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Hid installation


Guest AzizaVFR

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Guest AzizaVFR

I have completed the HID installation on my VFR800. I have posted the info here:

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http://members.cox.net/powerusers/HID/hid.html

Enjoy,

Randal

edited to show pics

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Guest AzizaVFR

The price breakdown is as follows:

K2 8000K H4 HID kits - $390 x 2

PIAA P1000XT lamps - $157 (Normally $239)

5200K H3 HID bulbs - $170

PIAA Solitaire 001 lamps - $50

Brackets - $2 for the 3/32" scrap aluminum from a local supply yard.

Total damage so far - $1159

It is all worth it.  Full speed ahead, photon blaster at standby.

Enjoy,

Randal

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Guest racer944vfr
This is my next project.  A friend of mine just did this to his RC51, total cost with both modules and lamps was $600.00.  I was going to wait untill March to do mine, they are going to have a new kit which will be cheaper then (rumered to be $350.00).  Ill get the name of the company and list it here if anybody is interested.
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Guest AzizaVFR

If you use the same type of bulb for separate high and low beams, you can get the kits for less than $400 complete.  The hardest thing about the kit is mounting the ballast.  They are about the size of a 3.5" floppy and about 1.25 thick.  

The RC51 has the advantage of using separate bulbs for each beam, making the light pattern stay more consistant and easier for the installation.

If you are serious about getting a set, check out:

http://www.misterjung.com/  

He seems to have a good selection of bulbs and very good prices.  A set of 2 bulbs, two ballast, wiring and instructions is going for $379.

Enjoy,

Randal

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  • Member Contributer

Randall,

The HID bulbs I have seen are not recommended for motorcycle use due to the vibration and shock loads in a MC application.     Are you using standard auto bulbs, or does someone have bulbs for bikes?    The light of HID's is fantastic, but it's a lot of money to spend if they go dark on the second big pothole.

Thanks, LEE

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Guest Colorado
WOW!  I always wondered what was the big deal with PIAA and HID lights. I still don't get why they are so expensive, though. Anyway, that is a really informative post. Larry
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Guest AzizaVFR

Lee,

After having my share of the fancy H4 bulbs quit working from the excessive vibration motorcycles can induce, I can see your concern.  What happens to the halogen bulbs is the filament gets stretched and/or brittle while current is running through them, creating metal fatigue.  They can stand only so much.  

With the HID, you have two small tungstun electrodes inside a gas capsule filled with Xenon/Krypton gas.  Here is what the electric arc looks like in action:

http://www.sylvania.com/xenarc/images/hidarc.gif

Their size is so small and supported by the surrounding glass housing.  There is nothing to fatigue with vibration.  When I was testing the PIAA's, I turned them on and then hit the housing with a hammer to simulate the torture they could encounter.  They did not fail.  So far they seem to be very stable, even down the washboard surface known as the I-405 freeway in L.A.  Check out the picture on my page showing the difference between the two bulbs.  

There is nothing special about these bulbs.  They are the same Philips bulbs you would use in a car.  From what I have read, Philips makes the best HID element around.  Different companies buy the elements and then install them in the different mounting bases for the multiple bulb types.  The glass element on my H4s look exactly like the one for the H3s.  The mounting is the only physical difference.  

One thing to be aware of is the Kelvin rating of the bulb.  They use a mixture of different gases to get the desired light output.  For a reference, natural sunlight has a rating of 5700K.  The higher you go in the Kelvin rating the more blue the light will appear.  If you are looking at the different shades, the two best for the most light produced are 5200K and 6000K.  The 6000K will give you a very slight blue tint to the light produced.  I have seen one set for auction on ebay, boasting a 12000K rating.  For all practical purposes, it will not produce enough usable for night time riding.  It will be way too blue and not appear to be very bright.  Also, you should never buy a bulb that had a colored coating on them.  The coating acts like a filter, blocking the total amount of light produced, similar to the coating on halogen bulbs.

A fellow rider has had a 6000K HID low beam in his 2000 BMW K1200RS for almost a year with no problems at all.  When he installed the light, we would follow behind him, comparing the difference.  He could produce more light with his low beam than several of us combined.  

If the bulb lasts two years, it will more than pay for the multiple pairs of Super/Hyper/Ultra/Xtreme white halogen bulbs I used to buy.  I was burning out one of these "higher output" bulbs every four months or so.

Enjoy,

Randal

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Guest Montrealer

Did anyone try the HID concersion on a VFR 2002 .... it should be easier because of the 4 H7 type bulbs ?

talk to you later

JM

Humm, I have to wonder why would anyone want to make the 02 VFR headlights any brighter?

