View Full Version : Hid Xenons
markmoto
03-05-09, 08:16 PM
Whos running them~? just ordered a set for me bike the new slim bollard units are super small same as a credit card but obviously bit thicker...
Cant wait :smt041:smt041:smt041
i want to get some of these, as i do night riding through the winter months! let us know how you get on fitting them
markmoto
03-05-09, 08:22 PM
i want to get some of these, as i do night riding through the winter months! let us know how you get on fitting them
Will do buddy
Not on bike but in car i got H7 6000k 55w kit and they are great went out other night as i pulled out of drive (about 50 - 100meters or so down the road) i saw loads of reflictive strips light up and that was all i could see at the time drove down road and there was 20 odd people in a runnin group in flourescent jackets it made them a lot safer and me a lot safer the light on the road is fantastic as well
Geoffrey
04-05-09, 10:47 AM
have you got a link and anybody know how good they are, any chance they are an easy fit too (pointy and curvy)?
markmoto
04-05-09, 11:04 AM
i got the kit for my car off ebay, was very impressed with the results and expect the be just as impressed on the bike..
yorkie_chris
04-05-09, 11:09 AM
Me.
Ace, hi-beam is a weapon. Last time I was heading down through wales you could see road signs and catseyes glowing at half a mile or so. Works a treat.
Go for the 4200K rather than 6000K though, mine is 6 and is just a bit too obviously purpley for me.
markmoto
04-05-09, 11:13 AM
Me.
Ace, hi-beam is a weapon. Last time I was heading down through wales you could see road signs and catseyes glowing at half a mile or so. Works a treat.
Go for the 4200K rather than 6000K though, mine is 6 and is just a bit too obviously purpley for me.
I would definately agree 4200 is the brightest you can get 6000k starts to get abit smurfy. :brilsmurf: when i ordered mine they came with 6000k bulbs by mistake which the company changed for 4200k which gave a much better light.
yorkie_chris
04-05-09, 11:14 AM
Oh yeah mine is only the 35W one.
Next bike is having twin 55s, just to make sure it makes any insects within 100 yards burst into flame...
markmoto
04-05-09, 11:16 AM
Oh yeah mine is only the 35W one.
Next bike is having twin 55s, just to make sure it makes any insects within 100 yards burst into flame...
Lol :smt067anything that lets you use the word plasma has got to be a good thing..
Brettus
04-05-09, 04:39 PM
I got a set on mine, twin 55s, they are damn bright, easy to fit, although I did have to create a small loom for them to avoid it blowing the stock fuses. had them for around 6 months, definitely my favourite upgrade, I no longer worry that I'm travelling faster than I can see.
I got the normal ballasts as I've got lowers to hide a multitude of sins so cheaped out and got them, mine were from hids4u.co.uk, can't fault them, good service and kept me updated as they weren't in stock when I ordered.
oh, I got the 5k ones too as I had heard the 6k were a little too blue for some.
I ran it for a while on a single bulb as the standard loom would hold that and thought I didn't need to rush getting the second one up as this was plenty bright enough but adding the second was yet another leap forward :-) hope you enjoy them.
there was a lengthy thread somewhere with some albeit slightly misleading pictures for comparison of brightness from Phillips X-Treme.
Me.
Ace, hi-beam is a weapon. Last time I was heading down through wales you could see road signs and catseyes glowing at half a mile or so. Works a treat.
Go for the 4200K rather than 6000K though, mine is 6 and is just a bit too obviously purpley for me.
+1
i got the 5k ones though... great for spotting the hidden cop cars at side of road in the dark...
the_lone_wolf
05-05-09, 07:11 AM
6000K are fine, they aren't purple, they're white, with the tiniest hint of blue, 4300K are best for max light output but 6000K put out 95% of the light and look much cleaner, you only start to get seriously purple lights (and crappy light output) at 8000K+:
The LED sidelights on my Daytona are white, the low/high beams are 6000K:
http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr243/ktm_wolf/D675/DSCF7841900x675.jpg?t=1241507333
Geoffrey
05-05-09, 11:42 AM
Oh yeah mine is only the 35W one.
any modifications needed to fit the 35w, or does the kit come with everything you need to bolt straight on?
sorry this may be an idiot question but are they twin filament, dipped and main?
the_lone_wolf
05-05-09, 11:45 AM
any modifications needed to fit the 35w, or does the kit come with everything you need to bolt straight on?
sorry this may be an idiot question but are they twin filament, dipped and main?
