Question for VVME slim ballast HID for my 04 RT

[Turbosneeze]

I just installed the slim ballast HID H7 for my RT and although it works great, it has this one minor issue.

 

When I first start the bike up, the HID will turn on, but if I don't turn up my idle (i.e. choke), the HID will eventually turn off if my idle is too low and the engine is barely hanging to stay on. Once I turn up the idle or when the bike is warmed up enough to where it doesn't lobe, the HID will stay on fine with no issues. Has anyone encountered this similar issue/situation?

 

Also, could it be that my battery is just old, low and about to die? It's the original gel type battery from 2004 and I believe it is due for a new one. Any opinions on this? And if I want to replace my battery, what is a good alternative besides the standard BMW gel battery? Thanks.

[smiller]

Most HID ballasts will work down to 9 or 10 volts and I doubt that your electrical system voltage could be that low with the engine running. Check the voltage at idle with a voltmeter, and check for a poor connection or ground to the HID ballast which might be causing a voltage drop.

 

Separately, if you are running on an original gel battery that is five years old then I would replace it. There have been many recent threads on this topic but basically you can buy a Universal Batteries UB-12220 for something under $50 or a Odyssey PC-680 for something over $100. As to which is the better value is an apparent subject of controversy so I won't start that up again, but do a search and you'll get a lot of info.