Tested by: John Milbank | ยฃ658.80 | www.mobilecentre.co.uk | 01386 212121
Two things annoy me at the moment. One is the performance of many motorcycle headlights, and the other is the number of people who wince at the price of this lamp, yet think nothing of spending a similar amount on a new end-can for their bike.
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Whatever your opinion of the idea of loud pipes saving lives, this cutting-edge technology is probably one of the best safety investments you could make for your machine, and not just in the dark โย drivers and other riders regularly double-take when they see the bright, clear LED lights in their mirror or coming towards them.
What really sets this lamp apart though is the fact that itโs a โcorneringโ headlight. Using a solid-state gyro built into the standard-sized 7โ headlamp, individual LEDs progressively light up the apex of a corner. Weโve all seen how standard lamps give an almost letterbox pattern โย as you tip into a corner, the verge on the inside disappears. Disconcerting at the least, and potentially quite dangerous, fortunately weโve started to see some new bikes with this technology built in.
But having an entirely self-contained lamp, that just plugs in place of the original, is something very new. In fact, Motorcycle Sport & Leisure magazine was the first in the UK to try one out, and having now used it for almost eight months, I can honestly say that itโs one of the most valuable bolt-on parts Iโve ever used.
Fitting to the XSR700 wasnโt quite as straightforward as it would be on a bike with a regular 7โ lamp. Mobile Centre, the UK importer, sells a 5.75โ version for ยฃ598.80, but this Yamaha was somewhere in between. Fortunately, the ยฃ77.99 8702 metal lamp housing fitted perfectly between the fork brackets, which just needed the holes drilling out slightly to suit the M8 mounting bolts. Once in, the it just needed plugging into the original H4 headlamp connector, then the sidelight wiring to the original lead.
In use, dip and main beam are very clean, white lights, though as is often the case with LED projector systems, the edge of the beam is quite sharp, so itโs important to set the vertical position of the lamp accurately. Without the light spill of a standard halogen lamp, the beam can drop a little too low under heavy braking if not set correctly. Of course, itโs simply a matter of twisting the housing up or down to position it.
High beam gives excellent coverage, but the cornering function doesnโt work in this mode, because the total light output would be higher than regulations permit โย being a fully DOT and ECE approved headlight, you wonโt have any problems when the MoT is due, or worse, with the police in countries like Spain.
The cornering illumination works spectacularly. Watch the video and youโll notice a segmentation to the light, but in use I donโt find this at all distracting. Itโs strange at first, but after a few miles it seems totally normal to be able to see the road more as you would when driving a car. The problem comes when you switch back to a traditional headlight.
I canโt recommend this enough. Yes, itโs expensive, but itโs a quality piece of kit, fully road legal, and one of the coolest-looking safety items youโll ever invest in.
Motorcycle Sport & Leisure magazine is the original and best bike mag. Established in 1962, you can pick up a copy in all good newsagents & supermarkets, or online…
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