The sign said, “Go ahead. Blind yourself.” I accepted the challenge and pushed the button.
I had heard about Ruby Moto auxiliary lighting from a friend who had recently outfitted his 2021 BMW 1250 GSA with them. They were pretty on that bike, but since we had never ridden at night, I wasn’t aware of their effectiveness—until now.
The lights themselves are not huge, but they pack 8,692 to 15,036 lumens per set. I learned that quickly at the BMW MOA trade show when I accepted the blind-yourself dare. This is serious lighting. They were blinding, even with amber lens shields.
Eric Waterfall, company founder and owner, said his team is able to pack more lumens in a smaller space because they use billet aluminum for light housings, which is stronger and more able to dissipate heat than the cast aluminum commonly used.
He and his team sweated the weekend out at the June rally, installing lights on one bike after another in 98-degree heat, and he still gave me time to tell his backstory.
Eric installed the company’s R4 lights under the Puig crash bars on my 2020 BMW F 750 GS. Ruby promises 8,592 crystal clear optically focused lumens in 8 top-binned Cree LEDs that will get me from “A to Zimbabwe.” They weren’t kidding.
I’ll admit that lighting wasn’t the first accessory on my accessory dream list. I needed a skid plate, handguards, a windscreen, and the list went on. I had largely avoided riding at night with my sole factory headlamp. If this sounds like you, get off the fence. I expected to see better at night, sure, but what surprised me was the added benefit of being seen in daylight hours.
While I love the clear-cut stream of light the Rubys throw onto my path, I have noticed a considerable difference in the number of car drivers who now see me coming during daylight hours. And another unexpected surprise—you’re far more visible from the side as well. And even more, the lights to the right or left automatically turn off when you apply your turn signal, respectively, so that it doesn’t confuse other drivers.
Rubys come with hypervisibility lenses, and since the lighting is installed using the accessory manager HEX ezCAN, I control the lighting output with the factory settings on my handlebars. The lights operate at 10 percent unless you need the added light. Then simply remove the lenses and switch to high beam for 100 percent.
Lights are sold as a single unit or in pairs. The company offers R4 pairs (8,592 lumens with eight LEDs), R5 pairs (10,740 lumens with 10 LEDs), R7 pairs (15,036 lumens with 14 LEDs), an R7 KTM mask (7,500 lumens with 7 LEDs), and an R7 Husqvarna mask (7,518 lumens with 7 LEDs).
All lights utilize machined optics to provide both a flood and spot beam pattern with 5,000K in daylight. The company recommends pairing R4s with R7s for larger adventure bikes, with the R4s used as a daytime running light and the R7s for high beams.
The backstory of Ruby is a gem in itself. Eric decided to create the company because he grew tired of a lackadaisical approach to lighting within the industry, he said. So he assembled a team who, using their combined experience, created a “world-class light” made of superior quality at a reasonable price. The goal was to offer excellence in engineering, manufacturing, lab-testing, supply-chain, and service. To do this, he sought the help of everyone from university PhDs to rocket scientists.
Then Waterfall and his team traveled 60,000 miles across four continents and spent 100 nights in the dirt to see what they could see.
Waterfall decided to name his company for one of his daughters, who has her own bike and rides alongside her father.
$225+ | rubymoto.com
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