Why retrofits are safer than HID "kits"

[ogre]

:edit: this is not intended to be a "buy stuff from me" pitch. this is intended to be a basic guide as to why retrofitting is safer and more effective than a simple HID kit, and to answer common questions about retrofits.



ok, all of us agree that more light is put on the road with an HID kit. the problem is, conventional halogen housings were not meant to deal with the placement or intensity of an HID bulb. what this means is that even though placement is close, light housings are a precision piece of engineering, and even a little bit off is too much. so the following pics are what happens when an HID light is put in a halogen housing. notice the light outside of where the beam pattern should be, this is what irritates oncoming traffic, it appears as though the offending vehicle has its high beams on, even though they don't



so you can see the glare from the oncoming vehicles view. here's what it looks like from the other side. next time you pull up to your house, look closely above and around the main part of your HID beam. you'll notice stray light everywhere



and this next one is an extreme example, but still valid. notice the HID light has stray light everywhere, but the halogen doesn't



here's an illustration of why this stray light occurs



now, as we move onto HID projectors, you're putting an enclosure designed for an HID bulb inside your factory headlight. so unlike the above pic, you're putting the entire light reflection/refraction assembly inside your headlight, so your factory reflector isn't involved at all, and thus no stray light.

here is how a projector works:



here's a pic of a double 55w retrofit i just completed for 2hip



and outside



notice the total lack of light being thrown above where it should be? this is how i (or you, if you like) can put together 110 watts of light, and keep it safe for both oncoming motorists and the person riding behind it.

[ogre]

i hope this clears up all the confusion about projectors and retrofits in general.

[turbobusa2000]

Do you do 35w kits as well?

[ogre]

i don't sell kits, lol. but a retro can be done with 35w or 55w ballasts.

[JINKSTER]

i don't sell kits, lol. but a retro can be done with 35w or 55w ballasts.

ok Ogre...i demand that a step-by-step D.I.Y. "How To" tutorial/pictorial thread be posted ASAP!

i lost my lowbeam last wednesday night...and freaked a little till i remembered to tell myself...HURRY!..Switch To High Beam AZZHOLE!

[Busanova]

Yes, more information please! Either a DIY, or a cost for the conversion. ( and turnaround time )

[m_ridgeway]

Are you doing dual 55 bi retrofits? Thought you weren't gonna do them. If so I'd be interested again. Got any pics of the housing?
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[ogre]

pm me with what you want, and i can fire back some prices. but i guess this got the point across about why retros are worth the trouble.

[MikeSomething]

pm me with what you want, and i can fire back some prices. but i guess this got the point across about why retros are worth the trouble.

Time for a website and assembly line my friend.

[Amode]

You very smart.

i hope this clears up all the confusion about projectors and retrofits in general.

[iride]

I am confused ,
Mike

[MikeSomething]

I am confused ,
Mike

Confused about what I said? It's simple, Ogre makes these retro kits for members on here. I was posting that he should get a website and basically move forward w/ his sales and start up a business.

[Busa1166]

I am also a little confused, but are you talking about putting the weird shaped circle in front of low beams that have HID's in them

[kromdom]

I was posting that he should get a website and basically move forward w/ his sales and start up a business.

A GB to kick it off is always a good thing!

[MikeSomething]

A GB to kick it off is always a good thing!

Pretty big work load for Mr. Ogre... We should ask him about a group buy tho. Great idea Kromdom!!

[Blanca Busa]

Um I have a question ?
Whats all that white stuff piled up all around outside...






Seriously that is nice.
Since I have already got the HIDs am I half way to what you do or is comletely different


Dummies need step by step pics...

[2hip]

Let me put my 2cents worth in. I'm the guy that ordered the two 55 watt projectors. I ride some of the scariest stuff at night you can imagine on a bike. Friggin critters everywhere up in the mountains There isn't a single night when I am ridding home that I don't see a handful of deer, rabbits, skunk, possum, coyotes, fox, raccoon, and household pets...I orginally had no plans to do what Ogre came up with. I was going to buy 2 lamps like Warchild in Washington did to his bike..I believe they are Xenon/ Halogen something. I shopped Ebay for several weeks and rarely saw the price below 600 dollars..and it gives the bike a different look...not bad..just different...so I got distracted with other things and backed off for awhile...But Warchild told me that you absolutely have to turn them off for oncoming or you'd cause a wreck. I installed an HID in the high beam and life got a little better. But I still didn't have enough "throw" down the road for even 60mph to feel comfortable to know what waz commin at me..so to speak. And my low beam was left as oem. When oncoming would get close enough i would dim the HID. I kid you not when I say this...I might as well be driving with a Bic lighter...that is how blind I felt with the low beam on. Also, as Ogre acurately demonstrates both with a picture and a diagram, the light from the HID inside a reflector set up is hideously-murdering the laws of optic physics. So..along comes a guy like Matthew and says...hey..this is what I can do for you and this is how it works. I am the first guy on the planet (me thinks) that has two 55 watt halogens...I can vouch for Ogre that he is a straight up guy. He has educated me about how everything works...what I can expect...I couldn't get it into my mind the differences until Ogre started posting up pics. He has about a dozen posts and phone conversations with me about every little detail...These two 55 watts won't use anymore juice than what my current set up is. Matthew didn't need to destroy the inside of the oem headlight assembly. He found a sheetmetal guy up there that fabricated up the holder and it is all clean as a whistle... Anyhow bike won't be back together for weeks...but I promise I'll post up pics as soon as possible. I don't think my association with Matthew could have been any more pleasant. Just don't get him talking about turbo's unless you have the time2hip

[kromdom]

Thanks for posting 2hip. Nothing like a testimonial from a satisfied customer to win new ones. Now about that GB.......

[Blanca Busa]

Thank you for the info 2hip.. Sounds good. Wanna see pics when you do get it back.
I'm still impressed going from oem to what I did but if it can be straighter or better I would be interested.

[ogre]

Just don't get him talking about turbo's unless you have the time2hip

LOL seriously. as far as group buy, i'd have to know how many people could commit to which retros, and how soon. i leave for basic training in april, and i wouldn't want to leave with a bunch of headlights and angry people after me. if i were able to start fairly soon, i could definetly see knocking out a few before i leave tho. pm me if you're interested guys.