Hey Guys,
Dale asked me about some low cost high output light suggestions here are a few to try out
http://dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25149
I personally don’t have this light BUT the led it uses is really nice, coupled with a battery pack for 90 bucks its not a bad deal.

For DIYr’s  here is the one of the highest out put LEDs
http://dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12721
To drive the LED I suggest running  1000mA buckpucks
http://www.ledsupply.com/03023-d-e-1000.php  <-this one specifically allows dimming.  Stay away from caps they waste a lot of power. The downside to pucks is that when your battery drops below 1000mA your light goes off. There’s no fading away.

They do have computer chips that will warn of lower power I dont have the link off the top of my head but PM me if you're interested

If you want a more even spread and have a standard SM44 housing this is a nice optic: http://dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1912
I've been running 2 clusters of CREEs mounted to this for about 2 years now. It has a very even spread of light.

If you wanna go budget and you don’t mind  a narrower spot mount any SSCP7 equipped flashlight w/ bar mount. The output is great albeit a little narrow
http://dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.903

Happy trails.