HID's a little bit illegal as retrofits in the UK!!

[nurse]

Come to order a HID kit, but a little bit of reading has indicated it won't strictly pass the MOT yearly inspection!!  And is technically speaking a bit 'sick buzzard' (ill eagle) Had the wind knocked out of my sails as was gonna do it whilst forks are out to put in Randys valves which have arrived!

Not sure if I should wing it and take the chance or go another way (ie the relay mod?).  How much benefit will the relay mod give? Any other people from UK got experiences of HID upgrades on their FJ or even other bikes. How did you get in with MOTs etc?

Any thoughts?

[FJmonkey]

Not sure how much they check on the bike for the MOT. My HID system allows me to unplug the OEM socket from the HID system, remove the HID light, put a standard H4 bulb in and it looks stock again. Just as easy to switch back. Tough to do with the horn in place but easy with the horn lose. But the HID system is still on the bike. If they look for it they will see it. Not sure if that would pass or not.

[Dads_FJ]

Come to order a HID kit, but a little bit of reading has indicated it won't strictly pass the MOT yearly inspection!!  And is technically speaking a bit 'sick buzzard' (ill eagle) Had the wind knocked out of my sails as was gonna do it whilst forks are out to put in Randys valves which have arrived!

Not sure if I should wing it and take the chance or go another way (ie the relay mod?).  How much benefit will the relay mod give? Any other people from UK got experiences of HID upgrades on their FJ or even other bikes. How did you get in with MOTs etc?

Any thoughts?

I did the relay mod, it's worth the effort.

[racerman_27410]

i personally run the stock bulb with the relay mod and use HID driving lights on an independant switch... in heavy traffic i can turn them off to keep from blinding the cagers and when i get back into the open areas i can light up the night as required.





KOokaloo!


Frank

[nurse]

Having done a bit more reading the main issue appears to be more about the spread of the light pattern affecting oncoming traffic.  It doesn't appear to be such a concern with later bikes with projector style lamps/reflectors.  The main problem seems to be around older style reflectors causing glare!

In the UK part of the MOT uses a light box gizmo to measure strength and spread/pattern of light, if I can get an idea of how folks using the HID have found it maybe I can gauge if I will get away with it.  Further reading indicates that the rules around HID retro fits are for cars and simply 'applied' to motorcycles but the wording seems to indicate that there is 'wiggle' room for the testers to use their discretion providing they do not consider it to cause distraction or impedance of oncoming drivers.

So I guess I need to know your experience of pattern & shape and any issues around glare.  The glare might be tricky as Its a bit subjective and i don't imagine too many of you have had your own bike coming towards you in the dark!!

[FJ111200]

Truckers don't like HID, and have started to campaign against them, due to the glare hitting them smack in the eyes whilst driving.
And me personally, even though i only drive a 7 and a half tonne truck at work, find them very annoying for the same reason, and also when i'm driving my Tranny van the glare gets right up there.
I think they should be banned in all types of vehicles, even if fitted as standard. Nasty things.

[big r]

As a truck driver here in Canada I don't have a problem with HID lights. I think that they far superior to standard bulbs. Even better are the new LED lights. They don't draw hardly any current and are very bright. The only draw abck to them is the cost, about 300per side for the small square lights. I think that the people that are using them over there don't have properly adjusted if they shining that high. I am going to do the relay mod and install a HID bulb in my 86 this winter

[nurse]

Well given that most British truckers are in fact polish and are about the worst drivers in the world, I am sold!

I'm sure a lot of truckers in the UK are good drivers but there are a huge number that are arseholes.  Driving too fast in built up areas, tailgating cars in front only 6 ft away, rolling on to roundabouts without stopping whilst there are vehicles that haven't yet completed their manoeuvre and left the junction (a pet hate of mine).  So anything that slows them up a bit and makes them pay attention is fine by me.  I may feel differently if they were all faultless and blameless!

The irony is that there are a number of new trucks with HID fitted from new (I guess these are not retro fits so don't have the same issues of Misaligned beam spread!)

[nurse]

. I am going to do the relay mod and install a HID bulb in my 86 this winter

As I understand it if you install HIDs you don't need the relay mod!?!

Someone Feel free to jump in and correct me if I'm wrong!

[FJmonkey]

As I understand it if you install HIDs you don't need the relay mod!?!

Someone Feel free to jump in and correct me if I'm wrong!

The DDM HID connects direct to the battery, no need to add a relay. I think other kits are similar.

[nurse]

The further I read the less convinced I am that a HID will be alright in this old style assembly, almost all the bikes i read about seem to run a projector style lamp which means the light is thrown forward with less spread! 

If I go the relay route can anyone recommend a good bright bulb?  Looking for a clean white colour if possible!

What's the highest wattage you can safely run after the relay mod?

Don't suppose Randy stocks this relay mod as a 'wiring harness' making plug n play so to speak?

[rktmanfj]

The further I read the less convinced I am that a HID will be alright in this old style assembly, almost all the bikes i read about seem to run a projector style lamp which means the light is thrown forward with less spread!  

If I go the relay route can anyone recommend a good bright bulb?  Looking for a clean white colour if possible!

What's the highest wattage you can safely run after the relay mod?

Don't suppose Randy stocks this relay mod as a 'wiring harness' making plug n play so to speak?

Not sure if Randy stocks one or not, but I used this one several years ago,and like it a lot:

http://www.electricalconnection.com/wire-harnesses/hrns_headlight.htm

I've been using Sylvania Silverstar bulbs, but I'm looking for something better, as the failure rate is too high to suit me.

[Arnie]

Nurse,

Here ya go.  Eastern Beaver has plug and play relay kits.

 http://easternbeaver.com/Main/Products/H4_Kits/h4_kits.html

I would suggest you see how much brighter the stock 60/55W H4 is with full power getting to it before you start changing bulbs.
If you're going to use high wattage bulbs get the ceramic socket (or find a Hella dealer to buy one from) 
80/55W and 100/55W H4 bulbs are available BUT there have been reports of the reflector surface flaking off with the extra heat. I don't know if this is verified or just "urban myth", I used a 80/55 for quite a while with no reflector problems, but I did melt the socket.  Then I put relays in, and went back to 60/55W globe.

Arnie

[FJmonkey]

The further I read the less convinced I am that a HID will be alright in this old style assembly, almost all the bikes i read about seem to run a projector style lamp which means the light is thrown forward with less spread! 

That is what I like about my HID. A lot more light coming out the front. I rarely ride at night in traffic, a few times I was stuck in the hills in the dark with only my dark visor. The HID light up everything making my trip home much safer. I can see your issue with HID if you commute and are concerned about annoying other drivers. With the little that I ride at night I would rather be seen and annoying than polite and blind. When searching for H4 bulbs look for a K rating, like 4500K. It is the color temperature in Kelvin. The 4500 to 5500 looks really White, go higher and the color starts to turn Bluish. Go lower and it gets more Yellow. Another issue to consider is when you get Whiter the bulb tends to have a shorter life. Carry a spare.

[nurse]

Cheers Monkey!

I don't commute but as our clocks have gone back it now gets dark by 4pm!  So any extra light is very welcome

I really want to put in a HID but don't want it to fail its MOT and be a waste of cash!  I am going to have a chat with the guy tomorrow that will be doing the test to see how likely it would be to fail.  I may even get him to fit it (that way he knows it will be down to him if it doesn't go through!).

Cheers guys (arnie and lib) I'm gonna have a good look through these options and weigh up the pros and cons before jumping in.