The skull project!

[Soul]

Alright, since I was getting random comments about the headlight setup I am beginning to do I thought I could post a little information on it.
I got some driving lights, pretty cheapo ones from walmart for like 23$. I went with the round ones that have like 1.5 or 2" lenses. The casing is probably a 3" or so diameter..A little big, but I can get rid of the casing, that makes the lense the biggest part.
The first skull I bought I feel is a little too small. The lenses would not quite fit in the eye sockets. here is the first one i bought:

https://usa.3bscientific.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.displayProduct/productareaID/3/grpID/65/subgroupID/55/productID/29/image/zoom.htm

The skull only measured 5.5 or 6 inches wide, which I thought would be ok. I may be able to make it work but im not sure. I took the skull apart (the face is 3 or 4 peices) and I cut off the back of it. Basically I started hollowing out more behind the eyes, but to get the lights to work I would probably have to make it look like a crack baby head or something.
The next skull is currently on the way, I won it on ebay and it is quite abit bigger, and the coolest thing..its made of bone.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7392912867&sspagename=ADME%3AB%3ABCB%3AMT%3A12

So I am hoping this will work a little better. It may require some trimming, but this one is 9" wide (a little wider than the stock headlight, which is around 8" wide i think) so hopefully I can make it work, and of course make it look nice.
If i cannot get the lights in the eyes I may change up and put a light inside the mouth, it may end up looking cool if I have the skull chomping down on a light.
So. Any ideas on better ways to get either of the skulls to work out in my favor?

[Makenzie71]

Man I got to commend your ingenuity and desire to try something new but you're wandering down an unsafe road with the cheapo foggies. Now, if you'll even listen to those who've already been there, I'll share why they're a tremendously bad idea...otherwise I'll save my time.

If you're really wanting to do this, you need to invest in a couple projectors.

[Soul]

Whats the difference between fog lights and driving lights? I didnt buy fog lights..but I have also seen my friends driving lights (the orange bike i posted in another thread) and they are much better than the 2 bikes HE had before, and much better than my stock headlight..I am sure I will see better than I did before at night. But, if they suck i will swap them out, its building it all to work and look nice that is the challenge. There are plenty of nice small lights out there, for a cost. If it isnt safe at night, im not going to kill myself to try and save a few bucks. But, if it works and I can see well and I feel safe, why spend any more money than needed to get it done right?

[Makenzie71]

Whats the difference between fog lights and driving lights? I didnt buy fog lights..but I have also seen my friends driving lights (the orange bike i posted in another thread) and they are much better than the 2 bikes HE had before, and much better than my stock headlight..I am sure I will see better than I did before at night. But, if they suck i will swap them out, its building it all to work and look nice that is the challenge. There are plenty of nice small lights out there, for a cost. If it isnt safe at night, im not going to kill myself to try and save a few bucks. But, if it works and I can see well and I feel safe, why spend any more money than needed to get it done right?

The difference between fog lights and driving lights are the color. Fog lights have an amber hue to them. This is because amber doesn't mirror as badly in low visabillity conditions. Driving lights are any other color. They're designed to be close-range aids with your low beam headlight.

Neither of these produce a beam adequate for night time driving, primarilly because of range. They're poorly focused and create a broad beam, which makes them very offensive to oncoming traffic when aimed in an attempt to provide headlight lighting. They're also completely useless in anything but pitchblack...sky lighting, city lights, traffic's headlamps, dawn/dusk, etc and they'll be completely worthless. They're also not legal. I mean really think about it: you're replacing a headlight that is accepted worldwide as suitable for road use with two little lights that isn't endorsed by anyone but Wal-Mart to do anything.

Now if you want some REAL lighting, look into Hella composite housings similar to this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Hella-7-H4-Round-Headlamp-Headlight-Lamp-Headlights_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33710QQitemZ8042804718QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

That's just an example and it's not what I use...the Hella pieces that I use I pick up from Autozon typically and they have a different pattern lense, that must be a discontinued piece or something. With quality bulbs they produce the best lighting out there.

If you really want to pursue the skull thing you really need to look into using projectors.

[dagus]

If you can get good lights to fit in there, that's going to look absolutely wicked.

As far as aesthetics are concerned, here's my suggestions:

-Mount your clip-ons under the triple.

-Ditch the stock speedo and tach for one of those tiny digital bicycle speedometers. Mount the idiot lights and the speedo through the top of the skull.

I'll get busy with those sketches for you!

