HID lights...What wattage is safe?

I would be very surprised if the low beam on the busa is 55w, every bike I have ever researched that on has a 35W lowbeam and typically a 55W high beam.

HIDs, even 35W units are orders of magnitude brighter than stock IF you don't go much higher than 4500 Kelvin in color temperature.
 
Yeah I'm just doin g a 6000k light cause I want a tad bluish. Ill probably go with 35w I just hope it won't be too dim and make a mistake...
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Dehning said:
I would be very surprised if the low beam on the busa is 55w, every bike I have ever researched that on has a 35W lowbeam and typically a 55W high beam.

HIDs, even 35W units are orders of magnitude brighter than stock IF you don't go much higher than 4500 Kelvin in color temperature.
Click to expand...

How do you figure that? On typically Halogen based low beams on basically any DOT legal bike or car is 55 watts with the exception of some Sylvania supplied bulbs are rated 51watts for some reason. High beams are rated typically at 65watts with the exception of some Sylvanias which are rated for 60watts. 35watt bulbs are sometimes used as fog light bulbs on some cars but not headlights. Pull out a busa bulb and you will see its labeled wattage and im very very certain its not 35 watts.
 
RussellJ said:
Yeah I'm just doin g a 6000k light cause I want a tad bluish. Ill probably go with 35w I just hope it won't be too dim and make a mistake...
Posted via Mobile Device
Click to expand...

It wont be any dimmer then your stock lights, even at a high 6,000K light color, it still has twice the lumens or more (light output) then your stock 55watt Halogens.
 
Edeezy said:
How do you figure that? On typically Halogen based low beams on basically any DOT legal bike or car is 55 watts with the exception of some Sylvania supplied bulbs are rated 51watts for some reason. High beams are rated typically at 65watts with the exception of some Sylvanias which are rated for 60watts. 35watt bulbs are sometimes used as fog light bulbs on some cars but not headlights. Pull out a busa bulb and you will see its labeled wattage and im very very certain its not 35 watts.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected, I must be recalling incorrectly. I just looked up the specs on all the bikes I have owned and then some and you are correct, 55W is pretty much the minimum power on most of them (the lowest I saw was the VFRs which use 2 x 45W Dual filaments, Hayabusa is 60W high and 55W low beam )

The current draw once the lamps are burning is definitely less, I see quite a few references to ~3.2A, and the quoted heat output is less than half that of an incandescent lamp.

So realistically any sportbike built in the last ~10 years should have no problems whatsoever running a 55W HID system.
 
Edeezy said:
How do you figure that? On typically Halogen based low beams on basically any DOT legal bike or car is 55 watts with the exception of some Sylvania supplied bulbs are rated 51watts for some reason. High beams are rated typically at 65watts with the exception of some Sylvanias which are rated for 60watts. 35watt bulbs are sometimes used as fog light bulbs on some cars but not headlights. Pull out a busa bulb and you will see its labeled wattage and im very very certain its not 35 watts.
Click to expand...

Do you recommend staying with a 55W HID or go with 35W?
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If you want good low beam output without the HID install, buy a 100watt low beam bulb from Dennis Kirk for $12.99. I have used the same bulb for 4 years without any problems. Just something to think about if you want the night vision.
 
As far as functionality goes, my 55W blackbird headlight is noticeably brighter at night than my Busas (which I'm fairly sure must be a 35w)

And for the person wanting a slight bluish tint, definitely don't go any higher than 5000K if you are using a 55W. Mine is 5000K and is definitely light bluish, in retrospect, I might even have gone one color level down still.
 
55watt here and ant night with high beam on like total daylight on the road love them no problems other than having to wait for them to fully fire before i start my bike but i just got a delay box but have't installed it yet
 
Runner44 said:
If you want good low beam output without the HID install, buy a 100watt low beam bulb from Dennis Kirk for $12.99. I have used the same bulb for 4 years without any problems. Just something to think about if you want the night vision.
Click to expand...



Is it one of those bulbs that say it consumes 55watt but output is 100 watt or is it true 100watt? If it's true 100watt you are likely to end up melting the harness or housing. It's not rated for that much power.
 
RussellJ said:
Because of your suggestion i shall do so! Thank you!
Click to expand...

I installed a ddm 55watt on my friends 2005 busa and the difference is breathtaking. Just a fair warning though that plastic bulb spacer is a pita, you have to trim it a little to make it work. Get the 4500k, he ordered a 5000k but looks like a 6000k to me.
 
I was going to buy the 6000k cause i want a tad blue in it just for looks so maybe ill go with the 5000k...
 
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