Review: Clearwater Erica Lights
It was one of those late fall days when I set off in the morning to connect with my friend Harry on his Gold Wing in Mount Airy, NC, for lunch at The Loaded Goat. It was my first day trip with the BMW R nineT Urban G/S I’d dubbed Von Trap, which had found its way into my garage a few days earlier.
The day was my oyster and returning in total darkness wasn’t something I had considered in my carpe diem morning escape. As a matter of fact, it was downright scary.
After a good lunch and proper catch up, Harry and I found our way to those good county roads north of Winston-Salem and enjoyed every ounce of the day. We said our goodbyes and I pointed Von Trap’s front wheel in the direction of home as the sun was setting.
Twilight descended as I rolled through downtown Winston-Salem southbound on US 52. It dawned on me how late I was coming home and how inadequate Von Trap’s lighting was. The fact that I was about to travel for the next hour and a half in total darkness at motorway speeds through deer country was beginning to set in.
I found myself in the precarious position of riding within the pockets of other peoples’ headlights and being in and out of total darkness. Von Trap’s stock headlight, while much detail was put to its design aesthetic, in no way provided for safe travel at speed in the dark.
I prayed there would be no unseen deer crossing my path. At least it wasn’t raining.
Clearwater to the Rescue
Having survived the night, I put wheels in motion to equip Von Trap with a set of rugged American-made Clearwater Lights. I opted for the 3.7-inch diameter Ericas with removable yellow slip-on covers and a Billie Brake Light.
The yellow slip-ons are best for inclement weather. They can be easily removed to expose Clearwater’s 6,300 Kelvin blue-white light that mimics daylight.
With a low power draw of 60W/5A and weighing only 17 ounces, a single Erica packs an impressive punch of six LEDs projecting more than 6,000 lumens in a full 45-degree lighting beam, providing corner illumination as well as close and distant lighting capabilities. Specialized features include being fully dimmable and integration with the horn, turn signal and hazard lights.
I acknowledged my mechanical limits and allowed the capable hands of Jon Ross with Mr. Beemer in Willow Springs, NC, to take care of the installation.
Some call the Erica lights flamethrowers, and they certainly are. Just be careful how you angle them so you don’t go around setting things on fire. As for me, when I go chasing sunsets, Von Trap now has the light to overcome the darkness.