HID Headlights??

[Kevhunts]

Anyone planning on installing HID lighting?
Would they work with the projection lens on this bike ?

To those who already own a S10, how are the stock headlights?

 

[Swagger]

I don't reckon you need HID. The OEM's with the additional spots throw light around in a very efficient and effective way. I'd not be doing that particular mod.

 

[chickey191]

I plan on mounting a set of PHID's - I'll be taking them off my FJR - gotta have LIGHT!
too much riding in deer country at night even if I don't compete much in endurance rallying - I still help put on rallies so still spend an inordinate amount of time riding after dark on dark lonely roads (typically, NV and UT) - and the deer outnumber the people in UT.

lights are your friend. I also notice how easy it looks to mount a big a$$ed horn in place of the stocker. Not sure what it sounds like, but probably not as loud as Magnum Blasters!. Loud Horns save lives - as opposed to loud pipes.

 

[Swagger]

Now I'm inclined to go loud pipes, horns and plenty of light. The stock projectors are good and the ancillary spots round off the package.

 

[Kevhunts]

Are the head lamps on the Super 10 dual fillament for high/low beam or do these projectors use some type of mechanical shade that moves back & forth over a single fillament bulb?

 

[Swagger]

Are the head lamps on the Super 10 dual fillament for high/low beam or do these projectors use some type of mechanical shade that moves back & forth over a single fillament bulb?

I'm gonna have to go look now. I'm not sure if they're dual filament.

 

[macca]

According to the EU/UK Parts catalogue they are Single filament 55W H7 bulbs . So should be fairly easy to convert with an aftermarked HID kit.

 

[chickey191]

while there are lots of HID kits to convert H7 bulbs - they are not all created equal and a great deal has to do with the reflectors used in the OEM lights. In some cases HID conversions do NOt improve lighting - only decrease wattage (which isn't always a bad thing - but improved lighting is the goal). It will be interesting to see the results of someone's conversion. Of course - I would like to see actual side by side or before and after comparisons. I have seen many conversions that did little but change the light temperature and the rider claiming improvements, but when actual testing is done there is little or no improvement and in some cases - reduction in effective lighting. Remember that brighter lights are not the goal - but actual usable light being thrown down the road where you need it. Otherwise - all you get is pissed off on-coming traffic and people flashing lights at you and potentially less light creating unsafe night riding.

Check out the fjr forum there are lots of testing done by Warchild who seems to get the latest lights sent his way and believe me, Dale is NOT one to mince words or make unsubstantiated claims for lighting improvement.

 

[macca]

I would agree reflector headlamps can be very problematic with aftermarket Hid conversions with poor beam pattern and scatter , this is often caused by poorly aligned bulbs (with plastic bonded seats) along with the reflectors design for halogen filaments. Projector headlamps on the whole seem less susceptible to designed in beam pattern issues but will still suffer from crappy bulbs with dodgy alignment. I'll probably be fitting a kit I have lying around (removed from my 660 Tenere) to the low beam lamp once I get my 1200 (tommorrow if all the paperwork is sorted) .

 

[Venture]

I'm a little mixed in my opinion of HID. My Tiger has terrible, let me riterate that, TERRIBLE projector headlamps, so I upgraded to an HID in the low beam. I've found that while the HID does put out more light, nothing has been done to change the projector headlamp pattern, so it's almost worse in some ways since the contrast between light and dark is much greater now. I think I may upgrade the high beam now as well and aim it really high. I cranked the low beam up really high and it was awesome, but it would also be blinding all traffic, so I cranked it back within normal parameters.

The good news is that there is a US manufacturer of HID that makes it really cheap to try, I'll have to dig up the exact name but it's "D&M" or something. I got my kit for less than $50. At that price it's worth trying out I think.

 

[macca]

Picked up my Super Ten today and had a chance to check out the headlight arrangement (well for UK models) it has two H7 halogen bulbs that are both on for Dip. High beam is provided by the same bulbs with a shutter changing the beam pattern when high beam is selected (or vice versa). I've not tried fitting the HiD kit I have lying around but it will require some mods to the headlamp shell rear to get the HiD wiring in to the bulb/out to ballast. One thing to note if you convert one bulb it will affect both the high and low beams in that lamp.

 

[Venture]

Picked up my Super Ten today and had a chance to check out the headlight arrangement (well for UK models) it has two H7 halogen bulbs that are both on for Dip. High beam is provided by the same bulbs with a shutter changing the beam pattern when high beam is selected (or vice versa). I've not tried fitting the HiD kit I have lying around but it will require some mods to the headlamp shell rear to get the HiD wiring in to the bulb/out to ballast. One thing to note if you convert one bulb it will affect both the high and low beams in that lamp.

That shutter setup for high beam is perfect for HID. Due to the HID warmup time they don't make very good high beams that are being flicked on and off constantly.

