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Fifth-gen Bi-xenon Retrofit


JZH

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gallery_362_402_230729.jpg

This is a project-in-progress, as it is not yet installed and working. [To be updated]

I decided to perform this retrofit simply because I had been given a spare 5th-gen headlight unit (thanks, JohnA!), was planning on buying my own 5th-gen VFR, and had been collecting parts to do a xenon retrofit on my ST1300. (Er, why, exactly?) The missing piece is that after I decided to "bake apart" the donor headlight I discovered something very interesting: The US-spec VFR800Fi headlight reflector was EXACTLY the same as the US-spec ST1300A4 reflector. Same manufacturer, part number, everything. The subcontractor (Stanley) apparently liked to keep things simple by not re-inventing the lightbulb (so to speak) for each headlight unit it built for Honda. I soon realised that, although I was stuck in LA for a while, I could still advance my ST1300 retrofit project, because the parts were the same spec. Of course, it wasn't really as simple as that, but I didn't need much of an excuse!

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P1020795x.jpg Baking apart the headlight unit. It's not an exact science, but about 200-degF (oven off) for 10 minutes is probably enough.

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P1020797x.jpg A bit of pulling and prying later, you get this.

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P1020800x.jpg Cutting off the back of a reflector. Dremel diamond wheel in a drill press does the trick.

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P1020803x.jpg Here's the cut reflector sitting on the alloy plate I designed to mount the projector. (Ignore those holes!)

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P1000970x.jpg Modified Infiniti G35 projector on the left, stock on the right. The FX35 projector can also be used, but it requires more trimming and shrouding.

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P1000957x.jpg Side-view of the projector mounted to the alloy plate.

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P1000955x.jpg Rear-view of the projector protruding through the mounting plate.

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P1000951x.jpg The positioning of the projector within the headlight unit.

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P1000950x.jpg Back side of the headlight unit with one projector mounted.

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P1000976x.jpg Front view. No additional shrouding has been used, but this may become necessary after testing.

That's basically where I'm at with it now. Not fitted to the bike, not tested, and me 5,000mi away until mid-summer! [To be updated]

There is nothing very complicated about taking a proven lighting system from another vehicle and transplanting it into another, but it did require a lot of trial and error, a lot of eBay purchases and a LOT of measuring. Getting the dimensions of everything right was probably the hardest part, actually. But I do have several sets of other xenon projectors that I went through before settling on these. I made two different mounting plates before settling on a third design (and a fourth for one side of the ST1300, due to the remote adjustment feature complicating things!). I'm fairly happy with the result, though obviously I will be happier once I'm able to test it.

Apart from actually mounting the modified unit in the fairing, I've got to deal with sealing up the back of the headlight housing, while allowing the wires to pass through. I've also got to figure out where the igniter and ballast units can be mounted in the fairing. This may require the use of a different connector and igniter with longer wires, but these are all interchangeable, so should not be a huge problem. Oh, and the big question (and potential headache) is the issue of shrouding...

Projectors like these are designed to work buried in headlight housings, shrouded up to their lenses, not exposed like these are. The G35 unit is relatively shrouded already (compared to the BMW E46, for example), but there are still holes, through which stray light can surely pass. I've also chosen to keep the reflectors, mainly for aesthetic reasons, which could result in all kinds of reflected scatter. So, I'll probably have to shroud the projectors in some way. Making shrouds is a huge PITA, though, because there's really nothing made for this. Some of the retrofit shops sell shrouds, but they are not really ideal, and they are always stupidly expensive. So, TBD on the shrouding!

Ciao,

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Nice work! Those are neat little lights.

What's the plan when they melt the plastic headlight lense? smile.gif

If you do get problems with random light, could you just get Timmy to paint everything inside the assembly flat black?

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Nice work! Those are neat little lights.

What's the plan when they melt the plastic headlight lense? smile.gif

If you do get problems with random light, could you just get Timmy to paint everything inside the assembly flat black?

I'm sorry what was that, I was busy shaking a rattle can..........................

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Nice work! Those are neat little lights.

