Denali D2 mount points

Gabe

Tek Monkey
Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
144
Location
Maryland
Bike
2011 Black Honda NT700VA
So I finally got around to ordering a pair of Denali D2 LED lights and was originally thinking of mounting them on the lower wheel assembly, but in looking at other bikes at night I would like to mount them higher to give more height both for the visibility of being seen and lighting the road slightly better.

Has anyone had any success mounting Denali D2's to the forks, mid-faring or elsewhere between the front wheel and the height of the main headlamp? If so, what did you use to get the job done? I think there is a Denali universal kit for clamping to the forks, but it seems kind of tight in the front faring opening there and not much room.
 

Bear

2
Joined
Mar 21, 2011
Messages
1,582
Location
Belfast, Maine
Bike
2010 NT-700 V Red
Mine are mounted low on the fender mount. The lights are always on. I found that mounting them in that configuration a triangle of distinct lights is formed. To any oncoming vehicle it is unmistakably a motorcycle.
 
OP
OP
Gabe

Gabe

Tek Monkey
Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
144
Location
Maryland
Bike
2011 Black Honda NT700VA
The triangle effect is exactly what I am hoping for, my concern for mounting them on the wheels is that the front wheel / fender blocks some light when viewing the bike from almost any angle other than almost head on. I am hoping for maximum noticeability from almost any angle forward of the bike and as close to 180 degrees as possible.

Do you have any photos perchance?
 

junglejim

Site Supporter
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
2,119
Location
Northern WI
Bike
Tiger 800, NT sold
Here is the way I mounted the DM (minis). I know the D2s are larger. I didn't want to mount the lights on an un-sprung part of the bike so I stayed on the upper portion when looking at options.

They light up the road real well and shine down onto the pavement showing up potholes and pavement cracks etc.
a few people have told me they overpower my turn signals because they are so bright, others said they see my turn signals just fine. When I looked at the signals with the lights on bright I didn't think there was a problem, but different light conditions could produce different effects. Also they are illegal in some states because they are mounted ABOVE the headlight height, but I've never had a problem because that. We don't have inspections here, so I guess I pass.
 

Attachments

Phil Tarman

Site Supporter
Moderator
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
9,367
Age
81
Location
Greeley, CO
Bike
2010 Silver NT700VA (ABS)
I've got my D1s on the fender mount and have been told by lots of people how well they make the bike show up. Nobody's ever mentioned that the wheel blocks the light from one bulb. I think the triangle effect Alex mentioned is best in this location.

I've also ridden a lot of miles with both Jim and Rick Ryan (who has his mounted on a bar just below the main fairing so that they're just below the headlight. Jim's showed up better, I think, but both his and Rick's looked more like one light than three the farther away from them. The Denalis are so bright they overpower a low-beam headlight.

With mine mounted on the fender, they still light up the road and the ditches pretty well.

However you mount them, they're going to improve your own visibility and make you much more visible to others.
 
Joined
May 1, 2013
Messages
716
Location
McAllen, Texas
Bike
2010 Silver NT700
I'm putting a set of Cyclops lights on mine, and have been grappling with the same issues. Daboo (Chris) posted some great pix of his mounting for lights (even included a template) and Junglejim's mounting point is essentially the same. I do worry about the lights blotting out turn signals, and that's a safety factor when commuting.

I don't like the fender mounting as I'm not sure people can see them in heavy commuting traffic.

Another place to mount them is on the tip-over wings. Of course, that means if the bike goes over - even in a simple SAD - the light is busted. I'm inclined to go this route as it creates a very definite triangle effect, throws the light well and would be legal. I'll just have to take the risk of the SAD, with the knowledge I'll probably have to buy another light if its a moving tip-over.

But then again, I'm fickle and open to suggestions.
 
OP
OP
Gabe

Gabe

Tek Monkey
Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
144
Location
Maryland
Bike
2011 Black Honda NT700VA
While the various scenarios all work, I like the idea of spacing them further apart at or just above the height of the tip over wings. I wonder if there is a way to mount them a little higher in case of a small sad or a moment of "DOH!" The further apart and away from other lights, the better the triangle effect that gives other traffic the ability to better guage distance. This is my ideal location, but still scratching my head as to how to potentially affix them so they wouldn't get crushed in a tip-over.
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
1,285
Location
Arkansas
Bike
2020 Kawasaki Versys
I have D2's mounted under the tipover wings and am happy with the location. The wiring stays tucked in and the light triangle effect shows up well.
I really like the extra light from these units. Lights up the road very well.

Brad
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2011
Messages
1,285
Location
Arkansas
Bike
2020 Kawasaki Versys
I haven't had a tipover. They could certainly get damaged if the bike gets parked on it's side.
Here are a couple pics.

Brad
 

Attachments

junglejim

Site Supporter
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
2,119
Location
Northern WI
Bike
Tiger 800, NT sold
I like the graphic Chris. It illustrates my thinking as well. Plus you used a BLACK NT. Perfect!

Maybe that angle is a minor thing especially when you consider other variables like adjusting the rear suspension, adding touring gear to the rear or a load of groceries in the panniers (or the number of Big Macs I ate last week). I have rarely, if ever, been flashed by an oncoming driver at night. That MIGHT be due to my high mounted lights.

