i tried three times to run a search for HID threads... and all i got was a stinky little hourglass. LOL

my question is this: when running HID in the highbeam, how quickly does the light turn on? is there a delay?

I have started my searches for HID upgrades and found the price to have come down significantly of the last few years. i have considered light output and power draw, and have decided to replace what i can with LED and the lowbeam with HID at a color temp of about 2500. ( we get fog this time of year where i live, and most of the year where i find myself riding more often in SF. seams suitible.) the only thing i have yet to determine is whether or not to go HID on the high beam. by lowering the power draw everywhere else, i shouldn't have an issue running 100watt bulbs up top if i need.

has anyone here dissected the high beam to create a flood pattern?

there is a slight delay if the highs have been off for a while,but the delay is less if you install the relay harness for the brights. now if your riding with the brights and switch to just lows for an oncoming car then back to hi's there is no delay

Here is a link to the most recent HID thread HIDs

thanks guys... and bears, that was what i stumbled accross last week, i just couldnt relocate it. thanks again.

By the way, if you use 35w DDM Tuning HIDs there is no delay in either set firing up and no need for a relay, And ordered in 6,000k color, they are just as bright as 55w HIDs for a lot less load on your battery / alternator.

we get fog this time of year where i live,

I'm from a small fishing town in Nova Scotia(Yarmouth). We have our fair share of fog and the 2nd most deaths recorded on a highway in Canada. I have both the High and Low Hids.
Nothing, and I mean nothing I have tried helps. However there is A small improvement if you keep the factory settings and skip the 2 1/2 turns up. In Fog, Like always watch the ditch, it is the only thing that is visible.

Nova Scotia is also very foggy in places, with Halifax averaging 196 foggy days per year and Yarmouth 191. The averages annual temperatures are: .... Visited Nova Scotia many years ago, its certainly time for another visit

Foggy, Yuk
yikes

* Last updated by: Romans on 11/21/2010 @ 5:00 PM *

Not much can help really heavy fog.

Years ago we used to drive my Jeep over the Pacheco Pass from Salinas CA to a game preserve to hunt ducks. It was so foggy one of us had to sit on the hood of the Jeep with a powerful flashlight just to see the center line beside us.

This despite the Jeep had a pair of very good fog lamps which lowered to about a foot off the ground when needed. They couldn't cut through that wetlands fog beyond about 5 feet in front of the jeep.

So anyway, in real fog, your bike's headlamps, even if HIDs, aren't worth a darn.

sure. in real fog. i totally get that. LOL i often crack myself up listening to the locals who complain about the weather here. if its below 60, they are "freezing". if its over 72, they are "hot as hell". if there is any kind of precipitation, its "pouring buckets".... i have lived in other parts of the country, i have been in weather. aside from a bit of wind, and misty fog, we don't really get much. buncha pussies i tell ya!

no, the fog i get here is misty, or hazy. i have seen what we call "pea soup" fog once or twice since i have lived here. when we have gotten stuck in that... we just look for the edge of the road, and go as carefully as we can. but that is a rare occurrence here.

thanks for the feed back guys!

I just completed a HID conversion, Q i believe the company is. Very easy t install, Lots of equipment to find a home for, But the 14 lends itself well by having such a lg. area inside the cowling above the indicators. I paid 450.00 for 4 complete kits H9 @ H11 bulbs, So thats 4 ballast's and 4 ignitors to hide, Plus cable !. Takes care when installing, So if you are not quite skilled with your hands, Leave it to someone who is.

I found it quite fun fitting my DDM Tuning kits. At least they came with miniature ballasts. Ballasts are silicon adhesive installed to the inside of the cowl, and the igniters are wrapped in bubble wrap and tie-wrapped to the headlamp mount frame. So the cowl can come off with no more work than disconnecting the connectors, just like stock.

Love how much light they throw.

* Last updated by: privateer on 12/28/2010 @ 8:11 PM *

What I found helped as far as illumination patterns was this....measuring(or looking at) the wall,with lows on(HID's)....you will see a line across the top of the light pattern(sitting on your bike about 15 feet away from the wall or whatever).If you look at your lamps without lights on,you'll see the metal "half circle" piece in there that cuts off the "brighting" ability of the low bulbs.When you fire up your low lamps,you'll see a "line" across the top of the light pattern that will be slightly off color...you'll notice it.Get that set straight even on both sides.Overlapping.You'll see that line move up or down as you adjust beam height.Get them sitting on top of each other.NOW...in my case,I was riding at night for a while...and was getting brighted frequently at first.I realized the low beam was hitting the oncoming drivers right in the face at the windshield from around 70 or so feet oncoming.I saw how low I needed to drop the beam "line",and did so.Lowered it to hit at the front grill,not at the windshield.You can see where it hits em...then pull off somewhere where you can get a berm or something ahead of you,and then start lowering the beams equally,keeping that "line" on top of each other.I lowered mine initially about a foot or so while parked in front of a berm of dirt around 30,35 feet out in front of me.That's with LOWS on.It may take several times of stopping and adjusting the height to get it right.You'll know she's okay when one out of 20 cars brights ya!(while yer on LOWS)

I ALSO(which was very important as well)moved the beam angle off to the "driver's side" of the vehicle(my right as sitting on the bike).I set my bike in my driveway,and stood back about 60 feet.With Lows on,I positioned myself as if I was at the height of a driver sitting in his rig coming at me in the other lane.So I wasn't right in front of my bike.I was off to the side around 8 feet or so,and 60 or so feet out,at the position of an oncoming driver.I adjusted the low lamp(which also is the high lamp adjustment)to hit me in the eyes at those positions.When I stood directly in front of my bike at those positions(60 ft,straight in front and at the "sitting" position of an oncoming driver...the beam was well away from hitting me in the face.These are projector beam reflectors...they will focus on where you set em,and illuminate well out to the sides without blinding the drivers,but you can't have them pointing straight ahead...they're just too intense.