 

[Kevhunts]

Picked up my Super Ten today and had a chance to check out the headlight arrangement (well for UK models) it has two H7 halogen bulbs that are both on for Dip. High beam is provided by the same bulbs with a shutter changing the beam pattern when high beam is selected (or vice versa). I've not tried fitting the HiD kit I have lying around but it will require some mods to the headlamp shell rear to get the HiD wiring in to the bulb/out to ballast. One thing to note if you convert one bulb it will affect both the high and low beams in that lamp.

That shutter setup for high beam is perfect for HID. Due to the HID warmup time they don't make very good high beams that are being flicked on and off constantly.

This is exactly what I was thinking. Perhaps even a cheap HID setup may prove stable without having the need to switch them on and off.
Ultimately I will see just how well the stock design works before I consider HID or the optional PIAA fog light add-on. I do like our options though!

 

[macca]

just rode in the dark with the stock lamps (unlit country road) and they weren't particularly inspiring. It definitely needs some improvement or spots if planing on dark riding imo.
I think the stock headlamp rear bulb covers will need to be drilled to allow aftermarket Hid wiring, likely this would be the easiest part to replace (if available) when going back to stock, next question is clearance between bulb pins and cover, which might be a bit tight.

 

[macca]

I've now fitted a HID H7 bulb and ballast to my XT1200 . I drilled a hole in the bulb access cover to route the wires into the headlamp and mounted the ballasts on the inside of the left hand side panel just below the headlamps. Where you put the ballast will be determined by how large the ballasts are and if they have external "resistor packs?". i used slim alloy ballast mounted two back to back (one as spare) which increased the thickness to ~1" so I had to ferkle with the final location to avoid the bottom yoke bolts fouling it moving through the steering arch. The ballasts were fitted with a steel strip which was handily long enough to reach a body work mounting bolt on the lhs of the headlamp shell.
Weather prevents me getting the bike out to check beam throw but as each lamp can be adjusted individually I'm hoping any beam alignment tweaks will be easily made, it looked ok against the pile of stuff in the garage that the bike points at. I've only converted one headlamp /bulb (LHS) and will probably leave the other stock halogen for the foreseeable future. Pics werent taken but the only parts I removed was the left hand side tank fairing panel and the headlamp bulb access cover.

 

[JonnyCinco]

 

[twistedthrottle]

The Denali LED Lighting 2-Light Kit with Full Wiring Harness and M10 Mount will solve all lighting issues easily. Hook up the lights directly to the battery (or a fuse block) and tap a running light with the provided Posi-Taps and you have a low draw super efficient LED auxiliary light setup:

The Complete Kit​

There are two light diffusers included with the kit: Fog & Euro. You can alternately run them without a diffuser which we refer to as "Normal" here is a graphic illustrating the different beam patterns:

You can see a video on YouTube that describes them in depth. Working with SW-MOTECH we have developed this auxiliary light mount: http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/5694/821/ or you can alternately use the provided M10 mounts well. The location for the M10 mount has not been figured out yet. Any ideas?

No shots yet on the Super Tenere but here is one on a R1150GS with a M6 mounting kit:

 

[Swagger]

JC what were you trying to place here? Whatever it was seems to have been expunged

 

[macca]

My 1st attempt at aftermarket HID has not been a success. The Ballast and bulb light up however the beam pattern from a short H7 35Watt bulb is very disappointing. There is a huge black hole in the center of the beam that is there on both dip and full beam. I will try a longer (normal length) HID once I get a chance to see if the change in light placement within the headlamp helps. If that doesn't sort it I will be reverting back to halogen.

 

[chickey191]

this is the problem with conversion kits - the reflectors of the stock lights are not purposefully built for HID bulbs which usually don't have the exact same fit - either too long or too short - and even with a perfect fit - the reflectors weren't made for it. That said there are some kits and bike light combinations that have worked extremely well and in side by side comparisons show improved light patterns and the ability to put the light on the road where you need it. I am very appreciative of the guys who did all the dirty work and beta testing for FJR's to come up with an optimum configuration/vendor. I just went with add on PHID's and while they aren't the leading edge technology they once were - they are more than adequate and due to their using far less power than my old PIAA 910's and the fact that I have them and can remove them - that is what is going to be on my XT12Z. I have looked at some of the LED stuff and haven't been overwhelmed by any, but certainly haven't seen them all. They are definitely getting better and show a lot of promise. personal opinon only - that for true painting the road with light (and not just putting out blue light and giant halos) - you need HID's. Currently the LED stuff works better for conspicuity and filling in holes in your light beam pattern and for cornering lights.

One thing BMW does well is their new moving lights - that corner with you. haven't ridden them, but the video looks awesome.

[INSERT DISCLAIMER HERE]
I am not a lighting consultant - have no inside information on lighting and have often been accused of being a dim bulb