What's the plan when they melt the plastic headlight lense? smile.gif

If you do get problems with random light, could you just get Timmy to paint everything inside the assembly flat black?

With xenon you don't get a lot of heat, fortunately. And let's just say that flat black is apparently an acquired taste... :biggrin:

Ciao,

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Nice work! Those are neat little lights.

What's the plan when they melt the plastic headlight lense? smile.gif

If you do get problems with random light, could you just get Timmy to paint everything inside the assembly flat black?

HID's run significantly cooler than the standard bulbs (use less power to generate focused light except during initial start up). Put your hand on the lens of a car with factory HID's after they have been on for a few moments to get an idea. :biggrin:

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Now you can also tint or paint the lenses to match the bike as you only need the area where the bulbs shine through right?Is there any start up problems with these like the HID issues some have?

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Now you can also tint or paint the lenses to match the bike as you only need the area where the bulbs shine through right?Is there any start up problems with these like the HID issues some have?
I suppose you could paint the rest of the lens, but I'm not planning on it.

There shouldn't be any start-up issues if I use OEM ballasts (which I have). That's simply because this is just a proven OEM xenon system transplanted into another vehicle, so it should be OEM quality (unless I screw up the install in some way). That said, I have crystal-clear lenses for those projectors (much like shown in this thread), as well as Phillips 85122+ burners, so the performance should be even more impressive. We shall see...

Ciao,

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JZH,

So just how stupdily expensive are the lights?

Oh, and how stupidly expensive would you charge somebody to do the coversion for them, now that you have worked out the hard stuff?

Larry

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With xenon you don't get a lot of heat, fortunately. And let's just say that flat black is apparently an acquired taste... :dry:

Ciao,

What about taking rubbing compound to the reflectors and giving them a brushed metal finish, instead of reflective?

It would keep the look of the original but wouldn't cause much light bounce/scatter.

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JZH,

So just how stupdily expensive are the lights?

Oh, and how stupidly expensive would you charge somebody to do the coversion for them, now that you have worked out the hard stuff?

Larry

$350 on EBAY, I just looked.

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JZH,

So just how stupdily expensive are the lights?

Oh, and how stupidly expensive would you charge somebody to do the coversion for them, now that you have worked out the hard stuff?

Larry

$350 on EBAY, I just looked.

Made ya look! :biggrin:

Really? Hmm, I've never done the sums, but I suppose it does all add up, doesn't it. The G35 projectors can be had for $150/pr or less, but to that you need to add ballasts, igniters and burners, plus shrouds if you go that way. So, not a cheapie deal...but the best usually isn't--just ask Toro!

Unfortunately, I can't even finish my own projects, so there's approximately nil chance I'll be doing them for anyone else (unless I become a victim of the credit crunch/global slowdown/recessionary environment/financial Armageddon later this year, of course). But, once I get the drawings for the alloy plate done, if anyone wants them, they're yours, gents...

Ciao,

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  • 2 years later...

I'd be interested in the plates.

Okay, I spent a little more time looking around at these retrofits and now I have some more questions for you.

Why did you install them so far forward in the housing?

I understand these lights don't need the reflectors at all to focus the light pattern, so their position fore/aft is not critical to the pattern produced, but I would have tried to move them as far aft in the housing as possible to disperse the hot spot on the front lens as much as possible. There is some space behind the headlight housing and the front forks on the VFR, space I would think would greatly help manage any heat issues.

Why did you leave in the reflector? Or are am I not believing my eyes when I look at the reassembled headlight and don't see the reflectors.. When I looked at it before it looked like you were only leaving the reflector for appearances. It looked to me like your mounting plate was a complete replacement for the reflector.. Am I missing something here?

Did you look at any of the mini projector replacement kits? or are there too many compromises in their designs compared to using the full size units? I mean a pair of the one company's superbike kits would run $300 and would not involve as much fabrication..

Have you tested the headlight to make sure that you got it resealed? I have enough issues with US OEM car headlights leaking, that I don't want to open myself up to a leaking VFR headlight.

Made any decisions on where you are going to mount the ballasts and relays??

