HID recommendation
 

So after reading a lot and researching I went with am Electrosport HID system. Hi and low beams, took me 1/2 hour to install without removing anything and the quality is top notch. But the difference is really ridiculous. This is the mod everyone should do - in fact all bike should come from the factory with this. Best $175 I've spent. Just my opinion. Obviously if you're a wrenchhead you can fab something cheaper from a car but if you just want a bolt on dedicated motorcycle HID kit with no hassles that anyone can do this is great.

link?

I've heard without the whole projector, simply inserting the HID bulb can be a crap shoot - the resultant beam can be very irregular which can be both bad for rider and oncoming traffic at nite. Was this one or the SH specifically, did you adjust where the bulb was in the reflector and what does the beam look like at nite?

Well, with a HID bulb in the H4 socket the high and low beam is either two actual bulbs inside the H4 bulb (which then ends up at different places) or a solenoid moving the bulb or a shield... This means that the beam pattern can not be correct in a stock reflector... It is physically impossible.... And hence they are in fact illegal in just about any place, including most states in the US (but your legislation is so confused I can't tell you how to find out...)

If you get very, very lucky you might by pure chance end up with a beam pattern that isn't blinding anyone, but it won't pass any inspection...

If you really want to use a HID kit in a H4 socket, use a low beam only bulb... Then the odds of getting the bulb in the best possible spot to have minimal glare are much higher since there is one less bulb/solenoid to take up space...

Other than that... Don't waste money on a HID kit of any kind... Spend less money on eBay getting yourself a projector and retrofit one in the housing... Then you get a correct and legal beam pattern and more than twice the actual light than the kit can produce...

BTW if I can find it I'll post up a test video one of my friends and I did, shooting from a oncoming car at night with my projector retrofit and his H4 Hid bulb... He has since gotten a projector, to avoid being flattened by the oncoming blinded drivers...

And yes this was a completely fair test... We tried two different bulbs one low/high one low only and we tried adjusting them to reduce glare and with the low only bulb we could achieve that with it adjusted very low... Then the light intensity was still high but the beam ended up being ridiculously short...

my rc51's h7 hids seem to work well. i have limited experience with them yet but the first indication is they light the way much better. i noticed road sign in particular look like they are back light!

the beam pattern seems to be the same as stock.

Believe me they are not... Try it sitting in an oncoming car and you will notice the difference...

not once have i had an oncoming car flash their brights at me.

Then I guess the drivers around there are rather polite...;)

BTW if you have a garage, you can try it against a wall at about 10-12 feet and you will see the difference... With a correct beam pattern there should be no light, as in none at all, above a defined line halfway up the beam... Any and all small reflexes there is a very real and annoying glare at longer distances...

Low beam with a projector.... Notice only a very thin halo, no glare...

http://iloapp.tweety.se/data/_galler...720&height=540

High beam with a projector...

http://iloapp.tweety.se/data/_galler...720&height=540

Well I'm glad I posted this - I learned something (again). The link was www.electrosport.com and the kit was selected for the VTR1000. Everyone is correct about it not being the same beam pattern as stock. But do I personally care that my bike is now more obnoxious and eye catching to cars? No. Probably a plus that they notice me more. I doubt people are blinded to the point they will swerve into my oncoming lane and waste me. The huge difference in illumination is worth it. I do only use the low beam however - it seems to be more like the stock beam spread.

yes, the drivers around here are very polite, for the most part.

i will let the test of time tell me if i am in fact blinding oncoming drivers.

WOW! You guys sound like pricks.:eek:.. Just because someone doesn't flash you doesn't mean they aren't blinded and impaired.

Please be responsible and try Tweedy's suggestion. You might be surprised by the result - Who knows, you may find they are fine, but you owe it to yourself and others to do the responsible thing.

Thanks,
Kevin

Wow. All I can say to that last post is Wow.

maybe prick was too strong a word. but step back for a minute and think about the driver coming your way - you blinding that driver only creates more risk for anyone behind you, or anything on the side of the road - a stopped car, a broken down car, a family member walking etc etc. You think that is OK? At best it creates more animosity toward bikes. The bigger point being is we share the road - be responsible - there are safe ways to do this upgrade. Going low beam alone at least you can position the bulb in some cases to recreate the same beam.

