HID Headlight

[DGXSER]

James, the reason I tried one out, was that for one reason or another I could only get a very very very dim bulb on low beam, hi-beam was great, but low beam I could not see more than ten feet in front of the bike. Mind you, that does tell me there is a hornet in the wood pile somewhere that needed to be sorted, but I had worked on all the switches, replaced the RLU from my old bike that was in really good condition, and even swapped out headlamps. Still I could not get the low beam to work.

So, I saw this as a way to improve headlight performance, and cure my issue. When I first fitted it to the bike I took it out and I was astounded at how much light it puts out! It also had no problem giving me low beam and high beam. So this seamed like the cure.

With all the issues I have been having with this headlamp cutting out and coming back seemingly of its own volition, I decided it must be in the wiring harness somewhere, this bike sat in a field or barn for two or three years, and alot of the wiring is corroded under the insulation. So I swapped out the wiring harness from the other bike, a much more time consuming task than it would first seem, it is amazing how well strapped in that wiring is up around the head of the bike.

Afterwards, I can tell you three things. First, I am a gearhead and not a sparky!! Second is that I have two bulbs with bad low beam!! Third is that the HID light behavior issue is that one of the wires was getting tugged the way I had it installed and pulled a wire loose of its pin inside the connector.

So, today I will purchase a new regular bulb and see that it cures my issue with the stock headlight setup. After that, I may continue some experiments with the HID, as I also discovered I had the headlamp aimed pretty high, but honestly with the level of light that thing produces, I doubt aiming will cure that glare issue. But I like facts to be factual, not someone claiming their opinion as a fact. Seems to be more than enough of that going around already, plenty in this thread alone. And I learned a very long time ago when I had to take a course in statistics to get my diploma that anyone can take the same set of numbers and use some statistical equations and addin some colorful terminology and descritptions to make them show whatever it is they want it to show.

So at the end of the day, I would say I like the HID so far as light performance for my driving purposes. It seems to be providing a glaring light for the oncoming traffic, which I do feel is a bad thing for my future health, but how any person will react to any given set of circumstances is about as predictable as the next lottery numbers, making that strictly opinion. And those who have a weak charging system or poor connections often find that at idle speeds, the headlight dims badly to the point it can be dangerous to ride at night.

So there you have one persons opinions.

[James England]

Yes, this thread does seem to have become uncharacteristically heated to some degree.... not something I've seen a lot of on this US forum, I'm pleased to say. I think one should 'speak with data' on just about everything. I was ready to buy an HID light, in my ongoing quest for reducing power consumption, but I'm pleased I checked the forum first because it's raised sufficient doubt in my mind for me not to bother fitting one.

I have a Geezer-made rectifier/regulator on my bike and this gives full charging at about 1500rpm, so the low revving situation which dims the headlamp doesn't seem to apply on my bike. I also cleaned all the terminals etc and have a good bright beam on both filaments. Incidentally, I stripped and cleaned the left handlebar switch assembly including the dip switch (which was pretty filthy). I used the Deoxit product recommended on the forum and cleaned all the terminals with it. The block connector to the headlamp bulb was quite corroded (heat?) and I replaced it completely. Same for the block connectors at the top frame tubes under the tank (from the handlebar switches). I just replaced the entire blocks with new ones.

Having read everyone's views and opinions, and looked at the video clip etc, I think that, for me, the negatives outweigh the positives of replacing the OEM system. My riding style at night does not require more than OEM light and I ride mostly in the daytime anyway; I'm bothered about dazzling other drivers both from a self-preservation and altruistic point of view; I don't want to run the risk of being involved in or causing an accident and having someone prosecuting or suing me because I'm using an illegal headlamp. (I imagine... "Well, officer, I ran off the road and killed 4 pedestrians because I was dazzled by the headlamp of the oncoming motorcycle...yes, that the one ridden by James England over there.... who survived. Have look at his bulb"! ) Plus, my OEM light system is reliable and perfectly adequate. I only looked into the HID because I though it used less power, so it really isn't worthwhile for me to go down that route.

[TERJE ANDERSEN]

I have never had a problem with the xenon lights on any of the 3 bikes I have installed with xenon. However, I always carry a spare bulb H4 incase the xenon bulb,ballast or the wiring/relay should fail during a bike trip (never failed so far). Here in Western-Norway there are a lot of dark,wet tunnells with VERY bad lights ,so xenon is a great help (still NOT legal ). I think a xenon 55w set is more than good enough,but I have 55w on a SG and the light is awesome

[TERJE ANDERSEN]

A little writing error ,but this is what I meant to write : I think a xenon 35w set is more than good enough,but I have 55w on a SG and the light is awesome

[James England]

A little writing error ,but this is what I meant to write : I think a xenon 35w set is more than good enough,but I have 55w on a SG and the light is awesome

You shouldn't type e-mails in cold, dark tunnels.....

[crazy steve]

One thing that's been missed in all this is there is a real need for better lighting, particularly on newer vehicles with model-specific headlights.

When they finally dropped the requirement for 'standard' sized lights (i.e. 7" round, square, etc), the manufacturers started 'styling' the lights to fit the car, rather than designing the car around the lights. Some designs are good, some aren't; my wifes' Focus has pretty good lights, my '96 T-Bird's are terrible, and my 'old school' 5.75" 4-light system on my Jag will easily outdo both. As an example, the Jag has 'styled' headlights everywhere but the US, and owners in other countries are converting to the US lights (at no small expense) for better lighting.

