HID's

[rideaway]

Has anyone replaced there regular low beam H7's with HID H4's. Just thought it would be a good way to get more high beam light.

[LeftCoastMan]

I did. A fun job on the R1200RT!

 

I used 1offmotorsports, who makes it easy. I removed the tupperware and then all the stuff around the instrument panel. Pulled out the old lights. Put in the new ones. Zip tied the ballasts to the frame. Plugged it all in. Bright lights. It took me a couple of hours, almost all of it removing tupperware, mostly because I'm a tupperware removing noob. Honestly, as incompetent as I am with wrenching my bike, anyone can do this!

 

Sometimes, there is a CANBUS issue, which shows a failure, and 1offmotorsports sells an adapter that deals with the CANBUS issue. I bought it for my bike, found that I didn't need it, and returned it for refund. Or you can just try it, and order the module if you need it.

 

[99Roadster]

orangemarlin, which HID temperature did you get?

[Fubar]

Has anyone replaced their regular low beam H7's with HID H4's. Just thought it would be a good way to get more high beam light.

Just swapped out the OEM H7's with HID H7's (35W) last Friday with great assistance from FLrider (Larry).

So much time to remove tupperware, so much time to put it back on.

With advice from a BMW service dept. we tapped into the accessory plug for power. This was wrong!

Canbus error showed up though lights worked just fine. Bike runs fine though there are several interesting side effects of the odd install we will fix tomorrow (before installing same in Larry's bike).

1. Can not set cruise control.

2. Gas gauge shows no fuel.

3. DTE very QUICKLY dropped to 0 (within 2 miles) from 85 miles. Still shows dashes after fueling.

4. Stereo maintains power for 60 seconds after ignition is switched off (normally goes off instantly).

 

We expect all these problems to clear after rectifying the mistake. Updates to follow.

 

Be careful with the install (Freakin' CANBUS). Take your time. Keep track of all those damned screws!

 

[LeftCoastMan]

orangemarlin, which HID temperature did you get?

 

I believe I went with 6000K.

[LeftCoastMan]

Has anyone replaced their regular low beam H7's with HID H4's. Just thought it would be a good way to get more high beam light.

Just swapped out the OEM H7's with HID H7's (35W) last Friday with great assistance from FLrider (Larry).

So much time to remove tupperware, so much time to put it back on.

With advice from a BMW service dept. we tapped into the accessory plug for power. This was wrong!

Canbus error showed up though lights worked just fine. Bike runs fine though there are several interesting side effects of the odd install we will fix tomorrow (before installing same in Larry's bike).

1. Can not set cruise control.

2. Gas gauge shows no fuel.

3. DTE very QUICKLY dropped to 0 (within 2 miles) from 85 miles. Still shows dashes after fueling.

4. Stereo maintains power for 60 seconds after ignition is switched off (normally goes off instantly).

 

We expect all these problems to clear after rectifying the mistake. Updates to follow.

 

Be careful with the install (Freakin' CANBUS). Take your time. Keep track of all those damned screws!

 

This is why I went with the 1offmotorsports version. First, it uses the power from the plugs for the OEM bulbs. It is really just plug and play. Remove old bulbs. Plug into ballast for the new HID bulbs. Other than taking off all of the tupperware (for the R1200RT, it's really the only way to easily get into the lights), it was a few minutes.

 

And if there is a CANBUS issues (and both the BMW dealer, who sold hundreds of them, and 1offmotorsports, said that maybe 5% of installations have these issues), they sell a CANBUS module. Both the BMW dealer and the manufacturer said to not waste money on the CANBUS module unless there is a problem.

 

After reading your issues, I'm glad I went with the 1offmotorsports which provides everything for you. Ballast. Take to stick the Ballasts to the frame. Plug and play wiring. Bulbs.

[Smoky]

Ok, so I just ordered from 1offmotorsports. They say they will ship today. I ordered the 6000K brightness on their recommendation.

 

[AdirondackJack]

+1 on 1offmotorsports. Used them for my HID conversion. While you have all of it open, suggest you consider getting a simple amber-colored H-7 high beam replacement bulb and install it. The color contrast is awesome, and you can use it as an "increased visibility factor" since you no longer need your high beam because of the HID's. Actually, I am assuming you have some form of driving lights, as well? . . . .preferably HID's. If you want recommendations, PM me, as I have three separate sets of driving lights. . . . . . . . .OK, it's a broken down old cop thing. We love lights. What can I say. Dave R.

[rideaway]

Has anyone replaced there regular low beam H7's with HID H4's. Just thought it would be a good way to get more high beam light.

 

I think people are missing what I was asking. My idea was to switch to a H4 HID instead of the H7 so that I would have the dual filaments of the H4 compared to the single in the H7, that way I would have all 3 lights on when using high beam. ( or would that cause too much heat for the lens) Of course that would probably be too much current for the high beam circuit so the other two would have to be powered via relays from the battery with the high beam being the trigger. Hmm, hope someone can understand what I am trying to do.

