HID ?'s

[EVLXX]

A couple of questions...

What's Bad for them ? Water, Vibration, Heat, and on what part specifically, the Bulbs, Ballast, connections, etc. In other words what is the number one thing that should be avoided.

Basically who's had problems and what where they ?

Hi Beam usage ? Any complaints ?

For the frequent High Beam user, I would think it would be a good thing, but what about the infrequent user, one who might only use their High beams ever couple of miles. Like if there's always a lot of oncoming traffic and you only get to turn it on for a mile or so, then it's off for the next 3, and back on.

How's using a Euro switch, and where did you get it ?

And I'm still on the fence about the Timer.

[Zero Knievel]

I would hope "none of the above." My kit comes with a lifetime warranty, so I'm expecting that it should not burn out or be subject to vibration or heat issues. Water shouldn't get to any of the parts enough to cause problems. Everything was sealed so that water couldn't get into the parts.

I'm hoping that HID makes the need for high beam greatly reduced.

[BackStreet]

HIDs work fine as a highbeam. If you have not turned it on in a while it takes a few seconds to get bright.

If you had the light on a few miles ago, it comes on bright and fast.

In the day time it works great for getting minivans to pull over and let you go by.

[Byrdman]

Eric, just do it.

I have them on my ST as well as the XX. I just bought them here from some no-name seller from China for $17 and they are the same exact thing that we all got in the group buy several years ago.

Well worth the money then, even moreso now at $17!

On my XX, I have the balasts threaded into the back of the frame spars right in front of the airbox. They get a bunch of airflow there and are super solidly mounted.

Get two 4000k - 4500k H7 kits and you'll be good to go.

[mikesail]

A couple of questions...

How's using a Euro switch, and where did you get it ?

And I'm still on the fence about the Timer.

I've noted a number of people suggesting that power cycling a HID will shorten its life. This may well be true, but the reason is unknown to me, I'm quite suspicious that this is another old wives tale. It is pretty hard to imagine why it would be true. An incandescent bulb is stressed by starting, but the gas discharge bulb has no similar mechanism.

Another member mentioned using a timer, said something about the HID drawing six amps at startup as I recall. A fifty watt bulb draws over four amps, and lots more as it first heats up. Not a big deal in either case. If the clock resets as was said, then the better fix is a big capacitor on the clock supply lead with a diode or resistor to isolate it from the voltage dip.

A HID bulb has two nice extras for bike usage. One is the lower power draw will let you run your bike off the battery longer, like when idling for example. The second is that the bulb lifetime is much greater, and the chance of a bulb going out at night should be reduced. I still am a little worried about the electronic module failing suddenly some day, but I carry a normal bulb to replace it if needed. Over 20k miles with a low beam and no issues, it is wired as the bike was stock.

[Zero Knievel]

I've noted a number of people suggesting that power cycling a HID will shorten its life. This may well be true, but the reason is unknown to me, I'm quite suspicious that this is another old wives tale. It is pretty hard to imagine why it would be true. An incandescent bulb is stressed by starting, but the gas discharge bulb has no similar mechanism.

Not the bulb. The ballast. Flicking on and off a incandescent will shorten the life of the bulb element. Doing the same to a fluorescent/plasma will stress the ballast.

A good system can take a lot of cycling before any malfunction can generate.

[EVLXX]

Eric, just do it.

I have them on my ST as well as the XX. I just bought them here from some no-name seller from China for $17 and they are the same exact thing that we all got in the group buy several years ago.

Well worth the money then, even moreso now at $17!

On my XX, I have the balasts threaded into the back of the frame spars right in front of the airbox. They get a bunch of airflow there and are super solidly mounted.

Get two 4000k - 4500k H7 kits and you'll be good to go.

I'm killing it..... aren't I.

I should "Just Do IT !", as you stated, but I like to explore every detail before I proceed forward, drives my wife crazy at times.

I ordered 2 DDM sets already... one for my Mom and Dads car, and one for my Truck. Already installed the set on the parents ride, it was super easy, and they look Awesome.

As for my truck, I'm waiting for the 6054 conversion housing to arrive. It took me a while to find a good set at a decent price.

I checked out your Link, amazing price, but looks like it was a one shot e-bay deal. Still the DDM deal is not bad, and I'm planning on buying a Low beam, the next time I get payed, baring any more unforeseen drama.

High Beams sound great, I mean come on, who wouldn't want to see a Mile down the road..... especially around here, where ELK cross the road,

Hmmmmm.... ELK plus Motorcycle at 65 mph, 2000+ pounds vrs. 800 ish., well that's a No Brainer......

and a truly Scary thought..... one that I've almost done once or twice already. So ya I'm serious about this.

I wish I could see the 4K, 4.5K, and 5K side by side.... that would be interesting.

You mounted yours.... under the gas tank ? Interesting.

A couple of questions...

How's using a Euro switch, and where did you get it ?

And I'm still on the fence about the Timer.

