Better Lights and side lamps

[Chad!]

I've had two kits from HK with no probs and so have several people I know. The vast majority of these kind of things are made in the same place and rebadged. Think about TV's and DVD players etc. Most of the internals are the same. Ok there are some better than others, but is the huge price tag worth it?  Really??  Paying for a brand name is not always better as I'm sure most will agree.

Chad.

[Bulldog]

Piaa do a anti- vibration bulb especially for bikes H4 60/55w=110/100w xtreme white for about 40 quid,
i know its not a bright as a HID but it depends on how much night riding you do. Also because they
have dealers all round the country, if it breaks in a short time you stand more chance of a replacement.
I bought a pair of xenon blue bulbs at BMF show P/borough for £3.50, what a load of crap they put out
less light than standard bulbs, thats why i would not buy anymore cheap or imported ones!!!

[yamyam]

Chad, you are going to make me spend money I dont have!

I was thinking whilst riding home tonight, How does the full beam main beam thing work?

Do you wire something else up to the pass switch etc?


Any info is appreciated!

YY

[Chad!]

Chad, you are going to make me spend money I dont have!

I was thinking whilst riding home tonight, How does the full beam main beam thing work?

Do you wire something else up to the pass switch etc?


Any info is appreciated!

YY

You plug the loom of the HID kit into the original plug that you push onto your headlight bulb and that sorts your dipped and main beam out. The way it works is a solenoid that actuates and allows the light to hit more of the mirror area inside your headlamp. 

Chad.

[Chad!]

Piaa do a anti- vibration bulb especially for bikes H4 60/55w=110/100w xtreme white for about 40 quid,
i know its not a bright as a HID but it depends on how much night riding you do. Also because they
have dealers all round the country, if it breaks in a short time you stand more chance of a replacement.
I bought a pair of      "xenon blue bulbs"      at BMF show P/borough for £3.50, what a load of crap they put out
less light than standard bulbs, thats why i would not buy anymore cheap or imported ones!!!

This kinda says it all. I agree, some cheap tacky so called xenon bulbs would be shite, but HID is a different ball game completely and to base your oppinion on those bulbs is somewhat misguided me thinks. Besides, YY wanted this information because this is what he wanted to do, no?  Information is what I gave.  Personal choice at the end of the day. I'm sure if you dig enough you will also find a lot of people that will slate PIAA and the likes. A friend of mine rides a VFR800. He tried PIAA, cost him £70 for two bulbs. They were only slightly better than standard. He's since fitted a HID kit from "HK" and never looked back. He uses his bike every day all year and has probably clocked up hundreds of hours riding and his HID's aint been a problem yet.

Chad.

[yamyam]

Hey

I wanted some advice about fitting LED's and got a superb alternative to my perhaps not so worth it idea.

Thanks for the help Chad,


YY

[IXM9200]

Hi Chad please put my head right.  Your third photo looks like the lense was cut out to accommodate the LED lights. Please tell me I'm wrong (I feel stupid)   I fancy having them too, so do they fit just like the normal bulb that's already in it?

How about your HID was there any adaptations for your passing switch. e.g. are they responding fast enough when you use the switch?

[ozGSR]

When buying a HID kit you need to get one that is high/low beam.  Most kits are only low beam as they are designed for cars and most cars have seperate high/low lights.  There are kits on the market advertised for bikes but the only differance is that you get 1 globe/balast as against 2 in a car kit.  I would just go halves with a mate and buy a car kit that has a solenoid driven globe.

[Chad!]

Hi Chad please put my head right.  Your third photo looks like the lense was cut out to accommodate the LED lights. Please tell me I'm wrong (I feel stupid)   I fancy having them too, so do they fit just like the normal bulb that's already in it?

How about your HID was there any adaptations for your passing switch. e.g. are they responding fast enough when you use the switch?

Ayup mate,

  The LED's fit straight in with no modification at all. The photo is a little deceiving, I'll try and get a better one to show it.  As for the switching.  If you make sure to get a Hi/Lo H4 kit then you can't go wrong.  It's kinda hard to explain in words how it works in detail, but simply put:  The actual bulb is always on and this acts as your high and low beam and never switches to make it brighter. The way it work's is, around the bulb is a metal shield that has a cut out. Under low beam operation the metal shield stops the light hitting certain parts of the reflector inside your headlamp. When you flick it to high beam or press the pass button, the solenoid switches this shield so that the light can pass through the cut out and hit the rest of the reflector and give you high beam.  There is no delay what so ever when it switches. I'd say it's actually faster than a standard style bulb as it is already at operating temp unlike a conventional bulb. But we're only talking fractions of a second.  I will see if I have a picture of the metal shield so it is easier to see what I mean.  The only thing I will say about a HID kit is this. With the GSR, the lights are on straight from ignition. So when you hit the start button, the light goes out and then comes back on when you release the button. This is not good for any bulb, but particularly the HID setup.  I thought long and hard about a work around for this. Thought of a reed switch, a magnetic switch, a normal toggle switch etc etc.  I then had a brain wave and realised that there is a work around already built into the bike. This being the clutch.  Before I start the bike, I press and hold the starter button and then switch on the ignition, of course it doesn't start (safety circuit). So I then pull in the clutch, this is effectively my new starter button. And then as normal, release the starter button and the lights come on in all their glory.  Sorry for the looooong post, it's a lot to explain in written words.  I hope this all makes sense and helps with what you were asking?  I'll see if I can find that pic.

Chad.

[Chad!]

I can't find the picture I was after but this one kinda shows what I mean.  But with this one, the bulb is moved by the solenoid and not a metal shield. Same idea though.



Chad.

[IXM9200]

Nice one Chad this explains it all now, I was onl curious about the LED on how it looks on your photo but you have explained it well.  I have invested on the led's but the HID may have to wait a bit but for sure it's another way of learning to start your bike

[yamyam]

Hey Chad,

I purchased a set of LED sidelights and will invest in the HID setup next month (payday).

Finger's crossed they arrive safely, the LED's were from the US?


Cheers

YY

[Chad!]

Good luck YamYam.

[Glowingsplint]

Hey all,

Has anyone changed their headlight bulb at all? I am looking for a whiter light, kind of xenon but not boy racer type, the real deal.

Has anyone tried different bulbs?


Also what type are the sidelight bulbs, and are you able to change them out for a brighter type?

the xenon bulbs only contain about 5% xenon gas unlike the proper set up like a hid conversion is the doggs.  But the Phillips xenon bulbs will deffinetly be an improvement.  You should be able to use a led 501 bulb for your parking light are great bright White does the job far better than the week >1 watt bulb
Thanks in advance guys,

Cheers


YamYam

[yamyam]

Hey yall, got my LEDs today! Check it out!












Well chuffed with the difference, as can be seen in the first image! NEXT UP HID'S!!! HAHAHAHAHAHSAHDIOASJ