1150 hid upgrade

[lister1150]

Looking to upgrade to HID's because my lights aren't really doing it for me. Anyone know of good companies for this upgrade? I kind of want to stay away from the chinese car lights like vvme. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Airman]

Looking to upgrade to HID's because my lights aren't really doing it for me. Anyone know of good companies for this upgrade? I kind of want to stay away from the chinese car lights like vvme. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

This what I'm planning to buy when I get around to it. I know a guy with a pair of these in a K1300GT. Plug and play. If it fails on the road you just unplug it and put your H4 back in. http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p=pr ... &parent=61

[Captain Hook]

that ddmtuning link isn't working and the website root ("www ddmtuning com") is being reported by Avast as containing a trojan.

[Airman]

that ddmtuning link isn't working and the website root ("www ddmtuning com") is being reported by Avast as containing a trojan.

I just tried the link above and it worked for me. Just an internest glitch probably.

[cswett]

Can someone tell me what an HID is and what this upgrade would accomplish?

[Captain Hook]

High Intensity Discharge lights using Xenon bulbs - they produce more light for less power comsumption and heat output.

They aren't straight replacements for a Halogen bulb however because they run at a several thousand volts and as such need a ballast to step the 12v DC generated by the bike up to the operating voltages for the bulb.

They produce a very white light with a blue tinge at the edge, looks like a blue flashing light as the car bounces over rough ground.

Note: there are Halogens which have a similar colour to make the headlight look like it's running a Xenon bulb but they are still producing the same amount of light as a 12v Halogen, it's just has a different light spectrum.

[duegi]

I have a set of Lazerstar Istar HID's. Found them online for $150 per light and they worked well.

[jcridge]

Nice link...

That seems cheap for an HID system. Has anyone installed one of these?
We are looking to upgrade the bulbs on our bikes and would like to know if these systems work as described and the lifetime expectancy.
John

[Airman]

Nice link...

That seems cheap for an HID system. Has anyone installed one of these?
We are looking to upgrade the bulbs on our bikes and would like to know if these systems work as described and the lifetime expectancy.
John

Second hand knowledge. A guy at work installed one, (or 2?) in his K1300GT and says they work very well. He also bought a pair of the the H3 HIDs, then gutted a pair of Hella driving lights and mounted them on the fairings for....I'm not sure what, they're not driving lights anymore exactly. I think they might be set up as cornering lights. I've had him come up behind me at night and the HIDs are very, very bright.

[duegi]

Here is the PIAA link;
http://www.shopatron.com/products/produ ... 3082/353.0
If one hunts around online I've seen better pricing than $575.00 for these lights.

If you can find HID's with internal balasts it's much easier to deal with than the externals balasts. One thing to watch for with internal balast HID's is the weight and where you mount them. IE on the faring of an RT might look great but how soon before the mount rips through the fairing. It's better to mount on a crash bar or metal fixture somewhere on the moto. The wiring is easy as mentioned in a previous post. The wires are small due to low wattage being pulled to run HID's.

Performance wise I'd compare the HID's light output to perhaps aircraft or train headlight, very powerful. Good for picking out Bambi in a grove of trees before he bounds in front of you. Also good for being seen by motorists. Aside from night riding I run mine when in heavy traffic to keep motorists aware of my postion.

[Airman]

Here is the PIAA link;
http://www.shopatron.com/products/produ ... 3082/353.0
If one hunts around online I've seen better pricing than $575.00 for these lights.

If you can find HID's with internal balasts it's much easier to deal with than the externals balasts. One thing to watch for with internal balast HID's is the weight and where you mount them. IE on the faring of an RT might look great but how soon before the mount rips through the fairing. It's better to mount on a crash bar or metal fixture somewhere on the moto. The wiring is easy as mentioned in a previous post. The wires are small due to low wattage being pulled to run HID's.

Performance wise I'd compare the HID's light output to perhaps aircraft or train headlight, very powerful. Good for picking out Bambi in a grove of trees before he bounds in front of you. Also good for being seen by motorists. Aside from night riding I run mine when in heavy traffic to keep motorists aware of my postion.

I think I see why my KGT friend built his own H3 driving lights, that a lot of jack for a pair of lights. I'm still planning to install a pair of PIAA 910s for the above mentioned deer spotting. I would like to see these though. I don't suppose you'll be at the MOA rally in August will you?