Seeing the H4 to bi-xenon projector kit, has me thinking about this a lot.

Whether I do a full size set of projectors like your are doing, or just go with the H4 style ones, I think I'm hooked.

70W of power to the headlights is a lot better than the 110w/120W that I'm currently drawing.

Add in the much greater output and its a no brainer..

Now, I'm off to find a spare headlight.....

Edited by JES_VFR
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These chinese projector kits seem to be pretty good. Plus they're a lot smaller than those OEM ones out of vehicles.

Pg1 and pg 11 have good pics.

http://www.riderforums.com/showthread.php?53770-Newest-Mod....a-few-pics-%28projector-headlamps-w-CCFL-rings

http://ktautopart.com/

5th gen headlights are one of the holy grails to find used and at a decent price. I'll just have to wait it out on one of those. I am keeping my eye out for a headlight assembly for my ER-6N. It'll looks great with those angel eyes.

Edited by Ranger77
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These still working ok for you?

Is that a trick question?!? :biggrin:

As mentioned on my Yellow Peril build thread, the RC46 projector retrofit is still sitting on a shelf, unfortunately. However, I'm going to be back in CA in July, so watch this space...

I'd be interested in the plates.

I'll be sorting out the mounting plates next month, so if you can hang on a bit longer I'll upload them once I've got everything working.

Okay, I spent a little more time looking around at these retrofits and now I have some more questions for you.

Why did you install them so far forward in the housing?

I understand these lights don't need the reflectors at all to focus the light pattern, so their position fore/aft is not critical to the pattern produced, but I would have tried to move them as far aft in the housing as possible to disperse the hot spot on the front lens as much as possible. There is some space behind the headlight housing and the front forks on the VFR, space I would think would greatly help manage any heat issues.

I realise they are mounted fairly far forward, and TBH I don't know if that will create a problem with heat. However, HIDs don't get that hot, as a rule, and the potential heat source is quite far back from the front of the glass projector lens. The location was the result of positioning the projectors so that they didn't stick out the back of the headlamp housing. That is important for three reasons, the first being sealing, the second being clearance for adjustment and the third being interchangeability with my ST1300.

It is very important to be able to re-seal the headlamp unit if you want to have the retrofit last for any length of time in the real world. I've found some Hella rubber caps that fit over the OEM headlamp's bulb access openings and completely seal the housing. I could also have used the OEM rubber caps with some sort of bottle cap-type plug wire-tied in the middle, but this way there is nothing protruding from the back (I also did not know how much room I had to play with behind the unit).

Secondly, with parts sticking through the rear opening, there could be interference with the adjustability of the projectors--at least in theory--though this could be ruled out once everything is mounted to a bike and tested. Finally, I wanted to use the same set-up for my ST1300, which uses the exact same reflectors and a similar adjustment system.

Perhaps with shorter projectors, I could move them back a bit (it would just require making some shorter alloy mounting posts and making a bigger hole in the mounting plate).

Why did you leave in the reflector? Or are am I not believing my eyes when I look at the reassembled headlight and don't see the reflectors.. When I looked at it before it looked like you were only leaving the reflector for appearances. It looked to me like your mounting plate was a complete replacement for the reflector.. Am I missing something here?

The mounting plate works with or without the reflector, so I was just leaving it in for appearance's sake. If I seal the projectors so that light does not leak out the sides, there will be no light for the reflectors to reflect, which would eliminate any possibility of unintentional glare being produced. Some people seem to paint everything inside the housings black, but I think that looks a bit weird in daylight. I may still leave the reflectors out, though.

Did you look at any of the mini projector replacement kits? or are there too many compromises in their designs compared to using the full size units? I mean a pair of the one company's superbike kits would run $300 and would not involve as much fabrication..

No, I haven't. However, I've seen a few aftermarket products over the years and most left something to be desired with respect to quality of manufacture. The OEM G35 projectors I'm using are miles ahead of the aftermarket "FX-R" replicas sold by The Retrofit Source, for example (I have a pair of these as well). They might work just fine, though!