Another issue is the quality of the reflector/lens assembly. They used to all be glass, but glass is rare now. Plastic simply doesn't pass light as well (5 to 10% losses are common with increased light scatter, and don't take my word for it; ask your optometrist) as well as cheaper reflectors. So you put the same halogen lamp in there, and lighting output is down. It doesn't help that the plastic degrades from UV exposure either, giving you even more loss/scatter. They created the problem, and think that HID is the answer. Now, take note that they didn't just install a HID lamp in the halogen housing; they designed a completely new housing around the new lamp. The manufacturers aren't going to spend the money for new tooling 'just because'; they did it because they had to in order to meet lighting specs. You don't see OEM glass any more because of costs, so this is a 'work-around' to allow the more powerful lamps to correctly focus the light. So Craz, unless you've got photometric data that shows that these conversions focus the light in the 'right' places, I'll believe the guys who do have data.

Upgrading an XS? Now, to their credit when non-sealed headlights became legal, the Japanese bike makers initially used metal reflectors with glass lenses. But these were built to a cost point, and didn't use premium glass or the best reflector silvering. This is a place where the money shows; cheap copies need not apply. By using optical-grade glass and premium silvering, the high-end headlights can improve light transmission by up to 10% and better lens optics can put the light where you need it. For about $80, you can have good light and not blind oncoming drivers. The only downside is there's no motorcycle-specific shells available; you can get either the left or right 'dip' for cars (depending on where you live), not the bike 'neutral' dip. This isn't a big deal, and would only be an issue if you're 'corner carving' at night. Converting a standard would be a bit complicated, but doable.

And one more link on HID.... http://www.danielsternlighting.com/t...dvantages.html

[TERJE ANDERSEN]

OK, James....I will stop doing that

[Eveready1100]

What do you think the chances would be for finding a conversion lens for an XS1100RH or 5K7 sport which use an 8" headlight (200mm)?? Just finding a suitable halogen unit to suit is nigh on impossible these days.

[natemoen]

Ok just for fun. Here is a US company selling a 7" round hid conversion for jeeps, housing and all. claims it is dot approved (i know dot really doesn't work that way) doesn't say off road use only anywhere that I saw. But it is not cheap! $500 for a single ligh/housing or $900 for a pair (split it with a local xser). I actually don't even think you could fit it into a stock special housing to be honest, or at least not with the wires in there too.

http://www.xesighting.com/jeepxe7r.html

[natemoen]

Also a quite lively discussion (much like ours but with pictures of light patterns from true hid and others) about hids.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f20/r...ousing-958502/

[crazy steve]

Heh heh... Yep, 'lively' discussion. Truthfully, these guys do seem to be a bit better informed than some here; they recognize that the cheap conversions are bad, but are arguing over which of the expensive ones work best. A few interesting things to be gleaned from this..

The chinese conversions seem to be using non-standard lamps (made specifically for them) so replacement bulbs are very hard to find. I wondered about this (Cnuks assertion that they used standard H4 bases) as the manufacturers usually make and/or are required to make different types of lamps non-interchangable to prevent 'cross-breeding' that could cause problems. They may be impossible to find in the US, as the DOT has stated that they'll go after US-based retailers selling these.

Auto-leveling for HID lights is required in non-US/NA markets to prevent glare. In fact, you not only need auto-leveling, but some sort of headlight cleaning system. A bit tough to retrofit that...

If you've just got to do one of these conversions, the E-code (Eurospec) headlights may be a better choice as they have a sharper cut-off on low beam. The US spec allows a bit more glare, which is why these work so poorly here. If you live in Canada, you may have E-code lights as they do accept them there.

But these cheapo conversions still aren't a good idea...

[cywelchjr]

Heh heh... Yep, 'lively' discussion. Truthfully, these guys do seem to be a bit better informed than some here; they recognize that the cheap conversions are bad, but are arguing over which of the expensive ones work best. A few interesting things to be gleaned from this..

The chinese conversions seem to be using non-standard lamps (made specifically for them) so replacement bulbs are very hard to find. I wondered about this (Cnuks assertion that they used standard H4 bases) as the manufacturers usually make and/or are required to make different types of lamps non-interchangable to prevent 'cross-breeding' that could cause problems. They may be impossible to find in the US, as the DOT has stated that they'll go after US-based retailers selling these.

Auto-leveling for HID lights is required in non-US/NA markets to prevent glare. In fact, you not only need auto-leveling, but some sort of headlight cleaning system. A bit tough to retrofit that...

If you've just got to do one of these conversions, the E-code (Eurospec) headlights may be a better choice as they have a sharper cut-off on low beam. The US spec allows a bit more glare, which is why these work so poorly here. If you live in Canada, you may have E-code lights as they do accept them there.

But these cheapo conversions still aren't a good idea...

But it looks like there is a kit that would work for the guys with Vetter fairings. It would require some cutting, and some not insignificant work to the back of the headlight bucket to get it in there, but it appears it would be legal and would work properly. I think it would require a custom bucket for a special though, and I'm not sure there is anything for the standards. (I'd like to find something like that for my 89 Camaro though )

[TopCatGr58]

Well,

With the Alternative Alt Mod, I shouldn't have to worry about trying to do an HID conversion on it, I can just run the regular headlight with my pair of 55 watt halogen driving lights!

I did a clear lens conversion of the 7" round using one of this PILOT brands AUTO pair with replaceable H3 bulb, and the clear lens and improved NEW reflector housing puts a decent amount of light ahead, but the extra driving lights make a big difference. They seem to also offer a rectangular one, but I know there are some prongs or such that have to be ground/filed off to get it to fit in the standards housing. And since I don't have a Standard's headlight bucket, I can't remember which size is closest, but I'm thinking it's the larger style as shown below!



http://www.pilotautomotive.com/Catal...D=1070&PCID=27

• 6054 head lamp conversion kit
• Patent pending
• 7-7/8” X 5-5/8”
• 9003 / H3 build (Not included)
• Sold in pairs

T.C.