LEDs at night!!

[insolentminx]

As promised, i went out for a quick ride last night with my tripod and got some pics of her all lit up in the dark.

Lemme know what you think...

first some with the headlight on






lights out...

[insolentminx]

one with a Underground train going past...







and here's a video of my Cobra Shorts... they sounded a helluva lot louder in real life

[insolentminx]

((oh, and if you're gonna quote my pictures, just quote one or two and delete the other links, don't keep all 7-10 links in there... please))

[Classic]

I like it. Never been a huge fan of LED's but yours are done nicely and it doesn't hurt that the bike sounds great. Job well done.

[insolentminx]

thanks Steve.

[ninjaDUDE24]

props to the work you did. it doesnt look too over done, just right. But why didn't you do the front wheel as well???

[insolentminx]

props to the work you did. it doesnt look too over done, just right. But why didn't you do the front wheel as well???

thanks

have you seen the Custom? there's nowhere to put any LEDs for the front wheel as the finder's so tiny and such a close fit.

I've seen LEDs under the triple tree, but they've been partially hidden by a tool pouch... there was nowhere for me to neatly put LEDs to light up the front.

I wanted no-one to know that they're there if they studied the bike in daylight.
They're all completely hidden with no wires visible whatsoever unless you lie down on your back and stick your head under the frame.

[insolentminx]

I took the strips underneath off and rearranged them.
I contemplated removing them completely but i like the look with the ground lit up.

I removed both rigid strips and moved the flexi strips forward beneath the engine... i then put one rigid strip back in place on one of the cross supports to help fill in any gaps in the light between them.
I think it's an improvement, and the view from underneath is much neater too (as the LEDs are actually visible when the bike's parked due to the lean angle on the sidestand)

[mikester65]

Nice job, Steve. The Cobras are bad-a** sounding. I have V&H Slashcuts on mine--and they sound pretty good, but I'm thinking the Cobras have 'em beat.

FYI, Custom Dynamics has a wheel light kit designed specifically for that purpose. I'm not sure if it will fit the vn900--I've run out of money or I'd try them myself--but their other lights are top-notch. LED Step Motorcycle Lights
I compromised on the front end and put a chrome 3 light pod on the triple tree ... it's fairly well hidden in plain sight.

Anyway, the ride is lookin' good!

[insolentminx]

thanks

i looked at the front fender and there's really no way to get any LEDs under there... I considered under the triple tree, but decided against it in the end as i didn't want any extra wires to be visible.

oooh, those wheel lights look interesting... i've not seen them before. I might have to have a look at my front wheel tonight and see if there's room for one... i'm tempted now!

[mikester65]

I understand the temptation ... had I not already put one on the triple tree, I'd be picking up one of those wheel lights. Let me know if you decide to order them--I'd be real curious to know if they fit. You know, so I could tell others. Certainly not for my OWN benefit or use. Nope ... I'm done with my baby....

BTW, your night shots are way cool; of course, it doesn't hurt that you have some awesome locations. Nothing much like that around here ... lol.

Ride safe!
Mike

[insolentminx]

cheers Mike. I think those are the 2 best locations in my immediate vacinity. I still need to perfect my night photography though. I've only got a little 'point-and-shoot' camera, so no fancy DSLR or anything.

I love the parking lot under the bridge though, it's a great little hideaway.

I'm gonna measure the wheel clearance tonight and then i might order that wheel kit. I think i'm done too... (after this purchase)...

[CycleDude]

Looks awesome, Steve. You did a great job with those.

[mikester65]

cheers Mike. I think those are the 2 best locations in my immediate vacinity. I still need to perfect my night photography though. I've only got a little 'point-and-shoot' camera, so no fancy DSLR or anything.

I love the parking lot under the bridge though, it's a great little hideaway.

I'm gonna measure the wheel clearance tonight and then i might order that wheel kit. I think i'm done too... (after this purchase)...

