- Joined
- May 20, 2004
- Messages
- 12,838
- Reaction score
- 661
- Location
- Austin, TX
- First Name
- Rusty
- Last Name
- Myers
Just wanted to share a good experience with Clearwater lights. A little history first. A lady I work with (was my manager at the time of her accident) fell off a deck over a year ago and broke her neck. She is now a quadriplegic with limited use of her arms. Before that accident she was very athletic and had competed in and completed nine full Ironman triathlons. Fast forward to a few months ago and she has a race wheel chair and a hand bike and was starting to train. She is very slow, but determined. And she signed up for a short triathlon in the Austin area the first weekend in August. So what does that have to do with Clearwater lights? Well, she is riding a different route than the non-handicapped athletes and it is through a neighborhood. I helped her scout the route and while she has a non-handicapped assistant, it seems like having something more visible leading would be good.
Alright, that is the lead in. I have a 2013 BMW K1600 that I bought used. It came with Clearwater Darla lights and their CANopener, which ties the lights into BMW accessory power/communication bus. I read that they can be set to flash when the hazards are on, but it turned out my version of the CANopener firmware only would flash when the hazard button was held. Meaning I'd have to ride very slowly, with my right thumb on the hazard button while still working the brake and throttle. So I contacted Clearwater to see if I could get my unit's firmware upgraded to the version that supports full flashing when the hazards are on instead of momentarily. And they were happy to help. In fact, they shipped me a loaner system first so I would have it in place and working in time for the race and I shipped mine back for upgrade. All of this is no-charge. Granted this is a special situation, but I'm no master negotiator, I just asked how much to upgrade and if it was possible and told them why. They did the rest. So now I'm all set up to lead her through the neighborhood with flashers and my Darla lights alerting people in front. The only trick now is practicing riding less than 10 mph for 6 miles in high heat. But if she can do the swim, bike and run, I can handle this little task.
So when you evaluate which lights to get for your bike, I urge you to consider Clearwater. I've had a set of Kristas on my R1200GSA for almost 6 years and wouldn't go without them. They ship with good instructions, and with wiring and hookups for many bikes. Having a turnkey setup that you don't need to be a wiring expert for is very nice. Having support like they have is icing on the cake.
Alright, that is the lead in. I have a 2013 BMW K1600 that I bought used. It came with Clearwater Darla lights and their CANopener, which ties the lights into BMW accessory power/communication bus. I read that they can be set to flash when the hazards are on, but it turned out my version of the CANopener firmware only would flash when the hazard button was held. Meaning I'd have to ride very slowly, with my right thumb on the hazard button while still working the brake and throttle. So I contacted Clearwater to see if I could get my unit's firmware upgraded to the version that supports full flashing when the hazards are on instead of momentarily. And they were happy to help. In fact, they shipped me a loaner system first so I would have it in place and working in time for the race and I shipped mine back for upgrade. All of this is no-charge. Granted this is a special situation, but I'm no master negotiator, I just asked how much to upgrade and if it was possible and told them why. They did the rest. So now I'm all set up to lead her through the neighborhood with flashers and my Darla lights alerting people in front. The only trick now is practicing riding less than 10 mph for 6 miles in high heat. But if she can do the swim, bike and run, I can handle this little task.
So when you evaluate which lights to get for your bike, I urge you to consider Clearwater. I've had a set of Kristas on my R1200GSA for almost 6 years and wouldn't go without them. They ship with good instructions, and with wiring and hookups for many bikes. Having a turnkey setup that you don't need to be a wiring expert for is very nice. Having support like they have is icing on the cake.