Helmet Lights

With the right equipment, riding an off-road motorcycle at night can be an amazing experience. The darkness focuses your attention and even a trail you've ridden a hundred times before during the day can take on an exciting new feel. On a motorcycle, your eyesight is your main line of defense, as well as enjoyment. Riding in the dark limits your sight to what can be illuminated by your lights, so it only makes sense to have a robust lighting system to get the most fun and safety out of your rides.
For off-road riding, traditional motorcycle headlights leave something to be desired. While they can be very bright, they have the disadvantage of only being able to point in one direction--straight ahead. Off-road riding is a very dynamic sport, and obstacles can come from many directions. A helmet light gives you the power to put the light where you need it. Looking up hills, down dropoffs, spotting landings from jumps, looking into switchback corners, and searching for side trails or campsites are all tasks where a helmet light will trump a bike mounted light.
Choosing a helmet light is relatively straight forward. Things you should consider are the type of light (LED, Halogen, or HID), the mounting style (velcro, double-sided tape, or strap-mounting), and the method of powering the light (rechargeable battery or from bike power using a wiring harness.)
When it comes to the type of light, each has there strengths, but HIDs seem to be well suited for motorcycle helmet lights. They produce a high intensity, focused beam of bright white light that works well for illumination over long distances. They are also very efficient which means longer run times when using battery power, or less strain on your motorcycle's electrical system if using bike power.
Mounting styles vary, but things to keep in mind are:

• How hard is it to install and remove?
• Does the light remove completely or does the base get left behind?
• Can the light direction be adjusted once mounted?
• Can the light be shared between multiple helmets or riders?

For powering the light, rechargeable batteries provide the benefit of being able to use the light away from the bike, but at the expense of the added cost and weight of the battery. Using bike power for the light also means not having to remember or take the time to recharge your battery, and not having to worry that your juice will run out when you need your light the most.