I've noted a number of people suggesting that power cycling a HID will shorten its life. This may well be true, but the reason is unknown to me, I'm quite suspicious that this is another old wives tale. It is pretty hard to imagine why it would be true. An incandescent bulb is stressed by starting, but the gas discharge bulb has no similar mechanism.

Another member mentioned using a timer, said something about the HID drawing six amps at startup as I recall. A fifty watt bulb draws over four amps, and lots more as it first heats up. Not a big deal in either case. If the clock resets as was said, then the better fix is a big capacitor on the clock supply lead with a diode or resistor to isolate it from the voltage dip.

A HID bulb has two nice extras for bike usage. One is the lower power draw will let you run your bike off the battery longer, like when idling for example. The second is that the bulb lifetime is much greater, and the chance of a bulb going out at night should be reduced. I still am a little worried about the electronic module failing suddenly some day, but I carry a normal bulb to replace it if needed. Over 20k miles with a low beam and no issues, it is wired as the bike was stock.

Exactly.... I just don't see how the Ballast or Bulb could be damaged during start up.... and was figuring maybe someone could point something out that I was missing.

The only problem I can see, with a complete system, is the power-up delay on the High Beam circuit.

Have not read about the clock resetting problem..... but I like your idea.

OH sh** .... late for work.

Later.

[mikesail]

I've noted a number of people suggesting that power cycling a HID will shorten its life. This may well be true, but the reason is unknown to me, I'm quite suspicious that this is another old wives tale. It is pretty hard to imagine why it would be true. An incandescent bulb is stressed by starting, but the gas discharge bulb has no similar mechanism.

Not the bulb. The ballast. Flicking on and off a incandescent will shorten the life of the bulb element. Doing the same to a fluorescent/plasma will stress the ballast.

A good system can take a lot of cycling before any malfunction can generate.

Not much of a chance that the "ballast" cares or is stressed in any way. It is a switching power supply, operating in a constant current mode as the load has a negative resistance slope like all gas discharge bulbs. Startup is of no consequence to such a circuit.

[Zero Knievel]

Not much of a chance that the "ballast" cares or is stressed in any way. It is a switching power supply, operating in a constant current mode as the load has a negative resistance slope like all gas discharge bulbs. Startup is of no consequence to such a circuit.

I was thinking along the terms of florescent. I've been told (more than once) that constant on/off strains the ballast because of the power needed to run a fluorescent. Nothing to worry about, but people who like to flick lights on/off real fast are not doing any favors to the hardware.

[mikesail]

Not much of a chance that the "ballast" cares or is stressed in any way. It is a switching power supply, operating in a constant current mode as the load has a negative resistance slope like all gas discharge bulbs. Startup is of no consequence to such a circuit.

I was thinking along the terms of florescent. I've been told (more than once) that constant on/off strains the ballast because of the power needed to run a fluorescent. Nothing to worry about, but people who like to flick lights on/off real fast are not doing any favors to the hardware.

old style florescent ballast is a special type of inductor, it doesn't care either. Way back when in olden days, small florescent bulbs used a starter module which did wear out over time, but the ballast is a passive coil which does not have any particular wear mechanism.

Most things prefer to run steady, but a HID really shouldn't care.

[dehning]

I picked up the DDM Tuning 55W 5000K kit and a cheap delay timer off eBay for mine. The 5000K has an ice blue/white beam, very eye catching.

The light output is absolutely amazing.

There is one disadvantage . . . it makes your incandescent high beam look almost useless !!!

Can anybody actually confirm or disprove the need for a delay, it would save me having to wire up a delay on the Hayabusa when I get it running.

[Jaygermeister]

I picked up the DDM Tuning 55W 5000K kit and a cheap delay timer off eBay for mine. The 5000K has an ice blue/white beam, very eye catching.

The light output is absolutely amazing.

There is one disadvantage . . . it makes your incandescent high beam look almost useless !!!

Can anybody actually confirm or disprove the need for a delay, it would save me having to wire up a delay on the Hayabusa when I get it running.

On the Gen II busa the HID's have been known to reset the clock from time to time because they pull more amps at start up.

The delay is easy to wire up.

[Justin]

I picked up the DDM Tuning 55W 5000K kit and a cheap delay timer off eBay for mine. The 5000K has an ice blue/white beam, very eye catching.

The light output is absolutely amazing.

There is one disadvantage . . . it makes your incandescent high beam look almost useless !!!

Can anybody actually confirm or disprove the need for a delay, it would save me having to wire up a delay on the Hayabusa when I get it running.

On the Gen II busa the HID's have been known to reset the clock from time to time because they pull more amps at start up.

The delay is easy to wire up.

I've had no problem with mine so far.. I do the "hold the starter button, turn on the key, then pull in the clutch sequence" though, so the lights don't come on till the engine is running.

[Jaygermeister]

I picked up the DDM Tuning 55W 5000K kit and a cheap delay timer off eBay for mine. The 5000K has an ice blue/white beam, very eye catching.

The light output is absolutely amazing.

There is one disadvantage . . . it makes your incandescent high beam look almost useless !!!

