Installing HID, but no light comes on!

[natemoen]

Yep, they use the $45 for shipping to guarantee that they get at least that much for the unit. Though I can't stand it when people do that, it was still the cheapest unit I could find.

I think I have decided to return the unit to them and purchase a different unit from a US supplier (for a little more $). I'm just not happy with how this particular balast performs.

You could probably buy a different ballast for what it will cost to ship that back and the difference in price of a US kit.

Then you could just keep the bulb and wiring and order a new ballast.

[CatatonicBug]

You could probably buy a different ballast for what it will cost to ship that back and the difference in price of a US kit.

Then you could just keep the bulb and wiring and order a new ballast.

Ah, but I get free postage through work! I also am not happy with the movement of the bulb I got. It seems to wobble sideways too much, and I don't like the lack of change between the hi/low beams. I'm hoping that a new setup will help...

[clcorbin]

Well, I'll admit that I haven't used an automotive-type HID, but 'regular' ones can take up to a minute to initially fire, and 5 minutes to attain full output. Cold temps can increase these times quite a bit.

That depends a LOT on the technology. Mine use a digital ballast (versus the old magnetic ballast) and the light INSTANTLY. When they first light, they are about 60% as bright as "normal" and it only takes about 30 seconds to fully warm up and hit 100% output.

This is the reason these have the little servomotor for high/low; every time you interrupt power to these, they have to start the cycle all over.

That is a very good reason. Plus, why would you want to pay for two ballasts for each housing? Twice as much to fail and twice as much to pay for. Buy yes, Bi-Xenon is definitely the way to go!

[clcorbin]

The problem I'm seeing is that the light output does not seem to change, even while riding down the street. I took the bulb out and flipped the switch to see that it DOES move. It pulls back in the housing about 3/16" - not enough to really do much, IMO.

The point is NOT to change the amount of light, but to change the FOCUS of the light so it isn't shining in the face of oncoming traffic when it is on low beam. "Low" in this case means "down", as in "aiming the light DOWN" instead of "less light".

On mine, you can see a HUGE change in light pattern between high and low. High beam does what it should: the beam is focused and aimed almost straight down the road, lighting objects up way down the road as you want with high beams. On low, the beam points down and to the right (away from on coming traffic). I can't see as far down the road on low, but I"m not blinding on coming traffic either. It does light things up on the side of the road better, so if you are looking for a turn off on a dark night, it actually works better than high beam.

[clcorbin]

Yep, they use the $45 for shipping to guarantee that they get at least that much for the unit. Though I can't stand it when people do that, it was still the cheapest unit I could find.

I don't buy from sellers that do that. Period.

I think I have decided to return the unit to them and purchase a different unit from a US supplier (for a little more $). I'm just not happy with how this particular balast performs.

Be sure to get a good, high quality electronic ballast. There is no reason for large, clunky magnetic ballasts anymore.

[natemoen]

Be sure to get a good, high quality electronic ballast. There is no reason for large, clunky magnetic ballasts anymore.

What kind of kit do you have?

[psycoreefer]

something nobody's mentioned here is that to really get the most out of an HID setup the "reflector" housing is as (or maybe even more) important then the ballast and bulb. A housing that isn't designed for an HID light (or poorly designed) won't give you the shift in focus when the bulb moves from "high" to "low" as it should and has the potential to not just perform poorly but also blind oncoming traffic which is not a good thing. a lot of the cost of the higher end HID setups is the R&D of the reflectors.

This is one of the big reasons you won't see any truely reputable company selling "retrofit" kits that will simply plug into your existing headlight, the good ones all come with a new one.

[CatatonicBug]

This is one of the big reasons you won't see any truely reputable company selling "retrofit" kits that will simply plug into your existing headlight, the good ones all come with a new one.

Really? I have not seen any offered with a new reflector.

I went ahead and shipped mine back to Hong Kong today. At least they were quick to respond to my email. Hopefully, I won't have to wait too long to get my refund.

[psycoreefer]

http://www.futurevisionhid.com/produ...light-kit.html

http://www.oviedosafetylights.com/Sh...?ProductID=149

found via quick google search.

I'm not saying that you can't see an improvement with a lower cost kit - just that a big part of where the light goes has nothing to do with the bulb and ballast, and if the light isn't going where you need or want it then all the "brightness" in the world isn't going to help.

[CatatonicBug]

Wow!! at $200-400 for a headlight, I'll stick with my sealed beam Halogen!

[psycoreefer]

Thinking on this a bit more, you may reach a good compromise between price and performance by buying a new "E" mark or DOT H4 headlight housing and putting your HID bulb in it, really who knows where the one on your bike came from, a PO might have ripped it off a tractor or something, and I'm sure reflector design has evolved at least a little in the last 30 years. I'm thinking something like this:
http://www.motorcyclehidlights.com/m...eadlight-p-315

Probably not as good as a housing designed for HID but better then 30 year old who knows what it is.

I may do that with my tax money...

[CatatonicBug]

Well, I know the housing I'm using was the original from an XS850. It actually has "motorcycle" in the glass, and the Japanese mfg's name (same as what's on the RLU). I know I might benefit from a new one, since the reflector can get dirty or distorted over time, but I'm not gonna spend a huge amount on a headlight - $60 is about my limit, I think.

[psycoreefer]

I see your point, I don't really don't do enough night riding to worry about it, about the only time I'm out at night is to or from work which has many street lights and is only a few miles.

I can say that last year on my way to the cali rally I ended up running late and running some unfamiliar and fairly twisty roads after dark, if you had asked me then I'd probably of told you something different, one of those upgrades you don't know you need (or will use) until you've done it and seen the difference.

It's been a while but when I was heavy into my 240z restoration there was a guy that sold H4 upgrades and got really good reviews both for customer service and quality of product. I'll see if I can find his website, It would probably be where I'd order my new housing from if he's still around.

I don't think there is any difference between a "Motorcycle" housing and a standard 7" round "Car" housing....


Found the site:
http://lightsite.weebly.com/

[cywelchjr]

I see your point, I don't really don't do enough night riding to worry about it, about the only time I'm out at night is to or from work which has many street lights and is only a few miles.

I can say that last year on my way to the cali rally I ended up running late and running some unfamiliar and fairly twisty roads after dark, if you had asked me then I'd probably of told you something different, one of those upgrades you don't know you need (or will use) until you've done it and seen the difference.

It's been a while but when I was heavy into my 240z restoration there was a guy that sold H4 upgrades and got really good reviews both for customer service and quality of product. I'll see if I can find his website, It would probably be where I'd order my new housing from if he's still around.

I don't think there is any difference between a "Motorcycle" housing and a standard 7" round "Car" housing....
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There is a difference. The motorcycle housings have the bulb rotated off vertical a bit to make the light shine more correctly for single headlight use. It has something to do with "dip" which is there auto lights on low beam dip towards the side of the road, this is not quite as desirable for a motorcycle as you don't have that other light to fill in the middle of the lane your in like a car does. The tilt added for motorcycles reduces the amount of "dip" leaving more of the light in front of the bike, which is what MC specific headlights are designed to do. When looking at my H4 mounting unit and comparing it to an auto H4, it's clearly rotated clockwise (when looking from the front) on the bike. (you know, it might be the other way, but it's not mounted quite the same, I'd say it's at least 15 deg or so.)

[psycoreefer]

Maybe I'll give the H4 lights guy a call, I wonder if the same holds true for "E" mark lights designed for Europe. I remember a lot of people saying they liked the "dip" or "cutoff" of those units better then the DOT ones because the cast more light on the shoulder.