HID FJR headlight nirvana

dobias said:

If I wanted to use one lamp as low beam and the other as high beam, I would adjust the aim rather than modify the HID bulb or it's location....As Mikey would say,"Try it, you'll like it!"

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Well, this is exactly what I just ended up doing. Last night, after I got home about 10:00pm, I saddled up for a quick preliminary test. The results were good enough that I don't think I'll need to add aux. lights for the amount and type of night riding I do. Serious rally work is another issue altogether, but I think I'll feel safe enough to do moderate night ops without fear, which was definitely not the case with stock lighting, and the reason I switched to HID in the first place.

I tried to take some pics but, since I still haven't outsmarted my camera after having it for two years, they didn't turn out worth crap. I'll get some more in about another week or so, as I will be too busy this week to get them.

What I did was aim the left reflector up high enough to do some good as a high beam and added a separate switch for it in the location of the Euro-spec pass switch on the left handlebar electrical housing. I kept the action of the shutters tied to the high-beam switch, so I could use it as a cornering lamp or to flash oncoming traffic. So, I basically have three options: Low beam, not-so-good high beam, and driving beam.

By the time I get a chance to do some serious test riding and take pictures, I'll be able to make a much better judgment about the results of my latest farkling of an already farkled farkle. Hopefully, the third time's a charm!

Sounds quite interesting. I wonder how difficult it would be to make this work off of the hi/lo headlight switch instead of off of an aux switch.

worldbound4now said:

I wonder how difficult it would be to make this work off of the hi/lo headlight switch instead of off of an aux switch.

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Probably easier than adding the aux. switch. I just wanted to keep the hi/lo function for the right-side light. My mod is completely reversible, in case I want to add aux. lights later and use the new switch for them.

OK, I finally stole away to the outskirts of town and got some halfway decent shots.

For comparison, here are the stock Skyway low beams:



Next, my single HID right-side low beam:



Then, the stock Skyway high beams:



And, both my HID's lit up, with the raised left-side low beam only



I still have the shutter-activated high beam capability, but it's really only useful for cornering light (very useful, actually), as the raised low-beam cast lights up the road more than can be over-ridden by the high beams.

Sorry about the soft focus. The shutter stayed open a while and it was hard to hold the camera steady.

Who wants to see some pictures taken in the same location as Skyway's, with his camera, for a true comparison? It'll have to wait until the current moon wanes, but for enough interest, I'll ride up and do it. And, by the time I get back home, I'll also have a good ride report about the practical effectiveness of my setup, on real deer-heavy mountain roads when it's as dark as six feet up an elephant's ass.

Ya know, I've been tossing around the idea of hid's an these pics have about sealed it. Now if I can find someone to help me out... Jestal?

:jester:

Bustanut joker said:

Ya know, I've been tossing around the idea of hid's an these pics have about sealed it. Now if I can find someone to help me out... Jestal?

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Me, I would go ahead and physically turn one of the low-beams to high beam. You can do this yourself, it's not that hard.

Here's everything you need right here (lot's of close-up photos to show you *exactly* how to do this):

Converting a HID "Low-Beam Only" to a HID "High-Beam Only" My recommendation is to leave the right lamp as low-beam, and transform the left lamp to high-beam.

You know.... I think we're going to have to hold a nighttime "HID Shootout" at the Marriott parking lot during WFO, and document all the various combinations of HID lamps & aux lights, and let people see for themselves which combo might best work for there needs.

Nice job on your setup, Toecutter!

Thanks ol' wise one. I'll proabably get to this in the summer as I'm shorthanded right now. I'd forgot all about that post ya brought up, plus knowing jestal had done his bike I just thought I'dhint that maybe if he was bored.....

:jester:

Warchild said:

You know.... I think we're going to have to hold a nighttime "HID Shootout" at the Marriott parking lot during WFO, and document all the various combinations of HID lamps & aux lights, and let people see for themselves which combo might best work for there needs.

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Shootouts?! Ack! Liability!

I don't think we need to see much else for auxiliary lights beside the Solteks. With their intense lightcast, dealer support network and availability of replacement parts, not to mention the ease of installing & wiring them up, anybody who opts out of the upcoming group buy, which will no doubt happen way before WFO, obviously doesn't want auxiliary lighting.

However, there are many different ways to skin the HID headlight cat, and that's what I'd be interested in seeing. I guess it's my job to set that up at WFO?

Looks like it's about time for me to consider taking off the end cap & shutters from that left-side capsule, to let the rest of the light out.

Nice job Toe. Way to get creative and expand the envelope a bit. While I don't share your passion for the HIDs in their current form, I like the way you are trying different solutions and finding something that works for you, and perhaps others.

One thing I gotta tell ya though............Those piccies don't mean squat.

Not only do you need to do side by side comarisons at the exact same location and also really on the same night for any value, it is imperative that one uses the SAME camera and identical exposure settings.

So bring on the side by side comparisons!

SkooterG said:

Not only do you need to do side by side comarisons at the exact same location and also really on the same night for any value, it is imperative that one uses the SAME camera and identical exposure settings.
So bring on the side by side comparisons!

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That was my original intent, but I didn't get the bike back together in time to make the appointment in Sonora last Thursday night. Now, the moon is all out and I am in a class all week. If Ian's available next week, I'll get up there, weather permitting, and maybe even pick up my hydration setup.

Ian's bike was also torn down last week, so maybe we can even get both there at the same time for a true side-by-side comparo.

