Night riding...

[Gary...]

Only had the bike for a couple of weeks now, and not yet night riden it, are the four LED headlights any good for the job of riding at night? 

[discoganya]

I would say yes, they are better than most other dual sports I have had. Not as good as a BMW touring bike, but pretty good indeed.

 

I do notice that the headlight beam bounces around a lot as I ride over rough terrain. The headlight is not attached very rigidly.

[RideID]

@Gary... I recommend you check your headlight adjustment to maximize performance at night, and visibility during the day. On mine and several friends T7s the headlight is aimed too low from the factory - at least the US bikes seem to be this way. It’s very noticeable in the day when only using low beam, T7 headlights that have not been adjusted are harder to see. Of course high beam during the day is a good option for visibility.

 

The adjustment is an easy/free upgrade. Need to remove the clear side wings to access the adjusters on each side. If I remember correctly I used about 20 rotations of each knob to get the adjustment I wanted. A socket will fit over the adjustment knobs, I used a drill very slowly to count the rotations.

[406T7]

I'm just under 500 miles on my T7 now and rode it in the dark for the first time tonight. I've owned many different models of bikes and believe the T7 headlight is comparatively quite good but with one rather serious flaw. The low beam projects a "canoe-shaped" spread that lights up the road sides and ahead well, AS LONG AS YOU ARE RIDING PERPENDICULAR TO THE GROUND. The flat top to the shape of the projection is TERRIBLE for cornering, and the high beam does nothing to fill this void as it is such a center hot-spot projection. What I experience is that as you lean into a corner, the canoe of light dips down in the direction of the corner you are making, and you're left blind to what you're riding into around the corner. I'm really surprised at how bad this issue is. A more traditional/round beam pattern does not produce this effect/blind spot, at least not to such a degree. I need to look closer at the lamp assembly itself to see why it produces this shape with the top cut off flat, but I doubt there's much that can be done with the OEM headlight to fix it.

[winddown]

Night riding, what's that?

 

 

 

[DonaNobisPacem]

I do a fair bit of night riding, and while I've found the stock headlights to be bright enough on the sections it illuminates, the cut-off on the edges especially on cornering is brutal like the others have stated. I've long since installed Cyclops' T7 specific aux light kit on my bike to give additional coverage, and I would happily recommend them to anybody looking for an aftermarket solution.

[Redbikejohn]

Had led lights similar to these on my last two bikes.  Lights up the whole road and trees etc. Never been keen on spending three figures on 'special' led lights.....

 

[sunndog]

50 minutes ago, Redbikejohn said:

Had led lights similar to these on my last two bikes.  Lights up the whole road and trees etc. Never been keen on spending three figures on 'special' led lights.....

 

 

Do these outshine the stock lights for distance?

 

[Redbikejohn]

No not really. They are good for generally lighting the road and surrounding area. More of a fog instead of a spot. Stock lights do throw quits well as long as the height is set correctly. Rear sag can affect it too. For the price they are good though. Not necessarily those exact ones.

[neil_]

[sunndog]

6 hours ago, Redbikejohn said:

No not really. They are good for generally lighting the road and surrounding area. More of a fog instead of a spot. Stock lights do throw quits well as long as the height is set correctly. Rear sag can affect it too. For the price they are good though. Not necessarily those exact ones.

 

Cheers, always on the look out for decent priced spots.

Sounds about the same as my current ones 

[ninot7]

I quite often ride at night. It’s ok on major roads and straights. Backroads with tighter twisties, visibility is nil. I have my tracer 9gt with cornering lights to compare to but just to be aware.