| Author |
Message |
    
Ratbuell
| | Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2011 - 10:56 pm: | 
|
how's the 3000k for visibility? I used to do stage lighting, so I know blue is the least-perceived spectrum for the human eye...but how does the amber do for lighting up objects like deer and things that can get in your way? |
Ourdee
| | Posted on Sunday, March 27, 2011 - 11:06 pm: |
|
Helmet and armor in this optional helmet state seams to get a lot of slack.
Am I the only one that likes the stock lights? |
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 12:02 am: |
|
"Am I the only one that likes the stock lights?"
One of the few 
Joe, it seems to me that the 3000k provides as much perceivable illumination as a white temperature would, it's just all obviously in yellow. I guess if something yellow darts out in front of me, it won't stand out very well.
Previous to installing these, I wondered about the yellow and yellow/green road signs that seem to vary in color from state to state.. they are every bit as obvious as before. The reflectivity of the signs more than makes up for the fact that they now closely match the color of the light. |
Wbrisett
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 06:31 am: |
|
The only issue I've had with the HIDs is when the bike is kicked over. I've since added a switch, so I leave it in the off position until the bike is started, then turn on the HID. I've often thought about adding aux lights before adding the HIDs, but once the HIDs were put on, all thoughts of aux lights were extinguished.
Wayne |
Wbrisett
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 06:52 am: |
|
Helmet and armor in this optional helmet state seams to get a lot of slack.
I don't know if it was the armor and full-face helmet in 90+ deg heat, or the fact that the cop did a double-take when he realized my wife was a woman and not a guy after pulling her over, but he gave her a warning instead of a ticket a few years back. The only place I've been where I wasn't cut any slack (either on speed or just given a warning), was in Wisconsin last year at Homecoming. In fact, we were double lucky and both got tickets at the same time.
Wayne |
Union_man
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 12:56 pm: |
|
What are the watts of the stock bulbs?
Is low beam and high beam the same watts? |
Andymnelson
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 01:01 pm: |
|
55 watt.
Same bulb, same wattage. |
Union_man
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 01:12 pm: |
|
You are the best Andy!
Here is what I am getting.
http://tinyurl.com/Xenon-Blue
What do you think? |
Andymnelson
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 02:38 pm: |
|
Those are H4, make sure you order H7. I have found that most halogen bulbs that are offered in a "color" achieve the color with a coating on the bulb that filters the light to give the desired color output. It has been my experience that the color filtering dims the total light output. |
Union_man
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 03:03 pm: |
|
Good catch Andy!!!!
I almost F'ed that up! |
Union_man
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 06:19 pm: |
|
These...
http://tinyurl.com/H7-Xenon-blue |
Panhead_dan
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 08:27 pm: |
|
This thread got me motivated to finally install my HID in the low beam today. Testing and beam alignment tonight.
Bout time! |
Froggy
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 08:32 pm: |
|
$27 for a crappy halogen bulb?
I think you want this instead.
http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-35W-55W-Dual -Motorcycle-HID-Kit |
Eternalbiker
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 09:02 pm: |
|
Seriously considering the DDM 6000K 35 watt HIDs in my high and low beams, instead of the 55 watts. Anybody care to add any pointers in 35w verses 55w?
I'm thinking I may get better service life and less heat if I get the 35w...
My 40w aux lights blew the factory lights away until they quit working... 55w would be unreal! |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 11:13 pm: |
|
35 watts is bad enough... 55 watts would be (IMHO) downright rude for a low beam. If you do it, please don't ride around me or my family.  |
Bttrthnwrk
| | Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 - 11:32 pm: |
|
Those 35W DDM HIDs work fine for me. The only problem is that the bright bulb takes pretty much forever to get up to temp/brightness - seems like 10 - 15 seconds. Fortunately, the very first mod I ever did to my Uly was to get both lights on for brights, and never undid that for the HIDs. Good thing, too.
Now, if only the bright-side HID would REALLY light up with just a flick, like when the genius in the oncoming car cycles his brights and dims a few dozen times because he thinks my dim-side HID is just too bright for his taste.
I actually have my lights pointed very slightly lower than the manual says, too. No accounting for taste, I guess. |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 08:11 am: |
|
I haven't been flashed yet with my 35 watt kit, but I already feel bad enough about it. I couyldn't imagine running the 55 watt kit, except maybe as the once in a blue moon desert racing high beam.
I lined mine up so that when I have my weight on the bike, the "bright line" is below the trunk on a passenger car that is in front of me. It points WAY down to get this effect, but still illuminates the road better than stock.
I would still recommend the mod, because the light is better than stock even when pointed mostly down, and because those stupid filament bulbs are criminally overpriced and fragile, and those DDM kits are so cheap (and so far durable). The 35 watt kit is an embarrassingly easy install as well, since it works great plugged into the low beam stock setup. Wired like this, the high beam just becomes a "flash to pass" light, and backup to the HID if it fails.
Even aimed down, my 35 watt kit will light up the back of the head of the driver in front of me when I get on the throttle, which is plenty annoying to them I'm sure. So at night, I try and ride the bike to minimize annoyance to them.
(Message edited by reepicheep on March 29, 2011) |
Andymnelson
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 09:05 am: |
|
Reep- I share your sentiments. Against my better judgement, I listened to everyone who said to get the 55w kit and I installed one in each bike. Way too bright. In fact I feel it's beyond an annoyance, it's dangerous because it is literally a blinding light to an oncoming motorist....I prefer cars coming at me to be able to see. Now I'm going to order a 35w kit and put those in the low beams and the 55w ones in the high beams. |
Fr8trane91
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 09:09 am: |
|
+1 for the DDM HID kit. I went with 55W 6K and love them (significant improvement over stock). Definitely need to mod things so both lights stay on when you hit the high beam due to the warm up time for the HID bulb. After install checking your headlight alignment is also key. |
Wbrisett
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 09:21 am: |
|
Definitely need to mod things so both lights stay on when you hit the high beam due to the warm up time for the HID bulb.
If you do the mod, I would recommend just swapping out the city light wire (unused on US models) with the low beam wire instead of trying to bridge the switch. It's much easier and if you ever have to repair/replace the switch, you don't have to bridge the switch again.
Wayne |
Eternalbiker
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 08:34 pm: |
|
Reepicheep
Comments like this were my reasoning behind going with Auxiliary HIDs instead of the main lights. That and high beam flashing, and light/Ballast stress during bike startups.
Of course the Aux lights vibrated to much and failed or at least that catches the blame. I don't know what I'll do with them when I get them fixed. They were $200 per light for a total of $400. My profile pic shows them on the bike.
I really don't want to be 'rude' but the factory light just isn't enough for me on this bike. I just want to see and be seen. thanks for all the input I'll probably just go with the 35w |
Pontlee77
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 10:06 pm: |
|
My low beam light blew out, so I went to the chinese shop and got the H7 bulbs they had there 2 for $5 55w they produce a more white light than stock. |
Union_man
| | Posted on Sunday, April 03, 2011 - 10:50 am: |
|
The bulbs arrived. I installed them yesterday; it was very easy to do. I replaced both the High beam, and Low beam bulbs. Plug and play!
I marked the headlight and before I took it off, and reinstalled by lining up the marks.
In the shop, they are noticeably brighter and had a much whiter light than the stock bulbs. I would guess they are 20% brighter. I took a short night ride (rural) to give them a try.
I like them. The biggest difference that I noticed was how much whiter the light was.
I came upon about 20 cars, and I was flashed by 2 of them. I was only using my low beam at the time.
I checked the headlight for adjustment after the ride, and it was fine. If it keeps happening I am going to lower them.
Cost $13.50 per bulb. Cheap, easy, and my headlights are brighter than they were. |
|