H4 fitments are a single arc with a movable shield to block light in a similar pattern to a twin filament H4 bulb
If you replace both bulbs on a pointy SV it's likely the the headlamp fuse will not be able to sustain the current draw at startup, so you'll need to contruct a basic relay loom to wire them directly (fused!!!) to the battery
Where you lot getting these from? Ebay or a proper internet shop.
What happens to the headlight flash "pass" switch? I thought that enabled the main beam filament without turning off the dipped one - although different cars and bikes vary on this. Assuming it works, the movable shield will be slower to shift than simply changing filaments?
Also these won't pass an MOT will they? So its back to stock bulbs come MOT time?
yorkie_chris
05-05-09, 12:05 PM
The pass switch works exactly as intended. The shield moves as quick as a filament can heat up.
Because most of the kits come with a H4 connector, you can simply swap the plugs back onto the back of a normal H4 bulb. (if your tester makes a fuss, take some H4's with you to test so you can swap it there and then)
suzsv650
05-05-09, 01:02 PM
TLW where did you get your HID kit from?
the_lone_wolf
05-05-09, 01:12 PM
TLW where did you get your HID kit from?
www.HIDS4U.co.uk
Would recommend them
Use the code "strathy" when going through checkout and you'll get a decent discount, used to be 40%, think it's more like 20% now, if it still works that is...
suzsv650
05-05-09, 01:17 PM
www.HIDS4U.co.uk (http://www.HIDS4U.co.uk)
Would recommend them
Use the code "strathy" when going through checkout and you'll get a decent discount, used to be 40%, think it's more like 20% now, if it still works that is...
Awesome Ta
Is this just one bulb and Ballast or two? (http://www.hids4u.co.uk/h4-motorbike-35w-pro-plus-hid-xenon-conversion-kit-pr-53.html)
H4 fitments are a single arc with a movable shield to block light in a similar pattern to a twin filament H4 bulb
If you replace both bulbs on a pointy SV it's likely the the headlamp fuse will not be able to sustain the current draw at startup, so you'll need to contruct a basic relay loom to wire them directly (fused!!!) to the battery
i used the hids4u twin slim ballast kit on my K8 pointy.. no need for relay just put everything in the nose faring and plugged it up to the main connector..
no problems so far...
i originally used the supplied sticky pads to stick the ballasts to the inside of the air scoops but that lasted about 2 minuets then rattled around for weeks till i bolted the slim ballasts to the inside of the air scoops..
the_lone_wolf
05-05-09, 01:26 PM
Awesome Ta
Is this just one bulb and Ballast or two? (http://www.hids4u.co.uk/h4-motorbike-35w-pro-plus-hid-xenon-conversion-kit-pr-53.html)
That's just one ballast and one bulb
You need this one (http://www.hids4u.co.uk/twin-headlight-pro-plus-hid-xenon-conversion-kits-pr-48.html) with twin H4 bulbs
suzsv650
05-05-09, 01:28 PM
That's just one ballast and one bulb
You need this one (http://www.hids4u.co.uk/twin-headlight-pro-plus-hid-xenon-conversion-kits-pr-48.html) with twin H4 bulbs
Yea thanks i was just going to post it up.. Bit pricy!:smt120
They only seem to go as low as 5k, ain't that going to be a bit bright?
Bluepete
05-05-09, 06:07 PM
That discount code works a treat!
strathy
Pete
MattCollins
05-05-09, 06:55 PM
They only seem to go as low as 5k, ain't that going to be a bit bright?
Bright? Colour temp simplistically is the balance of Red Green and Blue. Daylight is around 5000-5500K under a mid day blue sky. Lower temperatures tend towards red, higher towards blue.
Best results with lighting come in the 4200-5000K range. In this range you will not notice a difference in brightness or light output, but will notice a slight shift in colour with the 5000K being slightly whiter, 4200K being slightly redder. 5000K is fine.
Also, I prefer the slightly warmer colours (cooler temp - don't ask) around 4200K because it makes it a little easier to discern critters in this part of the world.
Cheers
Manage to dig this thread up and ordered myself a 55w 5000k set. Hope they'll make a big difference since riding in the dark is not fun with standard bulbs, especially on twisty bits :)
Discount code still works BTW, thanks for that! Is now 25% off.