Have you tested the headlight to make sure that you got it resealed? I have enough issues with US OEM car headlights leaking, that I don't want to open myself up to a leaking VFR headlight.

See response #1!

Made any decisions on where you are going to mount the ballasts and relays??

I will have to sort that out once I've got the fairing off. I have decided I will need to use Acura/Mitsubishi D2S igniters, which means I will need to buy some different ballasts--hopefully compact ones!

Seeing the H4 to bi-xenon projector kit, has me thinking about this a lot.

Whether I do a full size set of projectors like your are doing, or just go with the H4 style ones, I think I'm hooked.

70W of power to the headlights is a lot better than the 110w/120W that I'm currently drawing.

Add in the much greater output and its a no brainer..

Now, I'm off to find a spare headlight.....

Good luck! There's loads of good info on the HIDPlanet forum, but a lot of noise as well.

These chinese projector kits seem to be pretty good. Plus they're a lot smaller than those OEM ones out of vehicles.

Pg1 and pg 11 have good pics.

http://www.riderforu...ps-w-CCFL-rings

http://ktautopart.com/

Yes, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Chinese responded to a clear market niche!

I have no idea about how the quality of those small projectors compares to OEM projectors, but at least the mounting sysem makes sense to me. It looks like the projectors would be adequately centred, solidly mounted and re-sealable, with the only issues being where to mount the ballasts and (for some) opening the headlamp units. Could be a winner? I'm going to continue with my OEMs, though.

Ciao,

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Why did you install them so far forward in the housing?

I understand these lights don't need the reflectors at all to focus the light pattern, so their position fore/aft is not critical to the pattern produced, but I would have tried to move them as far aft in the housing as possible to disperse the hot spot on the front lens as much as possible. There is some space behind the headlight housing and the front forks on the VFR, space I would think would greatly help manage any heat issues.

I realize they are mounted fairly far forward, and TBH I don't know if that will create a problem with heat. However, HIDs don't get that hot, as a rule, and the potential heat source is quite far back from the front of the glass projector lens. The location was the result of positioning the projectors so that they didn't stick out the back of the headlamp housing. That is important for three reasons, the first being sealing, the second being clearance for adjustment and the third being interchangeability with my ST1300.

I wasn't thinking about the heat from the HID in the projector, I was thinking about the heat generated by light focused on the headlight assembly glass. I've cracked headlight glass using a scratch and a magnifying glass on a bright sunny day (ssshhh don't tell).

It is very important to be able to re-seal the headlamp unit if you want to have the retrofit last for any length of time in the real world. I've found some Hella rubber caps that fit over the OEM headlamp's bulb access openings and completely seal the housing. I could also have used the OEM rubber caps with some sort of bottle cap-type plug wire-tied in the middle, but this way there is nothing protruding from the back (I also did not know how much room I had to play with behind the unit).

Secondly, with parts sticking through the rear opening, there could be interference with the adjustability of the projectors--at least in theory--though this could be ruled out once everything is mounted to a bike and tested. Finally, I wanted to use the same set-up for my ST1300, which uses the exact same reflectors and a similar adjustment system.

Perhaps with shorter projectors, I could move them back a bit (it would just require making some shorter alloy mounting posts and making a bigger hole in the mounting plate).

Well I understand the need to seal the housing against the elements, but I thought the back of the g35 units were already weather proof, so you just needed a through gasket like the h4's use. Heck if the back of the projector is already sealed, you would just need to open up the oem boot.

Did you look at any of the mini projector replacement kits? or are there too many compromises in their designs compared to using the full size units? I mean a pair of the one company's superbike kits would run $300 and would not involve as much fabrication..

No, I haven't. However, I've seen a few aftermarket products over the years and most left something to be desired with respect to quality of manufacture. The OEM G35 projectors I'm using are miles ahead of the aftermarket "FX-R" replicas sold by The Retrofit Source, for example (I have a pair of these as well). They might work just fine, though!

I wasn't even considering copies of the oem projectors, but the mini Bi-xenon projectors caught my eye. They don't have aiming built into their housings, just the Hi/lo cutoff. They essentially bolt into the standard h4 bulb mounting with a pretty secure threaded clamp system and use the standard headlight housing adjusters for aiming.

