I scored a year or two old NiteRider Storm HID for $75.

Tried it out last night while riding downtown to rent a movie. No more "do they see me" nervousness like when I was using the little 3-led light on the handlebars. Turn your head in the direction of a car getting ready to pull out and they *will* see you. Or at least they'll see a blinding, blue light and stop .

I'm almost looking forward to commuting in the dark now.

My one worry, battery longevity. If I'm going through one or two charge cycles a week (Figure a 3 hour burn-time and 3 or 4 1-hour commutes per week, plus a 1 1/2 hour Wed. night mtn. bike ride.) how much life can I expect out of this battery that's already got a year or two of semi-regular mtn. bike usage and a 24 hour race or two? Those batteries are expensive, and I'm wondering if I wouldn't be better off using my older Niterider dual-beam halogen (I just recently built a new battery-pack for it. So it's probably got plenty of battery life.) and keeping the HID for exclusive off-road use where the extra bright light makes a *big* difference. On-road I've always found the halogens to be adequate, I just like the option of placing the beam where I want it with the helmet mount. Can't do that with my dual-beam handlebar setup...

-Trevor

Depending on how much use the old owner had been putting the battery though plus the levels of discharge, that battery could be anywhere from dead to half dead.

All batteries have a limited life. The good news is that you can always buy new batteries and you don't have to get them from the factory. Just be sure they are right for the job.

When your batteries don't perform anymore, bring your old ones in to a store that specializes in batteries and they'll be able to replace them. They might cost twice as much as you paid for your used HID system ($75,) but that's still a bargain, especially since you now have new batteries. A new HID system could cost you $400 or more.