I do apologize for the harshness of my last post.
It was a gut reaction to being blinded too many times :shock:.

sorry,

Kevin :oops:

actuallay i took a couple photos a while back, maybe a month ago. i put the hawk(stock bulbs) and rc51(hid) side by side. i light the lawn and the trees. there seemed to be no difference in the height of the beams.
i think i still have the pics. when i get home tonight i will post them.
apology accepted! hahahahahahahaha!!!

i have a retro fit on my bike Frankenstein parts from a BMW and Benz and if i pass about 100 cars, 2 out of them will flash me, i know its bright i can see that myself... but if there flashing me that means I've been seen and that all i,m worried about

did you read any of the above posts? there is more at play than just you being seen if your bulbs are out of focus. I've been blinded by oncoming traffic up in the mountains in pitch black. That shit is scary and dangerous.

uh..yes i did and if only 2 people flash me there most likely the two idiots that are so anal that even the slightest brightness above what there p.o.s. 88 olds puts out there hittin the highs to flash me

so yea i read and im not worried about it

2% idiot rate sounds pretty low. you guys are way ahead of us!!!

as promissed, here are the pics.

Looks nice... Altough there was a specific point about the wall...;)

A flat surface, 25 feet to the wall... Measure at the center of the bulb and make a mark (masking tape is a good trick) on the wall... Then another mark 2" lower... The cutoff on the low beam should be at the lower mark, and no light at all above the upper line...

Or if you are cramped for space, 12 feet and an inch...:)

Try it both of you... It doesn't take much effort and it's a good idea to know if you are cuasing glare or not... Best case scenario, you are not... Most likely scenario, you are but most of it can be adjusted away by aiming the beam a tad lower, or even adjust the bulb in the reflector...

Worst case scenario... It causes glare and nothing helps... Well atleast you know and can make an informed deciscion... At that point I hope a retrofit is an option... But atleast you have a correctly aimed beam...

tweety, you are a smart guy. you analyse things and are full of good info. i am listening to you and thinking about what you are saying here. but...

my pics show a similar beam pattern between the stock hawk and the hid equipped rc51.

bill, those crusty bastards who flash because they have nothing better to do, i make sure the high beam is on! i think to myself "flashing your brights at me??? ok smart arse, HERE ARE THE HIGH BEAMS!!! FOCKKER!!!" the lights on my old 05 gix1k were so bright that i used to get that a lot. hasn't happened to me yet with the hawk or rc51.

Only time I would run HID in stock housing is if I'm doing it on my dirt bike. I would rather it throw light around in the woods but not on the streets to oncomers.

I made a H4 ring fit on a D2S bulb and tested it when I had my Superhawk before I did the retro. Output was marginally better than stock and I'm sure my focal point was probably better than most aftermarket HID kits have. Yes it was brighter but in the wrong areas.

Doesn't compare to a HID retrofit in performance. As with anything in life, you get what you pay for...

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Not to mention a retrofit really helps freshen up the frontend of the hawk...

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Well... Yes and no... In those pics they look very similar... Against a wall I'm pretty sure they don't... :(


That's because in those pics you won't see the specks of light that will be above the line on the wall... Out on a road like that they are hitting the bushes and trees far away... Or if you are in an oncoming car they hit you straight in the eyes...

The wall tells the truth... ;) Try it... it takes 5 minutes tops... :)


BTW: Oh yeah... Even though I do have a fully legal and correct aimed retrofit many people still flash their bright's at me, not neccesary because they are blinded, but the sheer output makes them think I'm still on high beam... I usually just give them a short flash of high beam just to say hello :nana:... They all go to low beam quickly... Wonder why...:rolleyes:

Tweety

Where can I find the projector / retrofit? I didn't see any on eBay

Link in my signature for the hid retrofit walkthrough that I did

Is a delay relay needed for HIDs?

A delay isn't necessary, but probably a good idea...

A relay to run them on separate wiring is a definete must as the stock wiring and handlebar switch is to weak...

The point of a delay would be to minimise the "hot-restrike" ie they would be off when the bike is cranking over to start...

I have a handlebar switch that allows the light to be switched off/on indepentend of the bike... So I have no delay (get a european Firestorm switch of eBay)

whoa! a delay to help with the hot restrike??? tell me more because i haven't got the switch to turn the lights on and off. the light comes on with the turn to the key. sometimes the lights work, sometimes they don't. what do i need and how do i install it?