Hey guys I looked at the HIDEXPRESS kits posted above. I cannont get any more HID units at the moment. I will however post so view points to consider. The above kit is very very similar to the one from Fred at
www.SHOWPARTS.com Price is about the same. It appears that the ballast is an unknown company making aftermarket units.
Ref the "K" temp of the bulb and what it means. 4300K bulbs are the brightest and throw the most light the furthest. They are very very white with a hint of blue. For motorcycle applications IMO this is the best. The ultra white light intensifies small animials removing hidden shadows over in the cut making them stand out 3-5 times further away than with any other "K" bulb. The white light expands to the right and left over to behind the blind spots making the eyes of chipmunks look like deer. Cant miss em. You even get to where your dodging bugs at night.
The higher the "K" of the bulb the more BLUER/PURPLE the light is and the less further it throws it as well as the less brighter it is.
A 10,000K bulb is so bluish that it really looks sweet but shows up about 40 feet in front of the bike before it's maxed out.
BWM's with that electric blue look is 6000K. I rode with that for 1/2 a season before I put the 4300K bulb back in. The blue acts as a filter. It filters out the part of the light on a motorcycle you need the most. Basically it removes the better ability to see shadows of dark animals at night on dark surfaces with a dark background. OR AMBIENT REFLECTION. In a car there are TWO lights doubling the ability to see. Then again in a car you are rarely at 120+. Average speed in a car is 86 MPH with two lights.
8000K is almost too blue. Now if you dont ride at night I would suggust the 6000K. There isnt much difference between 6000K and 8000K except it's less bright/further.
DO NOT GET 10,000 unless it's a pure show bike. You will definatly get stopped in 48 of the 50 states. The two in question doesnt matter.
NOW THE UNIT.
The unit pictured is an aftermarket add on HID set up that is not DOT approved. Meaning not a whole lot of nothing but just know. Some states California and Wisconsin that DOT manditory vehicle inspections actually look for non DOT lighting in their inspections.
The unit is an analog unit that uses a ballast to power the seperate igniter module. The unit uses high tension lines similar to sparkplug lines. The bad part of those is they cannon be bent, coiled, or tied off. You cannon replace or repair the lines. You should inspect them as for fire is possible but less than likly if one should split open.
The bulb being used is a MODIFIED DS1 bulb. When using anyones modified bulb you get a "PERFECT" fit into the stock light housing area. Usually the bulb ends up being "LONGER" than the stock bulb at the ignition point. (the stock bulb filiment sits at a very specific spot in the housing, because the modified HID bulb is modified at the base of the bulb the "HOT SPOT" on the hid similar to the filiment sits further into the housing thus changing the focus of the light). If the focus is off too much then the light will be very very bright but worthless on the pavement due to beam pattern diffusion.
The bulb you want:
A DS1 bulb doesnt have any painted silvering on the glass itself. This type bulb is designed to go into a lens refracted light system like BWM's round focused lensd headlights. OUR reflector backed headlights need that silvering on the bulb.
A D2R bulb is what you need for the busa headlight. The bulb lights up reflecting off of the painted area. That painted area forces the throw of the light back into the big reflector in our headlights which forces the light to shine straight forward gaining candle power for the longer throw. It also should be installed so the silver part is horizontal and on top when looking into the headlight. This causes the light to stay down on the ground and not spot for snipers up in the tree tops.
If you get any kit like the one pictured make sure of certain things.
CAN I GET REPLACEMENT MODIFIED BULBS WHEN YOUR COMPANY IS GONE.... most use their own specific connectors making it impossible to replace else where.
HOW MUCH ARE THE REPLACEMENT BULBS? a normal german made HID bulb from BWM is $279 for one. On line jap made bulbs are about $149. SO what is the cost of a D2R type custom modified bulb for a $250 kit?
$250?
Remember the gym lights. They would be "ON" for a while. then they would go out cause someone hit the light switch by accident. NOW MY POINT. .. you always had to wait for the bulb temp to cool down before they would relight.... Those actually were meiser HID bulbs.... What is the relight time period if you start your bike then turn it off because you forgot something under the seat... Most now adays are near instant but nows a better time to find out.
If you can get a german bulb they are better. Hella ballasts are nice but expensive. Whats the warrantee?
Most HID bulbs last about 3000 hours. Mines been in for 4 years now.
Also find out whats needed for powering the unit. I saw one unit that mounted on the right rear tail section where most mount compressors. It used a 4-6 guage wire for power then ran high tension lines all the way to the frnt of the bike. The shorter the better on the high lines. Thats car amp power wire by the way.
AS FAR AS INSTALLING A KIT LIKE ABOVE. Strap the ballast to the right ram air tube with hoover flat vacuume belts and double sided tape. Put the igniter on the shelf where the windshild meets the headlight housing. USE AN independant fuse and on/off switch. You want to be able to turn this type unit off before starting your bike. Especially if you have an 01 that had starter kick back problems from low battery.
HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE. Feel free to call me. Again I dont have access to any at the moment.
937-605-0734 ICE
