Blue Headlights?

[zadok]

I have been noticing the increase in cars that seem to have a new type of headlight that has a blue glow to it. Looks rather cool, I reckon. Tends to be on the more upmarket cars at the moment.
I was wondering if they make them for bikes as well and are they better than a halogen globe?
Maybe someone that has a vehicle with them fitted can let us know how they rate them.

[sAsLEX]

something like HID or high intensity discharge gas lighting system, fancy and expensive

the other thing is on a bmpy road they look like Spud and his fellow officers from a distance in your mirrors due to the "Blueness"

[John]

I have those xenon 70w bulbs, they are blue tinted but are just a bright white.

I think the actual dark tinted ones illegal in NZ anyway, I dont know - But I hate them, looks strange when your heading down the road and get a high intense blue in your eyes...

[Zed]

I have been noticing the increase in cars that seem to have a new type of headlight that has a blue glow to it. Looks rather cool, I reckon. Tends to be on the more upmarket cars at the moment.
I was wondering if they make them for bikes as well and are they better than a halogen globe?
Maybe someone that has a vehicle with them fitted can let us know how they rate them.Funny you should say it looks cool cos Hella NZ markets a "Cool Blue" halogen bulb that has the effect you describe. Might pay to give them a call to enquire about who their closest reseller to you is?

http://www.hella.co.nz/newprod/coolblue/coolblue.htm

Personally, I dislike seeing any blue lights displayed on the front of a vehicle, excluding police of course (& I don't especially enjoy that either). Once upon a time I thought it was illegal? :no:

[John]

Funny you should say it looks cool cos Hella NZ markets a "Cool Blue" halogen bulb that has the effect you describe. Might pay to give them a call to enquire about who their closest reseller to you is?

http://www.hella.co.nz/newprod/coolblue/coolblue.htm

Personally, I dislike seeing any blue lights displayed on the front of a vehicle, excluding police of course (& I don't especially enjoy that either). Once upon a time I thought it was illegal? :no:
Seems they are not illegal anymore they use the term loosely so I dont know how blue they would allow.


From The LTSA

Make sure replacement bulbs are the correct colour, eg headlamp bulbs must be predominantly white or amber, although some white bulbs can look slightly blue. You should use commonsense to ensure you don’t run into trouble later on.

[Waylander]

You should use commonsense to ensure you don’t run into trouble later on.

That right there is the catch point.

[What?]

The blue-ish ones are quite legal, but you will not get the same illumination as for a std bulb of same power rating. They are supposed to be less tiring on driver's eyes, though, so may be an option if you do heaps of night travelling.

[Blackbird]

I have twin 100W Xenon blue bulbs on the Blackbird. They're really good but have doubts as to whether they're quite as good as my old 100W halogens though as they don't seem to give quite the same definition to roadside vegetation. (Forgotten most of my physics - might be due to the different wavelength).

[hondacmx450]

i want the blue for my street fighter but the cops will give me more grief so i wont :whocares:

[Motu]

HID are illeagal unless OE.The sorta tinted ones only have the tint at the edges,so they look like that from an angle,get them head on and they are normal - just more rule bending.60watt bulbs are 60 watt bulbs,no matter what the colour - kinda like the fluro lamps above the veges in the supermarket,they highlight the colours to make the fruit and veges look nice and fresh.It's wavelengths as someone said,just knock some out to make different effects....kinda like visors.

[Stevo]

Can you get tinted headlight lense covers?
The reason I ask is that I get "flashed" a lot from oncoming cars which is rather annoying, and also the Mrs and Sniper have both commented that when following them at night it is quite bright too.

[John]

Can you get tinted headlight lense covers?
The reason I ask is that I get "flashed" a lot from oncoming cars which is rather annoying, and also the Mrs and Sniper have both commented that when following them at night it is quite bright too.
You definately can but I'm positive they are illegal?

[g34l]

i am not sure about the tinted covers, but i am pretty sure shining blue headligts is acceptable,unless not any red dots. new bikes and cars do have them a lot, however, it is quite painful to install one of those on an old bike or car, as it is costly

[Lou Girardin]

I have twin 100W Xenon blue bulbs on the Blackbird. They're really good but have doubts as to whether they're quite as good as my old 100W halogens though as they don't seem to give quite the same definition to roadside vegetation. (Forgotten most of my physics - might be due to the different wavelength).

