Baja Designs Strykr Light - Dirt Rider Magazine

Sometimes adding a light to your bike for a little night riding is not worth the hassle. And until now there was not a helmet light that was powerful enough to actually use for 100 percent of your night riding needs. But the Strykr changes that; it is about as bright as a solid 35-watt headlight, what most trailbikes come equipped with. But the bonus with the Strykr is that the spread of the light is perfect for riding, and it's not sending signals to aliens, unless that is what you want to do.

For scientific purposes the light is claimed to put out 700 lumens in its highest setting. The whole setup weighs in at just over 520 grams (18.3 ounces), and it is waterproof to a reported 33 feet. It's built tough; the light's housing is actually metallic with fins to help cooling. Plus, a microprocessor inside controls the power based on the temperature, so with just a little cooling airflow the light brightens up after sitting still for a bit. This helps with the life of the LEDs. If you're worried about durability, Baja Designs warranties the whole system (less the battery) for life. The connectors are simple and weatherproof and stay connected without worry. The battery charges about as fast as it goes down, so a full charge takes about four hours. My experience, run in full power, is the light will easily last over two and a half hours and up to four. I never got a true reading since I'd switch to lower light levels when I thought battery life would be an issue. It's claimed the light will run for 12 hours in low mode. Unlike HID lights, turning the light on and off does not have consequences in battery life. There is a glowing light in the switch (green, yellow and red) that tells you the ballpark remaining run time of the battery, for peace of mind.

But the best thing about the light is the light itself. It puts out a nice, wide spread (and comes with an interchangeable spot reflector, too) of warm light that is easy on the eyes and plenty bright to ride with if you're not going too fast, say, about 30 mph safely. I mounted mine on the chin bar of my helmet with the included mount kit. And for this the mount is plenty adjustable and holds on snugly with a little setup time. If there was anything to complain about it is that the mount isn't as sano as some I've used and it doesn't transfer as easily to my mountain bike as I'd like (zip-ties are necessary). At $298.95 it's not cheap (though in line with the competition), but considering it is the best portable light I've ever used, in every aspect besides the mount system, it is worth the price of admission. And guaranteed for life, too.