HID Xenon Lights

[glade]

Have just read a thread on another forum...

Originally Posted by bloke on other forum

There is a lot of BS doing the rounds about HID kits...
- Will they fail the MOT = Mine didn't. It sailed through no questions asked.
- Will they dazzle on-coming traffic = Not if properly adjusted. That said they are a LOT brighter than standard bulbs so I guess some degree of discomfort is likely for on-coming traffic. I've never been flashed by on-coming traffic though. They're best fitted to headlights with pre-focus headlights to be honest.
- They're illegal if they don't have self levellers and washers = This only applies to new vehicles. There is no legislation regarding these kits (yet). I was stopped by the BiB about 2 weeks ago for a minor incident and my headlight never entered the conversation, despite them looking over my bike.
- They run hotter than filament bulbs and will melt your wiring = Complete nonsense. They actually run a lot cooler and consume less power (35 watts). However - During start up mine hits 8 amps (96 watts) in order to strike the arc, but then drops to 3 amps after a couple of minutes. For reference an 55w Halogen bulbs consumes 4.6 amps. Just make sure you upgrade the headlight fuse to 15 amps and you should be fine.

Do it - you wont regret it.

I did a search and read this thread... http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.p...t=Zenon&page=2

There was quite a few people on the other forum who were very pleased with the HID upgrade...

Whats the opinion of the org on the legality of these systems?

I'm looking at these... http://www.hids4u.co.uk/store/produc...&cat=44&page=1

[northwind]

I've fitted a set myself, it works very well- though I'll be going to single beam with the HID and a halogen in the left hand, as I've got some aim issues there. That might just be my damaged headlight though. TBH one HID is more effective than both halogens.

Legality... I've been told that they're not type approved for road use and therefore illegal. But I've followed police traffic cars and passed them in the other direction without so much as a second glance. Legality for me is pretty much a side issue, as long as they're safe and reliable- which in my opinion they are. For MOT purposes you can revert to stock in the same time it takes to change a bulb- though I'd probably need to redo the headlight aim too, which would be more of a faff.

You need to be careful with the main beams, the extra power does give them potential to dazzle- but the dips are so much more effective that I've barely used mains since I fitted them. My suspicion is that I'm actually less likely to glare someone, since driving into the HIDS on dip is less bright than halogens on full, and I use full less.

I did a thread, here:
http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.p...ng+plain+sight

[glade]

Nice! Cheers.