Riding in the dark

[kiwi_uk]

mitzy said:

kiwi_uk said:

mitzy said:

So, what is a good site for these HID conversion kits then , anyone know ?

These guys are worth a look. They have a motorcycle section. About to buy the HID upgrade for my XT660X.

Who ?

Oops sorry, me and multi tasking just don't work http://www.hids4u.co.uk

[mitzy]

kiwi_uk said:

mitzy said:

kiwi_uk said:

mitzy said:

So, what is a good site for these HID conversion kits then , anyone know ?

These guys are worth a look. They have a motorcycle section. About to buy the HID upgrade for my XT660X.

Who ?

Oops sorry, me and multi tasking just don't work http://www.hids4u.co.uk

of course your a bloke

[Hyperion]

mitzy said:

So, what is a good site for these HID conversion kits then , anyone know ?

I got mine from here http://stores.ebay.co.uk/diane-shop
Brilliant service and very very cheap. Delivery was about a week as you'd expect from HK.
All HID kits are basically the same...so it just comes down to price really. Don't be fooled into thinking these kits are in any way different just because they're more expensive or sourced from the UK. They all come from the same factory in HK and look identical.

[RizzoTheRat]

mitzy said:

Sorry, just been thinking about this, so if your taking steps to be seen more clearly, plod wont like it?
Is'nt this an inprovement to safety?

Yes and no. New vehicles fitted with HID lamps are designed for them and the lights are adjustable for height. Fitting HID lamps in to normal reflectors which weren't designed for it is technically illegal. The idea being that you might be able to see where you're going better but the poor sod coming the other way that you just blinded isn't safer than before.
In practice if it passes the MoT then they're pointing the right way and there shouldn't be a problem.
HID's are available in different colour temperatures, it's worth going for one that's a similar colour to standard bulbs so it's not obviously an HID.
I do know a guy who fitted a set and then took them off again as he kept getting flashed by other drivers who he was dazzling.

[Hooli]

i love riding at night with decent lights. summer nights when its warm & on stroppy with openface is perfect. i find the worst time to ride at night is when its snowing, it all goes white & you can see too much as it were

[Tyrant]

I've put HIDs on my Elise and they're a vast improvement!
I want them on the bike but I'm not sure where to fit the ballasts. Any ideas?
Kits are as little as £60 on Ebay.

[RizzoTheRat]

Depends on the bike, on some there's space in the nose cone between the lights and the instruments.

[outlaw biker]

Some useful tips here - including riding in the dark:

http://www.lazymotorbike.eu/tips/weather/

More categories on the left.

[Hyperion]

RizzoTheRat said:

mitzy said:

Sorry, just been thinking about this, so if your taking steps to be seen more clearly, plod wont like it?
Is'nt this an inprovement to safety?

Yes and no. New vehicles fitted with HID lamps are designed for them and the lights are adjustable for height. Fitting HID lamps in to normal reflectors which weren't designed for it is technically illegal. The idea being that you might be able to see where you're going better but the poor sod coming the other way that you just blinded isn't safer than before.
In practice if it passes the MoT then they're pointing the right way and there shouldn't be a problem.
HID's are available in different colour temperatures, it's worth going for one that's a similar colour to standard bulbs so it's not obviously an HID.
I do know a guy who fitted a set and then took them off again as he kept getting flashed by other drivers who he was dazzling.

I've had mine fitted for neary 2 years and never had a problem...MOT's and being pulled by an unmarked patrol car for a quick chat about my riding

[Dibble]

I was thinking of some HIDs for my 97 VFR... to go with my tinted visor and loud can...

Seriously, how easy are the kits to fit?

I have zero mechanical skills - I have to think "Lefty loosy" and "righty tighty" to even get started!

[RizzoTheRat]

Pretty easy. They operate on a high voltage so have a "ballast unit" whihc about the size of a fag packet to generate it. You shove the bulb in where the old bulb was, hide the ballast somewhere and rig up the wiring to the old headlight wires. At least that's the theory...not tried it yet but I'm having a go at fitting some in a VX220 at the weekend.

[dern]

The lights on my 748 were abysmal... you'd be better off wearing a nob lamp frankly and nobody could see how cool you looked to make up for it.

[catso]

dern said:

The lights on my 748 were abysmal

My 916 was the same but I fitted a HID conversion to the dip beam and it is transformed, much better and at least twice as bright, the beam pattern is the same so doesn't dazzle.

Fitting the largish ballast was tricky but I recently got one of those super thin ballasts which fits neatly behind the nose fairing. Had to upgrade the wiring (add relay) as the standard skinny stuff suffered too much voltage drop and every now & then the light would flicker.

[Johnny]

Funnily enough i just rode from Cambridge way to work at Heathrow, leaving just as it got dark. Only then did i realise it was the first time for ages I had ridden in the dark...

It did feel a little weird at first... especially on the unlit sections of A1M but i soon got used to to it. I suppose it concentrates the mind somewhat more but then that's no bad thing!

I was sat at just under a lepton after acclimatising to the conditions and this felt fine. Any sections where vanishing points/ cats eyes/ whatever couldn't be seen clearly then i just naturally backed off, adjusting my speed to suit.

I must admit the lights on the Gixxer are ste and really could do with some improvement.

Things have obviously changed for me as i used to do loads of riding after dark...

Johnny

[outlaw biker]

Did you have a nice lunch?

[Sossige]

Thanks all for the responses - that link that Outlaw Biker gave was interesting as well.

Cheers,

Soss