Are you really finding the standard projector lights underpowered? They give a great spread of light. HID lights will get you seen, but especially at night they're hard to cope with as oncoming traffic as they're so bright that you end up getting blinded by them, which is a bit antisocial and also not that safe as a squinting driver of an oncoming car on a twisty country road with a less than perfect surface... Sorry mate, they're a bit of a pet hate of mine. YMMV.
You are talking about fitting them inside a standard housing. Inside a projector like the one fitted on the 749/999 where the cut off is in place the light spread would be absolutely fine. The design of this projector is no different to any other standard fit projector hid so no body will be blinded! Do your research before you flame someone, pet hate of mine!
From memory HID's actually draw less power and Bluey is right, its non projector headlights that blind and dazzle when fitted with HID's. The Ballast stores a charge that gives the burst of juice the lights need to get going. I've never put them in a 749/999 before so cant help you there but where to site the ballast is normally the issue.
Per tater. I was gonna get these fitted, but guy I use said there's no where much to place the ballast without it looking a bit messy (though I guess that's not the end of the world)?
No I'm not, I'm talking about fitting them inside a projector, as unless you're going to bolt on reflector headlights your 749 has projectors as standard... They're still a horrible light to drive towards whether fitted in a regular headlight or in a projector housing. The intensity of the light as much as the throw of the light is the issue, and I find this with OE HID cars also. The light colour is entirely different in an HID, and the intensity is ferocious. My question was totally legitimate about whether the 749 standard lights are that poor (mine are not, I'd say they're the best of all of my bikes and quite impressive). On a less than perfectly surfaced road a bike bobs up and down and whether you're driving into it or being followed by it an HID-equipped bike is a pain at night, even more than an HID-equipped sports car. I wasn't flaming you mate, just offering an opinion... and as I said, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary - meaning "this is just an opinion, yours might be different and you're entitled to it"). Your rather aggressive response seems disproportionate to me, sorry if I hit a raw nerve.
The last is, I asked if anyone had fitted them not for an opinion. Your response was also uncalled for mate, not productive in any way at all. A forum like this is a place where we help others rather than to slate ideas and questions.
I had a thought, i know that in cars HID's have to be self levelling to avoid dazzling. So maybe HID's do dazzle more on a bike.
Ooo, not sure. I think only one model come with hid as standard but I cant remember which off the top of my head.
OK, so I cobbled together a kit from the garage. Total shite. It just doesn't like the light out thing when cranking. Back to a standard bulb. Halfords have a bogoff offer at the moment.
I have a modern HID with one of the very small ballasts fitted into the standard projector on my 848. My lights are on all of the time and as the HID uses 35 watts instead of 55 for a halogen it make no difference to the cranking. The difference it does make is about 3 times the light output and a much whiter light (5000k).
Did my driving dipped beam the other day with a slim line ballast fitted under the bottom plastic cover ok just tie rap it in, had a bit of fun getting the correct HID bulb, as the ones that are standard are at an angle HB3 I couldn’t get that type anywhere so settled for a straight HB3 and it fitted just as well, haven’t had the opportunity to try mine out in the dark yet, but didn’t change the main beam one as there isn’t much room behind the clocks to fit even a small ballast. Guvs.
These are the ones I got. Hid H1 H3 H4 H7 H8/H9/H11 9005 9006 HB3 HB4 HID Xenon Conversion Kit Hid 55W | eBay make sure you order the H10/9005/9145/HB3 Bulb type. I had the 6000k bright white, not any blue tint in it. Mine are OK on start-up no issues at all. Guvs
Unless the HID lamp has an arc in the same position and orientation as the standard halogen lamp, and is the same dimensions, then it won't work as designed. Just to confirm none of the above can be said to be true. The arc of an HID lamp is much smaller than the halogen filament. The "cut off" is a red herring. The optical systems have a focal point in front of the headlamp. So blinding on coming traffic is a doddle.
I've done it on my 848, very simple mod, now I can actually see at night. IMHO the standard lights were terrifyingly bad. Only thing I didn't like doing was cutting a hole in the rear of the headlight covers, though with a hole saw it's neat and waterproof. Made no difference to cranking or start up.
