Let there be Light : Bike Lighting, HID etc

[princesirohi]

Hey guys,

I'm looking out for an auxiliary light (handlebar) switch like below:



Any idea where I can get it in Pune / Mumbai?

very difficult to get in india......you can purchase online, but will be costly.

[abhijitkn]

ok...

very difficult to get in india......you can purchase online, but will be costly.

I'll try at Lamington Road or Nana Peth in Pune...I think I should be able to find it. Not exactly as in the pic but it should serve the purpose...or else I'll make one!
But if anybody has came across any shop which has similar switch let me know. I'm exploring option of adding Hella Micro-DE For lamps (twin) to Fz. But before purchasing I want to be completely sure about how I'm going to mount it.

[madelikeagun]

Hey guys,

I'm looking out for an auxiliary light (handlebar) switch like below:

Any idea where I can get it in Pune / Mumbai?

Our old and reliable Minda Industries makes 2/3 wheeler switches. Try to contact them on their website and find distributors in your area

[abhijitkn]

Thanks

Our old and reliable Minda Industries makes 2/3 wheeler switches. Try to contact them on their website and find distributors in your area

Thanks a ton! for the lead...

[madelikeagun]

HID fitment on my TBird

Dear friends,

I posted this query in the Tbird forum but I think it was not the right thing to do. I need help from fellow XBHPians on fitting a 35W HID on my Thunderbird. Later I would like to fix aux (Additional lighting on my crash guard) lamp, that is the later part.

My TBird has a full DC setup and currently has a HS1 35W Osram Halogen in it. What do I need to do to fix a 35W HID? Can I get a H7 35W HID bulb and fit it straight along with the kit that comes in? Do I need to do anything additional?

Do I need to change the reflector or Dome. Sorry I am very poor at this. I have been through this forum, i see all you geniuses fixed HID on different bikes, but I dont see my specific requirement so far.

I am planning Leh next year, fitting this HID is part of my preperation and it is very important I get this done before the monsoon so I can test the lighting in different weather conditions. Im planning on a 3200K coz I dont want white light.

Your suggestions and advice will be truly appreciated.

Thank you,
M Kareem

[xxbomb]

I caught hold of Navnish in my town yesterday and picked up a 55w 4300k HID kit and a pair of LED tail lamps and pilot lamps.

First a little background on the bike. Its a 6yr old 60k(mostly touring) bike with a headlamp that's experienced the heat of everything from a 130w bulb to a crappy(super hot) HID kit for long durations. The reflector is pretty much burnt out but i still went ahead with it just to see the outcome. It has 2.5yr old amaron 9amp batt.

Fitting the LED tail lamp was pretty straightforward. I pulled off the two screws below the tail lamp lens, shook it a bit and it was off in no time. The stock bulbs were out in a matter of seconds and the LED's were in! Ive attached pics of a bulb comparo, the LED in the housing and with them lit up as well! The tail lamp intensity is around 75% of the stock bulb intensity but im not complaining as the power saving is quite a bit.

The HID kit consists of a bulb, a ballast and a plug-n-play wiring harness with an attached relay.

The headlamp work was pretty simple aswell. I put the ballast between the fairing and inner plastic cover on the right hand side. Navnish supplied a proper ballast holder along with some nuts and bolts. Wiring was done in a matter of minutes and the outcome can be seen in the pics.

I am very happy and content with the outcome and would strongly suggest this upgrade for both cars and bikes. The light color is just right which is a boon during night rides in rain and fog!

Last but not least, if you want to know if im gonna put this in all my bikes and cars, the answer is a definite YES!! (P.S. donations accepted )

For further details and pricing, please contact Navnish. Please do not PM me for the price as i haven't paid him as yet and im pretty much clueless about it myself. All i know is that its gonna cost me a fraction of what my local car accessories wala will charge for a 35w kit and it comes with a warranty and after sales support. What else does a biker want? *insert very happy smiley here*


Cheers!!

EDIT: The pic of the bike in my garage was taken at around 4pm. You can see the intensity of the Low beam even in the afternoon!

arent u supposd to plonk the hid into a projector?..:/.. or is it just like any other bulb?..:/..

I thought we were not supposed to use hid bulbs in regular reflector (the ones which our bikes come with) since it would be too intrusive to the incoming traffic..

[princesirohi]

@abhijitkn: if you do get one...plz inform me also coz i was also searching for one such switch eaarlier ....couldn't find so used simple push pull type. but even that is performing well even in rains... no problem at all.

@madlikeagun: don't go for 3200k ...that will be too yellow......go for 4300k... it will be perfect.

[madelikeagun]

Thanks a ton! for the lead...

Always welcome

@abhijitkn:
@madlikeagun: don't go for 3200k ...that will be too yellow......go for 4300k... it will be perfect.

