HID headlights. Wow.

Fitted an aftermarket HID headlight to the BMW K today.

Wow. It really is very impressive.

Just a shame that the kit had a 'normal' bulb for the high beam (which
offers less visibility than dip now.)

Hopefully this will help me actually *see* what's in front of me in the
morning/evenings since for the last few months I've really just been
hoping that there's nothing on the road in front of me (since I've not
been able to see a thing)

 

And how much did that set you back?

 

About 70 quid. Unfortunately it's the cheapskate one with halogen main
beam but since dip is so clear I doubt I'll use main beam often.

 

Where'd you pick that up from?

I've only seen the one at nippy Norman's.....

http://www.nippynormans.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PHP-HIDH44100K&variation=&aitem=3&mitem=4

It are a bit pricey.....
--

Cheers!
Fr Jack
B12S (The Red Mist), CB450DX (The Moped)
FRJACKUKRM AT GMAIL DOT COM
Red death, to set you free

 

Interesting, I've thought about changing the lights on the V-Strom.

 

A bit? That's a small fortune.

 

Ebay about 6 months ago. Just took a while to get around to it.

It is and it's not clear to me whether they are HID full and dip or just
dip.

The going price for car kits on Ebay is about 160 quid. One car kit
will do two bikes since the ballasts etc. are seperate (well they are on
any that I've seen) so Nippy Normans' product has a premium price.

I wonder what will happen at MOT time though? Still it's only a small
job to remove the HID kit and put the OE halogen bulb back in.

I need a little more time to assess it really but so far I'm very
impressed and think it's probably one of the most useful accessories
I've bought; up there with heated grips and a large top box.

 

I see your point, but it's a 35W bulb which is the same that's fitted to
current cars. I've checked the headlight adjustment before I've used it
on the road.

I also went for a short ride and no one 'flashed' me, which they would
have done in the past if I'd had my main beam on.

Regarding being a hazard over the past few months I've felt I am a *bit*
of a hazard because of the poor lighting/inability to see compared with
oncoming traffic.

I doubt that the fancy new lights would have been launched without a
careful consideration of the issues and discussion with the relevant
bodies. I suspect a lot of the problem is due to cunts with 100W bulbs.

Still, **** the lot of them, at least I can see where I'm going and if I
dazzle them causing them to swerve in my direction hopefully I'll be
able to see enough to avoid them.

 

I've fitted some Xenon Ring-ice H4s to my old Cxs and they really
light up the road at night,
http://www.speeding.co.uk/acatalog/Car_Accessories_Philips_and_Ring_Ice_Blue_Bulbs_111.html

HTH

 

I tried something like this in the SV and didn't like the result. I want
real HID.

 

Oooh suits you Sir, always fancied that but always decided auxilliary
lights were cheaper/easier.
Just one 911 type unit would be fookin' A though.

 

Fitting it to the K took about 30 minutes tops. If the bulb had been
better shaped I wouldn't have needed to **** around with a dremel to
trim the base of the bulb to fit the bulb holder.

The rest just plugged in.

However... I'm already missing the fact I don't really have a main beam.
The dip is fucking good, way better than full beam was with the standard
halogen but I *want* more visibility when I switch to main beam, not
less.

I think I'll leave it for a few weeks but I suspect I'm going to go
searching for a dual zenon set. Unfortunately that probably means
buying a car kit and splitting it into two bike kits.

 

BiXenon kits available on ebay for £199, when I looked, the other day.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HIDYNAMIC-600...ryZ23009QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
--

Cheers!
Fr Jack
B12S (The Red Mist), CB450DX (The Moped)
FRJACKUKRM AT GMAIL DOT COM
Red death, to set you free

 

I think you are missing a trick. You are talking about the K1100 right?
You need a couple of mini spots fairing mounted with (or instead) of the
high beam. Remember: www.photobox.co.uk/album/52643 those were PIAA
www.piaa.co.uk/lamps/lampshow.asp?ID=1100X spots with a Phillips xenon
H4 in the headlight.

A lot of their stuff (high output bulbs) are snake oil but those spots
are the real deal.

No single filament bulb, HID included, could ever turn night into day
the way that setup did. I would say that it was as good as the new 911
setup, on full beam.

 

HID low beams is something I've been thinking about doing for my '05
FJR. Getting the HID lights is easy, it's just that the HID high beams
suck relative to the performance improvement in the low beams. Some
folks argue that going to pure bolt-on high beams (such as these "Eyes
of God:" http://www.farklemasters.com/philips_hid.html) is the ideal
solution.

Check out the FJR Forum (www.fjrforum.com) for some pretty interesting
threads on the topic.

Bob
Rancho Cucamonga, CA USA

 

$700, you are having a giraffe.
The lights on the K11 in the link were utterly fucking amazing and up to
anyone's requirements, for a fraction of the cost.
PIAA do dual beam driving lights as do others, if you must have more
light on dip then there is that option too.

 

It's the K100. K1100 is still waiting to be put back together.. since
August. I've been rather busy you see.

But those lights... 170 quid. Ouch.

 

Must be.

Gotta say the cheap Xenons(£14.99 a pair) on me Cx light up the roads
like daylight

I think we are getting into the realms of,"Go-Faster" stripes here.

 

Tried cheap Xenons, tried 130/80W bulbs; not good enough.

I suspect part of the problem is the headlight reflector is getting
tarnished. Additionally I suppose I have to accept it's also my eyes
which are degrading (noticeably over the last 2 years)

Absolutely not. This is all about being able to see where the **** I'm
going when it's dark. My bike isn't a toy, it's something I use most
days to get me to and from work. Most weeks it's doing between 300 and
600 miles (depending on where I'm working)

For go-faster stripes look at all the purple anodised shite that people
fit. Add steering dampers, end cans and upgraded suspension which most
people fit when they aren't getting near the limits of the standard
components.

 

This is an early-mid forties thing. Has your comfortable close-focus
distance gone out from about 9" to 15" recently?