HID's voltage drop solution.......

[card16969]

Ok i keep seeing people post about problems with hid's resetting their clocks.... As a graduate of MMI (motorcycle mechanics institute) and ex car audio installer of 5 years i see everyone talking about putting a delay on their kits... To me it seems kind of like common sense that if your pulling direct from the lighting harness and its dropping the voltage down enough where it resets the clock that you seek an alternate power source. Drawing from the lighting harness which is also tied to the gauge cluster and is a low amperage circuit and is dropping the voltage too low for memory to stay intact would show an inability for the circuit to accept the draw. Putting a delay timer on the lighting could be a dangerous idea. Look at it this way what happens when your at a light at night, you look in the mirror and some idiot is heading at us at warp speed you dump the clutch too fast and stall the bike (its happened to most of us) you hurry up and start the bike again but now you have no light as your trying to get out of the way because your delay timer is counting down.

Years of installing remote starts and having alot of experience running relays (especially for delay start on diesels which is the same principle) it makes sense to run direct voltage from the battery to a relay and use the headlight output as the trigger for the relay. That way when you turn on the bike your not drawing from the harness but directly from the battery. To me this kind of makes sense because there would no longer be a high draw on the lighting circuit because the lights are being powered direct and the voltage is only activating the relay to turn it on which is not a high draw on the circuit. A hid when you turn it on surges and pulls more amperage to charge the capacitors, once it is at steady running temp it is running at a steady rate but that initial start is what causes the large draw that resets the clock. Removing it from that circuit should remove the draw and solve the problem......

Anybody have any arguments to this, I believe that i am correct but would love some peoples opinions

P.S. What are your opinions on DDM tunings hid kits and which kits are you running?

 

[dadofthree]

Sounds like a good idea. Are you sure it's caused by a low voltage situation. You have more issues than clock reset, you also have gauges doing crazy things, etc. It has been thought that noise was an issue.

 

[nyrican]

You are absolutely correct, no doubt about it. My next mod will be HIDs and already had this in mind. It just makes sense to.

 

[twotonevert]

Well, the number one reason most put delays on the HID is not because it resets the clock from time to time, but to keep from flashing the HID bulb every time you start the bike. With the Gen II you can go through a procedure to keep from doing this, I dont remember what it is. The other option is to install a switch on the low voltage side and after you start the bike, simply flip the headlight on. This way you are not cycling your HID bulb, thus and this can be argued, extending the life of the bulb. I like what you are thinking, but I need more information.

 

[Sous]

You can solve this problem on a Gen II by pushing holding the start button, turning the key on, then pulling in the clutch. While the start button is pushed, the lights are off. I have not had one problem with my HID lights since installing them and I always use the method of starting above.

 

[mabupa]

Well, the number one reason most put delays on the HID is not because it resets the clock from time to time, but to keep from flashing the HID bulb every time you start the bike. With the Gen II you can go through a procedure to keep from doing this, I dont remember what it is. The other option is to install a switch on the low voltage side and after you start the bike, simply flip the headlight on. This way you are not cycling your HID bulb, thus and this can be argued, extending the life of the bulb. I like what you are thinking, but I need more information.

That's the procedure I use to start my genII. Which goes like this: first I put my kickstand up, push the start button and hold it there, with my left hand turn the key. At this point all my gauges are working and ready to go. Lastly I pull the clutch in and that closes the circuit and voulaaa!!! the bike is running. But, my lights won't go on until I let go my starter button. I also noticed that whenever I don't feel like doing this, that's when my clock goes crazy.
Thanks the .ORG for teaching me this.!!!!!! Hope this helps!!!

 

[mabupa]

Oppss!! Sorry "sous" I took to long writing my post on my phone and after hitting send, I noticed you had already posted.!

 

[Ludicrous Speed]

I have not one time ever had a problem with my clock or gauges.

BUT, I mounted my stuff to the rami air tube on the RH side, not to the fairing stay.

 

[O Holy P]

Have the DDM 55w low beam on mine, it has never reset my clock. I have a delay timer on it too.

 

[card16969]

The clock reset and gauge shutter or rapid movement would be caused by dropping voltage/amperage during initial cycling. The flickering of the gauges was a big deal when cars/trucks went to canbus systems because the remote start systems would kick on voltage to the accessory and ignition wires then would pulse the starter shortly there after thus dropping the vehicle voltage and shutting off the lights etc interrupting their sequence dropping the voltage in the electric motors sweeping duration and causing gauge flutter (flutter is usually caused by them trying to re-zero themselves). They fixed this problem by making the canbus security bypass have a built in delay to allow the power to stay on longer because they couldnt isolate the gauge circuit to stop it. The same thing is being done by using delay relay for this which alot of you are doing but removing the hids from the light circuit will stop the draw on the power of the circuit and stop the motors from being interrupted and not draw down the power so much that the memory is lost on the clock.

I understand that theres a work around for the GEN II and from what i read the gauge flicker is way more common on the gen 2's so to me it makes more sense to take extra precautions on there. I just hate the idea of having to go through a startup sequence lol its a pain in the butt but then again i have a GEN I. The small cycle on the light shouldnt effect the light during initial startup, now if your cycling it after its up to full temp would cause way more problems and decrease the life of the bulb.

 

[card16969]

Sounds like a good idea. Are you sure it's caused by a low voltage situation. You have more issues than clock reset, you also have gauges doing crazy things, etc. It has been thought that noise was an issue.

Noise isnt the issue, a gauge goes through a sweeping motion to determine its boundaries or also called zeroing itself. Interrupting this cycle will cause the gauges to flutter back and forth or hang up. Because the gauges are operated by electric motors its a form of self calibration, this is also a reason that when some people remove the needles the motors do not work correctly because the motors have been moved outside of their boundaries. Vehicles go through a sequence of testing all the sensors and electric motors inside of the vehicle, thats why you hear alot of motors moving and things popping when you start up a vehicle. This is the same thing going on with our gauges.

 

[Sous]

Oppss!! Sorry "sous" I took to long writing my post on my phone and after hitting send, I noticed you had already posted.!

No worries, while writing the procedures I was thinking that I was leaving a step out anyway. Thanks for contributing to the thread.

 

[card16969]

So i pulled the trigger and ordered the DDM Tuning 55w 6k for both high and low hopefully i like them

 

[Sous]

You will, and it will look like the sun itself is coming down the road.

 

[card16969]

You will, and it will look like the sun itself is coming down the road.

im hoping so, most of my riding is done at night lol

 

[kromdom]

card, looking forward to your install pics

 

[card16969]

card, looking forward to your install pics

its going to be a while, getting ready to move and when the bikes tore down doing an air box mod, installing PC-V, frame covers, under tail, powdercoat swing arm rear sets, rear pegs, rebiuld forks, new front brakes, levers, and well maybe paint haha

 

[RussellJ]

What is the voltage for the low and high beam? Is it just the standard 12 volts?

 

[AWDslowness]

I had my High and Low Hids (DDM Tunings 55 watt kit)
When riding with my High on it would flash like a strobe light every time I twisted the throttle
I fabbed this up in a matter of 15 mins installed it and never had the problem again


View attachment 1553747

 

[card16969]

I had my High and Low Hids (DDM Tunings 55 watt kit)
When riding with my High on it would flash like a strobe light every time I twisted the throttle
I fabbed this up in a matter of 15 mins installed it and never had the problem again

i posted a complete writeup on installs using relays the other day