Here are some of the comments I've been hearing about the 02 VFR brightness:

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.....from what I've read on this board, is that the big H used the same alternator but added those gazillion watt headlights.....

-------------------------------------------------------------------

.....that rabbit melting headlight!!!.....

-------------------------------------------------------------------

...Since we learned that VTEC standard headlights are one hell of a high intensity retina burners, we are contented to ride without the highbeams for now. They really do make the cagers snap at attention, even in daytime.....

-------------------------------------------------------------------

....you actually melt small animals at 100 paces with the VTEC headlight....

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I could go on.....

:D

Brendan

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest AustinVFR
i was going to install HID in my 2000 VFR but I would have lost my highbeams and didn't want the hassle at inspection time.  I could have done the one-eyed CBR set up but I think that looks silly.
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  • 2 months later...
  • 10 months later...

Just a little correction. Phillips only makes 4100K and 6000k bulbs. Any other Kelvin rating and your more then likely getting a cheap asian knockoff that will burn out/die prematurely.

And 5200K, 6000K is not the brightest. The standard 4100K capsules have the highest Lumens. The higher up in Kelvin you go, the less Lumens (usuable light) you will have. 8000K and higher HID capsules are a waste since they put out as much Lumens (and less as you go higher in K) as the brightest Halogen bulbs.

For those of you who dont want to go down the HID route, I suggest putting in some Sylvania Silverstar or Phillips Vision Plus halogen bulbs in your rides. Thier the brightest bulbs (Lumens) you can get. Much cheaper, and not to mention brighter (Lumens) then any of the $40+ each "ricer" tinted bulbs.

BTW, I recommend avoid Mr. Junk. Too many bad stories and pratically all he supplies is asian market hardware. Really cheap products that die an early death too many times. Not to mention that the NHTSA sould be getting in contact with him real soon, if they havent already. HID conversion [aka drop-in kits] are illegal No Classifieds On The Forum. Fines of $15,000 per bulb/$30,000 per kit sold are being enforced on all HID sellers. So all those rebased HID capsules are slowly going away. By the time a quality (Phillips) rebased capsule burns out, you'll have a hard time finding a replacement. And if you do, I hope your wallets ready for the hit.

But if you still want to go with a drop-in kit, stick with the name brand Phillips bulbs and Hella ballast.

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I believe the reflector construction is unique for HID vs quartz bulbs.  Dropping a HID bulb into a reflector setup made for quartz will not make it a HID light.

Whole light assembly replacements are available for some sedans but I have never seen one for motorcycles.  Probably a volume thing.

IMHO.

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I believe the reflector construction is unique for HID vs quartz bulbs. ?Dropping a HID bulb into a reflector setup made for quartz will not make it a HID light.

Whole light assembly replacements are available for some sedans but I have never seen one for motorcycles. ?Probably a volume thing.

IMHO.

You are correct!

But I also believe you mean "halogen bulbs" and not "quartz", since HID capsules are also made from quartz glass. :D

And whole light assemblies are available for many vehicles if thier out of country twins have them available. Take the VW Golf for instance. In the US, they are only supplied with the standard Halogen based assemblies. However, in the Euro, better equiped, better lighting nations, they have the assemblies available with lo-beam HIDs. Thier pratically a drop in replacement with the US spec models, aside from a different harness plug and some extra wiring (leveling motor).

And the reason motorcycles may never get HID (or at least not for a long time to come) is because of space and weight concerns, not to mention cosmetic. But thats not stopping me from retrofitting my two wheels. :wheel:

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Guest Gnatman

I am glad that you jumped into this thread.  I was about to make a potential big mistake going with Misterjung.  There are several automotive/HID discussion forums out there, with hundreds of postings of nothing but bad things to say about Misterjung.

As far as what kit to buy, I read that Philips does not make the HIT kits.  However, Philips acts as a third-party supplier of parts to the person or company that manufactures the kits.  So, you have to be very careful in choosing the place you purchase an HID kit.

Here is link on some useful info on HID kits:

http://faq.auto.light.tripod.com/hl-hid-kits.htm

I am still interested in HID for my VFR, but I am not really comfortable about purchasing a kit yet.  There are too many unknowns.

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I finally get vacation next month. I was going to just bum around the US and put some serious mileage on the ViFfeR, but I dont think my wallet would survive the trip. So instead, I'm just going to mod the hell out of the bike. Hopefully, I'll have a full write up on a retrofit for a 2002-2004 VFR to full HID, complete with pictures. :wheel:
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