[Perlova]

First of all the H4 bulb will have a different base, so mounting the bulbs might be an issue. The other problem that that the H4 is longer, so it might place the filaments in the wrong position for the reflector and may give you a strange pattern in low beam.

 

The reflector of a bike that uses the H4 has a high beam pattern in it set for reflecting the high beam in the right direction. The H7 designed reflector won't have this, so you may not get the high beams that you desire.

 

It's a lot of extra screwing around with relays and power to get this to work. If 2 HID low beams aren't giving you enough light, you probably are riding on the wrong roads

 

I just installed a pair of HID lights on my R1100RT and my wifes F650GS. Both bikes required some liberal hacking with a Dremel tool to get the bulbs to fit. I guess all H4 bulbs are not created equal....

[Dick_at_Lake_Tahoe_NV]

orangemarlin, which HID temperature did you get?

 

I have installed several sets of HID lights, in bikes and Cars and always go with 4300K for this reason.

 

"Color Temperature is a measurement in Degrees Kelvin that indicates the hue of a light source, in this case the HID bulb. People not familiar with lighting may believe that the higher the Kelvin the brighter the light will be, this is false. OEM car manufacturers equip their cars with 4100k to 4300k HID bulbs which produce the most daylight-like light output. Lower temperature like 3000k will produce deep gold-yellow color, suitable for fog lights. Higher color temperatures will output light with a hint of blue/purple like the 5000k - 6000k bulbs."

[valvman]

The best reason for using 4300K lamps is that your eyes are more sensitive to this color temperature than to the higher temperatures even though daylight is better approximated by 5-6K lamps.As for converting to H4 lamps the HID conversions don't actually have dual elements but usually use a solenoid to actually shift the lamp for hi/lo control. It is also unlikely that it's possible to install because of different base/dimensions as pointed out earlier in this thread.

 

Dave

'08 R1200RT

[LeftCoastMan]

orangemarlin, which HID temperature did you get?

 

I have installed several sets of HID lights, in bikes and Cars and always go with 4300K for this reason.

 

"Color Temperature is a measurement in Degrees Kelvin that indicates the hue of a light source, in this case the HID bulb. People not familiar with lighting may believe that the higher the Kelvin the brighter the light will be, this is false. OEM car manufacturers equip their cars with 4100k to 4300k HID bulbs which produce the most daylight-like light output. Lower temperature like 3000k will produce deep gold-yellow color, suitable for fog lights. Higher color temperatures will output light with a hint of blue/purple like the 5000k - 6000k bulbs."

 

I wish I had this kind of advice before installing them. Of course, if I had posted the question, I'm sure I'd get all kinds of answers.

 

I got the 6000 because that's what both the BMW guys and 1offmotorsports said would give me the best visibility. Anyways, my light might not be optimal (and I'll correct that situation when these die), but they are tons brighter than the OEM lights, so for me, I'm enthusiastic and happy.

[BOOCH]

I like the concept of the 1offmotosports product but I have a few concerns.

 

1-will the increased heat melt any parts in the headlamp assembly?

2-Will the HID bulbs burn out as quickley as the stock bulbs?

3-What is the cost of the replacement HID bulbs?

 

Thanks

Steve

[LeftCoastMan]

I like the concept of the 1offmotosports product but I have a few concerns.

 

1-will the increased heat melt any parts in the headlamp assembly?

2-Will the HID bulbs burn out as quickley as the stock bulbs?

3-What is the cost of the replacement HID bulbs?

 

Thanks

Steve

 

1. Nope. I've ridden a few thousand miles since installing them, and so far nothing is melting. I don't think they generate any more heat than standard lights.

2. I don't know. I have HID's in my cars, and I've never replaced one.

3. Lifetime guarantee and 3500 hours of life. Just to put this in perspective, if you rode 8 hours a day, every single day, that's still over a year of life. In reality, very few of us ride 8 hours a day, every day, so my guess is that we'll see 3-4 years of life.

[Fubar]

Just swapped out the OEM H7's with HID H7's (35W) last Friday with great assistance from FLrider (Larry).

So much time to remove tupperware, so much time to put it back on.

With advice from a BMW service dept. we tapped into the accessory plug for power. This was wrong!

Canbus error showed up. Bike runs fine though there are several interesting side effects of the odd install we will fix tomorrow (before installing same in Larry's bike).

1. Can not set cruise control.

2. Gas gauge shows no fuel.

3. DTE very QUICKLY dropped to 0 (within 2 miles) from 85 miles. Still shows dashes after fueling.

4. Stereo maintains power for 60 seconds after ignition is switched off (normally goes off instantly).

 

Be careful with the install (Freakin' CANBUS). Take your time. Keep track of all those damned screws!

