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[hipshot]

A friend of ours bought a HID headlamp conversion kit from http://www.xenondepot.com. She brought the bike (Marigold's old Shadow) over today and I installed it for her. They advertise the unit as "plug'n play", and that's pretty much the case. The instructions (which they forgot to include) were not model-specific, but the installation was easy enough to figure out. Once you figure out where to mount the ballast and the igniter, it's pretty simple. Since I mounted the ballast under the seat, I had to lengthen a few wires and shorten some, but it was all basic stuff. She left for home before dark, so we couldn't really evaluate difference it made, but I just spoke to her and she said it's well worth it. She had just gotten off the freeway and stopped to eat; she said the rest of the trip would be surface streets without illumination, so she'd have a better idea when she gets home. Anyway, her initial assessment is that it's well worth the expense (about $200) and she loves it.The signs along the freeway glow now. If you're considering going to the HID unit be advised that you lose the high-beam, which could cause problems getting your inspection sticker.

[Crewsn]

you are correct about the inspection sticker issue. have had 2 friends that this became an issue with. both tried a couple of places with no luck. both had to go back to stock to get thier sticker. but on the flip side of that, they both agreed that it was a huge improvement over stock.

[Davesax36]

you can get one that has a high beam in it. i had one with both. the high beam was pretty useless, but passed inspection. you just gotta get one from a car. that's what I did on the FZ1.

[hipshot]

Just a little followup on Barbara's HID. She still loves it. She just started having some problems with it; throttling up caused the HID to shut down. Bumps had no effect on it, so I doubted it was a connection. She brought it over and I looked at it, but was unable to determine the source of the problem after looking over my installation and checking the bike's electronics. Barbara called the folks who sold her the unit, KBCarstuff.com., and told them what was happening, and that I thought the problem was probably based in the ballast or the igniter, but I'm pretty fuzzy on electronic theory. A guy named Steve from KBCarstuff called me at work first thing in the morning (Barbara gave him my cell#) and emailed me detailed testing instructions and photographs. He called to be sure I got them and made himself available by phone for my next session with the bike. When Barbara got it over to the house the following weekend we dove in, and thanks to QuickSilver's (yep, Jerry rode all the way from Canyon Lake to New Caney to help troubleshoot the headlamp) able assistance, we found that the problem was in the unit's plug which engages the OEM headlamp plug. Never seen that before -- the plug had a loose contact in it. Anyway, they are shooting her a new plug (with the rest of that portion of the harness) and all's well. I wanted to plug those folks at KBCarstuff.com; obviously they care about their customers, and they were as helpful as they could be when the problem was reported to them. I was quite impressed.

[snake]

Great followup Jim. I'll go check the website now. Sounds like good folk.

[havokgroup.com]

Great info Jim.  Got any pics?  I'm thinking of doing this myself, just waiting to get other mods first

[hipshot]

Sorry, no pics. But the installation's a snap.

[havokgroup.com]

Jim:

Kool, I just did the clayton mod on my exhaust last nite (this is until I get some pipes).  I have some extra hid plug and play set up from my car so I will give this a try later.

[Dusty]

Me thinks Jerry rode down to check out Barbara.... 

[hipshot]

Actually, he and Sherri just stopped by after that pie run, and he jumped in to help with Barbara's bike.

[hipshot]

They sent Barbara TWO new wiring harnesses. However, she didn't need them -- she upgraded to a new kit which has both high and low beams. The installation was basically the same. I haven't looked at the website, but I think she said the HID kit with both high and low beams was about $225. I haven't seen the highbeams from a distance, but I can tell you that the low beam is VERY bright at a distance, even on a clear sunny day.

[rod181]

You guys should talk to Iceman from DFW his HID head light is great and looks awsome. Plus it does pass safty inspection.

[hipshot]

As does the new kit she got in the last post.