HID conversion kits (an HID bulb with a high voltage power unit or ‘ballast’ which fits into the original headlamp unit in place of the original bulb with no change to the headlamp lens, reflector or housing)
FastBikeGear.co.nz had been hoping to be able to offer HID Xenon headlight upgrade kits to our customers.
Part of the motivation for this research is that our test mule was using a very powerful halogen bulb (155 watt hi-beam) which provided a pretty useful light, but it drew so much current and put out so much heat that it resulted in us cooking the silver reflector material off the inside of a $700 headlight assembly, burning out the head light switch and melting the wiring connector on the back of the bulb! None of this was entirely unexpected. We replaced the headlight assembly and switched back to a standard 60 watt hi-beam and the reduction in visibility is scary! With the 60 Watt beam it was very easy to out run the headlight and miss seeing items on the poorly lit north western motorway causeway until they were discovered by running over them.
A bright headlight lights up more road at night and possibly even more importantly helps ensure that the bike is very hard to miss in broad daylight!
HID lights are many times more efficient than halogen lights. They put out a huge amounts of light while generating very little heat and drawing very little power. For this reason they are gradually becoming the standard fitting on upmarket vehicles.
What does HID stand for?
HID stands for "High Intensity Discharge". A HID Xenon light is based on the gas discharge principle , where an arc of light is created between two electrodes within the glass bulb filled with metal salts and inert Xenon gas. Unlike normal halogen bulbs HID Xenon bulbs do no have a filament. HID Xenon bulbs require a ballast/igniter to operate.
Are HID Xenon upgrade kits legal in New Zealand?
With a little research FastBikeGear very quickly discovered that it is illegal to install HID Xenon bulbs in standard headlight assemblies in any vehicle operating on the road in New Zealand. Reference http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/ge...ht.html#modify
However, a complete halogen headlamp unit can be replaced with a complete HID headlamp unit provided that the replacement headlamp unit complies with approved standards. If in doubt, get advice from a vehicle lighting retailer you trust. Unfortunately we know of no such systems available for any motorcycles.
Is it also legal to sell these kits in New Zealand?
Yes. It is illegal to offer upgrade kits for sale in New Zealand that use a Xenon HID bulb in a headlight assembly designed for a normal halogen filament bulb. Vehicle lighting retailers in New Zealand are required by law to sell lamps which meet approved standards and are fit for the purpose for which you’re intending to use them. Despite this you can readily purchase these kits in New Zealand on Trademe and from overseas on-line retailers, but not from FastBikeGear. We currently know of no one supplying legal upgrade kits for motorcycles that include a headlight assembly designed for a HID Xenon bulb.
Why are they illegal?
Fitting a HID Xenon bulb to a headlight reflector designed for a normal filament bulb may cause an improperly focused beam that may blind oncoming drivers or fail to light up the road. The arc light source in an HID headlamp is fundamentally different in size, shape, orientation, and luminosity distribution compared to the filament light source used in tungsten-halogen headlamps. Because of their extra brightness some countries have a requirement that HID headlamps also be equipped with lens cleaning and automatic headlamp self-leveling systems.
What can I do to improve my headlights that is legal?
Unfortunately the standard wiring and switch gear in most motorcycles has excessive resistance in it. This means that voltage is dropped across it and the current is restricted which means that your headlight bulb is not offered a full 12 volts. Installing a relay for both your high and low beam and heavier duty wiring may see the brightness increase by as much as 30%. This is a cheap upgrade and will typically take less than two hours to do. In April 2010 British RiDE Magazine conducted testing and published the results for 34 different bulbs. The Philips X-treme Power bulbs proved vastly superior to other bulbs.
How bright are HID light systems?
A 35 watt HID light produces up to 3 times the lumens of a similar wattage halogen bulb. This means that a typical 35W HID produces a lot more light than the very best 60 watt halogen bulb while drawing 36% less power.
