Geoff Wotton of Trail Tech out of Battle Ground,
WA has been making motorcycle and ATV lighting systems since 2001. They not
only offer lighting solutions, but also offer helmet lights, computers (to
monitor speed, distance etc etc), bar clamps, handle bars, flywheels, and a
wide range of electrical and ignition conversion kits.
Trail Tech recently released an all new HID lighting system called the
Eclipse MR16. They are the first self-contained HID lighting system built
specifically for ATV's. Being self-contained means there is no external
ballast that needs to be mounted like on other HID lighting systems. They
draw only 30 watts but are brighter than a traditional 100 watt halogen
bulb.
Being avid night time dune riders, we had to try a set. We mounted one spot
and one flood light on a modified TRX250R that already has a battery
conversion installed. The kit can either be mounted to the bars or to the
frame with Trail Techs ATV-specific mounts. In our case we have a GPR
steering stabilizer. The bar camp bolt pattern is slightly different than
the OEM Honda bolt pattern so we had to slightly modify a TRX400EX mount to work for us. In all other cases
the mounts would simply bolt in place. Also most ATV's don't require a
modified lighting system since most are equipped with a battery.
The Eclipse MR16's are thermally protected and double vibration isolated. We
took extra precautions and used a few rubber washers when we mounted our
MR16's. Jeff says it's not necessary but we like to be extra safe against
vibrations!
Once everything was installed we fired them up. When they are first turned
on they are rather dim until they warm up, which takes 20-30 seconds.
Once fully lit they are BRIGHT! We noticed that they would not stay on for
more than a few minutes. We checked the voltage on our battery and it was
pretty low at around 10 volts. Once we charged it back to close to 14 volts
they stayed on with no issues. We figure it's probably best to turn them on
when the motor is running to keep the battery charged.
In the dunes the
flood/spot combo is great. They offer plenty of light for a safe fast paced
night ride. They give off a very bright white colored light whereas a
standard halogen bulb would have more of a yellow color to it.
We are very
pleased with the new Trail Tech MR16's and highly recommend them!
Mike has been ATV'ing since the mid 80's, starting with an ATC250R. He traded up to a TRX250R a few years later and over the years, built it to be a serious dune machine. In 2006 he built a long travel sand car to roost the sands of Glamis and other dune areas. If you see him out in the dunes, get in line and try and keep up!
Articles by Mike Lyon
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