HID lights

I am looking at replacing my low beam on my GSF1250 with a HID 55W 6000K setup. Lots of people raving about them in the US. Anyone on here done it for the Bandit and have any tips? I think I'll trigger it from the park lights so it doesn't dim on starting and bugger the ballast. Any advice out there?

Cheers

kewwig wrote:I am looking at replacing my low beam on my GSF1250 with a HID 55W 6000K setup. Lots of people raving about them in the US. Anyone on here done it for the Bandit and have any tips? I think I'll trigger it from the park lights so it doesn't dim on starting and bugger the ballast. Any advice out there?

Cheers

I think you will find it will still dim down, as it is the current draw from the starter that causes it. The parkers aren't affected by it as they don't need much current anyway.

I ordered a set from England 2 days ago, though mine are 35w 6000k and do both high beam and low beam

There has been a couple of HID threads about 12 months ago - including one or two pictorial how-too's.

I used the parkers to trigger a time delay circuit that only fires on first starting the bike, keeps the HIDs off for about 10 seconds. This is suppose to save the bulbs (and other parts such as the ignitors and ballast) from going through the on-off-on cycle when you first start the bike. It also means there is no load at start-up being wasted on the head lights, giving that little bit extra power to the starter/ignition - not sure if it makes a difference but it is a good excuss to add some more bits to the bike.

Here's the link back to an earlier post: HIDs

Hi, yes I have hid in low and high beam. I think I have the H7 35w 6000k bulbs.

I got mine for $100 delivered here in oz WWW.superbikesupply.com.au as they sponsor at WWW.aussiestreetbikes.com.au and just hooked them up through original headlight wiring. I had to cut the bulb adaptor up to hold the hid bulb in the headlight fitting. (i cut it in a way that it will still hold the original bulb if I need to. They were very helpful over the phone. It has a slight flicker when I start, but am not too concerned.

I used a stack of cable ties to hold the ballast and ignition under the fairing. Other people on here have made brackets, they are likely much handler with that stuff then I am. So far I have had no issues with them moving.

I +1 what Gringo said as I rock the same lights. Go Superbike supply and support a local Australian shop. I cut rings as spacers out of reticulation bits, worked well. I also made up an aluminium bracket, if someone has a spot on the net to upload a PDF file I have the dimensions etc. that I used.

reddog wrote: I cut rings as spacers out of reticulation bits,

What for?

Because there is a spacer between the standard H7 globe and the sprung steel retention mechanism. It's about 6-7mm as far as I remember. If you don't do this the globe would be extremely loose in the socket.

Did I mention Superbike supply were very helpful after I emailed them. They mentioned using High density foam (you could use the foam from the little case it comes in), but I decided to use hard plastic instead.

Just found a pic

Here's the original


and here's one you can buy from ebay from Rated R who is also a good guy http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/H7-HID-Bulb-Spacer-Adapter-Honda-Suzuki-CBR-GSXR-Etc-/280699678151

What bike have you got Reddog? cause I'm fairly sure there isn't a spacer between the wire clip and the back of the H7 bulb in a GSX120FA

2007 GSF1250SA - The half faired version

It's also the fastest being Silver Ask Reardo

reddog wrote:Because there is a spacer between the standard H7 globe and the sprung steel retention mechanism. It's about 6-7mm as far as I remember. If you don't do this the globe would be extremely loose in the socket.

Forgot about this little road bump when I was installing mine, at the time I thought I was doing something wrong.  There is a couple of links on the Web that talk about this issue of HID bulbs needing spacers.

The HID kit I used (DMM) had these spacers included, however I found they were a little too long and I had to file down the nipples a little.  But you're right RD, without the adaptor the sprung steel retaining clip doesn't have enough tension to hold the HID bulbs.  

I wonder if there is enough length in the retaining clip to put a bigger bend in it and still have it engage to securing mount

So is this because of the design of the headlight assembly or is there some difference between the HID H7 and the standard H7?

It is dependent on the vehicle manufacturer, if they do not use a spacer and have the standard H7 bulb metal end piece being clamped to the head light assembly then a HID bulb will fit straight in:



If there is a spacer, then of course the HID bulb needs to have the same distance made up so the head light retaining clip can secure it:

Most importantly the bulb MUST sit in the right spot in the reflector, or the light will be out of tune and flare the light,not direct the light

barry_mcki wrote:It is dependent on the vehicle manufacturer, if they do not use a spacer and have the standard H7 bulb met jal end piece being clamped to the head light assembly then a HID bulb will fit straight in:



If there is a spacer, then of course the HID bulb needs to have the same distance made up so the head light retaining clip can secure it:

Ok, thanks for clearing that up. I don't think there is a spacer there, at least not for the H7, don't know about the HB

Not sure about the GSX, but the half fared 1250 rocks H7's in the low and High beam.

The 6000K's are f'ing bright compared to Halogens. I didn't bother about stuffing around with any timer or relay, just plugged them into the headlight connector and wrapped them with 3M self bonding tape.

