Triumphrat

Tigerfeet

I know some Tiger owners have had these PIAA lamps fitted to their bikes so my question is, do they make much of an improvement? are they worth the money?...
The reason I ask is that the lenses appear to be quite small, so how can they contribute any extra worthwhile illumination to the two Triumph headlights?...
TF.

JRO

I have some PIAA's. I had them on my old bike, and intend to mount them on my Tiger, when I get around to making myself some crash bars.

PIAA's are great. They may look small, but they will light to road up like spotlights. Oncoming drivers may not like it; a few will flash their brights at you. Don't dismiss them because of size; you will be pleasantly shocked at how much light they provide.

However - I'll add this. You can find lots of cheap halogen driving lights, at any Walmart or auto parts store, for a LOT less money, that will do about the same job. I would suggest you try a pair of $20 off-brand lights, and see if you're not happy with them. Fact is, I took my PIAA's off my previous bike and replaced them with some AutoZone special look-alikes, because the bulbs burned out on my PIAA's, and the bulbs cost more than these things did. They weren't quite as bright, but nearly so.

Oh, and if you DO go with PIAA's (or any kind), don't bother with expensive bulb replacements. $6 a bulb GE haolgens seem to work just as good.

flyintiger

the PIAA's are awesome and well worth the money. i live in the mountains and ride at night several times a week. with my PIAA's i'm never in doubt about what's ahead of me, and i'm able to drive just as fast as during the day. i have mine wired to only come on with my brights (although i can turn them off independantly) and they are great for filling out the low beam space while still helping out for the long throw.

if you want some proof here's some pics of my lighting upgrades. this is a combo of both PIAA H4 upgrades for my two tiger lights, plus the PIAA 1100's. i did it in two stages, the headlights then the driving lights. the pics were taken with a digital SLR with a set expose and aperature so that the pics are acurately comparable.

so first, here's my upgrade to new xtreme white H4's, note, one of my low's was out, so i show the new bulbs with both one and two lights...

so here's one OEM low beam...


one PIAA xtreme white low beam...


two PIAA xtreme white low beams...


two OEM high beams...


two PIAA xtreme white high beams...


now that was better, but i still wanted more. so i installed the PIAA 1100's in the horn cutouts of my steamer. here's the results from that. since i did this after the bulbs i reshot the regular low and high so the photos are a true comparison since the bike was in a different position and i had forgotten the exact settings i had on the camera for the first set of pics.

so heres the H4 extreme white lows again...


so heres the H4 extreme white highs again...


and finally the money shot, the H4's on high + the piaa 1100's...


my opinion is if you're going to get aux lighting, do it right and spend the money on some good lights. i love my PIAA's and as long as i live in the mountains with deer, fallen trees, mudslides, and stupid cagers i will not ride without them.

akells

punch buggy black.

Spacecom

NO PUNCH BACKS! :-D

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Spacecom ;)
'02 Tiger 955i
'04 Bonnie

used2jeep

Fog or driving light pattern on the 1100s?

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AF&AM, AANOMS, AASR, ARRL, IBA #19002

flyintiger

punch buggy..where's the headshaking emoticon when you need it?

i think the 1100-X's only came in driving pattern. i think the lens is supposed to give it a decent throw while still filling out the close range. i could be wrong, but i know i did not want just a fog light. PIAA's site only list it as a driving, but i see 3rd party sites that say fog, more than likely the 3rd party sites are wrong. i find the light to be a good combo of both, however since mine is wired with my HIGHs i do not use them in heavy fog (which i ride a -lot- in) and even if they were seperate i think they'd be too much for fog. i had some amber HELLAs on my old truck, they were awesome in the fog. i think for fog duty nothing beats a good amber light.

hth's
droo

NMT955

Advice needed.

Can The PIAAA spots be mounted without recourse to drilling/damaging the bodywork.

Also does anyone have experience of the offerrings from Touratech. I quite like the look of these ( I'm not into the bright chrome of PIAAA's)and am assured these will mount to existing fixings. Does anyone know if the light patern is pure fog light or could they be used for general riding lamps.
I can't justify the expense of HID so need to know if Touratech's cheaper options will do the trick.

Regards

Neil.

flyintiger

not sure about mounting on girlie tigers, they fit so pefectly in the steamer's horn cut out. (i went down to one horn and put it under the side plastic)...



according to PIAA's website they are driving lights and i can definitely say they are not purely fog lights.

if you don't like the chrome finish just paint them with krylon, or you can look for the discontinued 1200's which are kind of like the 1100x...

http://www.racerwheel.com/pia-1252.html

Tigerfeet

What bulbs do these Piaa's take H4,s or H something else....
Are amber bulbs available for these?
TF.