JW Speaker 8691 Adaptive Lights as Aux Lights

Skytower

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Finally got all the parts together to install them. They sit atop a Dakar bracket, and a Harley headlight extension. I had to use an 8mm Sockethead Capscrew, instead of the included 3/8" one to mount it to the bracket. Also had to add some starlock washers on top, mid, and below the bracket to keep it sighted in. The bracket flexes a bit more than I'd like, and I'll be making some reinforcement for it later. They are wired to a Neutrino Aurora Plus, which turns on the marker light on startup, low beam prior to sunset and the high beams are triggered by the stock high beam any time. (I wanted to have the highs only come on after sunset, with the stock high beams, but I can't figure out how to do that yet. It only allows me to trigger via sunset or trigger signal :| )

Tonight will be the first night ride. Pics and opinion to follow...

I know this was an expensive option, but I ride many hours in the pitch black. Many close calls with various animals and other obstacles have driven me here. A flat, fixed aux beam wouldn't fit the bill, as I like to carve corners.

JW 8691:
 

Alexander

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Curious to see how you like them / how they mount up to the Tenere.

I installed JW Speaker 4"x6" style lights in my car, and they are excellent compared to the (horrifyingly bad) stock sealed beams. You pay for it, sure, but they're nice lights.
 

Skytower

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Curious to see how you like them / how they mount up to the Tenere.

I installed JW Speaker 4"x6" style lights in my car, and they are excellent compared to the (horrifyingly bad) stock sealed beams. You pay for it, sure, but they're nice lights.
I was hoping they would come out with a purely adaptive aux light, and asked them if they were developing one. They replied that they were sticking with their current line, but didn't rule out future considerations.
Tonight will tell me if the $$$$ I forked out is worth it, or not... If I ever get out of work
 

Skytower

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I am extremely impressed with these lights in every way, so far. They light up the dark backroads, as well as dark highways on low beam, better than the stock high beam ever did. The extra punch from the high beam was everything they advertised it to be. The adaptive cornering lights light the corners up well, without being a distraction.
I'm not sold on how they look on the bike, but I've always been a Form Follows Function guy.
If they hold up, I'll recommend them to everyone I ride with.

20200811_071835.jpg20200811_071921.jpg
 

Davesax36

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This gets my attention for sure. Like in an ultimate goals kind of way. I'd happily dump my single row light bar and dually pods to just run two extra whole headlights. I even have a neutrino already running things (pods on all the time with amber covers and bar on high beam switch).
 

cyclemike4

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ky
Dont worry about how the lights look. If they work they work! My boy told me when i put tractor lights on my bike that i made a goofy looking bike look even goofier! Kids? haha. Any way I don't care they work for me!
 

Davesax36

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Seems like this is about the same cost/size/coverage as clearwaters maybe? Very cool setup. I'm still going to look into this. I was originally trying to learn how to use angle sensors and an arduino to activate an extra set of flood lights for cornering, but I gave up on that. My current light setup makes a stupid amount of light (to me), but exit ramps with an incline and corners in the dark are still sketchy at times.
 

Skytower

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Seems like this is about the same cost/size/coverage as clearwaters maybe? Very cool setup. I'm still going to look into this. I was originally trying to learn how to use angle sensors and an arduino to activate an extra set of flood lights for cornering, but I gave up on that. My current light setup makes a stupid amount of light (to me), but exit ramps with an incline and corners in the dark are still sketchy at times.
I don't know anything about Clearwaters.
Thank you for the Thumbs Up!
I was looking into how to do this in a less expensive fashion, and tried to figure out a way to only use one light. I either had to buy a different bike with built-in adaptive light, or go the way I did. Still costs less than owning a KTM or BMW ;)

I don't have problems with dark corners anymore, for the most part. It's almost like driving a car with good driving lights and flood lights. Ditch to ditch lighting, no matter how hard I corner!
 

Skytower

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I'm still going to beef up the Dakkar bracket when I get home. They vibrate a second at highway speeds after hitting potholes. Welding a horizontal stiffener to the leading edge of the bracket should do the trick
 

Davesax36

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Yours are actually not that expensive at Summit Racing.