"done" ... uh huh, yeah.

OK, so here's a shot I've doctored (just a little) from last night. I pulled out the background, added just a bit of highlight around the front wheel and adjusted the headlights. But other than that it's pretty much out of the camera. I do have a DSLR (got it for a Christmas present) and it does a nice job for long exposures like this. Oh, and Photoshop never hurts.



The only lighting other than the LEDs was a shop light pointed at the wall next to the bike. I just thought the warm light of the incandescent bulb and the cool blue of the LEDs made a nice contrast. Try some experimentation, even some of those point-and-click cameras do a pretty good job of averaging out the light sources. And if you do get those wheel LEDs, definitely send pics of that.

[insolentminx]

another great pic Mike!

i went out for a ride last night and didn't get round to meansuring up for the wheel LEDs. I love riding at night now!!

i think it's meant to be stuck on the inside of the brake caliper, but the Custom's caliper isn't flat on the inside, so i think it'd have to be stuck on the inside of the fork where the front fender mounts. ... it's possible, but i don't know how it would look as the ajority of the light would be projected onto the left side of the front wheel... might look strange when parked...
dunno. i'm gonna look around for different prices and do a final check of spacing around the brake and forks tonight.

[mikester65]

another great pic Mike!

i went out for a ride last night and didn't get round to meansuring up for the wheel LEDs. I love riding at night now!!

i think it's meant to be stuck on the inside of the brake caliper, but the Custom's caliper isn't flat on the inside, so i think it'd have to be stuck on the inside of the fork where the front fender mounts. ... it's possible, but i don't know how it would look as the ajority of the light would be projected onto the left side of the front wheel... might look strange when parked...
dunno. i'm gonna look around for different prices and do a final check of spacing around the brake and forks tonight.

Thanks, Steve ... I have the large version as my desktop screen. It's a little hard to get any work done, though ... I keep wanting to stare ... lol.

Yep, something about being a loud, glowing chunk of iron at night just gets to the macho in me.

I think you're right about where the LED is supposed to mount. I really didn't check the calipers too closely, but if they're not flat on the inside, I bet it won't work there. Let me know what you find out.

One thing that I've been wrestling with is the position of my forward controls. Since I put the Granucci seat on, the lower riding position makes it feel like my legs are bent at a much more severe angle. It's not real uncomfortable, but I think it could get that way on a ride of any length. As far as I can tell, Mapam is the only company that makes after-market forward controls--but they're a little expensive and they come with their own pegs and shifter/brake. I love my Kuryakyn pegs and would hate to have to give them up for that extra 4". Maybe one of these days I'll drop by a machine shop and see what they could fab for me. Did I mention that I'm done with this thing? ... lol.

[insolentminx]

haha, well i'd love to have the skill to make my own desktop background like that! Just gotta make do with a regular photo, but i still drool!

yeah, i don't think the wheel light would work on the Custom sadly *sigh* ah well.

I don't think the Mapams actually move the controls any further forward, i think they're just a chrome replacement... i doubt it'd be too pricey to find a fabricator to make you something...
I think I am done with mine now that that wheel LED won't work properly. Maybe when i have more disposible income i'll stretch to some fancy wheels, but until then i'm more than happy with my baby!

[mikester65]

If it's any consolation, I'm an advertising designer by trade and an artist otherwise ... so I do this stuff pretty much all day. Been working with Macs since 1989 (good grief, do I feel old all-of-a-sudden ... lol). And there's nothing wrong with regular photos--just like there's nothing wrong with regular folks.

From what I can tell, the Mapams will move the controls forward 100mm (or at least that's what a couple of sites indicated). I'll probably make due with what I have for a while--I have other places to spend what little money left over these days.

Too bad about the LEDs; sure looked like a cool idea. But hey, we've already got some wicked cool bikes, so we'll just sit and stare at them, take them for the occasional spin ... and know that all is well with the world. Or something like that ... lol.

[ISCN]

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