In search of the ultimate auxilliary lighting solution...

So it's no suprise that the factory DR650 headlight sucks ass. It throws about as much light as a keychain flashlight. In search of improved lighting I replaced the standard halogen bulb with PIAA Exteme White Plus 4,000K H4 bulb. This helped somewhat, but the result is nonetheless the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig: the problem is with the headlight itself -- the reflector & lens are poorly designed. I considered a pair of PIAA compact driving lights (I had a terrific set of PIAA 004XTs on my VW Golf) but since the DR doesn't have a very stout stator, I didn't want to risk overloading the bike's electrical system -- especially since I plan to add heated grips. Running an additional pair of 55 watt lights might strain the weak charging system. So I found a low wattage alternative that, suprisingly, provides more light than halogen driving lights: Solstice Solo S4100 10-watt LED auxilary lights, made by VisionX. They come in 3 beam patterns: flood (wide angle), Euro (medium), spot (narrow). The flood beams don't shoot nearly as far as the spot lights, but they would be far more practical for the purpose I had in mind. I want to leave them on all the time -- partly so that oncoming traffic will see me. But also, since most of my night riding is within the city, I want something that will light the road directly in front of me, not 300 yards ahead. I want to be able to use them in combination with the low beam headlight. But they sure aren't cheap. I found them on Amazon for $120 USD each, plus a few dollars for shipping. Ouch. Totalled up to nearly $300 CDN by the time I had them delivered. But after having a good look at the build quality, and after seeing the light output, I can say that they are worth every penny. And the fact that they only consume 20 watts for the pair is truly a bonus. Believe me, they are bright as hell.