Let there be Light : Bike Lighting, HID etc

[sajjt]

It depends on how much you wish to get noticed, with so much random flashing and honking in India, both get ignored regardless of the intensity of light. Personally if i'm riding over say 10 km, i ride with my headlights on or if it's very cloudy or raining headlights will be on, i do the same when in my car, for the sake of being visible, though I am convince the majority of road users actually remove their eyeballs before embarking on a journey.

Nope, at least for me For flashing, it should be very much visible to the oncomer to convey the message as it can be a life saver at times. Being a responsible rider you may be doing the things correctly, but this purely meant for a careless one who's on the opposite side, so it has to get noticed. P.

My knowledge about HID's was zilch till now. But now I am beginning to understand a lil bit

I am basically looking for a feasible, economical and reasonably simple way for improving lighting on a 220. So far I haven't been able to zero in on something.

I wouldn't like to use an aux lamp on my crash guard or handle, simply because I crash too darn often to put anything of value there

You said that Bi xenon bulbs are made for reflectors and not projectors. And as rightly pointed out by you, bi xenon projectors would work out to be too expensive. So this brings me to another question. Can I remove my stock projector and replace it with a reflector which can fit an H4 bi xenon? So I can use the bixenon for low beam, flashing and city riding, while I can keep the upper beam for extra light on the highways.

Thanks again for patiently explaining and answering all my questions

Its possible, but how will u accommodate another reflector in place of a 2.5" projector? Max u can put a 4" reflector but the low beam spread will be very much sacrificed with a small reflector.

Another thing you can try out the 2" retrofit bi-xen HID projectors in place of the low beam. These projector uses 2" lens with AE will add more spice to the setup and costing around 5K for a piece including HID kit. But fixing on to the existing lens hole is another juggad.



I would recommend an aux lamp at any point of time than modding a good quality HL assy as you'll get disappointed with the low beam at the end.

[discoverVinu]

Hello everyone,

I have long contemplated going in for a HID wid DC including the coil rewinding for my Apache RTR 180. But before that, I wanted to get the HID and projector kit ready with me. Had contacted Navnish also, but he doesnt sell projectors. I am interested in going for projectors also (with angel eyes). Have enquired a few shops in Karol Bagh, Delhi for the modification and they sell a HID with projector for just 2-2.5k. But, the problem is, they only have 7000k or more. Now, 7000k would be more of a glare than lighting. As per the forum, 4200k or 5000k would be optimum for illumination. Am on the lookout for a 4200k HID + projector + angel eyes setup. Can someone tell me where I can find such a setup in Delhi and for how much. Also, if this is not possible, and I would have to go for an aftermarket projector and buy the HID from Navnish separately, even that is fine.. But has anyone done this??

Suggestions are welcome..

try this link, this guy is in xbhp also.
Bi-xenon hid projector with angel eyes for motorbikes: sale, price

[abhidjn]

Better lighting on Yamaha Fazer 150

Hi guys, I thank you for your valuable advices regarding my previous query. But I have not got a clear any practical solution. Therefore, I am posting my query again with some detailed information. Hope I will get a solution this time.

I have a Yamaha Fazer 150, was not happy with the stock lighting as I have to ride 50 km daily at night, can't see anything properly. So went to JC road and got HID done for Rs. 2300 (55W Halo X 2 for low, 55W HID x2 for high). Low (55w Halo) doesn't work properly. However high beam looks good on HID but the JC road guy didn't adjust both the high/low properly so the high was going to the sky (Low beam was like candlelight ). Wen't to the nearby mechanic and adjusted the high beam as low as possible.

Now the problem is that my stock Minda battery got fried . Got a new maintenance free 5 amp one Amaron for Rs.1250. Now I can manage somehow but with some weird smell from the battery. I am not happy at all.

Now, you guys please suggest me what should I do? I need the best possible lighting.

1) Should I go for another good quality HID? (Navnish said he can do something, saw his pics, very impressive) I want to got for 35w HID x 2 for low beam and 55w HID x 2 for the high beam. Is that ok? Or any Halo-HID combination using Osram NB or Philips setup? What about the pass light (flashing) with HID?

2) Should I go for any projector, angel eye set up? (Don't even know what are they)

3) Any coil rewinding needed?

