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Message started by ToesNose on 06/30/13 at 07:50:46

Title: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by ToesNose on 06/30/13 at 07:50:46

So I didn't care for the light given off from the stock headlight being that I live in a semi-rural area with no street lights in most areas and not a whole lot of ambient light, I replaced it with a deeper metal bucket from Demon's Cycles last fall expecting to eventually convert to H.I.D., well I finally had the time to do it :D

I purchased a 3" kit since I had a larger bucket with a white halo ring, I got it for $65.99 from mtfansclub on EBAY. I wanted to do a full projector conversion instead of just putting an HID bulb in the H4 socket because that is what causes that annoying blinding bright light :-/ I opted for 4300K brightness after researching many sources, the most common is the 5k/6k range but with a projector housing the mid 4k range actually gives more light and penetrates farther, it's just not as brilliant of a white light.

The Kit
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/HIDkit_zps575c5e90.jpg
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/HIDkit2_zpse39aa7ce.jpg

First thing I did was separate a sealed beam and measure the opening needed for the HID projector housing, then I cut a smaller opening along with cuts at a 90 degree and peeled them back.

http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/IMG_20130602_083714_zps0d4341db.jpg
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/IMG_20130602_083732_zpscdd44175.jpg

I then lined up the housing with the headlight lens on for depth clearance and drilled holes and tapped them for mounting with screws. And reassembled the entire projector housing.
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/IMG_20130602_175544_zpse4cceaab.jpg
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/IMG_20130602_195041_zpsf4eafe0f.jpg

The wiring was the pain in the butt!!!! Even with a deeper bucket it was tough getting everything to fit just right, I also had to enlarge the hole in the bucket for all the wiring to make it in. As for the wiring in of itself wasn't too bad, there is a lead that must be fed directly to the battery with it's own inline fuse, a plug that directly plugs into the H4 plug (I did away with this and hard wired directly), a separate +&- for the halo which I hardwired into the H4 wires to work with the low beams, and an additional ground which I also hard wired into the H4 wires. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the bucket for mounting the ballast and cut some rubber for where the corners of it make contact with the bucket to eliminate possible vibration. The ballast converter box got 3m outdoor strength tapped to the inside of the bucket, and the wiring harness control box is mounted under the tank since it has the wire that leads to the battery.

My hornet's nest LOL
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/IMG_20130630_085411_zps17fd4a45.jpg

A good picture I found of an HID projector kit laid out and labeled
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/HIDkitlayedoutandlabeled_zps57733154.png

All done and put together, hopefully I'll have time tonight to get her outside and get some pics to put up before and after showing the lighting difference. :D
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/IMG_20130630_092857_zpse4e29329.jpg
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/IMG_20130630_093006_zps98f233a1.jpg

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by paulmarshall on 06/30/13 at 15:56:16

I like it. ;)
Ill be interested to see what difference it make at night.

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by nick3501 on 06/30/13 at 21:31:05

those kits don't last, used them for a bit but got tired of having one headlight out (in my car). What really kills them is voltage spikes, so if the light powers ON with the key and then goes out when your crank (or looses voltage due to the starter draw) it will die fast.

Its a cool looking mod but buy a few spare bulbs/ballasts and keep them handy :)

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by paulmarshall on 06/30/13 at 21:58:05

2F28222A72747170410 wrote:

Good feedback cheers.

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by verslagen1 on 06/30/13 at 22:44:52

53545E560E080D0C3D0 wrote:

Yep, that's what I've got. Since the high beam is halogen, I try to remember to hit the high beam when I shut off.

Daily rider, and I've had it for a couple of years. Only problem I've had is the low beam shutter broke off.

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by ToesNose on 07/01/13 at 04:02:45

Thanks for the heads up, maybe I'll add a headlight on/off switch to the bucket then. Well of course it poured all night so no test with after comparison pics :-?

