Modern Vespa

Do you feel the MP3 is lit up enough for night riding-in stock form, or have you added front/rear lighting. Speaking from a safety perspective. Of course adding certain accessories is fun and makes your MP3 personalized.

i am not 100% keen on riding at night. i have a set of osram extreme blue 4200k bulbs installed and they are pretty good as far as lighting up the road. the high beam is much better than the bulbs i took out. i do wish it had better lighting for the front though. i know there was a thread about some led driving lights but the price was well north of $300.00. as for mounting options on anything but the fuoco, it would difficult creating a mounting solution. sorry i could not give a better option, but this is my two cents for adding a bit better lighting short of going xenon kits.

I'm a huge proponent of increasing rear conspicuity. Whether using very good reflective tape or some attention-getting lights, the distracted, texting drivers make it more important than ever to call attention to your space.

I haven't installed rear visibility enhancements on the MP3 yet, but I will before it hits the road in Spring.

Deer and texting drivers. I can't control them but I can do what I can do.

Whether or not you ride at night is all a matter of personal comfort. I used to ride a lot at night, so once you get used to it it's not that bad, just like daytime or rush hour or any time you learn what to look for. In the area I rode in you looked for "floating marbles". The more light the better and with the LED options out there now if you do want to start riding at night I'd invest heavily in LED.

I remember seeing a row of red LEDs across the back of a GoldWing trunk. The owner had drilled 1/4" dos. Holes about 3/4"-1" apart. Installed the LEDs from the inside. Very clean and simple. However I don't want or need a trunk on my MP3. I may have to get creative with the rear of the existing bodywork.

I ride a lot at night, primarily on freeways/highways to and/from meetings. My 400 lights up like a holiday tree and I just added two white LED strips (Custom Dynamics) underneath the scooter to illuminate the pavement.

Day or night, I always ride with both beams (they're jumped beneath the headlight switch). Both headlights are 35 watt HIDs (DDM Tuning kit) and they're adjusted at the lowest angle possible. I've never been high-beamed by oncoming traffic.

The rear of my scooter includes an Admore mini-bar and my Givi Maxia top case also has the Admore lighting kit.

Other than my two front stock turn signals (Custom Dynamics), everything but the headlights contain LEDs. I also have amber LED turn signal strips on two of my four mirrors. I'm also armed with a Screaming Banshee horn.

Eric

In my part of the USA it's not a good idea to ride at night on the highways because all the distracted things the drivers do during the day, they're still doing at night, and they're still doing 80MPH in a 50 or 55 zone. Maybe they're not out-driving their headlights, but they're certainly out-driving their reaction time and stopping distance.

And after midnight one out of every 40-ish drivers are driving drunk.

Some of answer....

MP3 HID headlights ?

Wow, Eric, you are a holiday tree! Your lights on the back are terrific!

That is a lot of light.

Wow...

You don't have issues with the under chassis lights? Here in Germany, that would be illegal to run with those lights on while driving. In a parked position, no problems.

I was going to put HID's on mine, as I have a kit that a friend gave me, but they are H7 bulbs and I just have been too lazy to order H1 bulbs. That and the fact that wow, what a PITA to change just two bulbs. Looking at a 2016 MP3 500 anyways, so I don't want to invest too heavily at this point.

This fit in the 250/400 (New 500 maybe too)
front running lights (wedge bulb) and will light up your world.
They FAR outperform anything from overpriced Superbright Leds.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-1400-Lumens-T10-High-Power-Chip-LED-6000K-White-Backup-Reverse-Light-Bulbs-/231288457929?vxp=mtr&hash=item35d9ddcac9

Put these in the rear wedge bulb running lights:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2X-T10-168-921-Extreme-High-Power-3535-Chip-LED-Red-High-Mount-Stop-Light-Bulbs-/331180788038?vxp=mtr&hash=item4d1be9c946

Scroll down for pics
Complete 250/400 Original & LED Bulb Types List (Page 2)

They're illegal in most states in the US, too. But, here, most police will look the other other way for things are are for more "safety" as long as you're not in the "neon cloud" group. Even if you want to say they aren't "under chassis," rear facing (and the definitely illuminate to the rear) clear lights are universally illegal on the road. Still, it's officer discretion, and most here don't care to hassle scooters. YMMV.

