July 2011 Newsletter: Motorcycle HID Xenon Lighting

Motorcycles, Headlights, & Safety

Motorcycles are often perceived as being extraordinarily dangerous, and this perception is only heightened by continuous media and societal portrayals of motorcyclists as reckless and carefree.  While this is certainly a generalization that’s based in assumptions about the types of people that ride motorcycles, and is unfairly attributed solely to bike riders, safety is still something that should be at the forefront of all cyclists’ minds.  Without walls and seat belts offering extra protection, a motorcycle’s headlights are among the most crucial safety features a bike’s equipped with.  So having just the right headlights can help keep the biker safer, and help others take notice of you on the road.

Most motorcycles are equipped with stock halogen headlights, but a more recent technology can really help boost the safety of bikes.  HIDs, or High Intensity Discharge headlights, can be over 3x as bright as conventional halogens.  Whether your bike is a single or dual-beam vehicle, to many other drivers on the road, they lights are so close together they still look like a single headlight.  This can confuse car, truck, and SUV drivers, making them think that perhaps the vehicle approaching in the other lane is just a car with one dead headlight.  If drivers are able to better make out that the vehicle is a bike, they’re more likely to provide a greater amount of cushion space between their car and your motorcycle.  With increased brightness, it’s much easier to tell.

For this reason as well, it’s also important for motorcycles to have a long-lasting headlight setup.  If you’re driving a single beam unit, a dead headlight means you’re driving blind, and you’re invisible to others at night.  HID headlights can last up to ten times as long as stock halogens, and this improved longevity means you won’t have to worry about replacing your bike’s headlight when there’s no place around to pick up a replacement motorcycle bulb.

HID light is also easier on the eyes, as it appears more like natural light than halogen beams do.  Unstrained eyes are critical for driving safety, and should be taken seriously.  The one downside of an HID headlight array is that improperly installed HIDs can blind other drivers.  Their intense beams are strong and can be hard to look at when directed straight at a driver’s face.  HIDs always need to be properly set so that they face more downward that conventional headlights, and when installed correctly they aren’t a hazard.

A bike’s supposed to provide its driver with a feeling of fleeting danger, but it’s not supposed to actually be dangerous.  Just like a roller coaster, the thrill comes from the experience, not the actual risk, and the right headlights can reduce that risk.

For our readers, Motorcycle HID Xenon lights are being discounted by 35%!