4) Any idea from your side is very very welcome.

Guys please put some light into this. Traveling from Banshankari to Whitefield is now nightmare for me And all the bike manufacturers, please concentrate on the lighting side also along with the CC side, we can ride fast only if we can see the road in a better way at night

Thanks to all in advance

xBhp Rocks

[The Monk]

Its possible, but how will u accommodate another reflector in place of a 2.5" projector? Max u can put a 4" reflector but the low beam spread will be very much sacrificed with a small reflector.

Another thing you can try out the 2" retrofit bi-xen HID projectors in place of the low beam. These projector uses 2" lens with AE will add more spice to the setup and costing around 5K for a piece including HID kit. But fixing on to the existing lens hole is another juggad.


I would recommend an aux lamp at any point of time than modding a good quality HL assy as you'll get disappointed with the low beam at the end.

Bro I don't want to use an aux lamp on my handlebar or crash guard because I live in a city in which anything that can be robbed will be robbed. So people will find it too easy to just break it off

Also since I am not very well versed with electrical's I do not want to do too much jugaad Because I do not trust mechanics capabilities. I was looking for something which will be a 'remove stock and fix new' kind of thing.

What if I turn the idea on its head, literally. I put a H4 reflector in the upper beam, which is bigger, and put a Bixenon in this, and put a smaller 4" reflector in my low beam (like you suggested) and use it as an extra Hi beam only on highways. I know this sounds a lil cock-eyed, but maybe it will work.

Also the 2" retrofit that you mentioned, will it give sufficient low and hi beam??

Thanks

[sajjt]

Bro I don't want to use an aux lamp on my handlebar or crash guard because I live in a city in which anything that can be robbed will be robbed. So people will find it too easy to just break it off

Also since I am not very well versed with electrical's I do not want to do too much jugaad Because I do not trust mechanics capabilities. I was looking for something which will be a 'remove stock and fix new' kind of thing.

What if I turn the idea on its head, literally. I put a H4 reflector in the upper beam, which is bigger, and put a Bixenon in this, and put a smaller 4" reflector in my low beam (like you suggested) and use it as an extra Hi beam only on highways. I know this sounds a lil cock-eyed, but maybe it will work.

Also the 2" retrofit that you mentioned, will it give sufficient low and hi beam??

Thanks

Yes, little weird for me

Changing any thing from stock will spoil the overall look and it should be result assured mod. Here u r suggesting to put a H4 reflector as well as another low beam reflector and that too 4". A smaller low beam reflector wont be sufficient for a proper lighting. It will be too narrow and u may think that u dont've a HL.

If u dont want to go for any extra fittings, why dont u consider fixing any P150 dome in place of the stock? I guess it wont harm the over all looks and turn into Street Fighter.

2" Projectors are good for bikes as the beam spread is bit less than the normal 2.5-3" lens and the light intensity will be more on this as the beam spread is narrow. But for high beam u've to depend on the stock as the pencil beam cant be matched with a bixenon projector high beam.

[The Monk]

Yes, little weird for me

Changing any thing from stock will spoil the overall look and it should be result assured mod. Here u r suggesting to put a H4 reflector as well as another low beam reflector and that too 4". A smaller low beam reflector wont be sufficient for a proper lighting. It will be too narrow and u may think that u dont've a HL.

If u dont want to go for any extra fittings, why dont u consider fixing any P150 dome in place of the stock? I guess it wont harm the over all looks and turn into Street Fighter.

2" Projectors are good for bikes as the beam spread is bit less than the normal 2.5-3" lens and the light intensity will be more on this as the beam spread is narrow. But for high beam u've to depend on the stock as the pencil beam cant be matched with a bixenon projector high beam.

[pankajshirke]

Hi Abhi, long time...

Ok, if the RR tries to push more amps too, it will top up the battery very fast since its weak, it wont hold the charge anymore right? I find it more safe to play with a weak one to play around, its more convenient to read the pushing rates and it wont do much harm like a fresh one can.



There's no way a higher rated bulb can smoke the RR as its not loading the RR evenif its connected to the battery. COuld be a wrong connection, your statement on burned wires indicates it. The starter motor is exerting much more than 500W load, nothing happens to RR except, frequent cranking with inadequate charging will leads to flat battery.



