Tinker
Tinker
Ok fellow Light freaks. I read the "other" thread a few minutes ago and came searching for this one to squirt in my two lumen's worth. I've had HID head lamps on my '03 for the better part of two years. Mine are earlier iterations of the technology with the larger ballasts but they are bi-level, Hi and Lo beams and 4300 k deg capsules. My experience over those two years includes a great deal of night riding. I did all the research I could at the time and bought my set up from England. My lights are aimed very close to the legal requirements for CA, which are pretty much the same Nation wide, what with the standards being set by DOT/NHTSA. In a previous life I did break and lamp certification for a living so I dug out the old stuff and set up a screen and in a parking lot near my home and check my lights on occasion.
Regarding the legality of the installation, It isn't legal in any state. It's a modified system and includes components listed for "off road use only". As I understand it an HID system has to be installed as OE to be legal, or at least be available as an OE option. That may have changed or I may just be wrong. I have ridden into 7-11 and numerous fuel stops and had the State, County and Local LEOs ask about the odd color. I've told all of them the truth about the HID installation. Not one of them has made in issue of the modification. Every one asked if I get flashed more than I used to. I don't and they seem pleased that more light doesn't have to mean blinded motorists. Ok the cops aren't concerned as long as I'm not blinding the oncoming vehicles. Other issues? Oh yeah, a few.
In my experience, with my system there is significantly more light available on low beam. Recall my system is bi-level. Lots more low beam light on the road where I need it most. The first time I lit up the high beams I was seriously disappointed. Most of the lighting improvement is on Lo, Hi is only marginally better than the OE Halogens, it is a better but to my eyes not better enough to warrant the expense. Thats on HI, LO is great!
Pattern is different! In particular the scatter off to the right and left from the outboard edges of the lamp housing. At first it was very weird. after a couple nights riding I was fine with it and no longer distracted. There is some scatter higher, close to driver eye height. The drivers don't seem effected until they are about 20 to 50 ft. ahead of me. Doesn't last long and no one has shot at me (yet).
Then there is the bulk of my older ballasts. By the time I got them installed under the front and left fairings there was no room left for any of my other treasured goodies. Bummer! There was now easy way to install the beasts. My set up was designed to be installed in an Automocage so there was a lot of "adjustment" to the included wiring harness. I used the Yamaha controls and arranged both ballasts to operate from one supplemental relay rather than one for each ballast. Saved two cubic inches that way. There was a great deal of very small, tight, fussy work involved in making everything fit properly (that means neatly). But I tend to like that, up to a point. installation was not easy, Hopefully things have changed, particularly in the dimensions of the ballasts.
I removed the entire HID headlight installation about a month ago. Because........................... I was getting discoloration of the reflector coating! Yep, inside the headlamp assembly. On both sides, directly above the capsule is a column of grey/blue discoloration. I believe the degradation is caused by the increased heat. But I don't know. It isn't generalized, only the column above the capsule. It took about a year for the change to become significant. I just looked at the price for replacement and it's less than $200. Could be worse, would be better if it was someone else's $$ though. That is the principal reason I removed the set. It would take about four hours to pull the panels and reinstall.
For my uses the lighting improvement was significant. I will go back to HID headlights when I have more light on Hi than on Lo. I believe they should be installed in assemblies purpose designed for HID light source characteristics. All of the scatter would be better applied to the road in front rather than the sides of my front tire and the lanes to the immediate right and left. The coating needs to be capable of resisting the heat. I would greatly appreciate the ballasts being considerably smaller and/or a system which could drive both capsules from one ballast. Ahhhh..... no strike that. Redundancy is a good thing in this case (note: self, two ballasts, two relays: end note)
There it is. My experience and opinion in a somewhat oversize d nut shell. I'm always open to ideas, other opinions, constructive criticism and more light at night. If you've a passion for flaming, don't waste your energy or bandwidth on me, doesn't penetrate the thick skin of my illspent childhood.
Current project: Convert 910's to HID. Farkeling along like this is almost as much fun as..... well this is a family Forum.
Respectfully submitted.
Tinker
:haloween:
Regarding the legality of the installation, It isn't legal in any state. It's a modified system and includes components listed for "off road use only". As I understand it an HID system has to be installed as OE to be legal, or at least be available as an OE option. That may have changed or I may just be wrong. I have ridden into 7-11 and numerous fuel stops and had the State, County and Local LEOs ask about the odd color. I've told all of them the truth about the HID installation. Not one of them has made in issue of the modification. Every one asked if I get flashed more than I used to. I don't and they seem pleased that more light doesn't have to mean blinded motorists. Ok the cops aren't concerned as long as I'm not blinding the oncoming vehicles. Other issues? Oh yeah, a few.
In my experience, with my system there is significantly more light available on low beam. Recall my system is bi-level. Lots more low beam light on the road where I need it most. The first time I lit up the high beams I was seriously disappointed. Most of the lighting improvement is on Lo, Hi is only marginally better than the OE Halogens, it is a better but to my eyes not better enough to warrant the expense. Thats on HI, LO is great!
Pattern is different! In particular the scatter off to the right and left from the outboard edges of the lamp housing. At first it was very weird. after a couple nights riding I was fine with it and no longer distracted. There is some scatter higher, close to driver eye height. The drivers don't seem effected until they are about 20 to 50 ft. ahead of me. Doesn't last long and no one has shot at me (yet).
Then there is the bulk of my older ballasts. By the time I got them installed under the front and left fairings there was no room left for any of my other treasured goodies. Bummer! There was now easy way to install the beasts. My set up was designed to be installed in an Automocage so there was a lot of "adjustment" to the included wiring harness. I used the Yamaha controls and arranged both ballasts to operate from one supplemental relay rather than one for each ballast. Saved two cubic inches that way. There was a great deal of very small, tight, fussy work involved in making everything fit properly (that means neatly). But I tend to like that, up to a point. installation was not easy, Hopefully things have changed, particularly in the dimensions of the ballasts.
I removed the entire HID headlight installation about a month ago. Because........................... I was getting discoloration of the reflector coating! Yep, inside the headlamp assembly. On both sides, directly above the capsule is a column of grey/blue discoloration. I believe the degradation is caused by the increased heat. But I don't know. It isn't generalized, only the column above the capsule. It took about a year for the change to become significant. I just looked at the price for replacement and it's less than $200. Could be worse, would be better if it was someone else's $$ though. That is the principal reason I removed the set. It would take about four hours to pull the panels and reinstall.
For my uses the lighting improvement was significant. I will go back to HID headlights when I have more light on Hi than on Lo. I believe they should be installed in assemblies purpose designed for HID light source characteristics. All of the scatter would be better applied to the road in front rather than the sides of my front tire and the lanes to the immediate right and left. The coating needs to be capable of resisting the heat. I would greatly appreciate the ballasts being considerably smaller and/or a system which could drive both capsules from one ballast. Ahhhh..... no strike that. Redundancy is a good thing in this case (note: self, two ballasts, two relays: end note)
There it is. My experience and opinion in a somewhat oversize d nut shell. I'm always open to ideas, other opinions, constructive criticism and more light at night. If you've a passion for flaming, don't waste your energy or bandwidth on me, doesn't penetrate the thick skin of my illspent childhood.
Current project: Convert 910's to HID. Farkeling along like this is almost as much fun as..... well this is a family Forum.
Respectfully submitted.
Tinker
:haloween:
The message got drowned out in the flamefest, I guess... but, no biggie!
