This is a joke right???? - Ron

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I just want to know where you are going to mount the car battery....

How about one of those BoB trailers??

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TheBikeRacer.com

Is that the only way to power a 12volt lighting system? Seems like there is some crazy people among us that would have done this already, just because they could. By the way, didn't the old Beetles and some motorcycles use a 6volt system? I'm pretty sure 6volt batteries are a lot lighter, but that doesn't mean it'd stay charged overnight of course. I'll probably end up with a cheesy little $20 light if I pull this off.

As far as this being a joke, I realize those lights look funny, but it'd rock to be able light up the road like a car.

Check out some dune buggy websites. I've seen that style lighting system on "Rally" Motorcycles like in that Paris-Dakar race.

I'm sure it can be done and yeah, EVERYONE would know you are coming.

Oh yeah, maybe you can get one of those old style generators that rub against the bike tire to fire up the light! Now that would be killer, huh?

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TheBikeRacer.com

Try this one.
http://bicyclelighting.com

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Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

6 or 12 volt isn't going to have a big effect on the battery size because what you're really concerned with is wattage and amp hours. The batteries for a typical bicycle lighting system use 10 "c" size batteries - 1.25 volts each for a total of 12.5 volts. The lamps are usually 10 or 20 watts. The batteries typically last for 4 hours or so with 10 watt lamp and proportionately less time if using the 20 watt lamp or 2 in combination. The lights you have are probably very high wattage and would drain the battery in a few minutes.

There are a couple of Internet sites that have instructions for homemade lighting systems built from components you can find in any hardware store. The batteries are a little trickier to build but I've made a couple in water bottles for around $25.

In the past, the cheap clip on lights didn't throw enough light on the road to be of much use. I wouldn't ride in the situation that you describe without a lighting system that throws out 10 watts minimum and is capable of putting out 30 watts in especially dark or dangerous areas.

Sunrise to sunset during the winter could be 12 hours or more which means a logistical challenge to carry enough batteries to last. You'd probably need at least 2 or 3 car batteries for the lights pictured. A bicycle light system would go through 4 or 5 rechargables. I don't know how many batteries the cheesy light will use but I bet it will be a lot.

Good luck.

Larry

The "cheesy" light last for hundreds of hours, it's more of a light that lets you be legal than it is for actually lighting the way. I don't think those mondo lights are going to be doable, they are 60 watt xenon-fakies, and I sure as hell am not carrying 2 or 3 car batteries with me on a long ride. Maybe I'll have to do it like the animals, with no light. Hell, this ride is about the winter solstice and the void of darkness, so the theme would seem to call for not using any lights at all; plus it'd make the sunset that much more dramatic.

By the way, in my area, basically Los Angeles, it looks like it'll set on the 21st at 4:48pm and rise on the 22nd at 6:56am. Pretty damn long ride.

http://www.klorg.com/bike/