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Auxiliary Lighting For a Road King

Date:
By Wom Battle

Let's face it, for a touring motorcycle the headlight and auxiliary lights on the Road King aren't that great for long nights on the road.  Given my more recent need to ride at night to attend events and to clock up some big K's on IBA rides I was "reminded" by a near miss on the F3 that being seen and having adequate lighting was really important.

Straight up I changed the headlight for the Dual Halogen model (pictured right) that slipped straight in.  It's first test was coming home from Coffs Harbour a few weeks back and it was a significant improvement over the stock headlight. More light to the sides and definitely more light down the road.

However even with the auxiliaries wired in to high beam it still wasn't quite enough for my old eyes. So the decision was to look for around for driving lights or see what else Harley-Davidson offered.  I came across the 4" LED auxilliary/fog lights (pictured below) in the Harley-Davidson Parts bible and ordered me a set.

Installation was a snap (according to the guru) they plugged straight in.   The first test of these babies was my recent FarRide to Lightning Ridge. A 3am start, heading bush with the risk of roos etc seemed like a great opportunity to see how then went, and pardon the pun, they shone!

Even the high beam on the dual halogen disappeared into the bright white light that filled the space in front of the motorcycle. The beam was wide, the trees on both sides just lit up and combined with the extra light out front the dual halogen provides my plan of sourcing additional driving lights has been put to bed for now.

You may be asking yourself why I didn't get the LED headlamp (also pictured left). Two reasons; First, they cost a motza.  Second I understand from an expert at H-D that they are made to suit right side of the road travel and therefore kick up to the right. Not so great for oncoming traffic when you are riding on the left side of the road.

Riding in the dark on the way back from Lightning Ridge riding I was following @officerhardass with his standard lighting kit on his Road King.  To test them out more I flicked up to high beam, clicked on the auxiliaries and bathed him in light.  He indicated immediately that I should leave them on and mentioned later how fantastic the lights were helping him see forward.  I'll try to take a couple of comparitive snaps next time I'm out at night and not in a hurry.

In any case though, it riding at night is your thing, either or both of these are a highly recommended upgrade.

 

Disclaimer: This non commercial website and its content is not affiliated with or associated in any way with the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Harley-Davidson Australia, the Harley-Davidson Owners Group® or any Harley-Davidson® Dealers in Australia.  The use of the terms Harley-Davidson, and Road King® are unavoidable because that's what I own and ride.  This website,  called "My Harley Davidson" , and any opinions or comments expressed herein are purely about my Harley-Davidson Road King ownership experience, a truly great experience at that. I have no intention whatsoever to infringe on any trademarks or copyright ownership of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company or anyone else.


March 2024
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