Clearwater Lights’ new Valkyrie auxiliary motorcycle lights pack a stunning 5,500 lumens into a robust aluminum housing that’s just 3 inches in diameter and weighs only 14 ounces. That’s more compact than other popular Clearwater Lights models (e.g., the 6,000-lumen Erica is 3.73 inches in diameter and 20 ounces).
There are two Valkyrie models. The Valkyrie with five-spot LEDs is designed for long-range visibility. The Valkyrie Dual combines three-spot LEDs to illuminate the road far ahead, with two fog LEDs to illuminate the road directly in front of the bike, at the side of the road, and in corners.
The spot LEDs project a combined 8-degree/15-degree circular pencil beam. The fog LEDs project a 60-degree wide-angle beam. Note that the fog optics are directional, so Valkyrie Duals must be mounted with fog LEDs positioned at the bottom and oriented parallel to the ground.
I wanted a compact auxiliary light for my 2025 BMW F 900 XR to increase conspicuity during daylight. I also wanted the ability to turn night into day, as I’ve grown accustomed to with Clearwater Ericas on two previous BMWs.
Valkyries use Clearwater Lights’ proprietary CANopener system to integrate seamlessly with BMW’s electrical system, with no tapping or splicing needed. Lights are controlled using the bike’s OEM switchgear.
On the XR, the CANopener module engages with the bike via the Lean Angle Sensor under the seat. I unplugged the factory harness and plugged in the CANopener, then plugged the BMW factory harness back into the CANopener, which has a pass-through built in.
The engine guard bars that I added to my XR provided a convenient place to mount the lights using supplied hardware. Then I connected the lights and routed the various wires and cables neatly to avoid contact with suspension, steering, and parts that get hot. Finally, I attached the power wires to the battery. The installation wasn’t difficult, although I took my time getting familiar with a new bike and ensuring everything was secure and tidy.
Valkyries feature adjustable brightness in 10% increments, using the XR’s “wonder wheel” controller. I set mine to 20% when the stock lights are on low beams to enhance conspicuity during the day and improve lighting without blinding oncoming traffic after dark. On high beams, I set them to 100% to light up the night. Adjusting these settings is easy.
How do the XR’s OEM lights compare to Valkyries Duals? I waited for dark and rode a loop of my favorite dark, rural back roads. To begin, I used only stock lighting (with Valkyrie Duals turned off) and made mental notes on visibility down the road, to the sides, and in corners. When I returned to the same start point, I switched on the Valkyrie Dual lights by holding the turn signal cancel switch in for two seconds, which toggles them between On and Off. The improvement from OEM low beams alone (which I find quite good for a motorcycle) to OEM lights with Valkyrie Duals added at 20% output is remarkable, both long range and to the sides. When using high beams with Valkyrie Duals set at 100%, the improvement over stock lighting is astounding.
I repeated this test on the same dark roads with the Valkyrie five-spot LED model and found a similarly enormous improvement over stock lighting. The five-spot model has longer reach and still lights up corners pretty well. The Duals cast a wider spread up close and to the sides and still have good reach.
I chose the five-spot Valkyrie for the down-the-road focus and the flexibility to mount the lights (with their non-directional optics) wherever it’s convenient. Just decide what you want lights to accomplish for where and how you ride.
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Clearwater Lights are precision manufactured in the USA. Complete Valkyrie kits range from $649 to $814, depending on bike model and mounting options.
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Source: RiderMagazine.com