Here is what I did to the adaptor to get a space, just bring in. a hack saw and a pair of pliers to blp it. Actually if you keep the bit you cut off, you can still use it if you want to put a normal bulb back in.



I checked at Suzuki and the adaptor for the bulb is $25 approx.

http://www.aussiestreetbikes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19465

I reckon relays and diodes are cool to play with, I put them in whenever handling high current.

Just recently I added a reverse camera to my trailer (yep I am a sad one), and ran into problems that the reverse wire has not been connected properly at the car. Long story short I couldn't easily get to the trailer plug wiring without pulling half the car apart, so to get the camera to power up until I can tap into the reverse wire, I have one foot on the breaks and flick the right indicator once to latch the power relay.

Told you I was sad

gringo wrote:Here is what I did to the adaptor to get a space, just bring in. a hack saw and a pair of pliers to blp it.

Hi G, did you end up sealing the hole the wires pass through in the big rubber boot ?

Your photo seems to show it open, there is a possibility of dust and water getting in and messing with the reflector.

Yeah I never finished that thread, might do it tomorrow,

I just used a bit of electrical tape around the opening and onto the wires. The whole thing is pretty well covered by fairing and there was a bit of rubber stopper connected to the wires that is inside the boot. It was a bit fiddly to get it sitting neat, but got it in the end and taped it all together.

Finally fitted the HIDs. Two kits for AUD $39.99, free postage. Done low beam for now. What a difference.

Here's what I did:

The stock headlights on the Bandit are pretty underwhelming. I have higher intensity Narva bulbs which look "whiter" , but they don't help much at night. I have decided to fit HID lights, as various forums report great success.

I have bought a kit (2 lights) from a Seller called Factory Kiss off Ebay Australia for AUD$39.99 with free shipping. The units are made in China, but at that price it's worth the risk. I have bought the following:
Xenon HID Light Kit Slim Ballast H7 6000K 55W 12V

I'll report back on their longevity.



The kit comes with two bulbs, 2 digital ballasts and some aluminium mounting bits. Both worked straight out of the box, were well packed and arrived promptly. I can't believe how cheap they are.

The bulbs have a standard H7 base, but do not fit the Suzuki GSF1250 spacer that sits on the back of the standard H7 bulb. Rather than make something up, I bought a pair of them, also from EBay Australia. Search for:
H7 HID Bulb Spacer Adapter: Honda & Suzuki CBR GSXR Etc

These fit on the back of the bulb to allow the standard spring clip to hold the bulb firmly in place.



I mounted the ballasts under the front fairing onto heavy duty velcro. I ran the low beam from a fused hot feed from the battery, that is switched by a relay powered from the park light circuit. The reason for this is that the standard headlight circuit powers down when the bike is started, which creates an "on-off" for the bulbs and ballasts which isn't great for their longevity. This way the lights will come on with the ignition and not dim on starting. Some people have gone straight to the standard circuit with no issues, but if you are able to make it unswitched, this is probably better.

Hooking the units to the battery to test them is startling. You can look at the standard bulb, but not at the HIDs. They are BRIGHT.

The kit seems to be well made. Good wiring, weatherproof connectors, aluminium cased ballasts, and at that price cheaper than buying two new H7 bulbs. There's plenty on EBay, and even many of the well rated American kits seem to be sourced ex China, so it's well worth trying.

I fitted them this morning. It took a couple of hours, but that was experimenting with different mounting options. In the end I went with velcro as it's strong, provides a cushion and even if it comes loose, I'd know well before the unit could ever fall out.

Here's the before and after pictures of the light:

Before (yes, the light is on)



After. (It's so bright it overwhelms the camera)



I started by removing the inner cowl liner, screen and instruments. I then mounted the main ballast and secondary transformer using heavy duty velcro onto the inside of the front left fairing:



It's right out of the weather and no way it's going to shift from there.

I then removed the stock bulb from the low beam (upper holder). You can see it beside the HID bulb for comparison. The H7 bulb has a spacer piece, which is essentially the large black base you can see on the bulb on the left. If you don't have a collar on the HID bulb, the spring clip won't hold it firmly in place.



I took the new collars I had bought, and had to do a little filing to have them to the same dimensions as the stock spacer. What is important is the lip so the spring clip provides enough pressure. This is the new spacer before I filed it down. I had to take a couple of mm off the little spacer pegs and also from the outside edge of the collar as it was slightly larger in diameter. It was easy to do. You could probably make something out of plastic washers too if you wanted.



And here is is filed and ready to go.



Once that was done, it fitted easily. Make sure you line the locating peg up on the bulb base with the cutout in the headlight mount.

I pulled the input 12v leads out through the rubber grommet provided with the kit. The holes I filled with a dab of silicone sealant.

