But fairplay does have a good point. Clothing also makes a big difference in getting noticed. I can remember the one time I saw a bike all decked out with reflective tires, clothing, helmet. It was so out of the ordinary that I had to notice. Then I slowed down and passed him with care.

But back to the original post.

What is the best Halogen system for a night commute? We all know that trail riding is a different ball game.

I'd say that my priorities would be:

- Decent focused spot light.. probably 10-15 watts is fine for seeing things in time to avoid them.

- Another on the helmet so you can look at things your not riding towards.

- A long battery life so you don't have to charge it every night (depends on your commute length).

- Water resistant.

- Easy removal (if you lock the bike in unsecure areas) so you can take it with.

But just so the point doesn't get lost, reflective clothing does wonders for the "don't run me over" attention getter requirement. Save some of that $300 for the HID system and get some reflective clothing, some rear blinkers, some reflective tape for the bike, and then just spend the rest on a good halogen light.

FOr the record. I use a 35watt (15watt spot/20 watt flood) Night Pro Elite System for night commuting AND trail riding. The 15watt 12º spot is pretty much all I use for both. It lights up well at a distance and has enough spread to make trail riding manageable when it's on my helmet. I'd love to get a HID system for trail riding, but I spent that money on reflective clothing and blinkers for my bike.