Installing HID, but no light comes on!

[Eveready1100]

Glad to hear you've got the issue sorted now. It would be a real advantage to run a dedicated power feed wire to the new harness though, as this would take all the load off the bikes electrical system as this is way the HID harness kits are designed to work. They fit the 30a fuse to cope with the initial ignition of the light as this draws a considerable amout of current to get them lit up.
Interesting to note that those Xentec kits are manufactured in Tiawan, so build quality must be defined on how easily pronouncable the name is. I got my (car) kit from your original supplier and have had no running issues with it at all.
Just curious, what heat colour bulbs did you get with yours? I originally got an 8000k set which i thought were the bee's knees till I rode home in torrential rain one night and was very dissappointed at the lack of penetration offered by the bluish bulbs. I have since ordered a pair of 4300k bulbs which really work well in the rain.

[CatatonicBug]

I got the 4300K. I can't stand the Blue lights. I thought about sticking with 3000k for it's penetrating power, but the 4300K puts out more lumens. I just hope it works the next time I ride in a rainstorm.

[webbcraft2150]

Whlist not a XS, I just put Hids in my 95 Olds 88. My almost-son-in-law does this for a living so reluctantly I listen to his advise. Biggest problem with HIDs is low supply voltage from stock wiring. He turned me on to a plug and play relay/wire harness that draws directly off the battery for the lights. The OEM wiring is used only to power up the relay. I would figure the same would hold true for a XS. The HIDS I put in are 4600k and while they seem to have a very slight blut tint to them, from the drivers seat, its a blazing pure white light far superior to the halogens I replaced. I had a buddy do a head on drive by on a dark (read black) road and I didn't see any offending glare (did reaim them down a bit) There is alot of tips on the net on how to cure different HID problems, flickering, on/off all the time or just not working at all. He also didn't have anything nice to say about the "cheap" Japan kits. Now I need to replace my high beam bulbs with some 100 watt units and I am ready for a road trip.

[TopCatGr58]

Also not on a bike, but I put a set of HIDs on my 2004 Nissan Xterra, it's OEM 9007's, even with the fancy $$ Sylvannia super halogens still didn't light up the road very well. The lights are way up off the ground being an SUV, and it was annoying that when cars with HIDs would drive behind me, their lights would light up the road in front of me better than my own!

I wired them as described using a special relay harness, power directly to the battery, one of the headlight sockets to the relay, etc.! I got the 6000k color, because they didn't have the 5000...or it looked a bit yellow, and I was wanting something close to pure white...they are also slightly bluish, but just barely. BTW, I also got the stronger 55watt type vs. the 35 watt type! I wanted as much light as I could get!

I do have hi / lo function, but it appears to be in reverse? Closer examination of the OEM type halogen bulbs revealed that the filaments are SIDE BY SIDE, not closer or farther from the base/tip. So the telescoping affect of the HID's does a provide a change in spread pattern, but it's different than the halogens. They are quite a bit brighter, but with the OEM reflector system they are NOT scattered nor necessarily glaring, just much brighter and show the road closer to me much better.

I may switch the wires to reverse the hi/lo function, but maybe not. For some reason, when I'm using the high beams, I can't turn on my aux/fog lights, only when using the low beams. With the reverse setup, my low setting provides better distance high beam affect, AND I can still turn on my aux lights to help illuminate the road close to me.

This experience has given me more confidence with the possibility of installing them on my bike. I've got a newer aftermarket clear lens bulb housing/reflector. I have 55 watt halogen aux/fog lights mounted on it, and have used them when riding in the dark, and they definitely light up the road, but even with all of my LED conversions, I'm still not sure that I have enough juice coming from the ALT to drive for extended periods?

T.C.

[Eveready1100]

Hi T.C.
I fitted a 55 watt HID car kit to my Special and everything fell into place like it was made to fit an XS11. It came with the full wiring harness for hooking directly to the battery and only took about an hour to get it set up after removing the tank. I did have to drill a hole in the back of the headlight shell to allow the bulb wires to come straight out the back but other than that, it was plain sailing.
The ballast fitted neatly here


The main wiring relay zip tied to the frame and is hidden by the Special's tank


These are the spares I have on hand for future use. Very handy to have at home.


The whole loom fitted very neatly and I trimmed the extra wires for the secong light just to make it tidier. As the light only uses the same power as the normal low beam, there should be no issues at all running it all day, every day. I also run a pair of 55 watt halogen driving lights but have since bought a H3 35 watt HID car kit for these as well, which will save me another 40 watts of current while these are on. Very reassuring as a lot of my riding involves commuting to work, a trip of 60 klms each way over mostly back country highway with no streetlights and plenty of wildlife to avoid.

[clcorbin]

Given how well the standard 30W kits lights up the road, I would be a bit scared of being pulled over with 55Ws!

[CatatonicBug]

Given how well the standard 30W kits lights up the road, I would be a bit scared of being pulled over with 55Ws!

Yeah, for the folks in the city, the 30W kits should be fine. For Eveready, out in the sticks, where kangaroos and echidnas are common, it's probably a good idea!

[Eveready1100]

Not pushing my luck there.
Got the headlight set for maximum vision at minimum range, so I shouldn't be dazzling anyone. It's just really good to be able to see where you're going at night. Next fix will be how to keep the bugs off my visor. Last trip home, I had to lift it so I could see where is was, as the bugs had built up so thick that I couldn't see much at all.
Might have to refit the BMW fairing which does an excellent job of keeping all those things (and the rain) off you.