Manage to dig this thread up and ordered myself a 55w 5000k set. Hope they'll make a big difference since riding in the dark is not fun with standard bulbs, especially on twisty bits :)
Discount code still works BTW, thanks for that! Is now 25% off.
that's what i have on the new bike and they are the doggyz doodaz. as long as you remember to set the beam pattern afterwords all is fine and no one flashes you
i completely ripped the wiring apart in the nose cone and made a new loom for the gear with a new 10 way OEM block so i can remove the nose cone when ever i like without having to mess around with other wires. everything apart from the +&- cables are in the nose but the +&- are in the new 10 way block.
that's what i have on the new bike and they are the doggyz doodaz. as long as you remember to set the beam pattern afterwords all is fine and no one flashes you
i completely ripped the wiring apart in the nose cone and made a new loom for the gear with a new 10 way OEM block so i can remove the nose cone when ever i like without having to mess around with other wires. everything apart from the +&- cables are in the nose but the +&- are in the new 10 way block.
Any chance you have a picture / more info on that custom loom? It looks to me that I may have to take the nose one out to fit them properly so any tips are greatly appreciated.
Having these type of lights are good if you're riding on your own at night, but if you in a group they are fooking annoying. If you're in front of someone with these, or a couple of people, you cannot see anything in your mirrors at all.
yorkie_chris
25-09-11, 12:32 PM
If they're adjusted badly.
Yeah, I'm aware they need to be properly aligned and hopefully won't glare too much once setup properly. I was going for the 35W initially but like the Mythbusters saying ... if something is worth doing, then is worth overdoing ... LOL.
If they're adjusted badly.
You know my argument against them, chiefly that no matter where you adjust them the light scatter with a standard reflector means they dazzle anyone in the vicinity.
Best off fitting better bulbs than HIDs
MattCollins
26-09-11, 02:12 AM
Yeah well... Mine were not nice to look at from the other drivers perspective so for that reason ended up with a pair of 35W 4300K bi projectors to get the correct beam pattern and eliminate the glare then added a pair of Hella FF50 driving lights for late night skippy dodging.
a pair of 35W 4300K bi projectors
Was this on a SV? What projectors did you use, how difficult were to fit? Thanks!
Slight thread detour, has anyone put an HID bulb in the projector side of a euro style headlight and adjusted it properly? Been toying with the idea for a while (leaving a standard bulb in the high beam reflector), it's that or get a new UK twin H4 headlight cluster as the single H1 bulb is just complete sh*te on the dark and twisties...
MattCollins
26-09-11, 03:57 PM
Was this on a SV? What projectors did you use, how difficult were to fit? Thanks!
They're 3" Hella OEM LHD from a US Audi circa 00-04 fitted to an SV-S. AFAIK these projectors were never made in RHD. A small part of the shield was removed and a piece of sheet steel cut for the correct beam pattern was soldered in place. The headlight housing was formed in carbon using a modified version of the original to make the mould. It was mainly time and patience.
There are easier ways to do this. There are projectors that are compact enough to squeeze into the original housing or work with a lightly modified housing.
An example can be found here:
http://forums.sv650.org/archive/index.php/t-121863.html
Thanks for the info Matt. That sounds like a lot of work and a bit discouraging to be honest given my skills with such things. Very interesting results on the link you posted but unfortunately the link to the projectors on eBay no longer works. Do you happen to know what make / model were they?
Ok, I got them today and they're they are probably the best quality made in china HIDs so far. Ballasts look solid and well built and general quality is above average. Still quite far from OEM but given the price and 2 year warranty I would say the are good.
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/7869/hidmoto.jpg
Left Philips Blue Vision 55w halogen --- Right HIDS4U 55w 5000k HID
Light output is nice but beam pattern is, as expected, a bit all over the place. While the halogen bulb manages to keep a nice sharp contour, the HID bulb has a concentrated hot spot + some random scatters. Not too bad I would say but comparing them to the HID projectors on the car, I would say they're nowhere close.
Now, I don't do a lot of riding at night, it only happened a couple of times to be away in the dark and I could have used some extra light. For these situations I think they'll do fine. Since they're are a lot brighter, you can actually see them shine during the day which is a big safety bonus if you ask me. I don't think they'll bother anyone during the day TBH.
For those interested in doing it right, here's a nice company from the states that sells proper retrofitting HID kits with a nice variety of projectors and bulbs for a very sensible price. http://www.theretrofitsource.com (http://www.theretrofitsource.com/trs_tech.php) If my next bike doesn't come with projectors already, I will definitely consider these guys.
After some more testing I decided to take the HID off for now for several reasons. I though I'll post my findings in case someone else picks on the thread and may be interested in a 55w HID kit for a pointy.
