Trevor Heath Posted November 12, 2011 #1 Posted November 12, 2011 Hi I'm sure some owners have already fitted a HiD light bulb kit to their bikes. I made the attempt today. I wired the red and black ring terminals directly to their respective battery terminals. When I turned the key on....nothing happened. No light on High or Low I checked the kit fuse and refitted the Halogen bulb it is fine. Any suggestions? Thanks TH
bongobobny Posted November 13, 2011 #2 Posted November 13, 2011 You do know that you need to use a ballast box with the HID? They are kind of like florescent bulbs and run on a higher voltage...
Flyinfool Posted November 13, 2011 #3 Posted November 13, 2011 Here is the install thread from when I put HID on my '88. http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=45603
Trevor Heath Posted November 13, 2011 Author #4 Posted November 13, 2011 Yes indeed....I purchased the whole kit from "HiD country" Bulb - ballast - relay etc. I did hear back from them about the issue. They advised trying to switch the polarity. However this did not work either. I am getting the signal to the (motorized) bulb to switch from high to low beam but no illumination. TH
Trevor Heath Posted November 13, 2011 Author #5 Posted November 13, 2011 Jeff, Thanks for the link. While I was pretty sure there were no more trails to blaze with this bike. I did search for quite a while before posting the questions. My immediate issue is more basic....no illumination with or without the engine. I have to assume a faulty component at this point. TH
Flyinfool Posted November 14, 2011 #6 Posted November 14, 2011 From what I remember there really is no way to hook it up wrong since all of the connectors are polarized and different shapes. Since you do hear or see the bulb moving when you switch from lo to hi, you can be sure that there is power getting to the ballast from the headlight circuit. Just for giggles, check the voltage where you have the power leads hooked up to be sure that you have a good 12V source and a good ground.
BradT Posted November 15, 2011 #7 Posted November 15, 2011 Sounds like a faulty Ballast or it is not getting enough current Brad
Trevor Heath Posted November 15, 2011 Author #8 Posted November 15, 2011 Hi all, Well I found the issue causing no illumination of the HiD bulb. One of the female spade connectors that the relay plugs into was faulty, pushed back in the socket. With this repaired the kit now works OK. So...I plugged it all in buttoned it up and went for a ride. Clearly superior. Now I need to go back to the older thread listed above and look at the solutions to the headlight warning lights remaining on. Thanks, TH
Flyinfool Posted November 15, 2011 #9 Posted November 15, 2011 If you haven't already you really need to disable the RLU or it will burn out the motor in the bulb. The RLU senses that the lo beam is out due to low amp draw so it switches to high beam but then detects low current and switches to low beam, It does this continuously till the bulb motor dies. The switching happens so fast that the bulb never actually has time to move, so you may not even notice it happening. You will also want to add a switch to the power side of the HID so that it does not have to fire the ballast when you turn the key on and then it turns off when you hit the starter and has to fire the ballast again. All of this is covered in the install thread that I listed above.
Trevor Heath Posted November 18, 2011 Author #10 Posted November 18, 2011 If you haven't already you really need to disable the RLU or it will burn out the motor in the bulb. I'd like to get this done ASAP. Without worrying at the moment about the warning lights Where is it? Thanks TH "For the Reserve Lighting Unit, I simply unplugged it, and using some #12AWG solid wire I made 3 Jumpers to stick in the end of the wire harness connector. Jumper 1 was from Blue/White to Blue/Black. This sends the power to the handlebar dimmer switch. Jumper 2 was from Black to Blue/Green. This provides a ground path for the High beam indicator. Jumper 3 was from Yellow/Green to Blue/Red. This turns on the High beam indicator. The remaining Yellow and Green/Red have no connections."
Flyinfool Posted November 28, 2011 #11 Posted November 28, 2011 The RLU is located under the dash cover, once you remove the chrome trim piece and the wind shield it is right there on top and easy to get to. It is just a little bigger than a pack of cigarettes and has an 8 pin connector on a short wire cable.
Trader Posted November 28, 2011 #12 Posted November 28, 2011 any recomendations for where to get an HID for the best price? I want to install one on my 88 over the winter
camos Posted November 29, 2011 #13 Posted November 29, 2011 any recomendations for where to get an HID for the best price? I want to install one on my 88 over the winter I recommend you stay away from HID Country. On time they sent the wrong parts which had to be returned for replacement at my cost. Then later they did not ship two digital ballasts and would not respond to my email queries. I had to sic Visa on them to get a refund.
Trevor Heath Posted November 29, 2011 Author #14 Posted November 29, 2011 I'm inclined to agree about HiD country. That where mine came from and I would not buy from them again. Additionally fitting of an HiD bulb is a bit of a compromise. If I set the low beam to the optimum position then turn on the high beam, there is a dark patch on the road in front of the bike. I've tried with and without the graves shield on the filament. Not much difference. It is to do with the design of the headlight reflector and it's shape. Don't get me wrong, it is way better than a 55W Halogen but it's not perfect. TH
Flyinfool Posted November 29, 2011 #15 Posted November 29, 2011 I have added a set of KC Hi-Lights that are focused in between driving and fog lights. They really do a great job of lighting up the sides of the road for spotting deer and also fill the dark area just in front of the bike when the HI beam is on. This winter I will be converting these driving lights to HID. I already have a set of H3 HID bulbs and ballasts to put into them. That should really light things up well. I have had these same lights on my truck for many years and have used the 23 year warranty several times (the warranty even covers the H3 bulb) with no issues. KC is a reputable company that has been around for a lot of years.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now