Converting to HID bulbs

[B1G GK]

Been looking around and getting scary prices, but found these and been told they will do the job and wont melt my wiring
http://www.xenonsonline.com/magento/index.php/stor...

Would you say the 8000k is more than adequate?

[agent006]

The k rating refers to the colour of the light, not the brightness. Go for 4300 or 5000. 8000 will almost be purple.

[black-k1]

How many bulbs does your bike have?

Why not get a kit off e-bay. Twin bulb kit (and it's the 50w kit) for less than £50!

[B1G GK]

black-k1 said:

How many bulbs does your bike have?

Why not get a kit off e-bay. Twin bulb kit (and it's the 50w kit) for less than £50!

2 single filament

[black-k1]

B1G GK said:

black-k1 said:

How many bulbs does your bike have?

Why not get a kit off e-bay. Twin bulb kit (and it's the 50w kit) for less than £50!

2 single filament

Definitely just buy a car kit off e-bay.

Example: e-bay Item number: 150321589752

Edited by black-k1 on Saturday 17th January 21:26

[evo stu]

agent006 said:

The k rating refers to the colour of the light, not the brightness. Go for 4300 or 5000. 8000 will almost be purple.

incorrect

8000k is the brightest and most reccomended for light output

i bought a proper slimline ballast bike kit off ebay from china for £33 posted

[7ommy]

http://www.lightenergysource.com/kelvintemp.htm

goes some way to explain the colour rating iirc most OEM car manufacturers use between 4000k and 5000k

[Sheriff JWPepper]

evo stu said:

agent006 said:

The k rating refers to the colour of the light, not the brightness. Go for 4300 or 5000. 8000 will almost be purple.

incorrect

8000k is the brightest and most reccomended for light output

i bought a proper slimline ballast bike kit off ebay from china for £33 posted

8000k is heading towards blue/purple and will not give out as much light as around 4300k which is OEM.

[Hyperion]

evo stu said:

agent006 said:

The k rating refers to the colour of the light, not the brightness. Go for 4300 or 5000. 8000 will almost be purple.

incorrect

8000k is the brightest and most reccomended for light output

i bought a proper slimline ballast bike kit off ebay from china for £33 posted

No ,it isn't. 8000k will be dimmer than, say 6000k.

6000k is the one to go for. White with a blue'ish tint. Anything lower than 5k will be a bit brighter, but yellower.

Seach for eBay seller 'Diane-shop' for the best prices. Don't be fooled into thinking a moire expensive kit will be better - they're all identical, and all are made in China to the same specifications.

[robsa]

Yep, the optimal range for visibility are bulbs rated 3800K to 5500K. And remember that as you increase the degrees Kelvin (K) the brightness reduces exponentially. I would not use bulbs over 6000K for night-time riding on the roads.

[Sheriff JWPepper]

I've got 4300k HIDs to look as near to OEM as possible and in no way do they look at all yellow.

[robsa]

Oh, if you don't already know, fitting HID bulbs to existing headlamps is not legal.

Read this to find out more:

link about HID lights

PS apols if this is discussed elsewhere!

Edited by robsa on Sunday 18th January 19:13

[Hyperion]

Normal daylight at noon is 5500k, so that's what you're aiming for.
1500 K Candlelight
2680 K 40 W incandescent lamp
3000 K 200 W incandescent lamp
3200 K Sunrise/sunset
3400 K Tungsten lamp
3400 K 1 hour from dusk/dawn
5000-4500 K Xenon lamp/light arc
5500 K Sunny daylight around noon
5500-5600 K Electronic photo flash
6500-7500 K Overcast sky
9000-12000 K Blue sky
From here: http://www.schorsch.com/kbase/glossary/cct.html

And yes, we've had the legal argument a thousand times already, so please- let's not start that again. The fact is, some bike headlights are dangerously dim, and HID's improve things a lot. As long as they're properly adjusted they'll pass the MOT fine and make night time riding safer.

[agent006]

evo stu said:

incorrect

8000k is the brightest and most reccomended for light output

Incorrect. The lower the K the higher the lumen output. 8000k look brighter though. OEM fit is usually 4300 or 5000.

[y2blade]

Hyperion said:

Normal daylight at noon is 5500k, so that's what you're aiming for.
1500 K Candlelight
2680 K 40 W incandescent lamp
3000 K 200 W incandescent lamp
3200 K Sunrise/sunset
3400 K Tungsten lamp
3400 K 1 hour from dusk/dawn
5000-4500 K Xenon lamp/light arc
5500 K Sunny daylight around noon
5500-5600 K Electronic photo flash
6500-7500 K Overcast sky
9000-12000 K Blue sky
From here: http://www.schorsch.com/kbase/glossary/cct.html

And yes, we've had the legal argument a thousand times already, so please- let's not start that again. The fact is, some bike headlights are dangerously dim, and HID's improve things a lot. As long as they're properly adjusted they'll pass the MOT fine and make night time riding safer.

what he said^^^

[Busa_Rush]

I have a 6000k 35w HID kit on my bike and the difference is incredible compared to the original bulb, don't need high beam in many cases now. Bike is 07 Kawasaki and has projector headlamps as standard which make an ideal base for conversion as they limit glare. An old H4 round headlamp with an HID kit can turn your bike into a glare machine and cause you no end of trouble.

[black-k1]

Busa_Rush said:

I have a 6000k 35w HID kit on my bike and the difference is incredible compared to the original bulb, don't need high beam in many cases now. Bike is 07 Kawasaki and has projector headlamps as standard which make an ideal base for conversion as they limit glare. An old H4 round headlamp with an HID kit can turn your bike into a glare machine and cause you no end of trouble.

I totally agree about the benefits of changing to HID. My 35w HID full beam light is noticeably brighter than the 100w halogen bulb I have on the other full beam light.

I don’t see why a well adjusted H4 reflector light should have more or less glare than a well adjusted H7 reflector which I have on my bike and I don’t have glare issues.

[catso]

black-k1 said:

I totally agree about the benefits of changing to HID. My 35w HID full beam light is noticeably brighter than the 100w halogen bulb I have on the other full beam light.

Another convert here. I have a HID low-beam and the difference is huge, light was very sub-standard before and now very good. have kept non HID main beam for the quick-on ability but have fitted a 100w which is an improvement over the 55w but nowhere near as bright as the HID.

[Office_Monkey]

Busa_Rush said:

I have a 6000k 35w HID kit on my bike and the difference is incredible compared to the original bulb, don't need high beam in many cases now. Bike is 07 Kawasaki and has projector headlamps as standard which make an ideal base for conversion as they limit glare. An old H4 round headlamp with an HID kit can turn your bike into a glare machine and cause you no end of trouble.

Hey Steve, long time no see. Where did you get your kit from?