HID Install: Can I upgrade to Hi/Lo Bulbs?

Howdy!

I am planning on getting a set of HIDs from DDM Tuning for my VFR1200F. The bike comes with Honda's standard one H7 bulb for high beam and a separate H7 bulb for low beam.

Since the goal is to increase the number of lumens on the road is it possible to install two hi/low bulbs? I would need to make a wiring harness for this. I am thinking that that I would be able to run two bulbs on low beam and then have max output on hi beam.

Is there a way to get more lumens (light) out of this setup than the standard two bulb system that comes stock?

Thank you,

Brent

 

If I were you, I'd hold of on going with HID's for the high's at the start. Can you do it? Most certainly. Should you is an entirely different question. I replaced my low beams with the DDM kit and I increased my night time visibility by nearly 100%. I'd HIGHLY suggest trying just the low first before doing both.

The harness will be easy to make. The ballasts just trigger off the voltage that is detected on your current wiring so you would just have to make a splitter to go to multiple ballasts. This is assuming that you utilize the additional wiring harness from DDM that lets your HID's pull straight from the battery and not off of Honda's wiring.

 

For your reference: http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/35813-6th-gen-hid-low-beam-upgrade.html

One of the big things that you will find is that the color (Kelvin) of your HID's will make a significant difference in your visibility as well. I went with 5000K bulbs and they are almost pure white with a tiny hint of blue. I'm tempted to go with 4500K's at some point to see which I like better but I think they will have a hint of yellow and I wont like them nearly as much. I'd like to get some at about 4800K and believe those would be as perfect as it gets.

 

I have the DDM H4's in my 4G. Like Meatloaf says, the difference was amazing.

Because I went with a single "filament" bulb to replace my hi/lo H4 bulbs, I no lognger have hi-beams. But I tend to take it easy when (and if) I ride at night, so I never over drive them. Plus, like I mentioned earlier, the difference between the 45w stock bulbs' lo-beam and the HID's is night and day.

 

Another thing that you will find by going with HID bulbs is that you will need to readjust your lights. When I put my HIDs in, it significantly changed my focal point both vertically and horizontally. I spent an hour or so getting them close to where they should have been and then I spent months fine tuning them to their final position.

 

That is quite interesting what you say about night time riding with the HID globes.

Most (probably all) 4th Gen VFRs in Australia have the lights hard wired on - there is no switch that allows us to choose when we turn our lights on or off. In the place of the sliding light switch , there is just a flat empty plate. This was brought in as a design law at this period of time, but has since been rescinded. It was a pointless design rule.

I was thinking of going over to the HID globes, but if you have heard of a issue with running them constantly with that may change things. Whenever I ride my VFR, the headlight is constantly on low beam. Something in the switching shuts the headlight off when you are cranking the motor - to stop excessive draw on the battery when starting.

Does extensive running with the HID light cause the lamp to get excessively hot & shorten the lamp life ?

 

I think he is talking about over driving with his high beams on perhaps. In the US, by law, all motorcycles run with low beams on. Unless you wire a switch in yourself, they're are always on.

HIDs last like 30x longer than halogen bulbs. The only way the life is shortened is when you fire the lights, turn them off, fire them again, repeatedly. Puts enormous strain on the ballasts and bulbs, as well as your electrical system. As long as you don't do that, they should be good. I can't wait to install mine in the coming weeks.

 

Yes - my low beams were always on - now and before my HID upgrade.

My hi/lo switch now functions as an on/off switch. ;-)

 

HIDs do run a bit hotter than halogen bulbs but I haven't heard any problems with them in any gen VFR yet.

They only draw excessively the very moment when they fire... AKA as soon as you turn the key on. After they fire and as soon as you have light, they actually draw less than halogen bulbs most of the time. Your bike should already be killing the lights when you press the start button. I don't think I've come across a bike in the last 20 years that doesn't turn off all unnecessary electrical draws the moment the starter button pressed and then turns them back on as soon as the button is depressed.

 

I have installed the H7 HID's in my audi a4 from DDM, The difference is really noticeable. I would order the 55w ballast's with the 6k, They are white with a hint of blue the 55w are much brighter than the 35w. Also im not sure on this but im thinking it is similar to the 6th gen, but do the high and low beams stay on when the switch is on High. Then when just the low is selected the the low beam is on, I am not sure if the constant turning off/on if the high will harm the ballast or bulb. However for the price that wouldn't affect my decision, since you can pick up the two slim ballasts and two bulbs for $55.

To answer your question though. It would not very effective to have the low beam have both high/low diodes, then to have a separate high beam bulb. Cause would need to buy a ballast for the high beam, and then a different one for the high/low. Plus the extra stress on the High/low would be unnecessary. I think if you buy the kit with the slim H7 ballasts you will find that the HID low beam ans separate high beam will preform very well. Plus the installation will be very easy

 

Another thing you will want to consider is that HIDs have to warm up to output their full intensity. I'd say somewhere between 15-30 seconds and they are at full brightness. When I want my high beams, I want them NOW. I may only have them on for 20 seconds or so before a car comes around a corner or I get behind someone and have to turn them off. This is another reason I left my high beams as halogens as they come on instantly.

 

Thats a very good point, I wonder if it takes less time to come back to full intensity if they where on for an extended period of time before you shut it off. For example a car is coming and you turn them to low the when it passes you turn them back to high would it be faster?

 

Yes, they do take less time to warm up and come to full intensity once they have been warmed up for a while and turned off. They have a rapid cooling process though so you're still left with a 5-15 second time for the to warm back up depend on long you had them off.