal" Headlamp.
 

BenChiew

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 8, 2011
Messages
3,185
Location
Malaysia/Ship to Portland, Oregon
I have a Yamaha WR250f and a Kawa KX250f. Even with a bike lamp, the light keeps bopping up and down when going through technical undulation. The spill from the bike lamp is insufficient.

As what you suggested, a bike lamp with a personal headlamp will do the job well. Question is which lamp.
 

mtang2

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
11
Location
Pacific NorthWest, Canada
You may want to check out Mountain Bike Review's Bike Lights Shootout:

http://reviews.mtbr.com/2012-bike-lights-shootout

I've read somewhere that for mountain biking, you need an absolute minimum of 400 lumens (in total, combined) from both handlebars and head (i.e.200 from bike mount, and 200 from head). From personal experience (and having done a fair amount of night trail riding in BC, mountain biking that is) I can confirm that, and more is always better if doing ladders, drops, skinnies, or any other stunts that make riding fun. Doing trials riding on a moto, I can only imagine more is better - as long as it can sustain the same brightness for minimum 3 hours (that's 1.5 hours out, and 1.5 hours back, with the occasional ramp-up for tricky dark spots, I'd say that's what you're looking for.

A lot of people that I know seem to like Niterider lights - there's a headband mount that a lot of x-country skiiers in my area use in conjunction with a Pro 1500. I've also heard a lot about MagicShine lights - great heads, batteries so-so (but better than what they were before). Myself, I use Cygolite lights - perhaps not as powerful or cost-effective in lumens per dollar, but bombproof full-aluminum heads (it's not a matter of if you fall, but when).
 

runun

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Jun 1, 2012
Messages
3
I recommend the JetLites X-51. JetLites also makes a strapless helmet mount that uses 3M tech to make it stick to helmets without vents. JetLites also has a patented breakaway setup on their helmet mount to protect your neck in case you crash.
 
Top