The first Honda Superhawk HID Retrofit!
04-02-2007, 10:55 PM
#1
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The first Honda Superhawk HID Retrofit!
Front:
Full size picture here:http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5...04largesf1.jpg
Output shot:
Cutoff:
The output shot is a tad short. I wasn't sitting on the bike, so the cutoff doesn't reach as far. When I sit on the bike, the light shines completely down the road with a sharp cutoff at the rear bumper / license plate of cars ahead of me. 'Tis NUTS!
The cutoff shot is a bit overexposed, but you can see the purple at the cutoff line. I'll try to take more pictures at night, as my brother just got his Canon Digital Rebel XT in.
HID's at night are absolutely re-diculous. On the freeway, my light spread completely covers the freeway, anywhere between 6-8 lanes, and THEN some. Since bikes have stiff suspension, when I ride on any bumpy parts of the freeway, I can see the road ahead of me intensely flickering. If you've ever had an s2000 behind you at night, think of that times ten. It's crazy.
Projector is a hybrid, Bi-xenon FX35/45 with a TSX lens. I get HID high beam too
Full size picture here:http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5...04largesf1.jpg
Output shot:
Cutoff:
The output shot is a tad short. I wasn't sitting on the bike, so the cutoff doesn't reach as far. When I sit on the bike, the light shines completely down the road with a sharp cutoff at the rear bumper / license plate of cars ahead of me. 'Tis NUTS!
The cutoff shot is a bit overexposed, but you can see the purple at the cutoff line. I'll try to take more pictures at night, as my brother just got his Canon Digital Rebel XT in.
HID's at night are absolutely re-diculous. On the freeway, my light spread completely covers the freeway, anywhere between 6-8 lanes, and THEN some. Since bikes have stiff suspension, when I ride on any bumpy parts of the freeway, I can see the road ahead of me intensely flickering. If you've ever had an s2000 behind you at night, think of that times ten. It's crazy.
Projector is a hybrid, Bi-xenon FX35/45 with a TSX lens. I get HID high beam too
04-03-2007, 12:08 AM
#4
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Depending on which Bi-xenon projector you use, the projector itself can range from $50 to $120. Ballast, $50-70, and bulb, $30ish, plus misc. hardware, etc. You're looking at under $250 total for an OEM HID setup, which isn't bad considering the tradeoff.
Of course, if you catch a deal on ebay, you can get hooked up really nicely. I picked up two complete FX35 headlights (projector, bulb and ballast) for $170 shipped, and I sold off one complete set for $150, essentially making my retrofit $20. You just have to know the good deals and such.
www.hidplanet.com forums are a good website to get started on. Personally, i'd rather go with a Japanese Bi-xenon projector over a European / Domestic one, because most of them exceed the European ones in almost every category - intensity, width and sharpness. A really good projector to use is one out of an Acura TL. Although it's near the top of the price range for a projector, the benefits majorly outweigh the price. You pay $40-50 ish more for the projector, but you get MUCH better performance. Fx / Murano projectors are good, and so is a specific Porsche one (Japanese made) :P
Of course, if you catch a deal on ebay, you can get hooked up really nicely. I picked up two complete FX35 headlights (projector, bulb and ballast) for $170 shipped, and I sold off one complete set for $150, essentially making my retrofit $20. You just have to know the good deals and such.
www.hidplanet.com forums are a good website to get started on. Personally, i'd rather go with a Japanese Bi-xenon projector over a European / Domestic one, because most of them exceed the European ones in almost every category - intensity, width and sharpness. A really good projector to use is one out of an Acura TL. Although it's near the top of the price range for a projector, the benefits majorly outweigh the price. You pay $40-50 ish more for the projector, but you get MUCH better performance. Fx / Murano projectors are good, and so is a specific Porsche one (Japanese made) :P
04-03-2007, 12:10 AM
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04-03-2007, 12:24 AM
#6
Hmm?
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But man, that's a HUGE picture.
04-03-2007, 04:12 PM
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Drat.. I didn't get pictures of the actual install. I should have though.
I can do a write up on it & help out anyone with any problems.
For the shroud, I used a piece of aluminum flashing combined with a rain gutter guard, and cut off the trim piece off a TSX housing.. it would have been much easier if I had bought a bezel though.
marmaladeboy - 8 megapixel SLR
That's the only camera I have access to, but I have to wait until the owner gets home to use it :P
I can do a write up on it & help out anyone with any problems.