Both these are full DC bikes. Only on ZMA a higher rated bulb can withstand without any battery issues, even guys are using 90/100W for touring at the expense of melted optics.

Ambition wont support a 55/60W as the charging rates are limited to 35W.



How can it be practical, just compare the size of their stator cover size, you'll come to know of it.

BTW, Hunk is run by a AMI(Is it TCI?) system IIRC where as the Avy 180 runs on conventional CDI, how will u match?



I guess you have some confusion in this part.

To support a higher rated bulb, first and not the least u need to have a powerful alternator anything before DC conversion. If u do the DC conversion first, the battery power will be utilized along with the rpm falls and soon it will get flat due to insufficient charging rates. The stock ratings are on the basis of 35W HL and other requirements.



At the outset, I would say get rid of the HID capsule and go for a replacement. The 3 tabs on the H4 is to ensure the proper seating of the bulb within the reflector socket for getting proper beam spread and for the bulbs life. You are literally blinding everyone in front of you by using it which is very dangerous to others and to u as well. It wont cost u a bomb.

If ur heart 's too heavy to get rid of the bulb, consider searching the accessory shops who are dealing with HID kits. They may have the different bulb base compatible rings which are mainly meant for bikes. I guess u can stick the plates to the existing bulb and use it as normal one.

This is the one am referring to:



BTW, how did u managed to break all three

There are chances of faulty BCU, try to swap with another one and check the integrity. Before that, disconnect the HID, a faulty ballast can also do enough damage to the electricals.

Yeah definately
Regarding Avenger and Hunk Stator coil,definately it will not match because they work on different technologies.
I was just thinking whether this possibility can be explored or not.
Hence I suggested to convert bike in DC because so far I know,Coil rewinding doesnt work.Once the stock coil altered,you have no option but to spend hefty amount on replacing back all these alterations with OEMs
Regarding my past experience with Splendor,the local mech put this cutout he did the same thing which I have presently on my TVS GLX 125 from 3 years
On my splendor,he used a seperate RR unit of CD Dawn/Kinetic Honda.The bulb of 60/55 watts glowed good for 10-15 minutes and suddenly it started dimming and it became worse than my earlier 35 watts bulb.I somehow reached home.
Next day,when I checked,the bulb was not glowing,my electricals were not working and when I approached one good mech near my house,I found that its RR unit has gone.That whole day,I was approaching Hero Honda service centers for stock RR unit and finally got it.I put this along with my earlier 35 watts bulb.Few months later,I exchanged this Splendor with my TVS GLX 125.
Surprisingly this same stuff of dual RR unit works without any problem for GLX 125.I am using this without any problem for more than 3 years.I dont know how it didnt worked on splendor.


One more thing
Tata Ace round headlight reflectors are costing 250 rupees(100 rupees less) per piece from Anand Spares,7 Loves chowk near Swargate Pune.
This is authorized Tata Motors spare shop for trucks and cars from where I purchased Tata Ace headlight assembly almost 1.5 years back.
The reflectors are from company named Neolite which is OEM for Mahindra Scorpio/Bolero and Jeeps.
Also from an Hella dealer in Pune,i found out the price to be around 375 rupees but you get the whole headlight assembly whereas from Tata Motors spares shop,you will get only the round reflectors hence nowfor 250 rupees.

Also I tried one thing on dirty and dusted headlight lens from inside which gives major problems to almost everyone.
Many mechanics dont clean reflectors from inside because they dont take responsibility if scratches come on the reflector coating.

Here is one solution for that
I cleaned the headlight lens and the reflector coating from inside with a PCB cleaner solution which is available in electronics shops(12 rupees for 50 ml/45 rupees for 250 ml in Pune.I generally use it to clean Computer motherboards and RAM and the Extension slots).
I took a clean soft cloth,soaked it with PCB cleaner solution and wrapped this wet cloth with a stick and gently cleaned the headlight lens and the reflector coating from inside and kept the headlight assembly open for sometime till the vapors of PCB cleaner vanishes and till the H/L assembly is dry.(Please do this very gently and carefully because applying some pressure may put scratches on your reflector coating)
Also I cleaned the headlight bulb with this PCB cleaner

You will not believe but the reflector shines at its best.Even in daytime light,the oncoming traffic has an impression that my headlight is on
And due to this cleaning with PCB cleaner,my headlight intensity has increased atleast 10 to 15 percent

[Prakritij]

before


after

did you just removed the reflectors and placed the projectors? or did you paint the reflectors black?
how much was the total cost? are they 35w HIDs?



