Anyone use or seen these in use? Wondering how much light these actually throw off? I was looking at the Clearwater Glenda or Darla lights, but they are much more expensive. Wondering if the HD lights are a good alternative?

 

I have them on my bike. You can check out some pics that I attached to this post.

They're plenty bright although i figured the color temperature would match my daymakers but they don't. The fog lamps are more white than blue. My custom dynamic halos match my headlight much better than the fogs do.

If I had to do it again, I probably wouldn't. There's better lights out there for the money you spend on these.

 

What are some of the better, cheaper brands?

 

The HD LED Fog lights are just that. Fog lights. They're output is pretty limited. I would estimate their light output are pretty similar to the Glenda lights, although I have no direct comparison. I had them installed on my 14 Limited last year.

After a year, I am now removing them & installing a set of Darla lights. The Darla lights output level is far & away much brighter than the HD LED Fog lights.

Cost of the HD LED Fog light installation, after purchasing all the extras needed for installation is just as much or more than the cost for the Darla lights kit from Clearwater. The Clearwater kits come complete with everything required for installation (lights, mounts with required hardware, wiring harness with fuse & relay, dimmer switch (aka volume ****) and taps to tie into high beam circuit and ignition hot circuit.

I'm having mine installed on the fork lowers (could have opted for engine guard mounts). I'm installing the volume **** in the left lower cover (panel mount is an option; comes with bracket to allow attachment to left handlebar controls and another clamp to mount elsewhere on the handlebar as well). I will connect power using the supplied harness connect to the battery. I will be activating the harness relay from the left middle switch previously installed to control the HD LED Fog lights. This will allow me the option of turning the Darla lights on/off separate from the ignition & uses the BCM direct (non-relay) lead from the accessories wiring harness kit (required to be installed for the HD LED Fog lights). I will also tap into the high beam headlight lead.

This installation allows the Darla lights to be:

• on or off via the middle left switch, next to the factory driving lights switch
• adjusted from 15% to 85% brightness when on with low beam headlight
• full brightness when on with high beam headlight

Overall purchase & installation cost (since I'm utilizing accessories harness & canbus switch previously installed) will be less than the original HD LED Fog lights purchase & installation cost. I am expecting the Darla lights will provide much better lighting with more versatility.

 

Since I'm starting from nothing, will the Darla kit provide everything needed to turn the lights on and off from one of the buttons up where I turn my HD Auxiliary lights on now? Also, I currently have my lights programmed so that my Auxiliary lights don't go out when the high beams come on. So, I'm assuming I wouldn't need to do anything to the Darla's to have them stay on when the high beams are on?

Thanks!!

 

As supplied, there is no switch for basic on/off function. Clearwater designs them to be on all the time the ignition is on, hence the ignition hot tap. They do this because they expect them to be turned down (brightness set) using the volume ****. Then the hi/lo beam switch functions to change the Darla output from a low level to full brightness. Everything needed to install in that configuration is included .

Since I run high beam during daylight hours, I wanted the option to turn off the Darla lights during the day.

I also have my driving lamps programmed to remain on with both high & low beam headlight.

If you want to switch the Darla lights similar to the driving lamps, installation of another canbus switch will be required. This involves adding the second switch, not replacing the whole left canbus assembly, so that cost is fairly minimal.

The purchase & installation of the accessories harness assembly can be considered optional, but if you want maximum flexibility for future changes or accessories added, plan to add this. It plugs directly into the 8-way Molex P&A connector located under the left side cover and provides a switched output wire to connect to the lights. Note: this is a low current connection & will not function as the power source but rather the relay activation source for the Darla harness. Without the harness, you will need to identify & connect to the correct switched circuit pin in the P&A connector itself.

There are other possible options as well, such as installing the HD (non canbus) switch assembly on the left handlebar & wiring directly from the battery. Or adding a 3rd party switch in the left lower fairing cover?

 

I have them on my Limited. I looked at Clearwater & Motolight, but ended up ordering the HD lights & harness from boardtracker. In terms of light output, what is your goal? Useful illumination at night or daytime oncoming traffic attention getting? They have a wide (left to right) but thin (up and down) beam. I adjusted mine in a parking lot (at night) and aimed them at the windshield of a parked car as that's what I'm looking for.

Odd as I had the opposite results on my '14. The CD Ringz are more blue and all the HD lights are more white like. The fogs match my passing & headlight perfectly.

I'll just add to what Hammz was saying...

If you order this switch for like 15 bucks,,,



It'll be a perfect match for the passing lamp switch on the Limited



But all that switch (and the ACC switch I have) will do is provide switched power to the 8-pin connector under the left side cover. I opted for the $80 Power Switch Kit, but I'm betting the $24 harness plus the above switch will give you the same results.

With the switch on the dash, that's the only way these lights turn on/off. The High/Low beam has no effect on that as that's how I wired mine up. The way the HD lights come in the box, they plug into the passing lights and go on/off with the passing lights. Personally, I wanted to control them myself hence the above set-up.

 

I have them on mt TriGlide. I wired them to come on with the spots. They are not super bright, but help to illuminate the road below where the HD Daymskers hit, and more to the sids, but, IMHO, and the reason I got them was to add more to being seen.

If I was to do it again, I'd like something brighter...but wouldn't want to compromise in quality, as they are very well made.

 

Agree.

The Clearwater lights are also extremely well made. While not fully explained in their literature, their lights include a microprocessor control system that monitors the temperature of the light housings & if there isn't sufficient air passing over them to provide enough cooling (like sitting in traffic on an extremely hot day), the controller will automatically lower the lights' output to decrease the heat generated to protect the lights. Pretty sophisticated lights!

 

I wasn't so much concerned with the visibility in the day time as I was with night vision. Perhaps I should me equally as concerned with both, but I really would like more distance at night