HID & Battery Drain

[BratmanXj]

I've had an HID kit in my "parts" drawer for a year now and finally installed it over the winter with new spot lamps and other on the front end. Now the bike goes dead if it sits for more than a day...2nd time I left it off the battery tender that this has happened. HID was installed per the instructions with an always hot going to the relay included in the harnes and a switched (off my 10-sec delay relay) hot going to the ballast, then the pigtails into the factory headlight socket.

 

Anyone ever have an issue with an HID headlight shorting out and always pulling voltage?

[Flyinfool]

I have had my HID for 6 years now. I do not take the battery out of the bike for winter and I don't even have a tender, and it still starts in the spring.

So HID per say is not the issue.

I would start by disconnecting the ground wire from the battery and connecting an incandescent test light from the cable to the negative battery post. If it lights, even very dim in a dark garage, then you have a power draw. start pulling fuses one at a time until the light goes out, that will identify the problem circuit. You do have a fuse on the HID power hot wire, right?

It is also possible that you have a bad battery that simply will not hold a charge. charge the battery and take it in to be load tested. A bad tender can destroy a new battery pretty quick.

[BratmanXj]

I have had my HID for 6 years now. I do not take the battery out of the bike for winter and I don't even have a tender, and it still starts in the spring.

So HID per say is not the issue.

I would start by disconnecting the ground wire from the battery and connecting an incandescent test light from the cable to the negative battery post. If it lights, even very dim in a dark garage, then you have a power draw. start pulling fuses one at a time until the light goes out, that will identify the problem circuit. You do have a fuse on the HID power hot wire, right?

It is also possible that you have a bad battery that simply will not hold a charge. charge the battery and take it in to be load tested. A bad tender can destroy a new battery pretty quick.

 

I don't have the information off hand but it was based on your recommendation somewhere else on the model HID.

 

This started THE DAY I installed the HID. Wired everything up, came out the next day to a dead battery. I pulled the fuse on constant-hot for the HID while the fairing was apart (finishing up the steering head bearing install) and the bike sat for 2 weeks. Put the fuse back in finished assembly, bike sat on tender for 2 days then took a couple of rides and all was fine. Bike now that a week without the tender (or riding) and I have a flat battery. When I get a chance I'm going to pull the fairing and see what the current draw is across the fuse on the HID kit.

 

Edit: Bike sat most of the winter off of the tender with no issues starting up.

[Flyinfool]

It might not be the first time someone pinched a while while putting a faring back together?

I would start at the battery to check the parasitic draw before taking anything apart. I hate when I fix something by accident and end up never knowing for sure what the cause is/was.

[BratmanXj]

I'll explain the installation....

 

I put a 10awg HOT "Home Run" from the battery up the spine and into the fairing.

Fused & Relayed constant-hot from the HID tapped into "home run"

10 sec delay relay tapped into "home run", triggered from Aux (cigarette) plug, feeding switched hot for HID ballast

HID plugged into factory headlight socket

 

I will post a picture of the installation instructions when I get home from work.

 

It might not be the first time someone pinched a while while putting a faring back together?

I made sure to check everything as it went back together, but nothing was pinched the 1st time this happened while the fairing was still open.

[Flyinfool]

Break out the test gear, anything else is just guessing.

[djh3]

Hmm Not sure but aux plug may be hot all time.

[leo3wheel]

AUX socket is activated with key.

[Rafterd]

Wonder why in the world you would need a full time hot wire to a HID?? Does it have a memory of some kind??

I'd change that constant hot wire to a switched and see what happens.

[BratmanXj]

Wonder why in the world you would need a full time hot wire to a HID?? Does it have a memory of some kind??

I'd change that constant hot wire to a switched and see what happens.

 

And that is why I posted the question...hoping someone might have this same thought process. So far other spring projects have gotten in the way and I haven't sat down with the bike yet.

 

 

On a side-note a buddy did ended up buying the 2-pack of BroView LED H4 light so I might have a "spare part" dropped off in my garage later this week. You don't argue with free.

[Flyinfool]

My HID is wired hot to the battery with just a fuse. My relay to keep the headlight off for starting is in the bikes headlight circuit since that is what turns the HID on.

 

The reason for the hot wire is due to a very high amp spike to initially fire the HID. This spike only lasts for a small fraction of a second. Once the bulb fires, the power drops back to whatever wattage the system is rated at. The switches and wiring in most bikes would not handle that spike for long before damage occurred. That hot wire is switched internally in the ballast so it SHOULD only be drawing power when the HID is lit.

 

We can guess at stuff all day long for weeks, You need to get out the test light or ammeter and look at what is going on.

 

It is even a possibility that you have a defective or poorly designed HID ballast.

 

There are a lot of members that have HID, I have not heard of anyone reporting that the HID was killing the battery overnight or even at all.

[Rafterd]

I installed these in mine due to noise in my radio due to the HID control box. It's even a lot brighter and pulls less current.

 

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