HID more info

[Ian Westlake]

The HID kit on mine came from Ebay here in the UK for about £70 ( sorry guys not sure what that is in dollars). You do need a proper kit, as someone else has said, the hid type bulbs are a waste. Ideally you need a kit with a slimline ballast, then it will fit easily under the left hand fairing trim panel, as will the small solenoid you get with the kit (I made a simple bracket out of what we call all-round band, thin ally strip with holes punched in it). Wiring wise you need to take a feed straight off the battery via an inline fuse (supplied in all decent kits) which goes to the ballast. The plug which normally goes onto the bulb plugs into a socket on the kit, this then operates the relay that works the solenoid which switches from high to low beam ( as there is no filiment in the bulb, it's just a single light source, the solenoid moves the position of the light in relation to the headlamp reflector). I know that sounds complicated but in a year &
 12,000 miles of riding it hasn't missed a beat. As there is no filiment to vibrate the bulbs are supposed to last many times more than a std one. When I got my kit there was an option to buy a spare bulb which I did just in case I ever needed one but it still sits in the garage. I do carry a spare std bulb for emergencies because if you need to you can just unplug the original plug from the HID loom, put in a std bulb and plug it back in. Hope this helps
Ian 96 in blue

Sent from my iPhone

On 19 Jun 2010, at 17:17, "Arthur Robinson" <art.robinson at rogers.com> wrote:

Some more info on the HID conversion please.

Art in TO

-----Original Message-----
From: gpzlist-bounces at micapeak.com [mailto:gpzlist-bounces at micapeak.com]
On Behalf Of Ian Westlake
Sent: 19 June 2010 12:09
To: GPZ List
Subject: Re: lighting, etc.

Got an HID conversion on my 96 and it is the muts! 200% improvement on
the standard. Current draw is slightly less as well so no problem. It's
not so much that it's brighter as it's whiter, makes everything crystal
clear. When I first fitted I was going out everynight just for fun! 
Ian 
96 in blue
Ps hi-viz all the way as well !

Sent from my iPhone

On 19 Jun 2010, at 15:26, Dave King <oldfr8dog at yahoo.com> wrote:

Drew, nothing adds visibility like reflective gear.  Tourmaster makes
some excellent quality riding gear that incorporates reflective striping
but doesn't look too tacky.   

--- On Sat, 6/19/10, Drew Blanchard <drewblanchard at gmavt.net> wrote:

From: Drew Blanchard <drewblanchard at gmavt.net>
Subject: lighting, etc.
To: "GPZ LIST" <gpzlist at micapeak.com>
Date: Saturday, June 19, 2010, 9:50 AM

Trying to increase both my visibility and view at night.   What do you
use
for auxiliary lighting?  I'm thinking of adding some fork mounted
driving
lights, but I've also seen threads in here about HID conversions and
other
options for better night time driving.  Pros and cons?  Options?  If I'm
also adding heated grips, I'm concerned about overall electrical draw.

I also want to add something to increase visibility to traffic
approaching
from behind.  I've seen spinners and flashers added to brake systems,
but
some are more annoying than helpful.  Added visibility when braking
isn't my
only concern; I often drive home on rainy nights, and want to increase
my
overall visible "footprint" to traffic.  Suggestions for additional tail
lighting?

And, again, I'm worried about the total load placed on the  electrical
system.

Drew