You haven't had problems from the extra heat affecting the headlight lens?

[bugjuice]

the bulbs used in cars are most often able to be used in bikes too.. Most car parts shops carry them.

I had a look in Repco the other weekend at them, and they're a bleedin fortune. $70-80 for a pair of bulbs.. didn't think it's worth the cash unless the current ones blow. Anyhoo, Repco didn't have what I wanted so I head off and stumbled accross a new Super Cheap near me. They have the exact same bulbs for half the price...

As for lens tints, you could always buy some protector covers, and put a slight tint on them, then when it's dark, or you need the light, take the covers off.. Just remember it's those lights that people often see first. Don't take that away from yourself

[Wolf]

You should use commonsense to ensure you don’t run into trouble later on.[/i]
Well, that's us as a species screwed, then. Common sense is pretty rare.

"common sense" would dictate that our head lamps would be intense red beams as our night vision is not affected by red light (hence proper map reading lamps are red).

You can look at something illuminated by red light at night or look at a red light source and once the light is gone your night vision is still as it was before the light was there. This is because the highly sensitive rods in our retina, which are responsible for our night vision, cannot see red light. They can see all other frequencies, however, and being flooded with white light (all frequencies) fouls up night vision until our eyes resume a dark-adapted state.

Using white headlamps to see fouls up night vision, as does being blasted by even a considerate motorist's low beam - let alone being hit with the force of the full beam.

"Common sense" would dictate that all vehicle instrumentation should be red - blue, green etc might look pretty but its washing out the rods and spoiling night vision every time you look at your instrumentation.

See:
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/vision/rodcone.html

A quote from the above page under "Rods Do Not See Red!" (Emphases my own)

"The ship captain has red instrument lights. Since the rods do not respond to red, the captain can gain full dark-adapted vision with the rods with which to watch for icebergs and other obstacles outside. It would be undesirable to examine anything with white light even for a moment, because the attainment of optimum night-vision may take up to a half-hour. Red lights do not spoil it.

These phenomena arise from the nature of the rod-dominated dark-adapted vision, called scotopic vision. "

If viewing objects under white light is underirable "even for a moment", imagine what harm approaching head lights are doing.

Regrettably, making a worldwide shift to using red lights for illumination and instrumentation would cause no end of troubles.

[Waylander]

All that stuff he said.

That settles it then. When I get new instraments for my bike they are gonna have a red face and I'm gonna try and make the backlighting red aswell.

[T.I.E]

seeing them on cars they seem to be rather bright though. pain when they are on coming, how do others feel?

[TCT]

I have a pair on my GSXR750. Looks cool but I am not sure how well it works at night 'cos I don't ride at night LOL. You can get them for ~$35 a pair at Supercheap.

[StoneChucker]

The 04R1's headlights appear blue at certain angles. Mainly if you accelerate, the car infront see's blue lights behind them. I've accidentally "pulled over" two cars before :whistle:

I think the lights are "Gattling" Halogen? Not 100% sure.

[XP@]

"common sense" would dictate that our head lamps would be intense red beams as our night vision is not affected by red light (hence proper map reading lamps are red).

we could all ride in reverse...
interesting red light rules from an obersvetory
http://www.bsasnashville.com/TNSP/rules.htm

7. If, and may the heavens forbid it, you accidentally shine a white light in the field of dozens of dark adapted people, expect to be called some very unpleasant names and to hear things that will make those of a modest temperament blush. I am certain that your mistake will not be twice repeated.

evidently the halogen lights do tend torards the red end of the spectrum. and have to be 1.5 times as powerful as hid lights to produce the same amount of wince factor...

[Skyryder]

From The LTSA

Make sure replacement bulbs are the correct colour, eg headlamp bulbs must be predominantly white or amber, although some white bulbs can look slightly blue. You should use commonsense to ensure you don’t run into trouble later on.

Common sense from the LTSA. Seems to be in short supply from these guys. eg indicating when exiting a round-a-bout.


Skyryder

[John]

Common sense from the LTSA. Seems to be in short supply from these guys. eg indicating when exiting a round-a-bout.


Skyryder
Cannot agree more.

[eliot-ness]

You can look at something illuminated by red light at night or look at a red light source and once the light is gone your night vision is still as before the light was there.it was This is because the highly sensitive rods in our retina, which are responsible for our night vision, cannot see red light.



