Bike quit on me tonight - light suggestion ?

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gjr

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Beautiful late summer night, t-shirt weather, heading home from a meeting at the co-op. Bike up and dies on me, quits running like the ignition was turned off. Surprising how dark it is now at 7:30. I'm only a quarter mile from a shopping center and while pushing the bike along the shoulder, Steve from the print shop turned his Harley around to check on me, admired the bike and continued on his ride. Under the parking lot lights I find the connector has broken off the black/yellow wire coming up from the Boyer. A quick bodge and headed home without incident.

If I had been farther from town it could have been a lot more inconvenient. I have a fairly comprehensive tool kit on the bike but no light. Anyone got suggestions for a 12V LED light that is small, bright, durable, cheap, readily available, etc. that would pack in my tool kit ? It will be subjected to dirt, vibration, neglect, and may not get used for years.

Thanks

Greg

BTW, please don't suggest a cell phone. I don't have a cell phone and at this point... Besides, what good would it do me if I didn't carry it absolutely everywhere or the battery was dead ?
 
I realize you said you wanted a 12V light but it seems like any small LED flashlight would be more convenient. Most hardware stores have a display of them near the checkout counter. I have several that are about 3.5" long by about 1" in diameter and use 3 AAA cells. They are seriously bright and would easily fit in the toolkit.
 
MexicoMike said:
I realize you said you wanted a 12V light but it seems like any small LED flashlight would be more convenient. Most hardware stores have a display of them near the checkout counter. I have several that are about 3.5" long by about 1" in diameter and use 3 AAA cells. They are seriously bright and would easily fit in the toolkit.
Click to expand...

That is what I use now. Replaced my trusty AA powered mini Maglite. Lighter and brighter.
 
+1 on the mini-LED light with the 3 AA batteries.
The LED lights have made the old-school D cell flashlights obsolete.
If you have a Harbor Freight tool shop nearby, they give them away free with the purchase of something else!
 
gjr said:
Beautiful late summer night, t-shirt weather, heading home from a meeting at the co-op. Bike up and dies on me, quits running like the ignition was turned off. Surprising how dark it is now at 7:30. I'm only a quarter mile from a shopping center and while pushing the bike along the shoulder, Steve from the print shop turned his Harley around to check on me, admired the bike and continued on his ride. Under the parking lot lights I find the connector has broken off the black/yellow wire coming up from the Boyer. A quick bodge and headed home without incident.

If I had been farther from town it could have been a lot more inconvenient. I have a fairly comprehensive tool kit on the bike but no light. Anyone got suggestions for a 12V LED light that is small, bright, durable, cheap, readily available, etc. that would pack in my tool kit ? It will be subjected to dirt, vibration, neglect, and may not get used for years.

Thanks

Greg

BTW, please don't suggest a cell phone. I don't have a cell phone and at this point... Besides, what good would it do me if I didn't carry it absolutely everywhere or the battery was dead ?
Click to expand...


Greg,

http://www.swps.com/stylledpenli.html
I sometimes carry the 65018 in my jacket pocket. It's the size of a Bic pen. It's a single LED and works pretty good.
The flex lights are great for looking into tight spots, like the cylinder bore while the engine is assembled.
http://www.swps.com/newstylreacl.html
Downside is batteries are expensive and hard to find locally, but they last a while. Both of mine are at least 10 years old so I bet the new ones might be brighter due to better bulb technology.

Pete
 
I have a small 12v LED light that was a leftover when I converted my RV to LEDs. I soldered the light to about 5ft of lamp cord with alligator clips on the ends. It is small and fits in a snack size ziplock bag that I've zip tied to one of the under seat frame rails. If you hook it to the battery and it doesn't light up your troubleshooting at that point is over. I carry spares but I refuse to carry an extra battery. I do check it every time that I change the oil. Fortunately I haven't had to use it. Flashlight would have been easier but so would not owning a Norton.
 
I have a key-ring LED 2.5" long 0.5" dia and it uses a stack of 4 watch batteries, think it was Aldi where I bought it for 50p. Other outlets sell them for less than £1.

Dave
 
I have two ideas for you.

First in 12v:

2" round marker lights typically used on trucks or trailers. See the URL below. They can be mounted in a rubber grommet or not, and they accept a standard two prong pigtail. It would be easy to put some clips for the battery on the end of a pig tail or provide a plug and receptacle. I have used a lot of these in white and red as lights on my boat. They are cheap and pretty easy to find from lots of sources.

https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... B4QAvD_BwE

Second is not 12v:

About a year and a half ago I purchased an Energizer brand LED headlamp. It has both red and white LEDs and is adjustable from a spot to wide beam. I bought it because it defaults to red when turned on so it doesn't ruin your night vision. My headlamp has now been on a Trans-Atlantic sailing trip, toured Europe, been used for a year since and done a two-month Alaska cruise in wet conditions. It is light and comfortable to wear and goes a long time on three AAA batteries (so long as they are Duracells!) And it leaves both hands free without holding it in your teeth, which makes it a lot easier to swear at what you are trying to fix.

https://www.amazon.com/Energizer-Vision ... lamp&psc=1
 
+1 on the LED headlamp that goes on your head. My daughter got me one exactly like this one for Christmas last year, and I never would have guessed I would like it and use it as much as I do. I actually have it hanging on the frig so I know just where it is. I need to get a couple more.
Bill
Broken link removed
 
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pantah_good said:
+1 on the LED headlamp that goes on your head. My daughter got me one exactly like this one for Christmas last year, and I never would have guessed I would like it and use it as much as I do. I actually have it hanging on the frig so I know just where it is. I need to get a couple more.
Bill
Broken link removed


jeez, this was the go-to item to have for any outdoors person as long as 20 years ago.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
lazyeye6 said:
pantah_good said:
+1 on the LED headlamp that goes on your head. My daughter got me one exactly like this one for Christmas last year, and I never would have guessed I would like it and use it as much as I do. I actually have it hanging on the frig so I know just where it is. I need to get a couple more.
Bill
Broken link removed
Click to expand...


jeez, this was the go-to item to have for any outdoors person as long as 20 years ago.
Click to expand...

Sure but 20 years ago it would have weighed ounces instead of grams and cost a lot more and failed sooner, but other than that...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Get a halogen head lamp - its a cheap direct replacement and looks the same but its brighter and won't burn out on you (no filament to break from vibration). I've had mine for years.

Head light # 5006 in USA is available at auto parts stores and fits the 5-1/2" aftermarket Bates type headlamp shell.
 
I'm still a Mini Mag fan. I have one in each bike and one in each car. Some are twin AA's, some are twin AAA's. I like them because you can easily hold them in your mouth while you work with both hands. American made.
 
Biscuit said:
I'm still a Mini Mag fan. I have one in each bike and one in each car. Some are twin AA's, some are twin AAA's. I like them because you can easily hold them in your mouth while you work with both hands. American made.
Click to expand...
Yes Biscuit,
Mini Mags are great I carry one in my tank bag as well and one in my rollup tool pouch. They are cheep and you can now get them with LED bulb kits to make use of less energy to light with the 2 AA's.
I just like the hands free Pelican as you can clip it on your visor/ face shield or the collar of your tee shirt to give you light in front of you.
YMMV.
Cheers,
Thomas
 
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