Motorcycle auxiliary lights

Motorcycle auxiliary lights add to what the stock headlight gives you: they widen the beam on unlit bends, cut through fog better or make the bike easier to pick out head-on. They are the classic addition to a touring adventure bike, although there are chrome options for customs too. Here you will find Puig's Beam and Mist lights, the SW-MOTECH EVO range and Highsider's additional lights.

Which light you need

• Fog lights: they spread the light wide and close to the ground with a sharp cut-off, so fog, heavy rain or dust do not throw the glare back at you. That is what the SW-MOTECH EVO fog lights and the Highsider fog lamps, LED versions included, are for.
• Driving or long-range lights: a narrower, deeper beam that backs up your main beam, such as the EVO driving lights or Highsider's twin 90 mm set.
• Daytime running and position lights: they do not light up the road, they make you visible.

Where they mount

The handiest spot is on the crash bars, which sit at a good height and away from the engine, using clamps sized to the tube. Other options are a bracket made for your model, such as Puig's Beam 2.0 and Beam 3.0 for the BMW R 1300 GS or the SW-MOTECH EVO kits with their own part number for each bike, or the forks and headlight brackets. Before drilling anything, make sure they do not hide the indicators or block airflow to the radiator, and that the bars turn lock to lock without touching them. If you ride gravel tracks, the guards for the EVO lights stop a stone breaking the lens.

When to switch them on

A front fog light is for when visibility calls for it, not for show, and long-range lights go off just like main beam as soon as someone comes the other way. To fit them you will need their own relay, fuse and switch; how to wire them and what marking they need is covered in motorcycle lighting. Each brand also has its own section, such as the SW-MOTECH auxiliary lights or the Highsider auxiliary lights.