[bfizzle]

They're also not legal. I mean really think about it: you're replacing a headlight that is accepted worldwide as suitable for road use with two little lights that isn't endorsed by anyone but Wal-Mart to do anything.

The legallity of lights is not determined by the actual light, but the distance the light shows. If you can get the required lit distance to be safe and legal, then who cares if the lights are from WalMart. Each light is 55w so there should be enough light to replace the headlight.

[Makenzie71]

The legallity of lights is not determined by the actual light, but the distance the light shows. If you can get the required lit distance to be safe and legal, then who cares if the lights are from WalMart. Each light is 55w so there should be enough light to replace the headlight.

I think you're confusing things they check with things that are legal.

Ever look at your headlight? There's a nice DOT stamp on it and a number. If it's approved but the US Department of Transportation for use on US roadways, it's not legal. Doesn't matter if the light sucks, the lights fabulous, or if it's bright enough to make the area directly in front of you a national disaster zone...if it's not DOT approved, it's not legal.

[Soul]

Hate to say it, but i dont care if the lights are legal..at all. I care if they perform how i want them to. I have never had a cop check my headlights before to make sure they had a dot stamp.. either way the subject doesnt matter, I will use what works best for me. Whatever I feel safest using I will use.

[bfizzle]

Vehicle laws differ from state to state...

Idaho requirement lists:

Headlights: Two headlamps (with high and low beams) are
required and must be aimed to light the road without blinding
oncoming drivers. High beams must allow the driver to see people
and vehicles at least 350 feet away. Low beams must light the
roadway at least 100 feet ahead. Headlights must not be covered
with any reflective, opaque, or non-transparent material.

[Makenzie71]

Hate to say it, but i dont care if the lights are legal..at all. I care if they perform how i want them to. I have never had a cop check my headlights before to make sure they had a dot stamp.. either way the subject doesnt matter, I will use what works best for me. Whatever I feel safest using I will use.

You'll notice that the majoraty of my argument has nothing to do with their legallity.

[Soul]

You'll notice that the majoraty of my argument has nothing to do with their legallity.

And my argument is that I will use what I feel is safest/works best. If the driving lights do not work, I wont use them. Simple as that. If i feel that the lights are better than what I was riding with before I will keep em. It doesnt seem terribly hard to put logic to it..Use what works best?? I wont change my mind about using something I feel works better than what I have used before based on legality (until i get pulled over and I get a fix it ticket), price, brand, place of purchase, etc etc etc etc.

[dagus]

Hate to say it, but i dont care if the lights are legal..at all. I care if they perform how i want them to. I have never had a cop check my headlights before to make sure they had a dot stamp.. either way the subject doesnt matter, I will use what works best for me. Whatever I feel safest using I will use.

I agree. I don't know about Idaho, but in New York, my whole lighting setup is illegal. I have an integrated taillight like Soul's building (but nowhere near as trick) and therefore no blinkers in back; my front two blinkers are aftermarket and not DOT either. On top of that, I've got straight pipes. I'm technically not supposed to pass an inspection, but I know what shops to go to. I could have kept everything stock, but where's the fun in that? It's the difference between a little wrenching and customizing. As long as it works and it's safe - that's priority - I'm happy. I got pulled over once for my pipes, but that was on a main road I know is heavily patrolled (with an eye for bikes, specifically) because of all the squids - no ticket.

Technically, every chopper on the road is illegal in NY, just because of the height of the handlebars! But OCC is god around here...

[Doc]

Umm from a medical standpoint..

Is the real skull going to hold up?

I would think you could find a nice big one at a Halloween supply store, in Plastic!

real bone.. yuck.

[Soul]

ahah Yea i think the skull will hold up. I hope. I have a plastic one that is tough as nails..But it is too small I think, I will keep working with it and grinding it out to try to make it work..but then I saw the real bone one on ebay and I said..ehh i would pay 15$ for that..21 shipped. its about 3 or 4" wider than the skull i already have. so i set that 15$ max bid and i ended up winning. I'm now thinking I will be painting the skull and all that, so that should help abit from the random pelting of bugs and debris..
I will see how tough the bone skull is when I get it I guess, I will definately be letting you guys know about it.
I worry about the skull holding up, how well the lights will work, and of course, how to make it not look tacky or lame..

[Soul]

Well, I got my ebayed skull today...woot. The seller lied..its plastic and instead of being 9" wide it is about 4.5 inches. I dont think it is usable at all. I have emailed him complaining and I am definately annoyed..anyway, that slows down this section of the bike..I will figure something out..