Thanks, but - How is the 4300k effective in rain? any feedback. I need good visibility in rain and I believe while light doesnt help.

[abhijitkn]

Not Good for Rain...

Thanks, but - How is the 4300k effective in rain? any feedback. I need good visibility in rain and I believe while light doesnt help.

Hi,

The 4300K is not useful during rains & also foggy conditions. I'm using it. In the pitch dark conditions it is just perfect. You will not notice the beam properly if riding under neon lamps or the beam is not noticeable at all in day light, that is because our eyes can not adjust to the temp. difference. That is what my experience is. But for city it is quite sufficient.
But I liked the warm ones, 55W HID as posted above & I think it will be better..or else go for Hella Driving Lamps but it will be too costly or Hella Micro-De Fog Lamps little cheaper (5k) & will require DIY job for mounting it but the output is way better than others and it is the best in the market. the complete set up is Made in Germany. Check it out at www.hella.co.in or www.shop4hella.com. I'm planning to mount Hella Fog lamps since I'll be Touring in remote places this rainy & winter season.
Navnish will be able to recommend...

[madelikeagun]

Hi,

The 4300K is not useful during rains & also foggy conditions. I'm using it. In the pitch dark conditions it is just perfect. You will not notice the beam properly if riding under neon lamps or the beam is not noticeable at all in day light, that is because our eyes can not adjust to the temp. difference. That is what my experience is. But for city it is quite sufficient.
But I liked the warm ones, 55W HID as posted above & I think it will be better..or else go for Hella Driving Lamps but it will be too costly or Hella Micro-De Fog Lamps little cheaper (5k) & will require DIY job for mounting it but the output is way better than others and it is the best in the market. the complete set up is Made in Germany. Check it out at www.hella.co.in or www.shop4hella.com. I'm planning to mount Hella Fog lamps since I'll be Touring in remote places this rainy & winter season.
Navnish will be able to recommend...

Thanks Abijit,

That was quick. Yes, I have been following the Hella story. Since I have posted my last query, I have been reading through the entire forum, thats a lot of pages. Your opinion about 4300K only makes me reaffirm to go for the 3200K.

I will think about Fog lamps after im done with the Head lamp. This leaves me with few more questions left.

1. What bulb plug is compatible. Current stock is HS1. I read else where H7 is a straight fit. I need confirmation.
2. Also will my reflector handle the 35W HID? Any heating issues. Will the light Focus correctly.
3. My Bull's battery configuration is 12V 14Amps. The 18 Pole Magneto generates 220 watt. Thunderbird website says this is to facilitate external electrical accessories. Can I further add two 35 watt Fog lamps?

Thanks in advance to all the experts here for your kindness

[abhijitkn]

Need some info.

@abhijitkn: if you do get one...plz inform me also coz i was also searching for one such switch eaarlier ....couldn't find so used simple push pull type. but even that is performing well even in rains... no problem at all.

Hi Prince,

Can you post/send me some snaps of the switch you are using? I'm going to explore the option of Minda Industries since I'm planning to use hazzards lights as well & will need one more switch.

[abhijitkn]

Thanks Abijit,

That was quick. Yes, I have been following the Hella story. Since I have posted my last query, I have been reading through the entire forum, thats a lot of pages. Your opinion about 4300K only makes me reaffirm to go for the 3200K.

I will think about Fog lamps after im done with the Head lamp. This leaves me with few more questions left.

1. What bulb plug is compatible. Current stock is HS1. I read else where H7 is a straight fit. I need confirmation.
I changed the entire headlight assembly since I didn't wanted to spoil my stock headlight. May be other members can confirm about this. But decide if you want to install only bulb or with a projector.

2. Also will my reflector handle the 35W HID? Any heating issues. Will the light Focus correctly.
You will need to have projector lens since using HID with only reflector will cause glare issues to the oncoming traffic & also COPS may give you hard time.

3. My Bull's battery configuration is 12V 14Amps. The 18 Pole Magneto generates 220 watt. Thunderbird website says this is to facilitate external electrical accessories. Can I further add two 35 watt Fog lamps?
It should but as per the replies from other member it is better to check voltage after the installing 2 aux lamps or else change it to the higher Ah battery. Others can reconfirm this.
Thanks in advance to all the experts here for your kindness

Hi,

My replies are inline above. Sorry couldn't help you much since my knowledge is limited in this case.
@Navnish, Kinshuk can you guys help here?