Also I did go for an A/C ballast which is supposed to help with the flicker problem, it's rated for 3000 hours compared to most DC ballasts which are rated for 1000 hours.

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by ToesNose on 07/01/13 at 18:38:03

No rain tonight so I got to take the after pic, HOLY MOLY it's insane how much brighter the H.I.D. projector is! :o

H4 on the left, H.I.D. on the right
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/yy206/bcrx2/Motorcycles/HLbiggerbuckethbulb_zps6afcdf15.jpg

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by DaveLKN on 07/01/13 at 19:54:00

Well, that explains that bright glow in the sky south of here... And I just thought someone was signalling for Batman...

Nice job!

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by wambr on 07/01/13 at 22:28:48

and I have two questions: 1) I think(or it is) a new set with a xenon lamp is slightly larger than the housing factory headlights? 2) as for such an upgrade looks police? we have in Russia is forbidden to use such modz.

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by ToesNose on 07/02/13 at 04:51:35

Yea Wambr the 3" kit I used is too big for the factory bucket, but there are different sized kits that will work. The vendor I bought mine from has a 2 1/2" projector that is only 3" deep into the bucket.

@Dave- I'm glad you got my signal, don't worry your true identity is safe with me. ;)

If anyone is considering doing an H.I.D. projector conversion there are a few things I would take into consideration first.
*Make sure that the depth is given to verify if it will definitely fit your bucket first, measure twice.

*Research what and whom you are going to buy it from, yes I bought from an EBAY vendor but I found no less then 6 reviews of the exact product bought from him on other forums and blogs. Only one of the six had an issue new out of the box and the vendor shipped a replacement bulb right out. 2 of the forum reviews were around 6 months after with no issues at all.

*Make sure your kit comes with an A/C ballast, of all the research I did this was a very important detail, the kits with D/C ballasts have far more problems.

*Realize that it isn't just replacing a bulb and that there isn't a "direct fit" kit for the LS650.

*Research the type/color of light you want. I went with the lowest brightness 4300K and it's insanely bright :o

*Check your local laws regarding accessory lighting colors, I was tempted to get a blue halo ring since all my instrument lighting is blue, but it's illegal here in N.C. and I felt no need to try to get LEO's attention. Also the devil's eyes look way cool, but unless you are running without the headlight on you don't see it and well why would you want to run without your headlight on......

*I did run across drop in projector housings for 5 1/2" buckets for anyone leery of not wanting to cut up a headlight insert and mod it, but I didn't feel it was worth the money since I knew I could hack the old one up LOL ;D

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by nick3501 on 07/02/13 at 19:57:08

just for reference: 2700-3000K is usually yellow (people buy them for fog lights) 4100K is white, and it usually the brightest of them all. 6000K gets into the blue color, by the time you hit 10,000k your almost purple, and blue light sucks at night (esp. when rainy)

there are dual HID kits for high/low that aren't halogen based. Basically a magnetic pulse moves the light arc forward/backward giving a farther beam down the road. I used one of these kits in my car but I didn't do the projector retrofit, just a plug and play kit. It was too bright, oncoming traffic would constantly flash their brights at me :-X.

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by ToesNose on 08/03/13 at 04:00:23

Just a little update. I took my bike to get it inspected the other day and there was no issue with the HID projector, but it was funny he told me "If you were one of those morons who just put an HID bulb in a regular housing who go around blinding everyone I would have failed your ass, but since you did the right thing and put a projector in I'm passing you" LOL ;D

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by DaveLKN on 08/03/13 at 10:25:26

477C76605D7C6076130 wrote:

ROFL! ;D ;D
I need mine inspected...that's the guy I need to do it!

Title: Re: H.I.D. projector conversion
Post by ToesNose on 08/03/13 at 15:54:05

Hey Dave it was Tuffy auto service on Williams between 150 and Brawley in Mooresville ;) It's the same place I had my intermediate exhaust pipe done, Lee there helped me out a ton with that!