Can anybody actually confirm or disprove the need for a delay, it would save me having to wire up a delay on the Hayabusa when I get it running.

On the Gen II busa the HID's have been known to reset the clock from time to time because they pull more amps at start up.

The delay is easy to wire up.

I've had no problem with mine so far.. I do the "hold the starter button, turn on the key, then pull in the clutch sequence" though, so the lights don't come on till the engine is running.

I know me I won't do the whole hold the clutch in, tilt my head, rub my belly, start the bike thing for long

[EVLXX]

I'm still thinking, this whole starting-lights-clock thing is more than likely, a few isolated instances that are being blown out of proportion.

Maybe from people who had a week Battery to begin with ??? That or the power wire for the headlight/instrument panel circuit is to small to handle the 6 amp start up surge and would do much better with an additional helper wire, or being replaced by a bigger gauge wire. Just my guess.

Maybe I'll go look at our wiring diagram and see what's up.

When I get mine installed, I will, turn on the Key and let the HID get up to temp, then start the bike.

[RC Randy]

I'm still thinking, this whole starting-lights-clock thing is more than likely, a few isolated instances that are being blown out of proportion.

Maybe from people who had a week Battery to begin with ??? That or the power wire for the headlight/instrument panel circuit is to small to handle the 6 amp start up surge and would do much better with an additional helper wire, or being replaced by a bigger gauge wire. Just my guess.

Maybe I'll go look at our wiring diagram and see what's up.

When I get mine installed, I will, turn on the Key and let the HID get up to temp, then start the bike.

I think the clock reset would apply more to the Busa's. I've had it happen to mine when its sat without the Battery Tender, and you crank it for awhile.

I've had my electric gloves and vest plugged in before starting my XX and according to the specs I'm pulling about 6-7 amps with the electric gear. Never noticed a difference in cranking speed and no clock reset.

Both have the 14AH Yausa.

On my Busa, when I get around to getting the HID's installed, I'm doing like you and let em burn for 30 sec or so before cranking to take some of the edge off.

[Byrdman]

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't it be much better to have the lights come on AFTER the engine is running?

With the lights lit before, during the craking cycle the lights would flicker due to high starter draw. Also, you would be starting the bike on a battery that has already discharged a bit to light the HID's.

Just a thought.

[HANKSXXX]

...to bad there isn't one of those "dead horse" pics to throw in here...

You guys must be brutal when talking about the "best" oil...LOL

Come on guys....

it's a friggin light bulb with a lifetime warranty...

it comes with a ballast with a lifetime warranty...

it makes the bike more visible during the day...

you can see 100X better at night...

it's cheap as shit and easy to install...

What are ya waiting for? :icon_doh:

where the hell is that bottle of Tanqueray???

[Keith]

How about this one?

[HANKSXXX]

How about this one?

You are too kind...LOL...Thank you!

[spicholy]

[Byrdman]

We need a "preaching to the choir" icon as well.

Hank is spot on, we're talking about spending as much as a tank of gas costs. DO IT!

[EVLXX]

1. Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't it be much better to have the lights come on AFTER the engine is running?

With the lights lit before, during the craking cycle the lights would flicker due to high starter draw. 2. Also, you would be starting the bike on a battery that has already discharged a bit to light the HID's.

Just a thought.

1. Yes !

2. Good.... then the Battery will be all warmed up and ready to go ! :icon_nana:

[CALCXX]

What is the continous current draw of the OEM vs HID lighting?

Just curious--How many here have experianced RR faliure after making this upgrade?

It seems to me that the history of the XX reg has had a problem shunting the excess current to ground.

Balancing the system current seems like the answer to me. I have put an ameter (2) on both the positive and negative

@ the reg and have seen as high as 19A shunted to grd. Once again, I think balancing the current with more or less extra

continous current draw is the answer to another (RR) problem possibly related to this upgrade? Take your own readings and evaluate please.

imho, I think many install extras without studying the overall effect. The XX is weak in this respect and Honda only improved it a little with the additional

path of shunting the eccess current with an additional parallel circuit to Grd @ the RR.

my .02

[BMWRT97]

I picked up the DDM Tuning 55W 5000K kit and a cheap delay timer off eBay for mine. The 5000K has an ice blue/white beam, very eye catching.

The light output is absolutely amazing.

There is one disadvantage . . . it makes your incandescent high beam look almost useless !!!

Can anybody actually confirm or disprove the need for a delay, it would save me having to wire up a delay on the Hayabusa when I get it running.

On the Gen II busa the HID's have been known to reset the clock from time to time because they pull more amps at start up.

The delay is easy to wire up.

I've had no problem with mine so far.. I do the "hold the starter button, turn on the key, then pull in the clutch sequence" though, so the lights don't come on till the engine is running.

I know me I won't do the whole hold the clutch in, tilt my head, rub my belly, start the bike thing for long

For more options check the Twisted Throttle website. They have a LED light set slightly better than halogen output, .75 amp draw, 50,000hr life span. Obviously, no balast required.