This is why I went with the 1offmotorsports version. First, it uses the power from the plugs for the OEM bulbs. It is really just plug and play. Remove old bulbs. Plug into ballast for the new HID bulbs.

And if there is a CANBUS issues (and both the BMW dealer, who sold hundreds of them, and 1offmotorsports, said that maybe 5% of installations have these issues), they sell a CANBUS module. Both the BMW dealer and the manufacturer said to not waste money on the CANBUS module unless there is a problem.

Well, here's the skinny. FLRider & I finished work on these last Friday.

 

1. Fixed cruise error when extra power tap was removed from accessory socket line.

2 & 3. A completely different, and poorly-timed, issue. The fuel strip is bad. A known issue and going in for service Sat.

4. Fixed stereo error when extra power tap was removed from accessory socket line.

The CANBUS error. After checking owner's manual, it was correctly indicating one bulb without power (a loose connection, our bad).

 

SO, all problems were directly attributable to the installers' skills, or lack of, not anything else. D'OH!!!

The fuel issue was just annoyingly coincidental.

 

The lights really are PnP. Pull the old lights, plug in the new bulbs, strap in the ballasts, connect the wires and go. The hardest thing was to drill an appropriately sized hole in the cap to pass the wires through. No biggie. We did Larry's bike in under 90 minutes including tupperware. To be fair, we were experienced HID installers by then.

[RxCritical]

Has anyone used the DDM HID lights that seem to be popular on the LT forum on a late model RT?

Thanks,

Paul

[Smoky]

Got my bulbs today. I'm doing the install, the supplied grommet has a 1 inch hole. But the big plug that has to go through the hole is larger than 1 inch.

 

How did you solve this?

 

This is the first time I've had the dash off. This sure makes access really easy. Wish I'd known this the first time I changed a bulb.

 

 

[drzep]

The million dollar question is do your HIDs with non-HID reflectors blind every oncoming motorist?

[Smoky]

Further to the above installation.

 

Does the black spade go in the brown side of the BMW harness? And this leaves red spade to the yellow side of the plug?

 

The instruction that came with mine, are for a car installation, and not specifice to the R1200RT.

[RiceToy]

Just turn the headlight adjustment down all the way. Better to be seen than not anyway. The only time I have had someone 'bright-flash' me is when we were riding two-up and my rear shock pre-load line had leaked-out, causing the rear of the bike to droop. Pre-load oil line fixed and oil topped-off... no problems since. Also feels like a new shock.

[LeftCoastMan]

Got my bulbs today. I'm doing the install, the supplied grommet has a 1 inch hole. But the big plug that has to go through the hole is larger than 1 inch.

 

How did you solve this?

 

This is the first time I've had the dash off. This sure makes access really easy. Wish I'd known this the first time I changed a bulb.

 

 

I'm sorry that I didn't see your questions before. I hope that I can help.

 

OK, just so we standardize our terminology, I'm going to call the thing that covers the light bulbs (OEM part from BMW). I'll call that a cap. The rubber thing that plugs into the hole, I'll that a plug. Unfortunately, because of the size of the bulb and some of the connectors, the whole in the cap has got to be slightly larger than the plug. This is a product design issue that caused me to complain a bit to 1offmotorsports. I went ahead and drilled a 1 1/4" (32mm) hole in the cap. Then I used some silicone around the plug into the cap to seal it completely. It wasn't as neat as I would have liked, but it was waterproof, and it's out of sight, so I guess I don't care so much.

 

Yes, removing the tupperware is the best way to get at the bulbs. I keep reading people saying that you can do it blindly. IMHO, by the time you figure it out, you may as well take everything apart. It's fun, really.

[LeftCoastMan]

Further to the above installation.

 

Does the black spade go in the brown side of the BMW harness? And this leaves red spade to the yellow side of the plug?

 

The instruction that came with mine, are for a car installation, and not specifice to the R1200RT.

 

Yeah, I forgot what I did. So I looked at the close-up photo that I took, yes, it appears that the black spade goes to brown and red to yellow. BUT, I'd test it before buttoning everything up. I remember having reversed them, the light didn't work, but a quick change of what went where corrected it. Experimenting on this particular thing is not a problem (confirmed by a quick call to 1offmotorsports).

 

I hope that helps.

[LeftCoastMan]

The million dollar question is do your HIDs with non-HID reflectors blind every oncoming motorist?

 

I have not noticed a problem from oncoming drivers. However, I'm not sure I care, because I'm more interested in being seen. I know, someone could make a case that if they're blinded they might wander into the oncoming lane, especially on a 2-lane road. So far, that's not been a problem, because I did adjust my lights slightly downward.

[eddd]

The million dollar question is do your HIDs with non-HID reflectors blind every oncoming motorist?