With the bulb in place, I pushed the bulb wires and supplied grommet through the GSF's waterproof cap. By gently pulling on the wires and pushing on the grommet, it snugs up against the Suzuki waterproof cap and provides a good seal. I then connected all of the leads up from the power units to the bulb, and cable tied them securely.

You can see it in the uppermost of the following photo. Those red and black leads have corrugated tubing on them now:



To power it, I ran a 12 V fused hot lead from the main wire I use to power a 12V accessory socket. I ran that into the switched side of a 12V 30A relay with its own internal fuse. The other side ran to the positive power lead of the bulb. The negative I ran to the negative for the power socket, which can be any suitable earth point.

To switch the relay, I spliced into the park light beside the headlight. The 12V there energises the relay coil and is not switched off when the bike is started. I used heatshrink and soldered the joints.

The relay mounted nicely on a bent steel strip to the uppermost left fairing mount bolt. The pic below shows it both as a closeup and in situ. I could have made it more accessible (have to remove the instruments to check the fuse), but more accessible = more weather, so this is a nice, dry, roomy place.







With the relay in place, I made sure I covered all the cabling with corrugated tube, cable tying it where it could move or rub.



So far I have just done the low beam, which as far as I can see has the same beam pattern, but what an amazing difference in light output. It literally is night and day over the stocker and I don't know why I didn't do this ages ago. I have soldered the main harness in, but in the event of a bad ballast, I just pull it off the velcro, unplug and swap.

My camera won't do it justice, but this side on photo shows how bright it is. The colour is a good match for the bright bluish-white LED park lights I have fitted already:



It's so good, will do the high beam tomorrow. That will run nicely off the high beam circuit, so I won't bother with a relay for that. I will go for a ride tomorrow night and see if I can get some pics up.

Here's a schematic of the relay wiring:



If you are doing a GSX1250FA, the OEM bulbs are H7 55W (low beam) and high is a HB3 60W. You would need to order two separate bulb types, so get yourself 55W 6000K bulbs of the appropriate type.

My naked 2011 bandit has a H4 bulb.

I found this on bulbs....

H4 xenon bulbs have 4 kinds. 1)H4-1(double bulbs in one base, one pc xenon bulb for low beam, one pc halagon bulb for high beam ) 2)H4-2(other bulb for high beam ) 4) H4-4(single xenon bulb with electromagnet, focus adjusted by electromagnet to switch low and high beam ) double xenon bulbs in one base, one for low beam, other one for high beam, configure 4 pcs ballast) 3) H4-3 (single xenon bulb for low beam, configure

I wanted to fit the HID Xenon kit that provides the Hi/Lo bulb. I take it that the H4-4 bulb would be the best option re no time delay in switching from lo to hi. F kiss don't have these.

For the H4-1, there must be 2 bulbs in the one case.

The H7 bulb must be for the 1250S & FA models

All this light stuff seems a massive amount of work and costly .On my old GS1000 i just replaced the standard 55\65 bulb with a 65\100 with a relay
total cost $15 . No good ? Cause it worked well .In fact i did so much night riding it turned me off forever .Cows thinking the road is a nice warm place to have a lay down ,trucks ,drunks, sleepy drivers ,stoners , aliens . No thanks .

Good interesting report. Well done and look forward to the night shots.

trip01 wrote:My naked 2011 bandit has a H4 bulb.

I found this on bulbs....

H4 xenon bulbs have 4 kinds. 1)H4-1(double bulbs in one base, one pc xenon bulb for low beam, one pc halagon bulb for high beam ) 2)H4-2(other bulb for high beam ) 4) H4-4(single xenon bulb with electromagnet, focus adjusted by electromagnet to switch low and high beam ) double xenon bulbs in one base, one for low beam, other one for high beam, configure 4 pcs ballast) 3) H4-3 (single xenon bulb for low beam, configure

I wanted to fit the HID Xenon kit that provides the Hi/Lo bulb. I take it that the H4-4 bulb would be the best option re no time delay in switching from lo to hi. F kiss don't have these.

For the H4-1, there must be 2 bulbs in the one case.

The H7 bulb must be for the 1250S & FA models

It would be interesting to see how the electromagnet works to change the focus for the high beam.
As I have H4s in my car and I have been considering putting in HID I would probably use the H4-1. Why because I rarely use high beam and if I do its usually brief so the time delay in warming up the HID high beam is not desirable. This is the problem I have with my FA, the FA has H7 low beam and HB3 for high beam. Going to high beam leaves the low beam on but the high beam takes too long to warm up to be of any use if you are flashing someone or briefly lighting up a bend before entering it.

For my GSF1250 (naked) H4 bulb. I think I have decided on these...
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270921217235?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

5000k colour temp, slim ballasts, H4-3 (Bi xenon) Not sure about the delay to go from lo to hi.

Here's the link to the H4-4 info...
http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/guyacn/product-detailGWEnhQmlxxfD/China-HID-Xenon-Bulb-H4-1-H4-2-H4-3-H4-4-.html