Seemed a simpler solution to the issues of modifying the housing and then having two adjustment systems..

Have you tested the headlight to make sure that you got it resealed? I have enough issues with US OEM car headlights leaking, that I don't want to open myself up to a leaking VFR headlight.

See response #1!

I did not mean light leakage, I was referring to moisture leakage. I just thought you would have tried some sort of misting or fogging test on the bench with humidfier and/or spray bottle.

Made any decisions on where you are going to mount the ballasts and relays??

I will have to sort that out once I've got the fairing off. I have decided I will need to use Acura/Mitsubishi D2S igniters, which means I will need to buy some different ballasts--hopefully compact ones!

There are lots of compact ballasts out there. I could check with my sources and see what they recommend for d2s capsules.

Good luck! There's loads of good info on the HIDPlanet forum, but a lot of noise as well.

These chinese projector kits seem to be pretty good. Plus they're a lot smaller than those OEM ones out of vehicles.

Yes, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Chinese responded to a clear market niche!

I have no idea about how the quality of those small projectors compares to OEM projectors, but at least the mounting sysem makes sense to me. It looks like the projectors would be adequately centred, solidly mounted and re-sealable, with the only issues being where to mount the ballasts and (for some) opening the headlamp units. Could be a winner? I'm going to continue with my OEMs, though.

Those are the ones I was talking about, they do appear to be solidly mounted and their smaller size won't require some crazy huge bezel, so they can still retain a certain level of stealth. I'd seen a few projector conversions done on both cars and bikes, and they all screamed "ghetto" to me with the obvious retro fit looks of the final product. Particularly the ones on bikes where they fill the headlight panel and just have the small rounds for the projector (like certain Ducati's have oem).

I also worried about the HID conversions that just put a capsule in the standard housing.

But then I saw a some projector conversions done on a C14 (a police unit prototype no less) plus a couple of Suzuki's and now I'm sold.

Now that my state is not doing their annual (and anal) safety inspections any more, it is possible to install a projector system like this and not have inspection issues.

Before that the capsule conversions were barely legal; you had to get a guy that did not want to look too hard at what was in the stock bulb position.

One last question,.. Are you going to use a delay for starting (at least on the US VFR!), similar to the delay relay's that tightwad is using, to maximize the life of the HID capsules??

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Why did you install them so far forward in the housing?

I understand these lights don't need the reflectors at all to focus the light pattern, so their position fore/aft is not critical to the pattern produced, but I would have tried to move them as far aft in the housing as possible to disperse the hot spot on the front lens as much as possible. There is some space behind the headlight housing and the front forks on the VFR, space I would think would greatly help manage any heat issues.

I realize they are mounted fairly far forward, and TBH I don't know if that will create a problem with heat. However, HIDs don't get that hot, as a rule, and the potential heat source is quite far back from the front of the glass projector lens. The location was the result of positioning the projectors so that they didn't stick out the back of the headlamp housing. That is important for three reasons, the first being sealing, the second being clearance for adjustment and the third being interchangeability with my ST1300.

I wasn't thinking about the heat from the HID in the projector, I was thinking about the heat generated by light focused on the headlight assembly glass. I've cracked headlight glass using a scratch and a magnifying glass on a bright sunny day (ssshhh don't tell).

Well, the lenses are not glass... Still, the plastic could melt or discolour--which would be bad!

It is very important to be able to re-seal the headlamp unit if you want to have the retrofit last for any length of time in the real world. I've found some Hella rubber caps that fit over the OEM headlamp's bulb access openings and completely seal the housing. I could also have used the OEM rubber caps with some sort of bottle cap-type plug wire-tied in the middle, but this way there is nothing protruding from the back (I also did not know how much room I had to play with behind the unit).

Secondly, with parts sticking through the rear opening, there could be interference with the adjustability of the projectors--at least in theory--though this could be ruled out once everything is mounted to a bike and tested. Finally, I wanted to use the same set-up for my ST1300, which uses the exact same reflectors and a similar adjustment system.