1. The 55W ballasts draw too much current from the standard harness, especially when run in pairs. The bulbs flash during startup and even when switching from low to main beam with the engine running suggesting the ballasts are not getting enough current through the standard harness. On top of than, they dim noticeably when the indicators are on. This suggest a relay should be used but ...
2. HIDS4U kits used 55W ballasts paired with 35W bulbs. This seem to be common practice among low end kits but some suggest that the bulbs won't last as long and they may be running hotter than 50w bulbs might do. There are 50w bulbs out there which seem to have a larger bubble with thicker electrodes but HID4U doesn't sell them.
3. The headlight housing gets really hot with the 55w setup. I mean so hot that you can't touch the headlight lens with your bare hand. This is after 5-7 minutes of idle-ing while I was trying to do some alignment. After this, I decided it is safer to take them off and put back the halogens until I can get some 35W ballasts and do more testing.
4. The solenoid mechanism used to pull the bulb in for high / low beam is soo loose that engine vibrations are transmitted to the bulb which vibrates annoyingly. I know this happens to some extent with the halogen bulbs but in the case of these bulbs, it becomes a lot more obvious and somehow irritating.
So overall a bit disappointed so far. For the sake of experimentation, I'll get some 35W ballasts and see how it goes but so far a pair of good halogen bulbs seems a more sensible choice.
DarrenSV650S
02-10-11, 11:53 AM
Just to confirm, you ordered a 55w kit and it comes with 35w bulbs?
Does your high/low solenoid use a relay system or is it directly wired from the bikes electrics? Meaning the solenoid is constantly being powered? Does the relay ever get stuck in high or low state when you are switching it?
If you are going back to halogens, I would recommend the philips xtreme bulbs, the light up the road much further ahead
Slight thread detour, has anyone put an HID bulb in the projector side of a euro style headlight and adjusted it properly?
been thinking about it, I fitted a uk car projector light into a euro curvy headlight. I fitted a hid kit onto a car with projectors years back, and was very impressed, the normal h1 main beam looks pants though.
Just to confirm, you ordered a 55w kit and it comes with 35w bulbs?
Yup, 55w ballasts with 35w bulbs. I called them and they confirmed this is how they sell the kit. Bulb in the picture doesn't show the H4 metal shield.
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1663/xenon1j.jpg
Does your high/low solenoid use a relay system or is it directly wired from the bikes electrics? Meaning the solenoid is constantly being powered? Does the relay ever get stuck in high or low state when you are switching it?
It has some sort of relay box with a couple of LEDs and some description written in chinese. I don't think the solenoid is constantly powered. It only get power on full beam and pulls the bulb in. Didn't get stuck at any time but the ballasts have a hard time getting all the power required which causes the bulbs to flicker for a few seconds.
http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6350/xenon2a.jpg
If you are going back to halogens, I would recommend the philips xtreme bulbs, the light up the road much further ahead
I ordered a set of Osrams NB but I thing I'll get some Philips Xtreme as well for comparison.
been thinking about it, I fitted a uk car projector light into a euro curvy headlight. I fitted a hid kit onto a car with projectors years back, and was very impressed, the normal h1 main beam looks pants though.
Got a cheepo Chinese H1 kit from fleabay for the car a while back but the beam pattern was so awful I got some nitebreakers instead - I'll have a bash with the projector headlight this weekend, although the tinfoil inside the projector to get the beam pattern does worry me a little :) Hopefully it is well heatsunk too :s
Ive got 3 different bosch projectors here and they all have the beam pattern cast as part of the housing.
MOT testers will pass a flat beam without the kick up to the left, but kick upto the right, as standard on the euro light wont pass.
The cast part has about 2 or 3 peined over type rivets to hold it to the magnifying glass lense, but its easy enough to drill them out to swap over or remove to make a flat beam pattern.
With 1 projector, the headlight is way better than it was, well dipped is, main is just a sh!t as was, lol
With 1 projector, the headlight is way better than it was, well dipped is, main is just a sh!t as was, lol
Well it's done - I used some silver tape to build up the side of the mask on the projector side of the euro headlight. The line isn't that flat, or straight, or pretty but is a million miles better than the candle that burnt in the projector before! I reckon it should pass MOT, I'll post up a piccy when I get a chance.
Amazing how much difference it made filtering down the A316 this evening, people actually moved over a bit! Didn't get flashed once either so the pattern can't be that bad...
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