Now I will be seen by myopic car drivers.

[thirdwheel]

I had a run of car drivers pulling out in front of me at night so I guessed they could not see my yellow glowing headlight on my 18ms. so I fitted a quartz halogen 6v bulb from paul Goff - much better, or so I thought. After two incidents at night on the lanes near me - cars comming the other way did not know I was there, as my headlight was still not powerful enough to blast through their own headlight loom and warn I was just round the bend. They had not seen me as they approached with full beam - good job I drive slow and like hedges. I drive slow at night as my headlight does not really allow too much progress.
After lots of research and converting the dip beam on my BMW to HID I was convinced this was the way to go for my AJS. This is what I have done. Converted to 12v using an electronic regulator, 5amp 12v battery, H4 headlight glass, 35w 6000k Bi HID car conversion kit, LED sidelight, LED speedo bulb, LED rear light stop / tail.
The LED's are to make life easier for the dynamo. The Bi HID bulb stays alight all of the time the headlight is on and moves in and out to go from main to dip, this fits in the H4 glass no problem. I put a H4 connector on my old headlight wiring this connects to the relay supplied with the kit. The relay is fitted under the tank as is the HID ballast. I've extended all of the wiring as it was too short using proper crimped connectors - and not those horrid ones with little pieces of plastic on them. I drilled a 15mm hole in the back of the headlight shell and used a gromet. I did it all so I can convert it all back to 6v and the old headlight in less than an hour, the only thing remaing would be the hole in the headlight shell. This took me about a day and a half to do properly.
All I can say is the result is far better than I could have hoped for, the light is fantastic and I can now see much further than I really need and the brilliant white light will have to now be seen in the lanes.
Now there is a lot of concern about light scatter and blinding oncoming drivers, I did need to spend some time getting the headlight shell angled right. I have walked down the road to see the dip for myself and found it less of a glare than any of my cars or other bikes. I've used it for a week in the dark for a couple of hours a night - I love to unwind riding my bike and I've racked up these hours in the darkness to also prove this conversion. As yet I've not had any flashes from oncomming vehicles and I was more than willing to remove it all if it was a problem. I also did the conversion now as as I'm due for an MOT soon and I want to see what my MOT guy picks up on the headlight tester - yup I also know it's not legal but so are LED's. I would rather see and be seen. Suppliers - uninslated connectors and crimper - Vehicle wiring products. Bi HID kit for a car - Hawk Alarms. The HID only pulls 35w and the 6000K is the light band - 6000K is about daylight. I'm sure it can be seen in France as I wander along the clifftops, the carging seems to be keeping up with it all but I will keep an eye on it.

Thirdwheel
Dover

[rex.webb]

Wonderfull ! "thats the way to do it "!
As Mr Punch says .
Sounds just the job for modern motorcycling needs.
By the way
the carging seems to be keeping up with it ?
Where is the "CARGING" coming from ?.
RIDE with CARE and LIVE LONG to ENJOY your bikes and Scooters .
Insured with Peter James.

[itma]

you cannot have too much light, and if it dazzles and annoys car drivers , esp the ones with those really bright gas discharge lamps so much the better.

It means they know you are there then.

Mind you I do know of a guy riding a jazzed up Gold Wing with more lamps than a fair ground who got smidsy'd, so its no guarantee

[thirdwheel]

This is a gas discharge light )(HID) so it runs at 85v with the use of electrickery (ballast) and is one of those annoying super bright lights found on newer cars. When you turn it on it lights with a little flash and slowly gets brighter and brighter a it heats up. You can specify different wave lenghts of light but 6000k is mid range white if you go higher you get a blue light and lower a green light the 6000k makes my super bright LED's look yellow.
Sorry about the lost constinant in carging I've found it "h" insert were you feel necessary - spelling has been my life long cross to bare! Yup itma it is very worring what some do not seem to see, what with being distracted with all manner of gizmoes within the car, not looking or caring, lighting fags and poor eyesight we do not have a hope in hells chance

Thirdwheel

[CR]

I thought about fitting an HID to one of my Matchless twins some years ago for all the reasons that you've covered in your description, and especially because they draw relatively small amounts of power (even a dynamo would balance the load).

However, my friendly MoT man told me that if I fitted it without the approriate automatic beam self-adjustment mechanism, he'd be forced to fail the bike at the next MoT. I thought this was a bit harsh, but he said he didn't want to lose his MoT Inspectorate Licence...or whatever.

Like you, I wanted the extra light, but didn't want to have to revert back to the halogen bulb kit every time I went for MoT - so I didn't fit it.

Here's the official line:
www.nidirect.gov.uk/customer-informatio ... s-2010.pdf

Forewarned is forearmed - be interested to hear how you get on at the next MoT.

Edited by - CR on 10 Jul 2012 09:44:51 AM

[itma]

So how come every car fitted with these things seems to sear your eyeballs out? the dazzle off them even in daylight is bad.
Or is it just to announce "ooh look at me in my expensive German car"?

I'd like to know how to set one of these up, seems quite a technical feat, certainly I wouldn't mind one on my 1960 350, which, after Nov this year won't need an MOT?

One thing I have noticed with HID lamps is that when they are used in daylight, in oncoming traffic, an overtaking bike even one with its own lights on, becomes virtually invisible, due to the overwhelming dazzle from the car.

[thirdwheel]

Very many thanks for the link how do you do this so fast!!!!! I have researched rather a lot before going down this route. Found somewhere bikes did not need self leveling or washers - I'm now on a quest to re-find the info. I do have self leveling and a headlight wiper on the AJS though - it's attached to my left arm. To go to halogen takes as long as changing a bulb if I need to. It's the light scatter that I was worried about but my non scientific tests show it me that it comes out at least as good as my other bikes and cars on dip. In use now I do not want to ride as fast as the vision now allows - never had that before. Yes the 35W was a big incentive to give it a tryout. I believe there are some modern reflectors that are specifically made for the HID set up and are the non projection type. I will keep an eye out for the right one and in time will get hold of one. But the H4 reflector was available and low cost.

many thanks again for the link

Thirdwheel

Thirdwheel

[CR]

quote: I'd like to know how to set one of these up, seems quite a technical feat,

It's not difficult at all. Apart from the 'bulb' itself you simply need to add a ballast transformer into the circuit. This comes with the kit and produces the very high voltage required to 'fire' the bulb. The bulb itself dips by physically moving the 'filament' in or out, or up and down, depending on the type and reflector in use.

Anybody with an inkling of electro-trickery can do the job.

I was looking at the kits from Autobulbs Direct (find them with Google). They have kits for any type of fitting, e.g. H1, H2, H4 etc.

And it's not just expensive German cars that come equipped with HIDs as standard - most everything over about £25k comes with them as standard (my Honda CRV certainly does).

[jim carlow]

Yes itma, MOT, whats that ??Edited by - jim carlow on 10 Jul 2012 2:54:56 PM

[itma]

something we wont need after November?