Perhaps with shorter projectors, I could move them back a bit (it would just require making some shorter alloy mounting posts and making a bigger hole in the mounting plate).

Well I understand the need to seal the housing against the elements, but I thought the back of the g35 units were already weather proof, so you just needed a through gasket like the h4's use. Heck if the back of the projector is already sealed, you would just need to open up the oem boot.

The OEM projectors I've seen are all designed to be sealed into a waterproof plastic housing. Mine are bare metal, for sure. I would not consider them weatherproof.

Did you look at any of the mini projector replacement kits? or are there too many compromises in their designs compared to using the full size units? I mean a pair of the one company's superbike kits would run $300 and would not involve as much fabrication..

No, I haven't. However, I've seen a few aftermarket products over the years and most left something to be desired with respect to quality of manufacture. The OEM G35 projectors I'm using are miles ahead of the aftermarket "FX-R" replicas sold by The Retrofit Source, for example (I have a pair of these as well). They might work just fine, though!

I wasn't even considering copies of the oem projectors, but the mini Bi-xenon projectors caught my eye. They don't have aiming built into their housings, just the Hi/lo cutoff. They essentially bolt into the standard h4 bulb mounting with a pretty secure threaded clamp system and use the standard headlight housing adjusters for aiming.

Seemed a simpler solution to the issues of modifying the housing and then having two adjustment systems..

Yes, I discussed these below. Mine don't have two adjustment systems--the projectors are adjusted using the OEM adjusters.

Have you tested the headlight to make sure that you got it resealed? I have enough issues with US OEM car headlights leaking, that I don't want to open myself up to a leaking VFR headlight.

See response #1!

I did not mean light leakage, I was referring to moisture leakage. I just thought you would have tried some sort of misting or fogging test on the bench with humidfier and/or spray bottle.

Who do you think I am, Mr Wizard? :laughing6-hehe:

Made any decisions on where you are going to mount the ballasts and relays??

I will have to sort that out once I've got the fairing off. I have decided I will need to use Acura/Mitsubishi D2S igniters, which means I will need to buy some different ballasts--hopefully compact ones!

There are lots of compact ballasts out there. I could check with my sources and see what they recommend for d2s capsules.

I'm working with Matt of The Retrofit Source on this issue now. The Mitsubishi igniters are more like D1S bulb units, AFAIK, so their ballasts are like D1S ballasts. That means that the small aftermarket ballasts (which are nearly all designed for D2S) won't work. I have some D1S ballasts already, so those might work. Size is one consideration, but also connectors and sealing are important. Still researching this...

Good luck! There's loads of good info on the HIDPlanet forum, but a lot of noise as well.

These chinese projector kits seem to be pretty good. Plus they're a lot smaller than those OEM ones out of vehicles.

Yes, I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Chinese responded to a clear market niche!

I have no idea about how the quality of those small projectors compares to OEM projectors, but at least the mounting sysem makes sense to me. It looks like the projectors would be adequately centred, solidly mounted and re-sealable, with the only issues being where to mount the ballasts and (for some) opening the headlamp units. Could be a winner? I'm going to continue with my OEMs, though.

Those are the ones I was talking about, they do appear to be solidly mounted and their smaller size won't require some crazy huge bezel, so they can still retain a certain level of stealth. I'd seen a few projector conversions done on both cars and bikes, and they all screamed "ghetto" to me with the obvious retro fit looks of the final product. Particularly the ones on bikes where they fill the headlight panel and just have the small rounds for the projector (like certain Ducati's have oem).

I also worried about the HID conversions that just put a capsule in the standard housing.

But then I saw a some projector conversions done on a C14 (a police unit prototype no less) plus a couple of Suzuki's and now I'm sold.

Now that my state is not doing their annual (and anal) safety inspections any more, it is possible to install a projector system like this and not have inspection issues.

Before that the capsule conversions were barely legal; you had to get a guy that did not want to look too hard at what was in the stock bulb position.