You'd think that pointing them off center(both sides)would ruin the forward illumination...but it doesn't.You can't even tell that they're not pointing straight ahead.But the oncoming drivers will not get blasted by a focused beam of white light.So it's all good.

I normally have brights on.Oncoming car say,5,600 ft ahead...I switch to lows.Stay that way and as I'm approaching about 100 ft or so,slightly angle the nose away to the right as I pass IF I can.This is the deal here.If they know you've switched to lows..they usually won't hit ya with their brights cause they already know if you switch back to HIGHS...they're dead meat!You will have serious,maximum illumination setting you lamps as I did.Plenty of visibility without pissing people off and maybe causing a head on cause they've been temporarily blinded.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 12/29/2010 @ 1:39 AM *

Using the 10 pound shop manual, I copied the very exact dimensions of where beam center is for highs and lows, lefts and rights, and made a target to tape to a stepladder. Tape measured it out into the driveway, adjusted for the incline of the driveway, and set the highs and lows.

I don't get anyone flashing at me when just on lows, no matter what, but I have excellant roadway and spread coverage like daytime.

With the highs, as long as I flip them off, nobody ever flashes at me coming the other way. Yet I can see so far down the road, and read signs like they are right next to me, so I must have them adjusted just right.

When I come back from the monthly American Legion Riders chapter meeting, it is almost 10pm at night. Last time I rode was in October, and it was pitch black. No street lights, lots of twisties, coming down out of the mountains (where the Legion is) into the valley I live in. This is the sticks, and mountain sticks to boot.

It was hairy until I had the HIDs on, since, I go boldly into the night.

OK it's that time for me to start my winter projects on the ZX14 so before I buy some HID's headlights is there some new info. I need to know so I thought I would ask the people who know it best. I have re-read all the treads on HID's so let me tell you what I know or what I think I know. Tell me if I got it right or if I'm close or way off.

I'm going to buy the 55W DDM both highs & lows with a 6000k temp.

I'm going for more light and not a look. The 6000k temp will give me a little bit of blue, Right? An all of this is a plug & play, Right?

So please give me your photo's an feedback on fit/finish as well as installing and anything else I should know about them.

Thank guys

black 1 just remember when looking at the color charts (which are 35w charts) they recomend that when you see the tint you like , say u like the 6000k 35w when buying the 55w youll have to get the 8000k because the 55w lights are brighter and wash out the color more

Scottjkyl,

Thanks I'm going to have to go with the 8000k now.

What color are yours?

mine are 10,000k 35w

Scottjkyl,

Sweet they are bright. Mine are going to be brighter then that!? Did you re-angle them at all?

yes black1 up 3 turns, 55w at 8000k yes they should be brighter lol

Scottjkyl,

Why do you have 35w and not the 55w?

I absolutely LOVE that vid!

Black1, the 35w HIDs produce way more light than needed at 6k or above color warmth. And when you figure you have 4 of them, that is 60w less drain on your electrical system when the highs are on.

Plus, you don't get stutter or delay when you turn them on, especially the high beams. All without a relay, meaning you can hook them up to your existing headlight leads. If you use a relay, you have to wire in quick disconnects as well, and it complicates installation.

And finally, I've had mine on mountain roads near Cascade MD coming back from the Legion Riders meeting at 10pm many times, absolutely pitch black with no street lights, no houses, just a road through the forest.

I can see all the way down the straights to curves 1/4 mile away, easily. I can ride with just the low beams if I want to in that situation.

Adjusted right, you'd have to be at overkill with 55w 8k lights, because they'd wash out the trees on the other side of my example 1/4 mile stretch and curve, and that doesn't gain you anything in terms of how well you can traverse that distance.

Though some people just like to see the center of the beam visible on the road in daylight. Heh.

black1 i just didnt feel comfortable putting the heat that the 55w bulbs generate into those tight lil headlight assemblies. now I havent seen anyone on here have a problem but for me its enough light and peace of mind on my part that im not melting the $200 headlight assembly. but thats just me lol

Scottjkyl,

I just finished up put mine in my HID's an I was wondering if you still run with your lights re-angle at 3 turn up or anybody else for that matter?

Need to know befor I get her out on the road...

* Last updated by: Black1 on 3/23/2011 @ 10:41 PM *

The number of turns is a personal deal Black.EVERYONE has a different opinion of how far "up" those beams ought to be.I guess three turns will get ya....where?IDK.Mine were not okay at three turns from stock.Actually,I never counted the turns.I only aligned the vertical(s) to be superimposed on each other,then adjusted the horizontal off to the right(pilot's right)so they wouldn't be blinding the oncoming cars.I adjusted vertical with LOW BEAMS only....meaning...got the center "dark shadow" spot up and away from the very front of the nose.And beginning to "fade" at about 60 ft out.That seemed best for not hitting the cars oncoming,and still having LOTS of peripheral light.I had to ride at night to be able to make the adjustments.Just not possible to do it illuminating your garage wall or whatever.It took several riding/adjusting night rides to get it dialed in. You get your low beams set right...the highs will really brighten things up for ya.6K's is what I have..."slight",very slight blue shade.But VERY whitish appearing.The K described as "noon daytime".

* Last updated by: blue07 on 3/24/2011 @ 1:00 AM *

scottjkyl, thanks for posting that video.

One of the ride captains in my MC keeps telling me when I ride sweep he can always tell if the ride is together because he can see the big blue blazing ball of light in his mirrors easily.

Now I know what he means.