[Vishwas Bharadwaj]

Guys I need help in the Installation if HID bulbs for my 2010 Honda Dio.I inquired about the same from an accessory shop located in J.C.Road and the salesman quoted the prices of three different HID bulbs and the one with the highest price tag of 1750 Rupees with power rating of 35 watt and Heat dissipation of 8000 kelvin which comes with a one year GUARANTEE.I was mighty impressed with this but I am afraid that this bulb will cook my multi-reflective coating!Is this possible?
Also I asked him to show me a bulb with a power rating of 35 watt and heat dissipation of 4000 kelvin to which he replied to me by stating that the he does not have them and the HID bulb with the price tag of 1750 rupees is perfectly alright for the Dio and that it does not blacken the coating!Is this true?and can someone please guide me as to what should be the Ideal HID bulb for my Dio?
Regards.

[navnish]

I'll try at Lamington Road or Nana Peth in Pune...I think I should be able to find it. Not exactly as in the pic but it should serve the purpose...or else I'll make one!
But if anybody has came across any shop which has similar switch let me know. I'm exploring option of adding Hella Micro-DE For lamps (twin) to Fz. But before purchasing I want to be completely sure about how I'm going to mount it.

micro de are good . but you need to do a lot of jugad for fixing the ballast and you need a h3c bulb it gets expensive if your looking to fix a hid in the hella micro de.

Dear friends,

I posted this query in the Tbird forum but I think it was not the right thing to do. I need help from fellow XBHPians on fitting a 35W HID on my Thunderbird. Later I would like to fix aux (Additional lighting on my crash guard) lamp, that is the later part.

My TBird has a full DC setup and currently has a HS1 35W Osram Halogen in it. What do I need to do to fix a 35W HID? Can I get a H7 35W HID bulb and fit it straight along with the kit that comes in? Do I need to do anything additional?

Do I need to change the reflector or Dome. Sorry I am very poor at this. I have been through this forum, i see all you geniuses fixed HID on different bikes, but I dont see my specific requirement so far.

I am planning Leh next year, fitting this HID is part of my preperation and it is very important I get this done before the monsoon so I can test the lighting in different weather conditions. Im planning on a 3200K coz I dont want white light.

Your suggestions and advice will be truly appreciated.

Thank you,
M Kareem

A h7 bulb will be a single beam. What you can do is buy a h4 bixenon hid 4300k and use it for the headlight you will need to do a small jugad to fix the h4 but its not impossible . The output will be good enough for any rides. I have done a few bullets in the past and the bullet guys are happy with the output.

arent u supposd to plonk the hid into a projector?..:/.. or is it just like any other bulb?..:/..

I thought we were not supposed to use hid bulbs in regular reflector (the ones which our bikes come with) since it would be too intrusive to the incoming traffic..

a good hid wont cause trouble in a reflector setup. There is no hard and fast rule that you need to use a hid in a projector

Hi,

The 4300K is not useful during rains & also foggy conditions. I'm using it. In the pitch dark conditions it is just perfect. You will not notice the beam properly if riding under neon lamps or the beam is not noticeable at all in day light, that is because our eyes can not adjust to the temp. difference. That is what my experience is. But for city it is quite sufficient.
But I liked the warm ones, 55W HID as posted above & I think it will be better..or else go for Hella Driving Lamps but it will be too costly or Hella Micro-De Fog Lamps little cheaper (5k) & will require DIY job for mounting it but the output is way better than others and it is the best in the market. the complete set up is Made in Germany. Check it out at www.hella.co.in or www.shop4hella.com. I'm planning to mount Hella Fog lamps since I'll be Touring in remote places this rainy & winter season.
Navnish will be able to recommend...

if you use a 4300k good quality bulb in a projector it will be a bit yellower .
the 55w hids i have are perfect . they look warm and are bright .For touring the 55w are the best bet . Even i am using a 55w in my r15 now and happy with it

Thanks Abijit,

That was quick. Yes, I have been following the Hella story. Since I have posted my last query, I have been reading through the entire forum, thats a lot of pages. Your opinion about 4300K only makes me reaffirm to go for the 3200K.

I will think about Fog lamps after im done with the Head lamp. This leaves me with few more questions left.

1. What bulb plug is compatible. Current stock is HS1. I read else where H7 is a straight fit. I need confirmation.
2. Also will my reflector handle the 35W HID? Any heating issues. Will the light Focus correctly.
3. My Bull's battery configuration is 12V 14Amps. The 18 Pole Magneto generates 220 watt. Thunderbird website says this is to facilitate external electrical accessories. Can I further add two 35 watt Fog lamps?

Thanks in advance to all the experts here for your kindness

buy a 35w / 40w / 55w h4 bixenon mod the patti to fix it in your headlight and your done.The battery can take it provided you dont have any fancy horns / gadgets .

Hi,

My replies are inline above. Sorry couldn't help you much since my knowledge is limited in this case.
@Navnish, Kinshuk can you guys help here?

most of the guys have gone from projector to stock headlight reason they wanted more light .

[Raneet]

can anyone tell me about the difference between the two lights, namely hid and metals?