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Baja Designs Quick Mount Single HeadlampManufacturer: Baja Designs
I've always hated to night ride, but now, thanks to Baja Designs, it's a hoot! We have yet to go to Baja and not be forced into a night ride for one reason or another. With this in mind I couldn’t resist the temptation that Baja Designs offered. I had decided to have my lighting coil re-wound for higher output when Alan at Baja Designs convinced me to go for a higher output light as well. They are certainly the leader in off-road motorcycle lighting and have a variety of choices. They have setups that include either a single or a double 8" PIAA headlamp. They also have some really cool HID setups. Their HIDs are the wave to the future providing the equivalent of 250 watts of lighting output while using a mere 50 watts. However the price tag on these is not for the squeamish. I chose to go with the Baja Designs Quick Mount Single. This is the single 8" PIAA headlamp with "quick release" mounting hardware. Reader be warned, this is a heavy setup. The light with mount weighs in at almost 6 lbs., the mount alone is 1 lb., 12 oz. Is the added weight worth it? YES! However, don’t even consider this unless you also plan to add to the output of your lighting coil. I chose this setup because it is rugged and provides a lot of light but is cheaper and lighter than the dual-light setup. I also chose to add the optional rock guard. The headlamp is wired to accept a dual-filament bulb, and the kit comes with instructions for a variety of wiring configurations. I chose to wire mine to the existing wiring of my BD Dual Sport Lighting Kit. This required adding my stock AC regulator that was removed when installing the DS kit. Installation was simple and took less than an hour, thanks to the help of my, then, nearly four-year-old son. For those who do not have a DS kit installed, the light can be wired to either high or low beam or to both beams if your lighting coil has been wired for dual outputs. I have to admit that I was a little misled by the term "Quick Mount." I thought that this meant I could simply swap the PIAA light for my Acerbis light and vice versa. While this is true, it’s not as quick as I’d like. The PIAA can be removed by simply removing two pins and pulling the light from the mounting bracket. This makes bulb changes a snap. However, the mounting bracket remains in place and interferes with installing the Acerbis light. Removing the mounting bracket is simple enough and involves nothing more then removing the four large hose clamps that hold it in place. However, this is too much work for someone as lazy as I am. The bottom line is that I’ll probably stick with the PIAA and put a weaker DOT acceptable bulb in it for street use.
One of the coolest features of this light is the big-ol' knob on the top that lets the rider simply adjust where the light points while riding. This proved to be invaluable our last night in Baja. I was so excited to have the extra light that I insisted we take one final night-ride. Unfortunately, it was raining and pretty muddy. With fogged-up muddy goggles visibility was poor. We chose a tight, rocky, single-track for the ride and I found myself moving the headlight beam up and down quite a bit depending on my speed. This quick adjustability made for more fun than anyone should be allowed…
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