In addition scientific study of headlamp glare has shown that for any given intensity level, the light from HID headlamps is 40% more glaring than the light from tungsten-halogen headlamps. This helps ensure that your bike is going to be much more noticeable in broad daylight but if the beam is improperly focused you are also more likely to temporarily blind the drivers/riders of oncoming vehicles.
Can an observer spot the difference between Halogen lights and HID Xenon lights?
The light from a normal filament halogen has a yellowish tinge. The light from a HID Xenon light has a slight blueish tinge. However you can now purchase halogen lights that have a special coating on the glass to give them a blueish tinge. This coating does nothing to improve the brightness or the quality of the light (in fact it filters out some of the useful light) – but it does make them look like a HID Xenon light. (popular with boy racers). In some cases these coloured filament lights are marketed with brand names such as Philips Blue Vision or Ring Ultra Xenon, but don't get fooled, despite the branding they are just just standard filament bulbs and they do not improve your lighting! If your bulbs don't require a ballast/igniter to operate they are not HID Xenon units.
Will an HID bulb last as long as a conventional halogen bulb?
Yes, but unfortunately there is no consistent answer on either the life of a conventional halogen bulb or a Xenon bulb. this. Estimates vary from 2000 to 4500 hours for a HID bulb and 450 to 1000 hours for a Halogen bulb.
Why don't I just stick in a big watt mother of a halogen bulb?
This is also illegal reference http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/ge...ht.html#modify. However this is widely ignored and I have never heard of anyone failing a warrant or being ticketed for doing this.
A high wattage bulb draws more current. To run a high wattage bulb you need to install a relay and heavy duty wiring and use heat resistant connectors. You are then still left with the possibility of cooking the silver reflector material off the inside of your headlight assembly or melting the head light assembly. A 35W Xenon HID bulb runs cooler than a 60 watt halogen bulb, therefore it will not melt your housing or cause the silvering on the inside of your headlight housing to cook off. A I50 Watt bulb will draw 12.5 amps – which is enough to melt the insulation off some bikes wiring, melt the connector that your bulb plugs into and to burn out the contact on your handlebar light switch. How do I know this...unfortunately I cooked all my wiring and wrecked a $700 headlight assembly learning the hard way!
Is there more than one way to upgrade to HID Xenon headlights?
There are several ways you can go about upgrading to HID (High Intensity Discharge) xenon lights. There are some smart ways to go about this and some dumb ways to do it. Working through the pros and cons of each upgrade strategy and deciding on the right upgrade option for your bike is more complicated than it first appears. This task is made harder because there is a serious lack of clear information available on the pros and cons of each methodology.
Why do I need a ballast and Igniter with a HID system?
Igniters boost the voltage at start up. Ballasts limit the current when the light is on. HID lights draw large current when they start up and a relay may be required to handle this.HID lights need to be powered at 80V, so a 'ballast' power unit is needed to power these bulbs.
If HID systems use less power than a HID system why do they need a relay?
Because the igniters used in HID systems draw high current to initially strike the arc (fire up).
Do the quality of the ballasts/igniters vary between manufacturers?
Yes. Good Ballasts should have both under and over voltage protection as well as short circuit protection. In addition like all electronic circuitry the circuit design and componentry will contribute to the performance and reliability of the system. A superior design ballast/igniter will also contribute to a longer lifespan for your expensive xenon bulbs.
Can I just buy a car system and split it into two systems for me and a mate?
It is essential that motorcycle ballasts have superior vibration tolerance and be 100% waterproof. It is also important that all of the connectors in the system are of a high quality. Junk systems can often by identified by the use of cheap connectors.
Why do I need to use a slim ballast?
Ballast units are typically available in two different sizes, the more expensive slim version being more suitable for some most motorcycles, due to the lack of room to locate a bigger ballast. Slim Ballast are typically 80mm x 65mm 15mm. If you order a system that uses a normal car ballast you may find you do not have enough room to fit the ballast on your bike.
Is it true that switching HID bulbs on and off frequently shortens their life ?
