Post by taint on May 8, 2008 0:28:33 GMT
As some may have noticed in the main forum, there's been a fair bit of interest in upgrading the Diversion's light to a HID fitting. Mostly due to the availability of cheap 35W H4 Hi/lo bulbs on eBay.
Information about HID can be found here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_discharge_lamp
There's also a little concern about the legality of these systems; which Auto Express raises in this video here: and also this article here: www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
I'm currently going through the process of fitting one of these HID systems and I'd like to post some photos here; which I hope will help others perform a similar upgrade. These photos are of a 1995 XJ600s; so component positioning will vary dependent on your fairing.
As a warning, HID systems run at an extremely high voltage; the ballast ups the standard 12v from the bike to a whopping 12,000v for the initial ignition process. The bulb then stabilises at 8000v for continuous use
. This enormous voltage is produced by the ballast which is fed directly to the bulb. Care should be taken when handling the ballast to avoid damage. Also, try to avoid touching the system when it is in use. If the cable between the ballast and the bulb is damaged, cease the use of the system immediately; as there is a high risk of electrocution or burns.
The H4 kit consists of 3 parts. The bulb, the ballast and a control box.
The bulb has 3 plugs, two of which connect to the ballast and a third goes to the control box. The ballast has three wires; two going to the bulb and the third going to the control box. The control box has five wires; two we've already mentioned. There is one which connects to the original headlight plug and another two which run to the battery.
In my installation, I found that the two which run to the battery; were too short for convenient placement; so I've had to extend them a little. I do not know if this was specific to my kit, or just the standard.
The bulb fitting is larger than a standard H4 bulb, however the fascia plate is the same size as normal; so the bulb lugs will fit into the normal positions. There is a problem getting the large back through the rubber boot; as the rubber can be very stiff. I managed to get the base through the boot by removing the shield around the bulb and pushing the bulb through from the rear. I found that spraying silicon lubricant onto the boot made it a little easier. Take care not to touch the bulb. If you do touch the bulb, remember to clean it prior to installation.
I found it easiest to remove the fairing; as this gave me easy access to mount the ballast and fit the bulb. For the 95 D6, the fairing and sub-frame can be easily removed after taking out the fairing screws. There are 4 mount bolts, 2 above the headlight and 2 below. Unscrewing these enables the removal of the fairing with the light still installed. It may be necessary to unscrew the front indicator bracket; as this can get in the way of the lower two screws.
For the placement of the Ballast, I chose to mount it on the side of the sub-frame; the ballast cable is quite short; so it needs to be close to the bulb. As you can see from the photo, I've created a harness from several zip ties and anchored it to the 'T' at the side of the sub-frame. You can see additional detail here:
The control box manages the link with the bike's original wiring and also controls the hi/lo switch for the bulb (since it actually moves). This is linked with all of the components in the system; so it needs to be in a fairly central location. I'm also uncertain about how waterproof it is. I chose here:
Right next to the airbox. This gave me enough cable at the front of the bike; and a convenient mount point. However the wire running to the battery was about 6" too short so I've had to extend it. Again, you can see that I've made a harness out of zip ties.
Once the system is installed and tested; it is important to adjust the headlight; to ensure that the glare doesn't affect the other drivers.
I have an MOT booked for next week. Assuming that the system passes the MOT, I will post an update.
I will also add any further instructions and photos if I find other useful bits to add.
I hope this helps
T.
Information about HID can be found here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_discharge_lamp
There's also a little concern about the legality of these systems; which Auto Express raises in this video here: and also this article here: www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html
I'm currently going through the process of fitting one of these HID systems and I'd like to post some photos here; which I hope will help others perform a similar upgrade. These photos are of a 1995 XJ600s; so component positioning will vary dependent on your fairing.
As a warning, HID systems run at an extremely high voltage; the ballast ups the standard 12v from the bike to a whopping 12,000v for the initial ignition process. The bulb then stabilises at 8000v for continuous use
. This enormous voltage is produced by the ballast which is fed directly to the bulb. Care should be taken when handling the ballast to avoid damage. Also, try to avoid touching the system when it is in use. If the cable between the ballast and the bulb is damaged, cease the use of the system immediately; as there is a high risk of electrocution or burns.The H4 kit consists of 3 parts. The bulb, the ballast and a control box.
The bulb has 3 plugs, two of which connect to the ballast and a third goes to the control box. The ballast has three wires; two going to the bulb and the third going to the control box. The control box has five wires; two we've already mentioned. There is one which connects to the original headlight plug and another two which run to the battery.
In my installation, I found that the two which run to the battery; were too short for convenient placement; so I've had to extend them a little. I do not know if this was specific to my kit, or just the standard.
The bulb fitting is larger than a standard H4 bulb, however the fascia plate is the same size as normal; so the bulb lugs will fit into the normal positions. There is a problem getting the large back through the rubber boot; as the rubber can be very stiff. I managed to get the base through the boot by removing the shield around the bulb and pushing the bulb through from the rear. I found that spraying silicon lubricant onto the boot made it a little easier. Take care not to touch the bulb. If you do touch the bulb, remember to clean it prior to installation.
I found it easiest to remove the fairing; as this gave me easy access to mount the ballast and fit the bulb. For the 95 D6, the fairing and sub-frame can be easily removed after taking out the fairing screws. There are 4 mount bolts, 2 above the headlight and 2 below. Unscrewing these enables the removal of the fairing with the light still installed. It may be necessary to unscrew the front indicator bracket; as this can get in the way of the lower two screws.
For the placement of the Ballast, I chose to mount it on the side of the sub-frame; the ballast cable is quite short; so it needs to be close to the bulb. As you can see from the photo, I've created a harness from several zip ties and anchored it to the 'T' at the side of the sub-frame. You can see additional detail here:
The control box manages the link with the bike's original wiring and also controls the hi/lo switch for the bulb (since it actually moves). This is linked with all of the components in the system; so it needs to be in a fairly central location. I'm also uncertain about how waterproof it is. I chose here:
Right next to the airbox. This gave me enough cable at the front of the bike; and a convenient mount point. However the wire running to the battery was about 6" too short so I've had to extend it. Again, you can see that I've made a harness out of zip ties.
Once the system is installed and tested; it is important to adjust the headlight; to ensure that the glare doesn't affect the other drivers.
I have an MOT booked for next week. Assuming that the system passes the MOT, I will post an update.
I will also add any further instructions and photos if I find other useful bits to add.
I hope this helps
T.
.