Thanks for that info Wolf. You've just sorted a problem for me.
Amazing what you can find on a biker site

[FEINT]

HID isn't a bulb you can just replace. The blueish lights you see on most Japanese cars are replacement bulbs. HID lights are alot brighter than the standard halogen bulbs. HID is a whole system (use less power than halogen bulbs). You can purchase aftermarket systems for your car (don't know if you can modify to fit bike).


High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights, also know as Xenon lights, produce a bright light resulting from an electric arc inside a capsule full of Xenon gas. Many times, HID lighting appears to give off a bluish tint when the bulbs are lit. This technology produces a significantly brighter and whiter light than that of a standard halogen light. HID lights first began appearing on luxury cars in the late 1990s and are becoming increasingly more common as standard equipment.

As a newer headlight technology, HID lights provide better visibility at night, which help to improve nighttime driving safety. HID lights also consume less electricity than their halogen counterparts, reducing load on the car’s electrical system. Because of the projector-like technology of HIDS, their high-tech appearance is also a welcome addition to today’s vehicle designs.

hope this helps. :)

[Waylander]

HID lights provide better visibility at night, which help to improve nighttime driving safety.


Yea for the driver of said car. Everyone else gets blinded as they approach.

[Wolf]

Yea for the driver of said car. Everyone else gets blinded as they approach.
And you think they're some inconsiderate prat who hasn't dipped his lights, so you flash your lights at them and they respond in kind, blowing you off the back of your bike with the photonic force of their high beams. As you lay on the road looking at spangly after-image patterns, you mutter "Why the fuck doesn't New Zealand have the same output restrictions as Germany?"

[Waylander]

And you think they're some inconsiderate prat who hasn't dipped his lights, so you flash your lights at them and they respond in kind, blowing you off the back of your bike with the photonic force of their high beams. As you lay on the road looking at spangly after-image patterns, you mutter "Why the fuck doesn't New Zealand have the same output restrictions as Germany?"


You been followin me lately? Had some bugger do that to me the other night. It really sucks when you are like me and hardly ever use your brights even out in the middle of nowhere on a cloudy night.

[Wolf]

You been followin me lately? Had some bugger do that to me the other night. It really sucks when you are like me and hardly ever use your brights even out in the middle of nowhere on a cloudy night.
Follow you? On what?

t'was a rhetorical "you" - based on personal experience.

[Waylander]

Follow you? On what?

t'was a rhetorical "you" - based on personal experience.

And I was being silly. Anyway I'm gonna start looking into getting red lit instraments for my bike now as I said earlier. Help my night vision better and look so much cooler than white.:niceone:

[Wolf]

And I was being silly. Anyway I'm gonna start looking into getting red lit instraments for my bike now as I said earlier. Help my night vision better and look so much cooler than white.:niceone:
I've seen very nice blue or green displays - look cool as, but not great when you want to return your eyes to the road.

Perhaps they figured that your eyes were already being subjected to "all" frequencies via your head light and those of the on-coming traffic, your night vision was already screwed so they might as well use any damn colour at all.

[XP@]

... we could just do away with the headlights and a night vision visor with HUD.

[Wolf]

... we could just do away with the headlights and a night vision visor with HUD.
Now we're talkin'...

[zadok]

Good info there 'Feint' Thanx :niceone:

[Mooch]

I have been noticing the increase in cars that seem to have a new type of headlight that has a blue glow to it. Looks rather cool, I reckon. Tends to be on the more upmarket cars at the moment.
I was wondering if they make them for bikes as well and are they better than a halogen globe?
Maybe someone that has a vehicle with them fitted can let us know how they rate them.

Here's a couple of links on HID lighting systems, but as Motu has stated , these couldn't be retro fitted onto NZ bikes. Was thinking of changing them up until now.


http://www.hidynamic.com/hidtech.htm
http://www.hidynamic.com/store.htm

[fliplid]

Fitted some replacement bulbs to my Trophy before I brought it over here, got them from a car spares place, they have a kinda purple tint to them. They were advertised as "all weather", and work really well in rainy and misty conditions. They're a bit brighter than "normal" bulbs, but give a clearer view without blinding the "opposition". good for general riding as well... Will see if I can find their equivalent here...