Anti-ninja deer-buster two-wheeled sunrise – Phase 1 completed!

[MCL1981]

I finally have phase one of my anti-ninja deer-buster two-wheeled sunrise completed. My goal with this was to use my existing knowledge and skills with automotive and emergency vehicle equipment and control on my bike to provide:
– Super bright headlights
– Super bright flashing lights for the road
– Dim flashing lights for the trails
– All on one control panel
– All on one rechargable battery pack
– All for less money than buying actual bicycle lights that do the same thing

What I wanted to avoid at all costs
– Multiple different batteries to change or charge
– Buttons on every device all over the bike

This weekend with the help of one of my friends that is equally as crazy as me, everything except the dim trail lights is complete! I took it for a ride on the CCT and back roads of Bethesda tonight in the dark and it was INCREDIBLE! The headlight is a 12 watt LED flood light for off-road trucks. The flashing LED’s are all emergency vehicle LED’s. I wish I had a video camera that worked well at night.

Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opyhoQaDuhk

MAIN DEFLECTOR ARRAY
The switch panel, headlight, and the amber flashing light are mounted to a “precision customized mounting system”.

Tactical Controller (Mr Worf is off camera…)
Top left switch: Headlight On/Off/Flash
Top right switch: Front flasher Bright/Off/Dim
Bottom right switch: Rear flasher Bright/Off/Dim
Bottom left switch: Spare for future use (possibly for core eject?)

Aft phaser bank
This is the rear flasher. If you can’t see me in front of you, then you’re probably asleep at the wheel. This is Way too bright for trail use but definitely gets the point across on the roads.

Lithium battery-in-a-bottle
Provides 12 volt power to everything!

Topic

[MCL1981]

Lighting up the back yard of my dad’s house.

[Dirt]

All I can say is WOW! Very cool indeed.

[rcannon100]

I am relieved to see

“Dim flashing lights for the trails”

Been blinded by too many strobing ultrabrights along the trails. Flashing between so bright cant see anything else but the light – to light off and now I cant see anything in the dark.

[MCL1981]

Exactly. That’s why I still have an old inferior LED blinker on the handlebar and on the back for now. I consider them necessary day or night on the trails. During the day, it is just because there are a lot of people and not all of them are very attentive. At night, well it’s dark.

I have a piece of black tape over the very top of the headlight lens to cut-off the top portion of the beam. This makes it so the headlight isn’t vaporizing the retinas of oncoming bikers and joggers. I’m still experimenting with positioning this but it’s pretty good so far. It stood about 50ft in front of the bike and it was bright but not blinding.

[FFX_Hinterlands]

Awesome, thanks for sharing! My headlight mount is down under my front rack. There’s nothing more annoying that have to dismount to turn on the rear blinkie, change headlight to flash, etc. So the control panel is key.

[americancyclo]

Those are crazy bright! Would love to see some video of the bike in traffic, to see how noticeable it is. Also, did you put reflectors on your rims, or is that a product you can purchase?

– Dim flashing lights for the trails

I’d just go with dim NON-flashing for the trails. more and more, blinking on the trail irritates me. It’s harder to judge distance on a blinky, and steady light is much more pleasant for the eyes to deal with.

[MCL1981]

While I was out on the CCT last night, this whole arrangement stopped 4 lanes of traffic on the Little Falls Parkway crossing. I was pleased

Those are these really neat reflective stickers that go on the spokes. They are a huge side visibility add-on. I forget the name but I see them at most local bike shops. You get a package with enough to put one on every spoke of both wheels plus some others to stick around the bike. I never realized how cool they looked until I saw them with the camera light reflecting off them.

To your point on the dim trail lights, I think the flashing is more effective during the day when the light needs to contrast with daylight, but at night I think you’re right. We don’t need to grab attention at night on the trail, we just need to show up. It’s dark. Anything will show up. Flashing is probably more distracting than it needs to be. I will have to work a flash/steady mode into the lighting.

[Justin Antos]

Wow – that’s quite a setup!

[ogozi12]

Wow! Man you’ve done good. Keep it up bro:)

[jrenaut]

If I call you bats**t insane, will you take it, as I intend it, as a compliment?

[MCL1981]

@jrenaut 11783 wrote:

If I call you bats**t insane, will you take it, as I intend it, as a compliment?

A compliment of course. I’m informed that I’m insane all the time so it’s cool.

[pfunkallstar]

The goggles! They do nothing!

[PotomacCyclist]

Where are the tachyon pulse emitters? No self-respecting high-tech traveler should be without one!

Is that set-up waterproof?

[MCL1981]

The tachyon emitters (dimmer flashing lights for the trail) are on order and will be installed this weekend I hope. Everything is waterproof except the switches right now since the waterpoof boots I bought for them didn’t fit.

[KLizotte]

Now you need to install right/left turn signals :rolleyes:

[Author]

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