hi Guys Finally got the HID fitted on the bike. It took me about 3 to 4 hours to get it all fitter (finding the correct place, wiring routing, to see if it really works) but eventually got it going. I used a Philips car H4 bulb HID kit. It will come with 2 Ballast,2 Bulbs, 1 Relay wiring harness, Wire tags etc. 1) Remove the UPPER and LOWER COWL along with the meter panel 2) Disconnect the HEADLIGHTS, SIGNAL LIGHTS etc. 3) I fitter the BALLAST under the upper first with double side tape as its easy to take out incase the placement is wrong. Lucky i did that as i had stuck it too close to the SIDE COWL. (if i had screwed them in ...that would have been quite a mess) Front view Lower view Side view 4) Repeat the same on the Right side Side view 5) Now fit the bulbs, I first tried fitting the bulbs first and then to the HEADLIGHT UNIT. Trust me thats very tough as its very difficult to put the lamp locks afterwards So i took the bulb out of the HID socket and fitted the holder first. Lock the holder using the RETAINER. Now fit the DUST COVER and then insert the bulb(s), this was much easier. 6) Mount the wiring harness Since its all plastic i fitted the the relay and the wiring harness on the inside of the INNER PANEL. use the wire tags to hold all this together. 7) Connect the Wires (no images) - Connect the Positive wire (red) to the battery - Connect the Negative / ground (Black) to the chassis) - i used the horn bracket. - Connect the wiring harness to the BALLAST. - Connect the Bulbs to the BALLAST along with the Hi/lo socket. - The harness also comes with a bulb SOCKET (female type) which is connect to the existing /origninal bulb SOCKET. This triggers the power, high and low 8) BALLAST location finalize - once the location of the BALLAST has been finalized, drill holes on the UPPER COWL. Bolt the BALLASTS into place. I used match bolts like the one on the upper cowl. 8) Switch on to see if all is ok. (ususally is ) Lights getting warmed up 9) Fit all the cowls (had a tough time getting the UPPER and SIDE COWL, the rubber screws kept falling inside. (but finally eventually got there) 10) Adjust the beams Lights fully warmed up Front profile Also changed the Parking lights to LED 11) Total Cost : $180 You are done.
1. Where did you get your kit from? and 2. Okay, so it looks incredibly bright and white(what color temperature did you use btw?) but do they actually allow you to see better? Viewing distance/length the same, better, worse? Same width as the original beams? 3. What about during rainy weather...do these create the f*cking "Hall of Mirrors" effect on the road and surroundings? Thanks.
Results! 1. Where did you get your kit from?- I am in India and is easly available of the shelf. This is meant for a car. 2. Okay, so it looks incredibly bright and white(what color temperature did you use btw?) but do they actually allow you to see better? Viewing distance/length the same, better, worse? Same width as the original beams? - I used the 4800K version. Vision is much much better. I had a single one before on my GSX750 and that was good enough - nopw with a double light its mind blowing. it lights up the entier street on high beam (i would say about 200 to 300 feet ahead is pretty clear) and the entier road on Dip. Try and post some pictures of this sometime later. 3. What about during rainy weather...do these create the f*cking "Hall of Mirrors" effect on the road and surroundings? I have just got this bike so no mirror effect yet but will be able to try it out in June/July. On the old one it just glowed the road. Hope this helps
really? I dont have a parking light. I see a hole, but no light, not even a socket. Anyone else missing this?
Parking Light Come to think of it...its not even mentioned in the Service Manual which got me confused. My the handbook contains a write up on how to change the bulb. So check if you have this flap under the upper cowl.
Umph, this could just be my logic, but since here in the states you use your front blinkers as parking lights I don't think the US models have a parking light. In Europe you can turn off your headlight to only a park light. I'll have to take a look at my head light tomorrow. -Andy
I want a parking light in my headlight assembly. That would look pretty good. But I assume you are correct about the difference in countries.
yeah - you will need to take it out top change the bulb. In case you don;t have the fitting, the front cowl needs to be removed to install a new one. good luck
OK so does this car kit allow you to convert the High and Low beam ? Also, did you have to modify your bulb sockets on the headlight ? Normally the tabs on the car bulbs arent the same ? Cheers
The OEM headlights on my '98 are incredibly bright and reach extremely far to both the front and the sides. So far, they've proven to be more than adequate in the deer infested area where I live. I'd have to experience the HIDs first hand before I would be willing to spend so much $$$$ for the conversion. Other than looking cool, are HIDs really that much better and safer than the OEM lighting?
Knife, your OEMs will pale in comparison to HIDs. If you're happy with what you have, then you shouldn't make a fuss. If you do join The Brotherhood, you won't regret it. I'm yet to have a HID bulb go out on me after 5.5 years, and I'll never again keep halogens on any vehicle I own. Any HID user can vouch for them. Just be sure not to go past 6000k lumens, as they will lose their effectiveness significantly. 4300k are the brightest. For your 98, you'll need the bi-xenon kit, which will enable you to have both bulbs on for both low-beam and high-beam. I run my quads in the daytime. People get out of my way , and do fewer stupid things around me :thumbsup:. It's said that "loud pipes save lives". I say that's bull. Loud LIGHTS save lives (well...lights and the Stebel horn on its way) :biggrin:.
Sockets Keep in mind i am in India and th bike is imported from Japan. So the plug sockets may differ. The bike original socket is H4 type (like this -> | _ |) and so is the HID kit. So no alteration were needed here. This also contains the high and low beam Hope this helps
Thanks for that anikamnkar , Yeah I know the fitting will be the same but I was talking about the three tabs on the actual bulb...normally the car one is offset. So how does this compare to the Vtec vfr ? Do you think it will also be a straight forward like yours ? Cheers
Sorry unware of the offset, but then you can always alter the holders. Keep in mind that the current holder which is going into the bulb will now have to feed into the Kit. The HID bulb has its own holders not no need to worry about that. If the sockets are different - they either get a matching female holder and fix to the holder on the bike or the male holder to alter the HID kit end.
