It’s hard to put a price tag on every deer not seen until the last second on backcountry roads. Not to mention all the avoided accidents with inattentive drivers. The new DENALI DR1 2.0 LED auxiliary lights for adventure and dual-sport motorcycles pack serious versatility and power, making me wonder how irresponsible I was when I was riding without them. Available from Twisted Throttle, the DR1 lights are just one of the kits in a full line-up of updated 2.0 lights to suit every bike and riding style.

A 20% increase in brightness with no increase in power draw brings 1,100 lumens per unit at only 10 watts each. In case you need to rein in the 75-foot wide, 1,000 foot-long spot beam, an optional dimming controller is available. The DataDim controller connects to your high/low beam switch for full and half brightness settings, while retaining the waterproof switch to completely turn them off if needed.

Installation is simple, and the kits include everything to hook up the remote handlebar switch, DataDim controller, wiring harness, and the lights themselves. Waterproof connectors and handlebar switch all add confidence in harsh conditions. Twisted Throttle also sells practically any mount you could need to install DENALI lights on crash bars, lower triples, fork tubes and more. I mounted mine on top of my race light, so no extra brackets were needed.

I thought I had seen all the DR1s had to offer until I found myself on a windy, dusty road at night, closing in on a minivan. The tight spot beams, one of them shining through an amber lens, cut through the floating dust better than any halogen, LED, or HID headlight I’ve used before. And DENALI did an excellent job in choosing brightness levels for high/low settings. It’s a dramatic difference between high and low, surely appreciated by nighttime car drivers. The low mode still offers functional visibility, especially when paired with the optional TriOptic True-Hybrid and amber lenses. I run both lights with True-Hybrid lenses—one amber and one clear—to spread the beam across a wider path. An amber lens in the right side softens glare off street signs at night, and makes the bike more eye-catching for car drivers.

Further improvements include the composite bezels around each lens, reducing weight and increasing impact resistance for rocks and trail debris. The change in bezel design also allows for cleaner installation of the optional TriOptic True-Hybrid amber or clear lenses behind the bezel, instead of just snap-on covers like the outgoing version.

The same dimensions, mounting hardware, range of adjustability, and ample cooling fins all transfer over from the previous DR1 models. And as usual, the level of fit and finish on the DENALI lights and accessories is impressive. We’re continuing to test the DR1 2.0 lights on our current Honda XR650L project bike, so stay tuned with ADVMoto for a full write-up on that project as well. MSRP: Lights $375 | DataDim Controller $50 | TriOptic Lens Kit $25