RIDE SAFE

[sajjt]

Yeah definately
Regarding Avenger and Hunk Stator coil,definately it will not match because they work on different technologies.
I was just thinking whether this possibility can be explored or not.
Hence I suggested to convert bike in DC because so far I know,Coil rewinding doesnt work.Once the stock coil altered,you have no option but to spend hefty amount on replacing back all these alterations with OEMs
Regarding my past experience with Splendor,the local mech put this cutout he did the same thing which I have presently on my TVS GLX 125 from 3 years
On my splendor,he used a seperate RR unit of CD Dawn/Kinetic Honda.The bulb of 60/55 watts glowed good for 10-15 minutes and suddenly it started dimming and it became worse than my earlier 35 watts bulb.I somehow reached home.
Next day,when I checked,the bulb was not glowing,my electricals were not working and when I approached one good mech near my house,I found that its RR unit has gone.That whole day,I was approaching Hero Honda service centers for stock RR unit and finally got it.I put this along with my earlier 35 watts bulb.Few months later,I exchanged this Splendor with my TVS GLX 125.
Surprisingly this same stuff of dual RR unit works without any problem for GLX 125.I am using this without any problem for more than 3 years.I dont know how it didnt worked on splendor.


One more thing
Tata Ace round headlight reflectors are costing 250 rupees(100 rupees less) per piece from Anand Spares,7 Loves chowk near Swargate Pune.
This is authorized Tata Motors spare shop for trucks and cars from where I purchased Tata Ace headlight assembly almost 1.5 years back.
The reflectors are from company named Neolite which is OEM for Mahindra Scorpio/Bolero and Jeeps.
Also from an Hella dealer in Pune,i found out the price to be around 375 rupees but you get the whole headlight assembly whereas from Tata Motors spares shop,you will get only the round reflectors hence nowfor 250 rupees.

Also I tried one thing on dirty and dusted headlight lens from inside which gives major problems to almost everyone.
Many mechanics dont clean reflectors from inside because they dont take responsibility if scratches come on the reflector coating.

Here is one solution for that
I cleaned the headlight lens and the reflector coating from inside with a PCB cleaner solution which is available in electronics shops(12 rupees for 50 ml/45 rupees for 250 ml in Pune.I generally use it to clean Computer motherboards and RAM and the Extension slots).
I took a clean soft cloth,soaked it with PCB cleaner solution and wrapped this wet cloth with a stick and gently cleaned the headlight lens and the reflector coating from inside and kept the headlight assembly open for sometime till the vapors of PCB cleaner vanishes and till the H/L assembly is dry.(Please do this very gently and carefully because applying some pressure may put scratches on your reflector coating)
Also I cleaned the headlight bulb with this PCB cleaner

You will not believe but the reflector shines at its best.Even in daytime light,the oncoming traffic has an impression that my headlight is on
And due to this cleaning with PCB cleaner,my headlight intensity has increased atleast 10 to 15 percent

Oh what a long post

How can a splendor support a 55/60W without any coil mod? And if the mech'd used a KH/CD Dawn too the light intensity wont increase as the stock electricals are for them also 35W and we all know their performances in night, a puny 50CC TVS XL have better lighting than these two If this RR can increase the intensity in a HH, surely that should improve their stock lighting amazingly, its not happening there. It could be a simple DC routing technique, else whats the use of a relay in between?

Anyways there's enough space left for a coil rewind, I just got a pic of HH Splendor Stator coil. Any dare devils for a move? In case its not supporting, no need to go back to stock as there are other mods where we can change the RR for tapping the increased output in case the stock RR is not capable. And in case those who doesn't want to fiddle with the stock RR too, they can continue with the rewinded coil itself, I don't find any harm in that. For 55/60W halogen support, we dont've to change anything other than the stock coil gauge, so its almost same as the stock except with a bit more powerful alternator.


