HID headlights & smoke indicators

[Nobbylad]

I like the look of egalman's smoke indies and also liked the sound of the HID conversion linky ...so....where can I get me some smoke indies and would I have to have LED's in them or just get covers for the stock indies (and are smoke indies street legal?).

Also, can I just buy HID bulbs for the front and plug'n'play or do I need to take the bike somewhere to have a 'conversion'/other electric work done?

Ta

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Nobbylad

Also, can I just buy HID bulbs for the front and plug'n'play or do I need to take the bike somewhere to have a 'conversion'/other electric work done?

each HID bulb requires a ballast to convert the battery's 12v to ~8000v needed to power the arc, there is another thread around where i installed mine

smoked indicators are probably illegal, HID headlamps are definitely illegal...

[the_lone_wolf]

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=112482

My install thread^^^

[the_lone_wolf]

oh, and some pictures in this thread:

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=113004

[Viney]

Try clear alternatives for your indicator lenses. As long as they lfash orange, then they are legal. The girlfirneds car has smoked lenses as standard and they are e marked..

HID's are cool, but as stated are illegal as a retrofit item as by law they have to have washers and be auto leveling.

[Nobbylad]

OK so after some more searching/surfing it transpires that I know nothing about HID other than it looks cool but is illegal and although smoked indie covers would look ace, they too are illegal.

I guess I'll just get on with some work then....

I got hid on my bike tootk bout an hour or so to fit easy nuff and much brighter

[northwind]

I love my HID, I run one 6000K HID in one headlight and a halogen in the other now, because my left headlight is damaged and won't aim right for the HID. But it did work fine before I broke it I hated riding at night before, my commute has a fair bit of unlit backroads and now I actually enjoy 'em.

Yep, it's illegal- but so far, I've had no probs. I did refit halogens for the MOT. The hardest/most time consuming part of the install was re-aiming the headlights, and that's got to be done right or you could blind people coming towards you- not good. From what I've seen most people who've had trouble with the law with HIDs fitted either have mad high-temperature purple headlights (stupid, and really obvious) or terrible aim. I've ridden behind traffic cars and not even had a twinge, because mine aim decently.

[Viney]

Smoke indicators are not illegal if a) they are emarked b) as long as they flash orange. Most modern cars have smoked lenses.

[embee]

I'm sure the others who have done it know the facts, but I was under the impression that levelling and washers were required for OE fit HID lighting, but the regs did not specifically include retrofit. I may well be wrong in this.