HID

I had some HID lights fitted to my CBF yesterday and to cut a long story short they had to be removed and the original bulb replaced due to an intermittent fault, anybody else had the same problem?

The fella tried 2 bulbs and 2 electrical units in case one was faulty.

The bike just did not like them

Yep, sure did. I tried some on my old 98' CBR. Junk bulbs sucked too much juice even though they were supposed to be rated about the same. You can try doing some testing, but you'll probably just end up having to use the OE bulbs.

Try these guys HIDExtra.com The leader in Xenon HID conversion kits

Haven't tried them in a motorcycle application but they work great in my Maxima. The price is quite good, too.

I had meant to ask the last time HID came up ... what bulb temperature is best for night visibility? I really don't care about cool factor or what others think when they see me coming, but something has to be better than the stock lights on my car.


Also, there is a trouble shooting guide (http://www.hidextra.com/hid_xenon_faq.pdf?osCsid=fa193f7fba9ddfb44e859f0e68196a97) at the link NHFF provided. Might help with the trouble you are seeing.

OEM bulbs are around the 4500-5000k range, IIRC. The higher you go, the more blueish you get (less light).
I have 6000k in my car but if I were to do it again, I'd get the 5000s. 6 works fine and throws out a ton of light but it doesn't look stock.

I want the lots of light and don't care so much about looking stock. My lights just don't seem to cut through the dark as well as my motorcycle lights ... and even though could use an upgrade. I'm sure there should be a level that throws the right spectrum of light to properly illuminate, but maybe that is a drawback to the HID in that they don't throw the broader spectrum.

BTW, people are (or were a couple years ago) painting the bulbs or getting coated bulbs to simulate that blue tint. Don't you want to be in?

The higher the color temp doesn't make for blue light. They add arsenic or some other modifier to get the blue tint. Xenon's have a natural "white" high color temp (in the 9600K range) unless they have something added to either the lens or the gas mixture in the bulb substrate.

Xenon follow spotlights (used in concert and theater work) are so white they have to be base trimmed back to about 6500K or everyone looks like they are walking on the sun . . .

Get some in the 5000-6000 range and you'll have all the light you need for regular driving.
I'm ok with not being in the in-crowd.

Yes, but when looking at HID bulbs for automotive use I have found that the higher the temp, the more blue/violet the light is, which then makes them not as bright. I don't know what they add to make it blue but the end result is definitely not white.
I originally chose the 6000k because they were whiter than the 5000k but still out of the blue realm.

arsenic or mercury powder . . .

Most retrofits fail because there is a large inrush current draw when the ballasts power up. You'd want to be running a relay power feed from the battery for that. Also, make sure you are using a 35watt kit for any kind of retrofit application - longest bulb life and still tons more light output than even 65watt halogens. 4300kelvin will be your highest light output, but with a touch of yellow to it. Most run 5k for a more cool white look. Anything much higher than that is just pissing away candlepower for poser points.