Quite surprising to know that Ace HL is just 250/- thanks for the info. My friend must've replaced the whole HL assy after the crash.

What was the solution's chemical name? Most of the cleaning solutions are based of alcohol which will react with the chrome coat.

For me its better off cleaning the reflector with any solutions or wipes as it can damage the mirror finish which will affect the light output considerably. I had a bitter experience with my first bike, its got smudging patterns after I rubbed the reflector with soft cotton and the beam was not that effective after that. I used to clean the reflectors with low pressure air blow, like in the vaccum cleaner which is powerful enough to blow away the accumulation to an extent. But I dont think this cleaning is hardly required for the new generation bikes as they come with a black rubber grommet behind the bulb to protect the HL assy from dust and even water spillage to an extent. But again that depends on the surroundings where you drive there's lot of dust, it may require at times.

There are kits available to buff the HL front glass to make it shine and clear to its original state but am yet to find a product that can be used for cleaning the reflector, hence being skeptical on this.

Cleaning the HL will make hell of a difference, I would say you'll loose 40% visibilty from a dusty HL so its good to check the HL assys once u start feeling the light output is weak.

[sajjt]

Its not going to be an easy mod to have a P150 reflector + Bixenon projector by retaining the stock fairing on which its got the wind visor

Some where in this thread few months back Dr Vivek'd put a pic like that but that was on a P150 for his friend IIRC. You can refer it for an idea or ping him about this, he's more helpful in this.

Drji are u hearing?

If you are going to use a projector for low beam usage, keep that as low as possible to get a neat and more distant visibility. If you place it higher, the angle of beam will increase and thereby the beam distance decreases. Always keep the high beam in the upper portion like in the stock as it should be in parallel line with the on coming traffic to get max out of the high beam or to blind them

This is the rule of thumb, bigger the lens, better the beam spread, so if u r going for a small lens the beam spread will be bit narrow than a bigger lens spread. The most important factor is the quality of the lens, so before buying it, go for a test on a empty street and convince urself about the beam pattern. Most shops will test it within the shop itself, but if u ask them surely they will give a demo on a street view instead of a wall projection.

A bi xenon projectot's low beam is almost same as ur stock low beam, its the high beam where have to compromise as its not letting out all the light produced inside to get a very legal pattern.

This is my low beam on a wall:


Now the high Beam:


Low beam on street


High Beam


Pic is bit shaky and the was positioned bit higher, now its come down and for the high speed drives its not as promising by the pics.

Remember this is from a 3" lens so the width of the beam spread will vary.

Its a fact that you cant match a reflector high beam with a projector high beam as its very much restricted.

This is my first HID: H4 Telescopic
Low beam:


High beam



We've discussed a lot about flashing with a HID, I guess u got what I meant.

[abhidjn]

Better lighting on Yamaha Fazer 150

Hey guys, can some one please help me please please please

[Kirankj1724]

damn!!! its my 3rd bulb in a row now.. again with the same flickering problem... I'm fed up of this.. need help!!!
i really feel its something to do with the ballast..

[abhijeet080808]

Hi guys, I thank you for your valuable advices regarding my previous query. But I have not got a clear any practical solution. Therefore, I am posting my query again with some detailed information. Hope I will get a solution this time.

I have a Yamaha Fazer 150, was not happy with the stock lighting as I have to ride 50 km daily at night, can't see anything properly. So went to JC road and got HID done for Rs. 2300 (55W Halo X 2 for low, 55W HID x2 for high). Low (55w Halo) doesn't work properly. However high beam looks good on HID but the JC road guy didn't adjust both the high/low properly so the high was going to the sky (Low beam was like candlelight ). Wen't to the nearby mechanic and adjusted the high beam as low as possible.

Now the problem is that my stock Minda battery got fried . Got a new maintenance free 5 amp one Amaron for Rs.1250. Now I can manage somehow but with some weird smell from the battery. I am not happy at all.

Now, you guys please suggest me what should I do? I need the best possible lighting.

1) Should I go for another good quality HID? (Navnish said he can do something, saw his pics, very impressive) I want to got for 35w HID x 2 for low beam and 55w HID x 2 for the high beam. Is that ok? Or any Halo-HID combination using Osram NB or Philips setup? What about the pass light (flashing) with HID?

