HID Ligting

  • Thread starter Thread starter City Slicker
  • Start date Start date
Cecil,

problem with that is you'll effectively be putting brighter bulbs into crappy reflectors. I found that using 100w bulbs in either low or high beam made only a marginal difference - the problem is not the intensity of the light, but the poor pattern. CS's solution is excellent for main beam, but, as with most driving lamp solutions, doesn't help when you are on a country road and meet oncoming traffic. On unlit roads, you can only ride safely as fast as your dipped beam allows you to. CS's HIDs for high beam would be excellent, but you need another pair of fogs (flat-topped beam pattern) to augment your dipped. That's what I think, anyway.

MikeO:)
 
Mike

Yep that makes sense.

Simon

P.S I saw City Slickers light set-up at the Battleaxes, and when he turned them on all the birds started singing, and I'm sure that the plants in front of his bike grew 6 inches !!! Boy they are some bright lights, very impressive
 
Cecilthecat

Your description of CS's lighting set-up had me in stitches. :D
I think I will use a set to grow some 'urbs' if you get my meaning

Beemer
 
HID

What is the expected life of the "bulb"?
My local Hella agent told me to sit whilst he told me the price of a replacement "bulb" -£199 +VAT!!!!
 
cecilthecat said:
I've just looked at these on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2404772563&category=28646

I wonder if they would fit a GS ?, if so it would be a nice tidy solution.
Maybe, but you'd have to cut up the covers at the back of each light to get the wires fitted. This may be just a 25mm hole in the back, or something mre serious.

You will staill have to find a place for the ballasts (the big black things) and the starters (the red things) and the lengths of the cables look kinda short to me.

It would be nice to see someone have a go at it.
 
Re: HID

Rod Souter said:
What is the expected life of the "bulb"?
My local Hella agent told me to sit whilst he told me the price of a replacement "bulb" -£199 +VAT!!!!
3,000+ hours I think. HID's don't have a filament so it's not subject to vibration or deterioration of the tungsten, so in theory it might last the lifetime of the vehicle.

As the bulbs become older the colour temperature increases, producing a bluer illumination. If the bulb was well made the gas will stay inside the glass capsule indefinitely, although I've heard that HID's from Asian sources are not well made in this respect and will not last too long.
 
So has the City Slicker got any complete sets available and if so at what price~?????
 
Mike O said:
Cecil,

problem with that is you'll effectively be putting brighter bulbs into crappy reflectors. I found that using 100w bulbs in either low or high beam made only a marginal difference - the problem is not the intensity of the light, but the poor pattern. CS's solution is excellent for main beam, but, as with most driving lamp solutions, doesn't help when you are on a country road and meet oncoming traffic. On unlit roads, you can only ride safely as fast as your dipped beam allows you to. CS's HIDs for high beam would be excellent, but you need another pair of fogs (flat-topped beam pattern) to augment your dipped. That's what I think, anyway.

MikeO:)

Good point Mike.

Sylvania offers an HID low-beam auxillary light system that is a generation newer then Hella or PIAA's present offer (at least in the US). The Sylvania ballasts are 1/2 the size of either the Hella or PIAA HIDs. The Sylvania ballasts may also be placed 31 inches away from the lights, allowing you to put them under the gas tank rather then exposed under the beak like City Slicker had to do with the Hella HID setup. CS's setup looks very well done BTW.
 
cecilthecat said:
One of the guys on the aprilia RSV forum just fitted a kit for the dipped beam. He seems to think that the mod was very worthwhile.
Simon

Just as Mike O. has pointed out YMMV. The GS reflectors are particularly wanting on the R1150GS headlights and are the primary reason for the poor light quality. The R1100GS has a better reflector design, but both can benefit from a low-beam augmentation.

Your reference to the Aprilia RSV kit doesn't ensure an equally happy HID headlight conversion result on our GS's. These kits are not street legal (at least in the US) and are designated for "Show" or "Off road use" only.
 


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