 

On my R1100RT the improvement was exceptional. I have never been flashed by any motorist, and this includes over a year of morning commutes in the dark.

[Smoky]

Ok, the wiring was correct. I filed out a couple of reliefs to accomidate the tangs on the large plug. The plug fit, and the grommet nicely filled the hole, and covered the "ears".

 

I took some pics and will post later. I'll do the second light later today.

 

Sure looks bright compared to the stock bulb!

[LeftCoastMan]

Ok, the wiring was correct. I filed out a couple of reliefs to accomidate the tangs on the large plug. The plug fit, and the grommet nicely filled the hole, and covered the "ears".

 

I took some pics and will post later. I'll do the second light later today.

 

Sure looks bright compared to the stock bulb!

 

Can't wait to see the pics. And yeah, they are bright. And given how frequently a cager will say "I never saw the motorcycle", it can only help.

[Fubar]

The million dollar question is do your HIDs with non-HID reflectors blind every oncoming motorist?

Only been flashed once, by the very first car I came across. At least they saw me.

 

The beam pattern is very similar (same reflector). A wee bit wider and without the abrupt, knife-edge cutoff at the top. Slightly softer cutoff and a smidge higher at the top. I can actually see a reflection on signs under acceleration during the day! With 35W bulbs. From several hundred feet away.

Only downside: the high beam and marker lights really look yellow now. Though even that is useful with the high beam.

I think I'll be doing this on my truck next. I wish I could get them into my foglights but the mounting location prohibits that because of the ballasts. Doo-doo occurs.

[Urban Surfer]

 

 

 

 

The million dollar question is do your HIDs with non-HID reflectors blind every oncoming motorist?

Only been flashed once, by the very first car I came across. At least they saw me.

 

The beam pattern is very similar (same reflector). A wee bit wider and without the abrupt, knife-edge cutoff at the top. Slightly softer cutoff and a smidge higher at the top. I can actually see a reflection on signs under acceleration during the day! With 35W bulbs. From several hundred feet away.

Only downside: the high beam and marker lights really look yellow now. Though even that is useful with the high beam.

I think I'll be doing this on my truck next. I wish I could get them into my foglights but the mounting location prohibits that because of the ballasts. Doo-doo occurs.

 

I have been hoping to use HID lights for fog lights on my 1150 RT. Is it possible?

[Slyder_Steve]

Same experience. Excellent lights and improvement!!

 

Slyder

[nealopp]

The 1off kit looks pretty simple to install. I'll probably be clicking the "submit order" button in a couple minutes!

 

FYI, there's an coupon code for 1offmotorsports.com I found on ADV: enter "1OFFBMW" at checkout for a $20 savings.

 

Cheers,

Neal

[Fubar]

I have been hoping to use HID lights for fog lights on my 1150 RT. Is it possible?

 

No reason I can see for not doing so. Only considerations are:

1. Is there somewhere you can/want to mount the ballasts.

2. Do they make the appropriately-sized bulb to replace them with (almost definitely).

3. Can you afford to do this.

 

I was planning on doing the same with my H3-equipped Microflooters but ran into problems with point #1.

[hANNAbONE]

tRY tHIS

 

www.VVME.com

 

very affordable and niiiiiiiiiiiiiice stuff.!

[rolling18]

i have used DDM on my e92 335, and a couple of my old cars, and an F650 bmw motorcycle, all worked perfectly and were about 35$. they are the slim ballast same as the other one here but with a different sticker.

 

they are plug and play no extra wiring to do.

[nealopp]

Thought id give this a little bump. Installed the 1off kit a while ago. All i can say is WOW. The lights are bright. On a cent trip to LA, driving south on I-5 in the middle of the night, cars were quick to pull to the right lane as we were approaching their 6.

 

Simple install (minus the tediousness of tupperware removal) and worth the added viz.

[LeftCoastMan]

Thought id give this a little bump. Installed the 1off kit a while ago. All i can say is WOW. The lights are bright. On a cent trip to LA, driving south on I-5 in the middle of the night, cars were quick to pull to the right lane as we were approaching their 6.

 

Simple install (minus the tediousness of tupperware removal) and worth the added viz.

 

At first, I hated the tupperware removal. Now, I can do it really fast. In fact, I had installed one ballast improperly, and it slipped down on the first ride. I was a bit ticked off, but I got it done pretty fast.

 

One thing I noticed about tupperware removal is the amount of crap from riding that gets hidden in there. The number of dead bugs I've hit was amazing. I did a thorough washing of the plastic. Probably filthy again.

[JimD]

As far as getting the plug thru the cover with the 7/8ths hole.

I cut off the spade luggs & pulled the red & black wires from the rubber gromett. I fed the wiring thru the cover & back into the gromett & installed new spade luggs. Now the hole is sealed without any additional silicone & the gromett fits tightly.