2) Should I go for any projector, angel eye set up? (Don't even know what are they)

3) Any coil rewinding needed?

4) Any idea from your side is very very welcome.

Guys please put some light into this. Traveling from Banshankari to Whitefield is now nightmare for me And all the bike manufacturers, please concentrate on the lighting side also along with the CC side, we can ride fast only if we can see the road in a better way at night

Thanks to all in advance

xBhp Rocks

Don't go for x2 setup. Use a single 55W HID for hi as well as lo beam.

Best is to keep 1 HID only in a pod and use it. The other pod can be kept blank.

[pankajshirke]

Oh what a long post

How can a splendor support a 55/60W without any coil mod? And if the mech'd used a KH/CD Dawn too the light intensity wont increase as the stock electricals are for them also 35W and we all know their performances in night, a puny 50CC TVS XL have better lighting than these two If this RR can increase the intensity in a HH, surely that should improve their stock lighting amazingly, its not happening there. It could be a simple DC routing technique, else whats the use of a relay in between?

Anyways there's enough space left for a coil rewind, I just got a pic of HH Splendor Stator coil. Any dare devils for a move? In case its not supporting, no need to go back to stock as there are other mods where we can change the RR for tapping the increased output in case the stock RR is not capable. And in case those who doesn't want to fiddle with the stock RR too, they can continue with the rewinded coil itself, I don't find any harm in that. For 55/60W halogen support, we dont've to change anything other than the stock coil gauge, so its almost same as the stock except with a bit more powerful alternator.


Quite surprising to know that Ace HL is just 250/- thanks for the info. My friend must've replaced the whole HL assy after the crash.

What was the solution's chemical name? Most of the cleaning solutions are based of alcohol which will react with the chrome coat.

For me its better off cleaning the reflector with any solutions or wipes as it can damage the mirror finish which will affect the light output considerably. I had a bitter experience with my first bike, its got smudging patterns after I rubbed the reflector with soft cotton and the beam was not that effective after that. I used to clean the reflectors with low pressure air blow, like in the vaccum cleaner which is powerful enough to blow away the accumulation to an extent. But I dont think this cleaning is hardly required for the new generation bikes as they come with a black rubber grommet behind the bulb to protect the HL assy from dust and even water spillage to an extent. But again that depends on the surroundings where you drive there's lot of dust, it may require at times.

There are kits available to buff the HL front glass to make it shine and clear to its original state but am yet to find a product that can be used for cleaning the reflector, hence being skeptical on this.

Cleaning the HL will make hell of a difference, I would say you'll loose 40% visibilty from a dusty HL so its good to check the HL assys once u start feeling the light output is weak.

Sajjt,
The chemical is named "I.P.A cleaner"
In Pune electronics market,it is named as "PCB cleaner solution" used to clean PCB.I use for cleaning Computer peripherials
I delicately cleaned the Tata Ace headlight glass and reflectors from inside using this solution.
Actually I tried a 100/90 watts bulb(Philips Rally) on this headlight but due to the heat produced plus the moisture in rainy season,there was a thin whitish film developed on the headlight glass from inside which was causing poor visibility.
Hence cleaning of the reflector was needed.

Regarding coil rewinding,Atleast in Pune there is nobody who does this stuff.
Before trying this scooter regulator thing on my bike,I met one electrician who was ready to do rewinding with thick gauge wire but later he refused to do it.
I visited all coil checkers in Pune but they just replace the coil plate with the stock ones.No rewinding work is done in Pune till date.

By the way,I just have a query
In terms of light intensity,is MFR headlight better or a Glass reflector
I am using glass reflector right from when I plonked 60/55 watts bulb.I never tried MFR headlight of cars/jeeps.Because nowadays,I am seeing that headlights of bikes and gearless scooters are also bright inspite of being 35 watts.

[rharish90]

damn!!! its my 3rd bulb in a row now.. again with the same flickering problem... I'm fed up of this.. need help!!!
i really feel its something to do with the ballast..

Not again! Man there is something seriously wrong with your ballast. I think it is not able to produce enough volts or something. We need to work on that. Some evening of this week shall we pay a visit to that shop where you got this stuff installed and ask for a new ballast?