Hi Guys,

Do many of you guys go night riding for fun? I was up in the mountains this afternoon when the sun was setting before I could return. I had not planned for a night ride, but was able to get by with my 1-Watt LED light. Although that particular situation was not necessarily unenjoyable, a well-lit trail would have been a much better experience.

My goal is to get the biggest and most powerful (with in reason) light system possible with a moderate budget. Generally I don’t have a problem with putting dollars towards something that will really do the job well. However, I think $400 is just too much to pay for a 10W HID light. So, I’m planning on building one.

There’s always halogen, but I would really like to have a more efficient setup. LED lights are much easier to maintain, but have issues with focusing, as you have to use so many of them. The way the technology is steadily advancing, though, HID could very well be obsolete down the road. For now, if someone is trying to build an efficient, high-powered setup it seems like HID is still the way to go.

I’m not sure exactly what to call it, “home cooked,” “home brewed” etc., but where can you get detailed information on how to pot one together (how to make the housing, mounting it onto the bike or helmet, building a battery pack etc.)? I’ve found some places to get components, but would love to hear suggestions on that as well. Have any of you all tried it?

Thank you in advance for the replies.