[lister1150]

A handful of users have bought and installed the 1off motorsports hid light system on bmwsporttouring.com. I visited http://www.1offmotorsports.com and it seems pretty legit. $99 with lifetime warranty with satisfaction guarantee? Also found a product review that some club did on them here http://1offmotorsports.com/n-1438-1-off ... ornia.html

What do you guys think?

Thinking of ordering it tonight. I will keep everyone updated when I recieve the kit in 2-3 days on my thoughts about the product and how installation goes.

[duegi]

Airman
Doubtful attendance for the August MOA rally as I'll probably be motoreffing a bicycle race somewhere in the US. Unless said rally and race coincide in location and time. I'll actually be running the old Laz(s?)erstar Istar HID's until I toast them again. Once baked I'll be picking up a set of PIAA's or the like. Who knows I might end up with a new set of XYZ HID's sooner than I want to....

[lister1150]

Just got home to find my 1off package awaiting me, woohoooo! May be able to install tomorrow. Hopefully install isn't anything crazy.

[jcridge]

Ordered an H4 55watt 6000K HID kit with relay from DDM tuning. Should be here next week, the relay is back ordered so it will be at least 2 weeks before I can install. Will post a review when I put a few miles on it. I have PIAA 1100 driving lights on highway peg brackets, the HID should complete my lighting upgrading nicely.

[jcridge]

The DDM HID System arrived today. The kit seems well built, waterproof connections, plenty of wire to place the components where they need to be. Amazing how small the new HV ballast's are when compared to ones made just a few years ago. Still waiting for the back-ordered relay kit.

Has anyone installed an HID system since this thread was started?

[JB]

Hi everyone!

I'm new here . just picked up a R1150R Rockster and can't wait for all this snow to melt! I love seeing an R bike in the garage again. last time was an R1100RS 14 years ago!

jcridge, have you gotten your lights installed yet? if so, how do you like them. color brightness etc.
I'm thinking of going with the same setup; 55w 6000k. I do run with my brights on during the day and wonder if the 55w might be too bright.

now to go file my side bag locks so they work with the ignition key.

[jcridge]

Well, sorta...

Removed the HID system from the box, and plugged it in an R1100R to test it before installing. Very bright...

I plan to install the system in my wife's R1100R this weekend, she seen it and assumed I purchased it for her bike as we were talking about upgrades at some point. I really bought it for the 1150R, but since she rides her own and rides with me and was very insistent that I bought it for her, I will be installing and testing the 1st one on her bike. Same system s the 1150, so I can do a side by side comparative. 8x10 glossy's to follow shortly after install.

John

[jcridge]

The HID system is installed on the R1100R.
Not exactly a smooth install, The bulb unit is too long and will not fit in headlamp housing when installed. I had to use a Dremel to grind the spot welds off the lamp mount and move it in 3/8". This also required grinding the bulb reflector due to new position of element verses the reflector.
After initial install, I took it for a quick ride in the dark. Very bright and excellent high beam, the low beam is good, but has a dark spot in the center. I think this is from the reflector and the repositioning of the mount. I will regrind the reflector to correct this and all should be well.

A shorter bulb assembly would make this an easy conversion, something I will be looking into for the R1150R.

No photos yet, Olympics are on and we have been faithfully watching.

John

[MattPie]

The HID system is installed on the R1100R.
Not exactly a smooth install, The bulb unit is too long and will not fit in headlamp housing when installed. I had to use a Dremel to grind the spot welds off the lamp mount and move it in 3/8". This also required grinding the bulb reflector due to new position of element verses the reflector.
After initial install, I took it for a quick ride in the dark. Very bright and excellent high beam, the low beam is good, but has a dark spot in the center. I think this is from the reflector and the repositioning of the mount. I will regrind the reflector to correct this and all should be well.

Curious: what is the manufacturer on the bulb unit? I've been debating whether to go for one of the cheaper kits or something with a Philips module in it. I've heard good things about this kit, but it is significantly more expensive. I'd pony up if it didn't require the mods you're talking about though.
http://www.kbcarstuff.com/4300k_Motorcy ... lash-l.htm