For the shroud, I used a piece of aluminum flashing combined with a rain gutter guard, and cut off the trim piece off a TSX housing.. it would have been much easier if I had bought a bezel though.
marmaladeboy - 8 megapixel SLR
That's the only camera I have access to, but I have to wait until the owner gets home to use it :P
04-03-2007, 06:57 PM
#11
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I rushed the bezel, you can see it sitting lower than the projector. Even though it covers a small portion of the lens, it does not take anything away from output. more pictures when it gets darker.
04-03-2007, 08:23 PM
#13
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I just got the bike recently, with 63k miles on it. Still need to do maintainence. Pictures as promised:
In the 3rd picture, you can see a slight artifact in the beam pattern on the bottom righthand side. It looks much bigger in the pictures than it actually is.
Notice in the last picture how wide the beam is.. it's hitting the car's rear bumper & the wall on the house in the distance.
01-11-2008, 10:01 AM
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01-11-2008, 03:22 PM
#19
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It would be best to use a Bi-xenon projector, since the Superhawk uses a single dual filament bulb (H4).
This way, you retain your High beam as well as your low beam.
You could use a single xenon projector (like the TSX projector above), but you'd be limited to low beam only, which could prove to be very dangerous in the future...
IF you've got $ to spend, go with an ACURA TL Bixenon projector. Those are the best all around & have very good output.
If you're looking for something a little bit cheaper, go with a FX35/FX45 Bi-xenon projector with a clear lens swap. The clear lens gives more output & a sharper colorband.
I'll do a full FAQ when I have some time, but in the meantime,
all the questions you guys have can be answered here:
www.hidplanet.com/forums
it's worth it
This way, you retain your High beam as well as your low beam.
You could use a single xenon projector (like the TSX projector above), but you'd be limited to low beam only, which could prove to be very dangerous in the future...
IF you've got $ to spend, go with an ACURA TL Bixenon projector. Those are the best all around & have very good output.
If you're looking for something a little bit cheaper, go with a FX35/FX45 Bi-xenon projector with a clear lens swap. The clear lens gives more output & a sharper colorband.
I'll do a full FAQ when I have some time, but in the meantime,
all the questions you guys have can be answered here:
www.hidplanet.com/forums
it's worth it
01-12-2008, 04:21 PM
#24
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well dont know much about the light swap tech part. But that said I would like better lights. when you make an faq can you make it like a swap with a prts list. I have no problem doing the work if I have a outline or instructions. just want to make sure and not buy stuff I dont need. Thanks for your time snowing here today so wont be riding the hawk anytime soon, but I got heat in the garage today and soon I will have the inside done and some sort of at home working type shop.
06-12-2008, 09:44 AM
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LOL, I never would of imagined bumping into another hidplanet member on here. I thought the username "anto" seemed too familiar. Turns out he is on our HID retrofit lighting forum (hidplanet) I help run.
As for the how-to, I may make one when I do my G35 bi-xenon retro and post it up. I also may offer services for this as I did the same for the Dodge Neon owners for several years under the business Lucent Performance.
As for the how-to, I may make one when I do my G35 bi-xenon retro and post it up. I also may offer services for this as I did the same for the Dodge Neon owners for several years under the business Lucent Performance.
Last edited by haknslash; 06-12-2008 at 09:54 AM.
06-12-2008, 11:20 AM
#27
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nice. i'm gathering the parts now for a tl retro and was wondering what ballast to use? i was thinking a hella III but it seems like it might be to big to fit. also, when you assemble the headlight housing back together, what glue do you use or do you use what was left on the housing?
06-12-2008, 12:27 PM
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nice. i'm gathering the parts now for a tl retro and was wondering what ballast to use? i was thinking a hella III but it seems like it might be to big to fit. also, when you assemble the headlight housing back together, what glue do you use or do you use what was left on the housing?
