I've been riding my ATV more at night lately, and it makes me wonder why more riders haven't asked OEM's to supply back-up lights as standard equipment. Don't many of you ride at night? They are worth their weight in gold if you are trying to back up near a ledge or in tight woods in the dark, and just plain handy for unloading etc.. I think they should be stressed as a safety issue which to me is even more valuable than a brake light. I installed one on my Prairie, and wouldn't be without it. Do they come standard on any ATV's?
If anyone knows how to get in touch with the Kawasaki designers of the new 650, and you feel as I do about this, please ask them to put back-up lights on it. (I wish they would add a light on the handlebars too). You can't have too much light in the bush if you get caught after dark!

 

What lights did you use? I figure a relay on the reverse indicator would work well. My 86 Bayou has a handlebar mounted light, but no frame mounted lights. I had been thinking about adding a set of lights just behind the front bumper as well. The problem with my setup is that when I'm navigating a tight trail, my handlebars might be completly turned, but I still need to see in front of me.

-Will

 

Will, I put higher wattage bulbs in my headlights. They were 25/25W and I used 35/36Watt bulbs. The factory ones looked kind of yellow and weren't very bright, but the new ones look very white and are much brighter. I used a tractor flood light for a back-up light that I mounted under the back rack. I wired it so that it only comes on when I'm in reverse with the headlights on. I took the power to the back-up light from the tail light positive and then returned to the reverse switch for a ground. I had to add a diode in the return wire because without it, the reverse indicator light was finding a path to ground through the back-up light and was on whenever the headlights were on.
My Prairie's alternator puts out 25 amps at 6,000 rpm (thats 300 watts) so there is lots of power as long as your wiring is large enough. If your Bayou has the same alternator you should be able to add lights without a problem if you wire them properly. Check the output of your handlebar mounted light so that you can judge how much wattage you have to play with. Keep in mind that the alternator puts out much less amperage when idling. My lights are using nearly 100 watts when I'm in reverse with my high beams on and they don't dim at all. I idled it under these conditions for quite a while just to make sure it wasn't creating a potential problem. The lights never dimmed and it never drained the battery at all, so I guess I'm safe. Your dealer should be able to recommend what wattage lights you can get away with.
I'm not familiar with the Bayou, but I would mount your frame-mounted lights as high as possible below the rack so that the light travels farther on rough ground. Just a suggestion. I think you'll be thrilled with the extra lighting.

 

I have to agree with you. I have been using a back-up light since 1990 (which I installed on 4 different quads) and so have most of the people I have seen. As far as I know there are no manufacturers that supply a stock one. I think it would be fairly inexpensive and very usefull to the majority of riders. All they would have to do would be to install a slightly larger tail/brake light with a dual lense/bulb configuration (the same as several car setups) and run an additional wire. I ride a polaris Xplorer and on this machine all you have to do is to splice into the reverse indicator light. It reminds me of the pre 1990 models where no manufacturer (except polaris) had a factory brake light and consequently many people installed their own. Today, I believe it is standard issue on all brands. I believe that it is just a question of time, and that eventually all quads will be equipped with a reverse light.

PS That new 650 twin is one sweet machine. The only thing I saw that I did not like was the 9 1/2" ground clearance, but since the pre-production model had 25' tires I am hoping that they will increase it to 27" with the final release and by doing so will end up with 10 1/2".(I am used to 12" clearance) If Polaris does not come out with their rumored 700 twin you will most likely be seeing alot of my posts here sometime next summer.

 

Hmm, I'll drop by the tractor supply store today to check out lighting ideas. My Bayou (86 model) has a tail light, but not brake light. I probably will look for a set of driving lights and a reverse light. I think it would also be nice to have a rack mounted spot light.... but then agian, I don't do that much night driving.

-Will