No. If you have a lead-acid battery, doing this would shorten its life or ruin it. Also, lead-acids need to be recharged soon after they've been used, even for a short ride. Don't let them sit around in a discharged state.

If you have a ni-cad or ni-mh (including those in virtually all high quality bike lights), there is nothing to gain by fully discharging the battery. (Memory was engineered out of high quality ni-cads several years ago.) You can recharge at any time. You can store ni-cads and ni-mhs in any state, from fully charged to fully discharged.

If your battery has 2 wires, always plug the charger into the SHORT wire. That's because the battery switch controls the LONG wire, and chances are the switch will be turned off - in which case, the battery simply will not charge.

If your battery has only 1 wire and a switch, the battery switch must be turned on in order for the battery to charge. If there's no charge in the battery, the light won't come on when you plug it into the battery, so you won't be able to tell which is ON and which is OFF. In that instance, follow these simple steps: Plug the charger a wall outlet and connect it to the battery. Charge for a few minutes, click the battery switch once, and charge for a few more minutes. Unplug the battery from the charger, and plug in the light. In one switch position or the other, you should see light.

Coiled cords have three problems. First, they use about three times the amount of wire as a straight cord. More wire means greater resistance, therefore less voltage to the bulbs. Second, they tend to bounce around when you're riding off-road. We think it's best to velcro the wire to the frame and bars. And third, they typically use 22 gauge wire, which is quite thin and has a lot of resistance - particularly with 6 volt systems. We use 18 gauge wire everywhere, and you can see it in the brightness of our lights.

No, but there is a recall on one charger that we supplied in some of our systems during 1993 and part of 1994. If you have any doubts about your charger, look at it while it's plugged into the wall. If the wire comes out of the top of the case, it may be one of the recalled items. If so, stop using it immediately and call us at (800) 869 7618.

Strap the battery on your seatpost with the switch facing down. Pull the two big straps really tight and put the small straps through the seat rails. You'll probably need a battery extension wire, which is available from your dealer or from us. Yes, it would be better not to have the weight up this high, but lots of people use them this way. You can also mount the Macho in a number of bottle cages.

No. In our experience, plugging a wire that is attached to you into something that is attached to your bike is asking for trouble. It's just a matter of time until you and your bike separate (ie. crash or brain fade) and we don't want to be a party to the wires being torn apart.

If there isn't a TurboCat dealer nearby, we will sell and ship directly to you. (California residents must pay state sales tax.) E-MAIL or call us at 800-869-7618.

No, we only sell complete systems, with a light, battery and charger. These are carefully designed to work together, and we back them up with a strong warranty. We also understand that this stuff isn't brain surgery, and we don't mean any disrespect to well meaning tinkerers. But if something went wrong with a home-built system that included one of our lights (fire, light failure during fast downhill, etc.), we just couldn't live with it. Legally or otherwise. Sorry.

Our CNC machined aluminum cam and lever quick releases come in two sizes: Standard (1" or less) and Oversize (1.25"). Our standard StrapLock velcro mounts will work on both sizes.

Newer S32 and S47 systems are configured to fit riser bars without modification. We can convert an older dual beam to the current model for $25.

No. HID bulbs and power supplies haven't been particularly reliable. Dropping the light, let alone crashing, can cause it to fail - and we don't mean just breaking the front glass. HID systems cost $400+ and replacement bulbs cost $100+. Also, due to the small reflector size the beam cannot be focused to shine far enough ahead.

In the $200 and under price range, LEDs just don't offer the light output of a good old fashioned xenon/halogen. In the $400+, they can provide a nice beam - but one that lacks the power to see things at great distances.

For under $400, you can get two complete TurboCat systems - one for the helmet and one for the bars. See the two Mountain Bike Action articles in the REVIEWS section.

Click here to see some comparative measurements of light output in LUX, which is a standard measurement of light falling on an object.

NO! WATTS! (A number of people are perpetuating these myths. We're not sure if they are guilty of "TechnoBabble in the First Degree" or if they just don't know what they're talking about.)

First, bulbs are designed to work at a single, specific voltage. Increasing the battery voltage by 10% brings both benefits and trade-offs, but more than that, greatly reduces bulb life. A 6 volt, 15 watt bulb delivers the same brightness as a 12 volt, 15 watt bulb. But if the 6 volt bulb is plugged into a 12 volt battery, it will blow out like a flash bulb!

In household terms, a 60 watt bulb running on 120 volts in the U.S. is the same brightness as a 60 watt bulb running on 240 volts in Germany. One isn't better than the other; they are just different. A higher wattage bulb will be brighter - at either voltage. In automotive terms, voltage is just the fuel; wattage is the horsepower.

Second, with equal runtimes and wattages, 6, 12 and 13.2 volt systems that use the same type of battery (ie. lead-acid, ni-cad, or nickle-metal hydride) are roughly the same weight and size. Here are two examples.

Example #1 - This is a hypothetical example, derived from the formulas printed in the errant manufacturer's sales brochure, plus some important "missing" information taken from Sanyo's "Technical Handbook." Please note that the watts (brightness), run times and weights are the same.

Example #2 - This chart is derived from the manufacturers' specifications for their ni-cad systems. Please note that when viewed in "ounces per watt per hour" (which equalizes all factors and cuts through the techno-babble), battery weights are about the same for 6 and 13.2 volt systems.

NOTE: The actual light output (not just the wattage) of 6, 12 and 13.2 volt systems varies quite a lot as is explained in the TECHNOLOGY section of this site. A 13.2 volt battery does provide 40% more light output than a 12 volt battery. And because TurboCat 6 volt systems use 4.8 volt bulbs, they provide that same 40% increase in brightness.