I should have written that differently…never rode with aux lights on moto (I’m a little behind in that dept) & used to main headlight on gs (sharp lens cutoff definition creating darkness when in tight turns). Asking if SAE rated fog or driving aux lights still create dark areas when turning sharply or… Placed an order today for D3 driving, so will find out - 6 weeks out still.
@Boston Dan Do they now have yellow covers? Or home-crafted? EDIT: Scratch that ... just saw them on the site and ordered the Yellow
You'll get lots of side-light so should be fine. This is where the fogs might have better .. they grow wide instead of the narrow long-throw of the spots/driving
Apologies, late to the party! There shouldn't be a ton of feedback about the D3 as we haven't shipped them yet. We are anxiously waiting by the door for the first shipment to arrive. That said, I can elaborate a bit on performance and configuration options. The DENALI D3 with our TriOptic hybrid lens will do exactly what you are describing: project a ton of light down the road while also lighting up the sides. The hybrid lens gives a beam distance of 1050 feet (320 meters) and a width of 225 feet (69 meters), all at 1 lux. You could also consider running a spot lens paired with a hybrid lens combo for a bit more reach (1520'/463m L x 175'/53m W). The beam patterns are below: Since you ride a BMW, the CANsmart is hard to beat, especially if you are considering adding other accessories such as horns, powered outlets, or heated gear. The CANsmart integrates perfectly with the BMW canbus and provides a really solid experience. You mentioned wanting a rear light, the CANsmart integrates perfectly with the DENALI B6 brake light as well. Everything you need comes with the CANsmart to wire up our lights. If you don't plan to add anything beyond a couple of sets of driving lights, check out our new DialDim Controller. It is a nifty new piece of kit but with the GS, you will love the customization of the CS. This is great advice! Pre-order through TT and you will get it as soon as it is available to ship.
Thank you @DENALI Electronics …preordered with @twistedthrottle & included the CANsmart. Looking forward to a bright future!
I’ve got one D3 installed. Had to send the other back to revzilla for replacement. I might have a first impression report this weekend. Not sure if I’m going to run 1 spot, 1 hybrid, or both hybrid. I moved my oem aux lights to the Altrider lower crash bars.
this Post from TownPump absolutely sold me on the D4's. I love this look. saved this picture to my computer and looked at it multiple times. I have purchased but not yet installed D4 with yellow lenses and a dual D6 brake light. I think I will run the yellow lens day and night as I think it will stand out well for being seen and the slightly yellow light at night might be interesting. if I don't like it at night, I will get some thumb screws from McMaster Carr for tool less changes on the road between clear and yellow. I considered the D3 lights as are talked about from the OP. I think they will be an awesome choice for anyone and they are slightly more compact than the D4. I picked the D4 because my mind favored the square look, which to me looks bad ass. I also picked up the ruby mount instead of the welded denali mount. I believe that will make the install a bit easier. I really should get a horn as the stock horn is quite "wimmpy" and install that too while I am in there with all of the parts off to run the wires. Although i think the canbus unit came with a horn wire so i can run it anyways even if at the time I don't have a new horn.
Got the D3's, B6 rear, & Cansmart installed...just waiting on selective yellow lenses. Great lights! The comparison vid from @DENALI Electronics confirmed what I was thinking - thanks!
Even more in-depth review and comparison of all of the Denali lights by the Bike Thing dude here. Very thorough. I have S4s, and was thinking about swapping them out for D4s or D3s, but probably won't now. But if I was buying new, I would probably consider the D3s or D4s over the S4s.
Depends... my two red cents on this. What do you want to illuminate upon the turning on of the fog lights? Fog lights are to be mounted lower and are for slower speeds of travel under low visibility conditions. I use CW Darlas mounted on the bike forks with amber lens covers for lighting the path of the bike relative to any markings on the road (left or right road stripes) during speeds (slow or moderate) relative to the visibility condition I am in. And I use CW Sevina and Erica lights with clear lens protectors mounted to a light bar to light up the surroundings (different beam patterns (wider or narrower)) towards the direction and speed (slow, moderate, and fast) I am going. The Darlas are turned on as I need them. The other lights are at 30% power and continuously on, and can be turned up to 100% as needed too. You might get away with one set of lights and amber lens. But you will have to stop, put on these lenses, and realign the lights or not (if the lights have a broad as well as narrow beam focus). Or drive continuously with the amber lenses but the Highway Code gives explicit instruction on when you shouldn't use fog lights, in Rule 236: "You MUST NOT use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (see Rule 226) as they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. You MUST switch them off when visibility improves." Or vary by state. The main thing to know: you can't use fog lights in a way that creates glare for other drivers. They have to be pointed and used so they won't interfere with visibility for another driver within 25 feet
Older thread - but for those who have purchased the D3 or D4 lights with yellow lens - what intensity level have you settled on for use during the daytime?
I don't use Denali but perhaps their carbus controller setup guide has something similar to my CW one as illustrated. I use my Darlas as my fog lamp and set them up at the fork positions 3 inches above the front wheel axel. They are off unless I turn them on or if I flash my horn or have my hazard lights on. I have set mine to 100% percent power when in use. The other running lights, are on and set at power levels relative to day or night light sensing.
20% to 30% seems to be the norm. I run my D7s at 30% daytime ... mostly due to my GSA headlight being garbage.
Late returning back to the party here, but wanted to make sure the information was out for others. The CANsmart Controller allows for the exact setup that you describe and can be manually overridden on the fly with the OEM controls (wonderwheel bikes or not). Settings can also be adjusted for day/night settings...
I have installed D3 fog lights on my jeep and tried them on my bike. If you ask me, a waste of money. They do not illuminate anything. I use them now in my jeep as DRL lights.
I bought the D3 fog lights, and this is what I get about 30ft from the wall. The beam pattern seems extremely tight. I'm not sure if this is going to do anything useful. I was expecting a bit more flood on the bottom side of it. Does this align with your experience?
It's hard to tell where bike is sitting relative to the garage door, but why do you have then aimed up so high ? When aimed properly, the very clean top cutoff line should be measured a couple inches below where the lights are actually situated above the ground.
Because it isn’t mounted on a bike yet. Holding it in my hand. Aimed high to show a pattern above the car that is in the way. after a little more testing with a second light it is better. I can offset the lights to get a “thicker” beam. Still seems a bit underwhelming. Light intensity seems good though, at least reflecting off a snowy ground
