Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I'm installing the Cobra Passing Lamps on my Yamaha V Star 1100. I'm at the point of connecting the wiring and guess I did not even think about the fact it will only work with either the low beam or high beam.
There were two reasons that I bought these and they are equally important to me.
First I go to work at 5am in the morning and it is still dark. I was not getting the light coverage that I wanted driving on a two lane dark road.

Second I am in Atlanta and the traffic is very busy. I want to make sure everyone sees me.

Question, Do I put it on my high beam and keep them on all the time? Or do I put it on my low beam. I am leaning toward the high beams but I guess I want to be respectful of other drivers and not blind them.

Sitting here half a sleep this morning and thought, can I attach the lights to the running light circuit with out blowing everything out?

Thanks
Everette

hook them up to come on with your low beam - this will give you the added visibility at all hours of the day. You shouldn't need them when you are running with your highbeam on as there won't be any other traffic around you at that time.

Now, having said that, I have my single auxiliary driving light hooked up to my high beam; reason being that I do a lot of night riding on back roads where there is almost no traffic, but lots of wildlife. I use my highbeam to light up the road ahead of me and my aux light is angled to light up the right ditch.

Just wire it to where the lamps are on all the time. Just find a switched hot wire and connect it there. In NC, there used to be a law where you could not have your passing lamps on with the high beams on. That ended a few years ago. Just check your local regulations.

I added two 55 watt lites to my bike. A friend gave me a relay switch that went on a car fuel pump. I wired the relay to the high beam side of the head lite and wired the lites to the relay directly from the batt. Also I have a cut off where I can turn the lites off if I don't need to use them. I too as Gadjet do a lot of nite riding and use my lite for vission more than being seen. In Tx. you cannot have more than two head lites, but I don't think that those smaller lites are considered head lites.

Everette wrote: Question, Do I put it on my high beam and keep them on all the time? Or do I put it on my low beam. I am leaning toward the high beams but I guess I want to be respectful of other drivers and not blind them.

Hook them up to the low beam. They are on all the time unless you wish to switch them off or go to high beam. You'll be riding with low beam more than high anyway. Anything to help the tin can drivers to see you.

Thanks for the replies. I finally hooked them up to my running lights. I really like having them on all the time. I can really tell a differnce when people look back before pulling out into traffic, that they do see me. Next I want to get a better tail/brake light.
Thanks
Everette