Yes. For this reason you need to think carefully about what system you purchase. Systems that use a separate HID bulb for the high beam will have a shorter high bulb lives. There are two strategies for avoiding this issue. Some systems use a HID bulb for the low beam and switch on an additional halogen bulb for high beam. While other systems move just the bulb or a small reflector above the bulb when you switch from high to low beam.
What is the CAN-BUS warning canceler?
CAN-bus stands for Controller Area Network – bus. Because a HID Xenon light draws a lot less current than a conventional halogen bulb it can trick bikes that use a CAN-bus into believing you have a blown head light bulb. A CAN-BUS warning canceler prevents the blown bulb warning light on your dashboard falsely signaling you have a blown bulb.
What systems are currently available overseas
Moving reflector system (Not recommended)
A system where a single bulb with a single xenon arc uses a small moving reflector system built into the bulb to change the beam pattern from low beam to high beam.
The disadvantage with this system is that it relies on one bulb for both high and low beam. Which means you may loose both high and low beam simultaneously. However because when you switch between high and low beam the bulb is not turned on and off, the bulbs will last longer and allow you to flash your high beam on and off frequently. We recommend that you carry a spare bulb on your bike with these systems.
User feedback suggests that the moving reflector system typically provides a very poor high beam pattern. However because the xenon bulb on dip often provides superior lighting than a conventional halogen bulb on high some riders are content to ride everywhere just using the low beam.
Moving bulb option.
A system where a single bulb with a single xenon arc is physical moved a few millimeters to change the beam pattern from low beam to high beam. User feedback suggests that the moving bulb system provides a vastly superior beam pattern to moving reflector systems. The success of these systems in providing a good beam pattern for both high and low beam will be dependent on the shape of your headlights reflector.
Combined xenon and halogen bulbs. (Not recommended)
These kits have both a Xenon arc and a Halogen filament in the same bulb. Unfortunately they typically position the high beam in the wrong place within the headlight reflector assembly. A few mm one way or the other is critical to the spread of the light beam. As a consequence you may experience difficulty in obtaining a warrant of fitness with these systems in New Zealand. Most riders who use these systems never use their high beams except as an emergency get home option.
Separate Xenon low beam and halogen high beam bulbs.
Your bike can be wired so that when you switch on the halogen high beam bulb the xenon low beam bulb also stays switched on. The advantage of this system is that it allows you to flash your high beam on and off frequently and should either your halogen high beam or or Xenon low beam bulb fail you still have one bulb that you can ride home with.
Bi Xenon single bulb system
Unfortunately systems that use a bulb with dual Xenon arcs. They typically offer a particularly poor high beam spread as they position the high beam arc in the wrong place within the headlight reflector assembly. It may still transpire that with the dual arc bulbs that you may loose both high and low beam simultaneously. Only one ballast/igniter is required
A disadvantage of Bi Xenon systems is that xenons don't like being turned on and off so they don't like riders who flash their high beam on and off frequently.
Bi Xenon two bulb system
BI Xenon - two bulb system: A systems that uses two separate xenon bulbs is an option for a bike that has a separate low beam and high beam headlight assemblies. While potentially offering a better hi-beam spread than the Bi-Xenon single bulb system just discussed, it is likely that your high beam will blind oncoming drivers for the reasons previously discussed. Two ballasts are required with this system. One ballast/igniter is required for each bulb.
A disadvantage of Bi Xenon systems is that xenons don't like being turned on and off so they don't like riders who flash their high beam on and off frequently.
Complete HID headlamp unit
It is legal to replace a complete halogen headlamp unit with a complete HID headlamp unit provided that the replacement headlamp unit complies with approved New Zealand standards. This would give you an extremely good solution. Unfortunately we know of no such systems available for any motorcycles anywhere in the world.
If you would like more information on this subject please feel welcome to call FastBikeGear.co.nz.
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Originally Posted by DangerousBastard
Wouldn't bother me a great deal though, I would just keep another headlight unit for WOFs if it came to it 
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