Of all the locations I considered there were always trade-offs. Most of the considerations have all been mentioned above except the ease of fabrication of a mounting bracket. I actually enjoy fabrication work, but simple is often best. The opposite end of that scale is the BMW lights that turn as you lean into a corner. To achieve the ideal you would have a system that you could adjust to give you the best performance for the situation you have at any one time. I don't see that happening on an NT, but BMW might have something coming.
 
OP
OP
Gabe

Gabe

Tek Monkey
Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
144
Location
Maryland
Bike
2011 Black Honda NT700VA
Chris, great graphic and points, thanks! Another point to consider, (besides the proportions of vehicle sizes being incorrect in the diagram - but a good diagram nonetheless), is that any light is virtually bright when stared directly at - and most people aren't in fact blinded, merely annoyed enough to flash, and I imagine very few into a ditch or obstacle from being blinded. If it gets their attention (even in some slight annoyance), that means they see me and the effect is working properly. It might be also better to err on the side of a slight annoyance than chance being not seen enough. The bikes I've seen with bright LED's are a fraction of the annoyance (and blinding) that modern cars, trucks and SUV's have with their halogens, super-LEDs and other piercing blue or fancy shmancy new sun-tan lights. And if drivers can handle those, I figure they can certainly handle a motorcycle with an order of magnitude less brightness. Of course it won't be that way in all situations and it depends on surrounding lighting, vehicles, 1 lane or 4 lanes and other conditions and the former of which will look more blinding in almost any vehicle come to think of it - oncoming traffic always is, but I digress. Regardless, thanks for the graphic and for "illuminating" the possibilities. ;-)

One reason I opted to for the D2's is a lower-power light setting can be used for night/daytime. I would personally favor a mid-to-higher mounting point with the ability to aim them down at the road. My first biggest concern is being seen at night and my second is poor illumination from the main headlamp. Thus I would have absolutely NO problem redirecting 75% of the light towards the road surface to find debris, illuminate corners, spot potholes, tar snakes, road lines, squirrels, cats and dogs, small children, gremlins, etc. Based on the mount points in the photos on the tip-over wings (thank you Brad) I wonder if there might be less chance of damaging the lights by mounting them atop of the tip-over wings. I have no problem getting a new mount or even metal bracket, it's the light I don't want totally destroyed if at all possible. If you draw an imaginary line from wheel out to the tip over wing, there seems to be less space underneath than there would be atop, so I might "hazard" a guess that the top of the tip-over wing might result in less damage to any light when/if the bike hits them. Then again if I have a sad hard enough to "knock my lights out", there might be bigger concerns to think about than a pair of LED headlamps. (pun intended.) ;-)
 

Phil Tarman

Site Supporter
Moderator
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
9,367
Age
81
Location
Greeley, CO
Bike
2010 Silver NT700VA (ABS)
Well, I'm a dissenter. I've got mine, as you know, mounted on the fender bolt. I aimed them so the center of the beam hit my garage door the same distance below the center of my low-beam light as the distance between the low-beam light and the driving lights. I have only been "flashed" five or six times since I got my headlights properly aimed. For quite a while, I was getting flashed when I was using the low-beams and the Denalis, but then one night when I was driving down my street I realized that the headlights were aimed way too high. When I re-aimed them, the flashing by bothered oncoming drivers almost completely went away.

I can definitely see farther down the road with the Denalis than I can with just the low-beam. My properly-aimed high-beams throw their light a bit farther than the Denalis. Mile markers show up between 8 and 9/10ths of a mile away with high beams. I've seen rabbits a couple hundred yards away and deer farther than that.

At the IBA Meeting in August there were some high-powered LED lights that would blister paint several hundred yards away. My Denalis aren't that good!
 
OP
OP
Gabe

Gabe

Tek Monkey
Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
144
Location
Maryland
Bike
2011 Black Honda NT700VA
Phil, dissenters abound - my decision isn't made in stone yet and this is a great discussion on the pros and cons of mounting accessory lighting in various places. Perchance do you have any photos, closeups and night pics? I would love to see how Denali's look in any dark settings in each of these mount point settings.
 
OP
OP
Gabe

Gabe

Tek Monkey
Joined
Apr 19, 2012
Messages
144
Location
Maryland
Bike
2011 Black Honda NT700VA
Chris - I completely agree, and don't want to overdo it and be a nuisance. The photos of Denalis mounted on the front fender makes me think that might not be so bad and permit a triangle effect more visibly than on the sides of the NT. So I'm leaning towards that at the moment. If they're not doing the job I can always go through the headache of relocating them, but from what folks are saying it sounds like it fits the bill well. I'm hoping the Denali's last awhile given the low profile and vibrations from the front wheel. Guessing that the mileage put on by Phil and other riders here with Denali lights mounted on the front fender is probably testament to their durability - I hope. If not, then I'll probably be going the Monster route as I am loathe to pay any premium twice.
 

Phil Tarman

Site Supporter
Moderator
Joined
Dec 12, 2010
Messages
9,367
Age
81
Location
Greeley, CO
Bike
2010 Silver NT700VA (ABS)
Gabe, I didn't get any pictures taken of the bike with it's Denalis last night -- it was cold and windy. It's still cold tonight, but there's no wind, so I'll go out and get some pix a little later.

One of my Denalis did develop a leak which shorted out the lights while I was on my Epic Ride, but I don't think that had anything to do with vibration. Twisted Throttle replaced the light.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 19, 2013
Messages
278
Location
Montana
Bike
2011 Black NT700
Sorry if this has already been covered. I mounted auxiliary lights in place of the front reflectors.
IMG_20140527_141016.jpg
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom