| Author | Message | ||
     Sl33py |
There are a TON of different kits out there. Puzzled on another forum did an AWESOME writeup.http://www.sporttwin.com/index.php?/topic/19311-in stalling-hids-on-an-1125r/ Here's the kits i've found, maybe let me know if you've used it or have any input on each? 1. HIDExtra.com - two bulb slim $90http://www.hidextra.com/HID+Conversion+Kits/Automo bile+HID+Kits/SLIM+HID+Conversion+Kit/SLIM+Automob ile+HID+Kit/SLIM+Automobile+HID+Conversion+Kit.htm l 2. XenonRider.com - Dual bulb w/ slim "upgrade" - $230! Not sure if the Phillips bulbs are worth the premium...http://www.xenonrider.com/products/h8_xenon_hid_ki ts.shtml 3. DDMTuning.com - $65-$80 (35w-55w) Looking at this one seriously since it's 55w! Lifetime warranty too. But 55w too much?http://www.ddmtuning.com/products/DDM_35W_55W_Slim _Ballast_HID_Kit-101-85.html 3.5 - kit two from DDMTuning.com - at only $40! a bit scary, but at this price... http://www.ddmtuning.com/products/Raptor_Brand_35W _HID_Kit-102-85.html OK - please look at those and let me know your thoughts on them. I am thinking of getting some 3000 K temp bulbs to see how they look. Some of the less expensive ones are only $25 for a spare set, with my main ones i think i'll go 5k or 6k temps. Just curious about the 3k ones... anyway - thanks for helping out! | ||
| 07xb12ss |
i have a 3000k low beam kit from xenonrider.com and i love it, ive ordered a few kits from there and not had 1 problem i will say the 3000k is VERY yellow tho, i like it, lots of attention at night (and day) and i got it cause no one else has it that ive seen | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I used a 3500K bulb for my low beam. During the day, it REALLY increases visibility. At night, it cuts through the fog like a laser.  3500K vs. 8500K | ||
| Sl33py |
DAMN Jeremy!! that's a sweet pic. love the Dr. Evil quote too. 3k looks cool and with the rain we get here i was thinking it might help grab attention on the commute (people don't F'ing look...) anyway - any thoughts on the different kits? 55w kit too much juice for our 25R's? Heat? Too much A draw, or Volts? a bit confused about the 55w HID vs 35w OEM we have... I know halogens run hot, and HID's typically have less A and V draw - so 55w HID may be still less or about the same, but a LOT brighter? Thx!! | ||
| 07xb12ss |
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/480549.html scroll down a tad and thats my red CR | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
They don't run any hotter than stock bulbs but put out significantly more light. I ran 35W with no problem and I know Froggy has run the 55W with no problems. You don't run them off the stock harness. You run a dedicated power line to them and use the stock harness to trip the relay. Your kit will come with a two bladed connection that slips into the stock bulb socket. This will close the relay to allow the juice to flow from the dedicated line to the kit. Your stock harness will have a fraction of a bulb running through it and your dedicated line will carry all the weight of the power flow. Your kit will have everything in it you need. The 55W weren't available when I bought mine. If they were, I would have bought them. You can't have too much light. I like having 300W of light output at night. Incinerates deer on sight. | ||
| Barker |
that $40 kit seems like a steal. To good to be true? I was going to get these 2 bulbs for 80. But, dang I can get 4 HID for that. http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/H8 +Xtreme+White+Bulbs+-+Twin+Pack/part_number=18235/ 353.0.1.1.47204.0.0.0.0? FYI here is a good comparison of relative perception of color temps and bad spell'n.  (Message edited by barker on October 22, 2009) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
So what is an icegerg? I'm sure it's both Brilliang and Extic.  | ||
| Samcol |
That pic is so amazing! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Super photographer, Sanchez. Best day on my Uly. Last big ride. | ||
| Sl33py |
Barker - yeah @ 40 EA it's kinda hard to ignore. I saw the fun spelling light temp on another HID site - LOL. I'm still leaning mostly towards the 6k 55W Kit right now. Maybe with a set of 3k "extra" bulbs to test out. I think if the power is supplied from the battery directly, and everything works ok heat wise - 55W seems like the way to go. I agree the $40 kit sounds pretty tempting! Maybe if i decide to upgrade my Hi's i'll do that on the other 2. Ft_bstrd/Jeremy - thx for explaining the remote power. that makes sense. That pic is simply amazing - what camera and settings if you know? I'd love Froggy's input. Maybe i'll hunt him down and PM him to see if he can chime in. Anyone have pics of the power lead run and how they routed it? 2 wires - 1 each ballast or...? I figured others may be looking at similar "upgrades". I did a ton of research looking at options, so figured i'd try to help the rest of us new 25 owners out... rob | ||
| Sl33py |
answered my own q - the pic was taken with: Canon 30D f/4 1/4000 sec. ISO 400 @ 98mm no flash Nice job Sanchez. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Yellow light cutting through fog or rain is just a myth. Yellow light (or any light with a longer wavelength) can pass through microscopic debris much easier, but fog and rain are just too large of a particle size for this to be effective. All you're doing is putting a filter over the light (most places just give you a 5000k bulb with a yellow glass) which just reduces the amount of light being put out. HOWEVER, they are a little different and other drivers will take notice. For that I think they're worth it. And they're still brighter than the stock halogen. I have a 3000k and a 5000k kit from DDM on my car (5000k low beams, 3000k fog lights. The 5000k is nice because it all plugs right into the stock wiring - simple setup that just plugs into where the stock bulb would have gone. The 3000k had the blade connectors which were a pain for my application just because of how hard the fog lights were to get to, but otherwise fine. | ||
| Sl33py |
XL1200r - did you get the 35 or 55w kit from DDM? Quality of kit? Quality of Bulbs? Did DDM have good service/communication/speed/etc? Thx! This currently is the one i'm most interested in. @55w and lifetime warranty it's looking good! | ||
| Xl1200r |
I did the 35 watt. If I get one for the bike it I'll try a 55w kit just to see. Everything seems pretty solid, easy to put together - hands down the hardest thing you'll have to do is decide where to put the ballast and how to secure the wiring. The install itself is cake. THe bulbs seemed a little on the cheap end - not phillips or anything, but they are HID, and let's face it - I paid $65 for two HID kits for the car (one for each side). I can't buy a set of halogen bulbs for that. Plus a lifetime warranty, and in seconds you can be back to stock. Shipping was fast - less than a week and they're on the west coast and I'm on the east. Never had to communicate with them for anything else, so I can't comment. | ||
| Ccryder |
Too bad they don't have a bi-xenon set up that I can use on my H13 bulbs on my F-150. Guess I'll have to go with Xenon Rider for that. Later | ||
| Tbenson |
Isn't HID upgrades illegal? www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/convers ions/conversions.html | ||
| Ccryder |
It depends on who you ask. For example, the real reason why HID's have not been more widespread is the connectors to the capsules (bulbs) don't conform to the SAE/ DOT standards. For a fact, at one time GM upgraded their SUV's to HID by using "after market" kits but, since it was the OEM performing the "upgrade" it really wasn't considered after market (same kits we use!). Yeah they will be marked "Off road only" but that is to keep the vendor's a$$ out of jail. After 10+ years of fitting HID kits to M/C and cars, it is an excellent safety upgrade if the correct bulb is used in the correct reflector and it is aimed correctly. Later | ||
| Xl1200r |
Isn't HID upgrades illegal? Don't get some ricey-looking blue or purple light and no one is going to bother you. I like 5000k. Very white, brightest color temp (or damn near it). 6000k is okay, but a little blue. Anything higher than 6000k looks blue or purple and totally ricey. | ||
| Froggy |
I've been lurking but Ft has said everything I was gonna say, so I didn't post  Anyway, I got 50w units, DDM didn't have 55 at the time (year ago). Problem free on my XB, and running 9006 size bulbs on my car. Tons of light, I can see the reflection off road signs/police cars in broad day light. To quote someone in a car I was following "Ow! The ••••••• sun is burning me!" I plan on picking up a few 55w kits for my CR, R, and Blast | ||
| Froggy |
BTW, The 50w kits get a little washed out so they aren't as colorful as the lower wattage kits. Here is 8000k, its closer to 6000k:  I have 4300k 50w on my car, I will snag some pics of that. I actually used my car today for the first time in ages, battery dead! Need to throw it on a tender for the winter | ||
| Xl1200r |
Dude, you have a CR AND an R? You're my hero. | ||
| Froggy |
And a Blast with a bald rear tire (too many burnouts), and a XB that needs forks (to many car collisions) | ||
| Sl33py |
LOL - nice Froggy! Just PM'd you and then saw you already posted... figures. I think the DDM 55w kit is the way to go for that price. Just remains to see how spendy s/h is. sometimes those are hidden cost till you are checking out and all of a sudden it's not a cheap kit anymore. We'll see! Anyone have pics of the wire run to power them on an R or CR? Just curious best routing. Thx!! | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Here's my original install: Fatty HID Install I eventually redid my install and relocated the ballasts inside the airbox. | ||
| Sl33py |
Great Writeup Jeremy. Anyone w/ HID (slim/digital ballast specifically) can let us know what "warmup" time is? I know they aren't instant and am not currently looking for hi beam HID just yet. thx! | ||
| Zac4mac |
When I did mine last year, 6800k/fat ballast/BUB Lighting/$120/lo-beams only, I fussed with a relay to delay the bulbs coming on after the bike is running. Finally said "screw it" and just connected them straight. The time it takes to prime the fuel rail and for the IC to run it's self-diagnostics, the bulb has warmed up enough that it doesn't seem to mind the shut-off/restart when the motor starts up. So far I have about 19k trouble-free miles from the HIDs. Since I did the conversion, I have had NO cut-offs, left-turns in front of me or pull-outs too close. Seems they REALLY get noticed. I see better at night tho and THAT's what counts. Z (Message edited by zac4mac on October 25, 2009) | ||
| Froggy |
Sl33py, it does take a few seconds to warm up. I thought about doing the delayed relay thing, just never got around to it. It takes my XB a few seconds to prime and let the engine light turn off, then I just wait a few seconds after that and its all ready to start. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Warm up time, like others said, is seconds. On my car, by the time I'm backed out of the driveway, they're at full brightness. | ||
| Ccryder |
Sl33py, the warm up time for high beam is the only issue. If you are "turning on" an HID for high beam it will take b/t 4-10 seconds to reach full power. At 60mph you are traveling 87.9 ft/sec. If you need to see something that is beyond your low beams, it's almost too late for the HID's to reach full power. Other HID systems (like H4 or H13) use a solenoid to physically move the capsule to a different focal point in the reflector to mimic the 2nd filament igniting. One other method like BMW cars is their projector beam reflector has a shutter inside that masks/ unmasks different parts of the reflector and gives the hi/ low beam effect. That's my story for today. later |
