HID kit?

[volksjagger]

my high beam went out. figuring it is only a matter of time b4 the whole

thing blows so now i am going to go with a 35w Halogen. any quality brand

recommendations?

[CrazyCarl]

WHOA HOLMES! Long time no see?!??! What the hell you been up to Jeeves? Hope all has been good!

I think most folks just go for the best deal they can on ebay. Looks like skinny ballast modules would be the best to fit behind the front headlight cowling.

Also, in case you haven't checked, single bulb HID's with low/high use a different type of hig bulb with a standard Halogen High beam built into it.

Sorry can't provide much more than that as I haven't converted light over yet. Been using the Silverstars or whatever they're called and they seem alright but burn out pretty quickly on a bike.

Anywho, Murry XMess!


CC

[volksjagger]

hey cc,

life is good. been riding everyday. the bike is running like a champion! so i think i will

go with a standard Bosch BA20D Headlight Bulb 35/35w (Type 2). i will keep you updated.

[bikerdoc]

I just wanted to add a little something to this thread concerning HID lights. I have fitted two systems, one each for two of my three of my bikes here in China. One system has been fitted to my Dragstar 1100cc cruiser while the other was fitted to my CFMoto 250cc large scooter (aka Honda Helix). The HID systems are Chinese brands, and are the top end units, with HID xenon high and low beams (25W), as opposed to many of the units which are 25W high beam xenon with a standard 50W halogen low beam (sometimes the halogen wattage is even lower).

Fitting was easy on both bikes, the CFMoto scotter being the easier of the two, since there is inherently more space under the front fairing and around the headlight unit itself which meant the ballast could be hidden away inside underneath the fairing cockpit. The only caveat was that it takes time to remove the CFMoto front-end fairing and refitting it all. In comparison the Dragstar didn't take as long to remove the front headlight from it's housing, but the downside was that the ballast unit is far too big to fit inside the headlight housing. I ended up placing the ballast above the headlight using double-sided foam tape against the front fork head yolks.

In application the headlights have been quite good, and certainly is markedly better when it comes to the CFMoto 250 head-light. Even though I'd previously fitted a 100/90W halogen buld to the CFMoto and the Dragstar it never was as bright as the Dragstar headlight. In contrast, the Dragstar headlight with the 100/90W halogen had a great spread, and fairly decent forward penetration.

I've had the HID's fitted now for about 5 months (cost CNY270 per set), and they have proved to be hassle free. The issue with the HID units for me has been that the intensity of the white light tends to be too focused with not enough spread effect on either high or low beam, and this is true for both bikes that I've fitted the HID system. The other issue for me, is that the HID hasn't a wiring loom that allows integration of the standard "passing" switch which is seperate to the head-light on/off switch, and when pressed would momentarily activate the head-light high beam. Though I tend to ride with my head-lights on no matter the time of day.

While I like the white intensity and penetration of the HID overall, the majority of the beam is too focused to an area in the front of the bikes with much less spread of the light beam as I'd like and is normal on the halogen bulbs. For that reason I'm likely to remove the HID from the Dragstar and fit a 130/100W halogen, which is what I run in my car. They're damn good. I also miss not having the ability to use the passing switch with the HID light.

In all honesty around these parts, Chinese tend to drive with their lights on high (full) beam at night, irrespective of other road users, and they often don't respond to being flashed with high beams in an effort to have them "dip" their lights, so my having really bright lights is important.

Just my kuai's worth.

If anyone wants to some close up photos of the units fitted then let me know.

[davidqc]

...i think i will go with a standard Bosch BA20D Headlight Bulb 35/35w (Type 2). i will keep you updated.

Try the Xenon BAD20D 35W/35W bulb upgrade. The difference is startling. Day or night.

£5.99 incl P&P from eBay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HONDA-CG-125-X...item4837f8dd0c

[mickandkat]

i have had a 55/60 watt halogen bulb fitted for over a year now no problems at all its the zenon one to

[bikerdoc]

i have had a 55/60 watt halogen bulb fitted for over a year now no problems at all its the zenon one to

Sounds more like that is a Halogen, not a Xenon. Some packing might say Xenon, but at the wattage you state above [55/60W - which is standard Halogen for automotive application], that makes the gas Halogen... and Xenon bulbs need a ballast (especially if after-market), so if you bought just a bulb, then Halogen it is.