Too bad only the chrome ones are at the lower price, but I'd seriously consider remaking my whole aux lighting setup after seeing yours. I think they're like 5.5 amps (each) at full use on high beam. It could work out. I'd probably also put some yellow headlight film over the low beam section so I could run them all day as look-at-me lights, too.

I never really use my high beams during the day, so I run my high beam light bar on the triggered relay circuit on my neutrino. It does trigger them whenever I hit that switch, but if it's for flashing people in the daytime, I'm fine with that. Have you contacted the Neutrino guys about doing that night/high beam restriction? It's entirely possible that they could add it to a firmware update.
 
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Skytower

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Yours are actually not that expensive at Summit Racing
Those are the non-adaptive version. Even though they are the same model number, they are not the same part number. I found that out the hard way.

I'll probably leave the high beams as is, since the JW's marker light adds more front visibility.
 

Davesax36

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Those are the non-adaptive version. Even though they are the same model number, they are not the same part number. I found that out the hard way.

I'll probably leave the high beams as is, since the JW's marker light adds more front visibility.
Yeah. even with the part number search, I was wondering. It's not very clear in the description. So on the comfortlite ones, are the extra angle ones on all the time? Could be cool, but not really what we're going for.
 

Skytower

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The comfortlite is high beam only. The cornering lights incrementally come on as you lean the bike, and work with high and low beams on the Adaptive 2 version:
The video doesn't do justice to how well they light up the road.
 
B

ballisticexchris

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To be honest I had never heard of these JBL lights before until you started this thread. They look bright. How are they after hours of riding in the darkness?

I almost got the Clearwater but was concerned with eye fatigue over time. Please let us know how these workout for you. A simple test would be to ride a few hours in total darkness with your lights on full power. Then pull over and shut them off. Your eyes should be able to adjust to the darkness quickly. If not then the lighting is causing fatigue and can lead to fibromyalgia. Another symptom that is really serious is watery eyes.

One of the reasons I went with Baja Designs is because they have eye fatigue prevention down to a science. I used a single Squadron for my Iron Butt that lit up the road like daylight and as long as I kept the speed below 80mph I could not outrun the light. The BD lights are designed with racers in mind that ride/drive all night at speed in darkness that need to be alert.
 

Alexander

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To be honest I had never heard of these JBL lights before until you started this thread. They look bright. How are they after hours of riding in the darkness?
Anecdote:

Part of the reason I bought JW Speaker lights is that they're well regarded in the trucking industry. They make 4-piece light sets that are popular on 18-wheelers, and even sell lights for firetrucks/emergency vehicles. (Part of the problem with LEDs on trucks is that they don't get hot enough to melt snow off the lens in the winter, and JW Speaker sells models with automatic built-in lens heaters). Figure if it's good enough for truckers, and they're on the road for long hours year-round, then they're probably more than good enough for me.

That reputation is really the only reason why I even considered them. Otherwise, I never would have been able to justify the cost over retrofitting an HID.
 

Skytower

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Please let us know how these workout for you.
I love them. Other than the usual problems with light only being straight-line rays, (shadows from humps in the road, trees obstructing corners, etc) they work well for me. I used to slow much more for dark corners. Now I don't have to do that because the corners are well lit. I ride almost as fast at night as I do in the day. I am now the limiting factor for night riding, not dark corners.

I ride for hours in the dark, and haven't noticed eye fatigue, watery eyes, etc.. Though IDK if I'm a good gauge for your test, as I have always had pretty fast night vision recovery.

Highway sign reflection is the only downside, for me, so far. As long as I don't look directly at the signs, I'm ok.

The Clearwater lights look bright, but still won't light the inside of the corner at lean. That's why I went with the JW Speaker setup
 

StanBo

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If you run a camera see if you can fix the aperture. I know many tests where the camera settings can make the output look better or worse then what is actually being found.

I dig your setup and like that the cornering lights work well.
 

Skytower

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Update:

The bracket cracked where it mounts on the bike. I caught it before it failed completely.
I'm going to weld it back together and beef it up a bit so this won't happen again. Glad it didn't happen on a long trip!
Back to the drawing board...
 
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