On my MP3/250, I thought it needed some help.
Purchased from Maksor an upgrade to Dual H4 Head Lights where I have both on for Low and High Beam. A word of warning, on the MP3/250 you have to upgrade the battery to something large like the EarthX ETX36C, on the MP3/400 and MP3/500, your fine.

On my New MP3/500 Sport, I think it has more then enough stock.
But I am sure I could ask him to do the same Mod for me.

Keith,
Marietta, GA

I feel safe with the stock lighting.

great light set-up EricR...ideas bouncing around now

Has anyone tried the new LED head light retrofit kits that are out yet? The LED drivers are smaller than the HID ballasts.

My MP3 at night. Many thanks to my mechanic for pressing the brake lever to show the top box lit up. 8)

Not on my MP3 but I've been using a Cyclops LED H4 for 2 years now on my DR.
Light output is unreal!!!

They have a H1 but you will loose your caps because of the larger heat sink.
http://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/H1-LED-Headlight-Bulb-2800-lumen_p_133.html

Thanks!

Due to the cooling unit behind most LED headlamp there is not enough space due to the water reservoir on the Gilera Fuoco - MP3 500. However recently a 5th Gen LED by Cree has solved that problem. I'm in a colder clime and have as of yet seen any heat deformation on my water reservoir. It is about 2/3 as bright as a HID but will not degrade like a HID will, plus they are only 20W at 2500LM.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-5th-Gen-H8-H11-Super-White-CREE-L2-LED-Headlights-20W-2500LM-High-Low-Beam-/381341134048?hash=item58c9b3ece0

The heat dissipation isn't for the housing, it is so the LED itself does not degrade.

Indeed that is correct, heat dissipation for the LEDs.
The earliest LEDs has cooling fan and driver on the bulb.
Later one had driver off the bulb but still used cooling fans.
These are a divirgent of the them with passive mesh vrs heat sink/cooling fan.

The bulbs above have too high a color 6500K.
Cyclops (the leader in the industry) has settled on 5500K (after 5700K) as ideal. 6500k is moving into the blue range.
ADV monster still uses 5700k
http://stores.advmonster.com/headlight-replacement/
The Chinese all copy Cyclops so expect 5500K to be their norm.

I agree, the 5000ish or there about is the best. I don't need it cool, I just need it white.

My rear lighting is similar to Eric's, too, with LED strip lighting (Admore) inside the rear reflectors of my GIVI top box. They have the three-way operation: running, stop, and turn signal.

On the front side I replaced the bulbs with a HID lighting kit that I got off eBay. It was fairly easy to install, about an afternoon of work.

I also removed the spring in the Hi/Low beam switch to run both front lights on continuously. I never used the high beams in the past, so I adjusted the high beam light to match the low beam light pattern (technically not legal, but there's no check here in Florida and it would be easy to reverse if desired).

The final product is a scooter that can be seen quite well during the day as well as the night.

The best bet is to ride like you're invisible and never ride in a car's blind spot.

small change of the day for me, I replaced the indicator by a combo rear light, break light and indicator....

frcx94 buy the tailight units from the3 X10 then the turnsignals are in the unit

Thanks Maksor, but the X10 turn signal wasn't compatible with the new 500, furthermore the next step for me is changing the front indicator by a front light and indicator like the rear....

hi my friend frcx94

tell me ,I understand not, you're of paris but your plate is registration of the Cantal, "Department 15" .

you have changed to department ??

your friend and compatriot
loulou .

Hi Loulou,

the origins are not lost, all my vehicles have been registered in the Cantal

Hi
yes I understand, and I respect the fact to be proud of it's roots .
and the Cantal and a very pretty area of France!
but you know me, I cannot resist with the humor with serious things , so I hope you will forgive me his.
so "Je ne m'appelle pas Chantal mais J'aime le Cantal "

very friendly and with all my apologies for the off topic
Your friend

as promised... Work of the day