Thursday night I got the chance to go for a short ride away from town. The new light setup performed pretty much as I expected it would. It's by no means comparable to a pair of aux lights, but it does satisfy my expectations of what a high beam should do for a motorcycle. The difference was clearly apparent when I would dim the left light for an oncoming vehicle, then light it back up again, before it could cool down and turn back into salt. It was like "Hello, formerly dark world!"

I didn't get a chance to really check the upper third of the speedo range to see how comfortable I felt with the new setup, but I'd say it allowed me to feel like I was safe up to 80-85, where that wasn't the case before, when I just had the shutter-activated high beams. The aim is fairly critical, and I might be able to get some more useful light once I can get the right/left dialed in.

I'm gonna shoot for the side-by-side in Sonora next Thursday evening. Ian said (in the hydration thread) that he should have the stuff together for my kit by Wednesday, so I'll try to arrange a get-together for multiple bird killing and get the pics. Yo, Ian, you out there?

toecutter said:

I'm gonna shoot for the side-by-side in Sonora next Thursday evening. Ian said (in the hydration thread) that he should have the stuff together for my kit by Wednesday, so I'll try to arrange a get-together for multiple bird killing and get the pics. Yo, Ian, you out there?

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Yes, your Hyd. kit will be ready on Wednesday. I'll have to grab my bike for on hour on Thursday to do the side by side.

Well, Friday night I made it up to Sonora (via hwy 49) :yahoo: to do some side-by-side comparisons

OEM low beams:



HID single low beam:



HID single with shutter-activated high beam on:



OEM high beams (the photo didn't turn out well but you can get a perspective by looking at what's cast on the building area):



Both HID's switched on without shutter-activated high beams:



Both HID's with shutter-activated high beams:



And finally, Soltek Fuego auxiliary HID driving lights (and it doesn't matter what other lights you have on at the time):



Next chapter- Phase III, after some surgical modifications (shutter assy & end cap removal) to the left-side for maximum light output. Looks promising in the garage!



I also cut off all the unnecessary plastic on this piece and got it down to a bit shorter all the way around than the lowest area seen in this photo:



The finished product:



Stay tuned!

I did some tuning work in the lab last night, turning the naked light on and experimenting with its position in the reflector by moving it in and out while lit. It seems to only have one focal point in the reflector, which would explain why the OEM high beams are not all that great.

On the inside of the garage door, the stripped light looks much brighter than the right side. I won't be able to get out for a ride test until I complete some mods/maintenance and mount new tires for the upcoming season. Probably a couple of weeks to get all the stuff done.

toecutter said:

which would explain why the OEM high beams are not all that great.

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Huh? I don't get that statement. While obviously no fancy HID technology, I find the stock high beams on the FJR to be pretty darned good. Better than most in my limited experience.

Thanks for posting those piccies. Wow. Those new Solteks really put out the light.

SkooterG said:

While obviously no fancy HID technology, I find the stock high beams on the FJR to be pretty darned good. Better than most in my limited experience.

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And the reason I went down the HID road in the first place. It wasn't for the bling and coolness. I'm a function over form guy. IMO, the headlights on the FJR are as good as any combo-beam reflectors (high and low in the same one), bike or cage.

However, being spoiled by the separate reflectors on both my Toyota's, I want my high beam to be brighter and better aimed than my low beam. Again, IMO, this is not the case on the FJR. The FJR would benefit greatly from a headlight redesign, using two reflectors with HID for low beams and two separate reflectors with halogen for high, like most of the high-end and high-performance cages. Screw appearances. Those cool looking eyes won't look like much after they're mashed into a solid object. So, I aimed one light for low and one for high, and it appears to work better than the stock setup, using almost 40 watts less juice (enough for some grip warmers or heated gloves) to boot.

The alternative is to add aux. lights, and be into my lighting for almost a thousand dollars, with even more weight and wind resistance. I'd rather have a fuel cell if I can get happy with my headlights. Budget restraints, ya know?

Ian has relayed several accounts of cars not dipping their brights to him, even with his (2) high beams on. I didn't have that problem on the way home from his house the other night. Could be coincidence, or the fact that the cagers seem to be out to get him, or not. BTW, me thinks they won't be doing that headlight thing to him anymore. I noticed that on the slight twisty bits of 59 and Snelling Road, many oncoming cars were dipping their brights before actually making 'eye' contact, as they could see my glow coming at them before seeing the bike. With the new mods, it may get even better.

Thanks for posting those piccies. Wow. Those new Solteks really put out the light.

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I might have to go back and add some for the newest incarnation of my poor man's driving beam, if it looks better than before. Darn, another trip up the little dragon to Skyway's for some Doc's BBQ!

TC, could you post a picture of the Soltec Fuego lights on your FJR so we can check it out?

Thanks, Dan

DocDanDC said:

TC, could you post a picture of the Soltec Fuego lights on your FJR so we can check it out?

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From Skyway's laboratory:

toecutter said:

Stay tuned!

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My latest incarnation of this setup works pretty darned good. Last night, upon returning home to find that the wind had taken out some power lines (resulting in a nine-hour outage) in my neighborhood, I was able to do some testing close to home.

First off, headlight aim is critical to this setup. That said, the left driving beam lights things up pretty well with all that obstructive hardware removed.

Yesterday, I started driving around in the daytime with it on. The downside to this mod had been the lack of respect I have received from cars ahead during the daytime, thinking I might be a motor officer. One light lit is apparently an indication of non-cop status. With both lit, the cars ahead are once again showing the love. I just hope it doesn't draw attention from the real LEO's! Time will tell....