[mickandkat]

the tip of my bulb is blue and is very bright think you right its halogen just maybe the blue ice one think thats what they call it

[davidqc]

My BA20D (old bayonet fitting 35W/35W bulb is Xenon - no ballast. The same supplier does a BA20D 50W/50W Xenon. Theay are made in Germany. No foreign muck, right.

[bikerdoc]

My BA20D (old bayonet fitting 35W/35W bulb is Xenon - no ballast. The same supplier does a BA20D 50W/50W Xenon. Theay are made in Germany. No foreign muck, right.

Sounds to me as though you have a Xenon copy, not a real Xenon headlight... easy way to know, when you turn on the headlight, does it take a second to turn on, then during several more seconds the light gets brighter and brighter, yes/no?

Xenon beam.JPG

If yes, then somewhere your headlight system will have a ballast, if not, then you have a imitation Xenon.

Halogen light.JPG

Another method is simply remove the bulb, remembering not to touch the glass, and look inside, do you see a filament?

Halogen.JPG

In Xenon bulbs there's no filament, only a mixture of gases the main gas being Xenon.

Xenon.JPG

I know from personal experience that many Chinese brand headlight bulbs state that the bulb is/use Xenon, or is extra white white-light etc. but it's still Halogen no matter how you candy coat it! In other words they are complete BS!

Xenon lights provide a reproduction of daylights natural spectrum so visibility of the road and what is in front of you seems much more like what you see during the day. Not only is this much easier on your eyes but it is much safer for the driver/rider especially during hazardous conditions such as rain, fog, or snow. Xenon lights also last significantly longer than standard headlights with most having as much as ten times the lifespan. Another great benefit to xenon is although they provide you with more light they actually use less battery life than standard halogen lights. The lights are generally six to eight times more energy efficient providing you with less worry if your must use your headlights without your vehicle running or just generally care about putting less stress on your vehicles battery.

First off, how does it work? The system includes a bulb(s) and a power ballast(s) to drive them. Unlike a halogen bulb, which is a glass globe with a physical filament in it (which heats up to glowing when current passes through), an HID bulb has no filament. It functions much the same as an arc welder. At either end of a glass tube with a globe in the centre, is an electrode. The centre globe is filled with a combination of elements, among which is xenon gas. The power ballast is basically a transformer, which takes the 12 volt input from your car and boosts it tremendously. Xenon gas lights need an initial surge of over 22,000 volts to ignite, and a steady 75-85 volts to stay lit. The transformer in the power ballast steps up your 12 volt car voltage to these levels to drive the lights. However, the current is very, very low, and the result is a power draw of only 35 watts, a lot lower than the power draw of halogen lights. When the ballast fires that initial starting voltage, the electricity arcs between the electrodes in the bulb, through the xenon globe, molecularly exciting the xenon gas and causing it to emit light.

Next, you'll need the colour temperature. The temperature, or "warmth", of the light is described in degrees Kelvin. Any manufacturer that offers HID lights as standard or optional equipment, puts out kits with a colour temperature of 4300K (4300 degrees Kelvin). Again, this is a measurement of colour, NOT of physical temperature. They offer 4300K bulbs because natural sunlight/daylight is very close to that colour, and from behind the wheel, the combination of light colour and light intensity rivals that of daylight. It's also a colour that is easy on the eyes, and long night drives are more relaxing than with the yellowed halogen light - One will likely feel less fatigued with HID lights than with halogens.

With colour temperature, the higher the number, the more blue the light gets. The lower the number, the more it trends to yellow (a 3000K HID kit in your foglights would be a blazing yellow/amber colour, great for cutting through rain, driving snow, or fog). 4300K light is very crystalline white on the road. Moving upward through 5000K and 6000K kits, you'll get a richer white with tinges of blue. I have had 4300K and 5000K in past cars, and currently have 6000K HIDs in my Audi. I like the 6000K best, but that's personal preference, although it does seem to have the fullest light.

Going beyond 6000K, you start getting into a seriously blue spectrum, and this is not recommended - sure it looks cool, but blue is one of the worst colours for visual definition, and does not penetrate distance nearly as well as the whiter colours of the spectrum. Going to 10,000K and above makes the light almost purple - again, cool for looks, but lousy for driving.

Remember that 25W Xenon is the same as 55-60W Halogen.