One last question,.. Are you going to use a delay for starting (at least on the US VFR!), similar to the delay relay's that tightwad is using, to maximize the life of the HID capsules??

I've looked into the delay relays Tightwad is using, but I think I'll just use a UK-spec headlight switch instead. Which means I just leave the headlights off until the bike starts, and then switch them on. However, I have also noticed that on some cars, such as my wife's '08 Golf R32, when the lights are set to "Automatic" the OEM xenons are allowed to go on and off willy nilly when the doors are unlocked, and also when the car starts, so clearly something is different with the newer OEM xenon systems or the manufacturers have decided the "bulb-life problem" is a non-issue after all. Maybe they just want to sell more HID capsules! In any case, the amount my bikes are actually ridden it won't matter one jot... :biggrin:

Ciao,

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry, I've been busy planning a carb rebuild and a usd fork conversion on my son Alex's GS700e.

Well, the lenses are not glass... Still, the plastic could melt or discolour--which would be bad!

Yes that would be bad, I'd hate to have polish my bike's headlight 'glass' as often as I have to do my car's.

The OEM projectors I've seen are all designed to be sealed into a waterproof plastic housing. Mine are bare metal, for sure. I would not consider them weatherproof.

Okay, had not thought of that, I thought that the back halves were sealed like the back half of a conventional head light.

Yes, I discussed these below. Mine don't have two adjustment systems--the projectors are adjusted using the OEM adjusters.

Okay I've got it now, It just wasn't 100% clear before which adjustment system you were planning on using.

That would effect how far out the back of the headlight you can go with the projector housing as well I guess.

Who do you think I am, Mr Wizard? :laughing6-hehe:

Mr Wizard? No, I just thought that you'd be proactive and test it with say steam from a tea kettle or a cool humidifier before its all bolted back into the bike and fixing a leak becomes a double effort.

I've been there with the clear lenses on my last two fords products. One the oem sealant gave up three times (dealer reapplied it the first time, I did the second) before I just decided to use an epoxy putty to bond and seal the lens to the reflector housing. If I ever decide to put HID projectors into those lights, I'll have to land a new set on ebay first as those are never coming apart.

I'm working with Matt of The Retrofit Source on this issue now. The Mitsubishi igniters are more like D1S bulb units, AFAIK, so their ballasts are like D1S ballasts. That means that the small aftermarket ballasts (which are nearly all designed for D2S) won't work. I have some D1S ballasts already, so those might work. Size is one consideration, but also connectors and sealing are important. Still researching this...

Just offering since I live right around the corner from the vendor that we sourced HID components from when I worked at the dealerships.

I've looked into the delay relays Tightwad is using, but I think I'll just use a UK-spec headlight switch instead. Which means I just leave the headlights off until the bike starts, and then switch them on. However, I have also noticed that on some cars, such as my wife's '08 Golf R32, when the lights are set to "Automatic" the OEM xenons are allowed to go on and off willy nilly when the doors are unlocked, and also when the car starts, so clearly something is different with the newer OEM xenon systems or the manufacturers have decided the "bulb-life problem" is a non-issue after all. Maybe they just want to sell more HID capsules! In any case, the amount my bikes are actually ridden it won't matter one jot... :biggrin:

My buddies Mitsu waits about 10 seconds after startup before the headlights will come on.

I can't tell on another friend's Lincoln since the automatic eye for lights was knocked out by an overly aggressive windshield glass repairmen.

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Sorry, I've been busy planning a carb rebuild and a usd fork conversion on my son Alex's GS700e.

Well, the lenses are not glass... Still, the plastic could melt or discolour--which would be bad!

Yes that would be bad, I'd hate to have polish my bike's headlight 'glass' as often as I have to do my car's.

I've since read on the 'Net that, unlike halogen bulbs, HID projectors do not produce very much in the way of radiant heat. So the plastic headlamp lenses should be fine. (Whew!)

Ciao,

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I bought a Ryobi HID spot light. The bulb does produce a lot of heat (not sure if it's a 35w or 55w) and the lens is plastic. Also the bulb is very close to the lens.

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  • 6 months later...

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