Thanks again, I wont try to blind myself. I'll ask a neighbor to watch it for me.

This is NOT my HID bulb- found this online. My bulb is actually shorter in lenght behind the reflector than a normal H4 bulb.

I was wondering if the whole bulb moves. It does. Now if it could fire photon torpedoes.

I'm planning to install a Bi-Xenon HID on my 2002 Dakar with a switch in the low\high beam headlight supply (the White\Yellow wire) to shut off the headlight during the day (the parking light is always on). However, I will still be able to use my passing light\flasher (the switch you operate with your left index finger) since it draws its supply from another source (a Green\Black wire that also goes to the horn).

Now, I have 3 questions:

1. With reference to the "warm up" time for a HID bulb, does this indeed mean that for the above setup, the passing switch function will be essentially useless during the day when the headlight is off, since you won't be able to perform a "momentary flash" of the lights like in a halogen bulb?

2. Is there any other type of Bi-Xenon bulb\system that overcomes the "warm-up time" limitation? (Having a "secondary halogen" filament for the high beam is not an acceptable solution).

3. Disregarding the issue of warm-up time for a moment, since an HID bulb passes an arc of current, will frequent and repeated use of the passing switch cause some kind of damage? I know that this isn't the case with halogen filaments since I've been flashing them lights for years now, but what about an HID bulb?

Thanks in advance.

1. Not at all. During the ignition phase, the light is brighter than normal for a few seconds. However, during that time, the ballast is drawing maximum current. BTW running with your headlight off is a BAD idea with respect to visibility to other motorists.

2. Unnecessary. See 1.

3. I would suspect that frequently running it at the higher voltage and current of the ignition phase probably shortens the system lifetime versus running it on all the time. However, the light being off much of the (bike running) time would lengthen the life of the system. Do these two cancel each other out? I have no idea. What would be the first item to fail in a system run that way, the lamp or the ballast? Again, I have no idea.

Thanks Flash. I guess I'll play it safe and ease off that passing switch. Too bad, I used to love flashing that light.



That would certainly make sense in a place like the US, which has the following vehicle statistics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_ ... ted_States

Total 2-wheeler population: 6,686,000
Total 4-wheeler population (automobiles + SUVs): 234,000,000 (approx)

That's a ratio of 1 bike for around 33 cars! No wonder you guys are so paranoid about being visible!

On the other hand, you really should ride around India once (not sure if you visited here during your trip in 2000). It's a whole different ballgame out here. This is the world's largest two-wheeler market, and the dynamics of the road are very different.

Sample this statistic from a road survey of vehicles in India: http://www.cybersteering.com/pulmain/stats/vpop.html

Total 2-wheeler population: 25,915,000
Total 4-wheeler population (cars + "jeeps" - ie, MUVs): 4,300,000 (approx)

In effect, every car is surrounded by six bikes at a time. Talk about the tables being turned! Here, it's the cagers who have to look out for themselves, while the bikers rule the roads! Yay!

There's another funny (and irritating) aspect about riding in the day with your headlight on. Nobody here does it, and as a result, if they see your headlight, they assume you've left it on inadvertently. Ergo, you'll see everybody - pedestrians, pillion riders, sometimes even motorists in the oncoming lane(!) - make that blinking motion at you with their hands, or point to your headlight.

While stopped at a signal, I unfailingly get people telling me nicely that I've forgotten to switch off my headlight (what a retard I must be!) as they cross in front of me. Frankly, I've gotten tired of politely telling them that's how the manufacturer designed the damn bike in the first place. Each time, their reaction is always raised eyebrows, followed with "Now why on earth would they do that?!". Trust me, even with the headlight off, I'll have people (especially kids) pointing to my parking light to tell me I've forgotten to switch that off too!

This vast difference between our biking cultures never fails to amuse me when I read how bikers in this forum constantly worry that cars are "out to get us". I guess we Indian bikers have one less worry to deal with!

I visited India in April of this year for a ride in the Himalayas with Xxaarraa.



While I imagine folks telling you to turn off your headlight all the time could get old after a while, NOT having them run into you would never get old.

Riding in India is way more exciting than road racing in the USA.

Thanks Flash! I knew you would correct my layman's explanation.

Good point. I do use the headlight while on the highways, just not in the city. Besides, when faced with a truck\lorry coming at you in your lane because it wants to overtake a slower vehicle on a two-lane road, and with its driver most likely drunk (it's customary for truckers to down a peg or two before they set off), no amount of flashing or honking is going to save you. I've lost count of the number of times I've been run off the road like this.



In that case, after 12 years of riding across India, it's good to know I haven't missed much in the way of excitement. :)

Now, before I'm accused of going off topic, I'd like to add that I did an install of my cheap-ass, unbranded Chinese HID system yesterday and observed that the light actually became brighter as time passed, reaching its final intensity around 20 seconds after turning it on. I didn't look directly at the light of course, but at the point on the ground where the low beam fell.



Any ideas on what could be the reason for my HID's contradictory behaviour, Flash? Has anyone else experienced this condition?

My VVME kit works the same way. The light doesn't reach full intensity until about 5-10 seconds.

D'oh! You are correct. I was thinking of the HID on another bike I have. It uses separate H1 and an H3 bubs for hi and low. So it has two ballasts. THOSE units are brighter during ignition.

While the VME HID unit is SLIGHTLY dimmer during ignition (and brightens as it warms up for a few seconds), it is still brighter than a standard halogen lamp and WAY brighter than no headlight at all.

OK, that makes sense. It takes a bit for the ballast to crank the voltage from 12v to 23000v to get the ignitor to fire. That would explain the humming when I turn the ignition on. As a side note, I would never leave the key in the "On" position without starting the motor. During the start up of the HID, that puppy draws some serious current - approx 96 watts according to the VVME website. Then it tapers off to about 40-45 watts (35 for the lamp, and 5-10 for the ballast). But it's putting out 3200 lumens using 4-45 watts, while my old Silverstar bulb put out 900 lumens on low beam (55w), and 1500 lumens on high beam (65w). That is why HID kicks butt, especially on a motorcycle.

Sorry to be bringing up an old post, but now that there have been a number of installations of the VVME bi xenon kits, anyone have a recommendation whether I should go with the Standard or Slim? I'll be putting in my '97 Classic.

If I were to do it over again, I would but the slim kit. The upcharge is minimal and the smaller size makes it easier to find a mounting place.

Thanks, I was thinking that myself. It seems that it has a slightly better warranty as well. I really like the way you mounted your ballast--I'm going to try something similar.