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Converting Auxilary Lights to HID

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PeteINny

Active Member
Has anyone converted their auxilary lights to HID? I was at NAPA the other day and the counter guy Had a HID kit for the headlamp for $50 and said he could get a kit for the auxilary lights for about $80. What do you think? Do you see any negatives?
 
HID lights require different optics than halogen. You won't get the performance you are looking for without repalcing the reflector and lense also.
 
stef,
Was this for the headlight only? Did you replace the reflector or anything else? Do you have any issues with it like heat or focus with the reflector? Thanks, just trying to gather as much info as possible.
 
I am planning on doing HID replacements on both the headlight and aux lights this weekend, as long as life does not get in the way. I picked up both kits for less than $50 each from DDM Tuning (they're slow, but the kits and warranty are very good). The only thing I am trying to map out is where I am going to mount the ballasts for the aux lights. The ballasts are small, but I still need to figure out the location to keep the maintenance on the fairing simple.

I have heard the reflector argument many times, but my thought is if the light bulb is brighter, it is still going to be better than what is in there now. The bulb looks the same as the existing bulb, so it is not like it is throwing light in a different direction. It might not have the direction of a different reflector, but it will still have more light in the same pattern. That being said, I did pick up an e-code reflector for my headlight to replace it too. I would have done the reflector with the current headlight and then the HID, but why pull off the fairing twice.

I won't get any pictures, but I will try and remember to post my impressions once I get this done.
 
Menmia,
Please let me know how you make out. Did you go with the 55w or 35w for the headlight? Where did you get the E-code reflector and how much?
 
I went with the 55w for the headlight and 35w for the aux lights. I selected the 5000K color because that was the color that the 55 and 35 matched the best.

I got the e-code reflector at RallyLights. It is a Hella reflector, so the quality is good, and it ran me around $40 plus shipping. So, for a total of $150 I got HID for all three lights and a much better reflector for the headlight. Beats the heck out of the HD offerings. I have heard good things about all that I bought, but we will see how well the install goes. I have a bunch planned for once the fairing is off, so it might take me a while. Kind of hope it rains this weekend so that I am not looking at the sunlight outside while I can't ride the bike.
 
Menmia,
When you get a chance can you give me the part numbers and let me know how you like the HID's. All for $150 is not bad. I hope the install is not too long. It looks as though it should only be a couple of hours or so. Thanks and let us know how it goes.
 
menmia said:
I have heard the reflector argument many times, but my thought is if the light bulb is brighter, it is still going to be better than what is in there now. The bulb looks the same as the existing bulb, so it is not like it is throwing light in a different direction.
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The bulb should Not look the same. If the new bulb has a filament, they are not HID. HID bulbs have no filament and are a plasma arc.

I am not trying to rain on your parade but it has nothing to do with the amount of light that you will now have. The problem is that the HID envelope of light is not at the same focal point as the tungsten filament focal point. As far as your headlight goes, if you just swap bulbs I would say your going to have a ton of stray light coming out at every angle possible. Even when the light is on "Low Beam", it will look like high beams to on coming drivers. Nothing you do as far as headlight alignment will help. The glare to oncoming drivers will be overwhelming.

I have been there and back with HID retrofits and have spent hundreds of hours optimizing setups. Hope it goes well for you but if you run into problems with stray light, contact me.
 
menmia said:
I went with the 55w for the headlight and 35w for the aux lights. I selected the 5000K color because that was the color that the 55 and 35 matched the best.

I got the e-code reflector at RallyLights. It is a Hella reflector, so the quality is good, and it ran me around $40 plus shipping. So, for a total of $150 I got HID for all three lights and a much better reflector for the headlight. Beats the heck out of the HD offerings. I have heard good things about all that I bought, but we will see how well the install goes. I have a bunch planned for once the fairing is off, so it might take me a while. Kind of hope it rains this weekend so that I am not looking at the sunlight outside while I can't ride the bike.
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Sounds to me your setup is not true HID. HID bulbs are not listed in wattage rating like 55w or 35w because they are Voltage driven and not current driven. These lamps have Tremendous light output but only "draw" about 24 watts. If they have filaments, they are not true HID.

They must look like these pictures for them to be true HID
 

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