I usually run the Hella Gen3's / Philips LVQ-212 (same ballast). They are pretty robust and are readily available for replacement should one go bad. I would buy the nice ballast covers if you can simply because a Gen3 doesn't have mounting tabs and is also exposed to the elements. The ballast is not potted inside so be aware of any water that could get inside them!! these are a great and cheap investment to help protect your ballasts http://www.hidplanet.com/covers.html
As for sealants, this gets discussed a good bit on our forum. I've had great luck with using Nissan OEM headlamp sealant. Here is a thread on it complete with the Nissan part numbers you'll need to order it http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/view...=14443&start=0. Best thing to do is to try and salvage as much of the OE sealant from inside the "channel" of the housing and lens when you seperate the two. Then fill in any gaps with the Nissan stuff (or any pliable rubber butyl). Then once done, you can use some silicone (the good stuff) on the exterior where the two pieces meet, just as an extra barrier for moisture to have to pass through. Biggest issue I see newcomers experience when doing mods like this is they don't take the time to put everything back together as it needs to be for a good seal (ie not reheating materials, not allowing curing or bonding to promote, not forcing the two halves together as they bond with clamps).
Take you time and you'll be fine. Let me know if you need any help or tips.
06-16-2008, 02:16 PM
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Nice. I've had my share of TLs. LOVE those projectors. Those are TLs in the orange SRT above hehe. If you've got the extra $$$, swap the stock fresnel lens for a true ZKW one (not ebay replica). You'll be amazed!!
I usually run the Hella Gen3's / Philips LVQ-212 (same ballast). They are pretty robust and are readily available for replacement should one go bad. I would buy the nice ballast covers if you can simply because a Gen3 doesn't have mounting tabs and is also exposed to the elements. The ballast is not potted inside so be aware of any water that could get inside them!! these are a great and cheap investment to help protect your ballasts http://www.hidplanet.com/covers.html
As for sealants, this gets discussed a good bit on our forum. I've had great luck with using Nissan OEM headlamp sealant. Here is a thread on it complete with the Nissan part numbers you'll need to order it http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/view...=14443&start=0. Best thing to do is to try and salvage as much of the OE sealant from inside the "channel" of the housing and lens when you seperate the two. Then fill in any gaps with the Nissan stuff (or any pliable rubber butyl). Then once done, you can use some silicone (the good stuff) on the exterior where the two pieces meet, just as an extra barrier for moisture to have to pass through. Biggest issue I see newcomers experience when doing mods like this is they don't take the time to put everything back together as it needs to be for a good seal (ie not reheating materials, not allowing curing or bonding to promote, not forcing the two halves together as they bond with clamps).
Take you time and you'll be fine. Let me know if you need any help or tips.
I usually run the Hella Gen3's / Philips LVQ-212 (same ballast). They are pretty robust and are readily available for replacement should one go bad. I would buy the nice ballast covers if you can simply because a Gen3 doesn't have mounting tabs and is also exposed to the elements. The ballast is not potted inside so be aware of any water that could get inside them!! these are a great and cheap investment to help protect your ballasts http://www.hidplanet.com/covers.html
As for sealants, this gets discussed a good bit on our forum. I've had great luck with using Nissan OEM headlamp sealant. Here is a thread on it complete with the Nissan part numbers you'll need to order it http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/view...=14443&start=0. Best thing to do is to try and salvage as much of the OE sealant from inside the "channel" of the housing and lens when you seperate the two. Then fill in any gaps with the Nissan stuff (or any pliable rubber butyl). Then once done, you can use some silicone (the good stuff) on the exterior where the two pieces meet, just as an extra barrier for moisture to have to pass through. Biggest issue I see newcomers experience when doing mods like this is they don't take the time to put everything back together as it needs to be for a good seal (ie not reheating materials, not allowing curing or bonding to promote, not forcing the two halves together as they bond with clamps).
Take you time and you'll be fine. Let me know if you need any help or tips.
great! thanks for the help man! yeah, i've been looking for a zkw lense but, have had no luck. for the time being though, should i do the color mod (removing some washer or stopper inside housing i think) or just leave it? i've read alot of pros and cons to this. i'm going to use a new phillips 5000k d2s 85122+ bulb as well. oh, and what kind of damage should i look for in the projector housing? i got it used (year 2005 TL) and i've read there can be damage to the bowl sometimes but wasn't exactly sure what to look for.
those boxes for the ballast look nice too. i think i'll get one. can you buy them individually or only in sets? i just haven't figured out where to mount it so that it doesn't stand out. i was thinking inside the left or right fairing but i need to see the ballast first and how big it is. does the cover add to its size/ dimensions significantly?
are you going to use the same ballast? i'm looking for a shroud too - any ideas? what are you using? putting the housing back together sounds like it might be hard.
i've been on the hidplanet forum too. great site! tons and tons of information and knowledge on there about all of this. i've read alot of your posts over there as well - good info.
thanks
