| Author | Message | ||
     Jimmy_in_nc |
For those of you that have HID's on your Ulysses, do you use 55W or 35W? I am about to order a set in preparation for an upcoming trip across the swamps of eastern NC at night and want as much light as possible but not so much that it melts the housings. | ||
| Thesmaz |
I've got 35W with the dual-on hi beam mod. Works well and will light up the road for quite some distance depending on how you aim them. I initially had them set to low, not want to blind anyone but I wanted projection further down the road so I raised them a bit, no problems so far. I want to add some yellow for/driving lights for those night time runs through the Alps, patchy fog sucks! | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I have the 55 watt in my XB-S (same headlights). They're not hot enough to melt anything, and don't pull anymore power than the OEM bulb, so I say go for it! You definitely want to run it through a relay and not straight off the OEM harness though. | ||
| Jimmy_in_nc |
Mike- If they aren't pulling any more current than stock why add a relay?? I'm not debating but just curious as to why. I am a firm believer in K.I.S.S. philosophy and would hate to pull extra wires if not 100% necessary. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I run relays for ANY added accessory (grips, lights, etc.). A relay is cheap to replace. A wiring harness isn't. Most kits have blades on the relay that slip into the stock bulb socket. Additionally, with HIDs the continuous draw isn't the same as the peak draw. At start up, the igniters draw more than 35 or 55 watts. It's probably not 100W, but it's more than 55W. I'd run a fused hard line for the HIDs and run relays off the stock bulb plugs. On a separate note, I ran the super yellow HID on the low beam and the bright white on the high beam. It worked great and provided some really nice distance and contrast. Plus, in foggy conditions, I could use the super yellow to cut through the fog like a knife. The bright white will blind you like a mofo. | ||
| Froggy |
I got 50w HID on mine. 40% more light than 35w bulbs. Go big or go home  | ||
| Ronmold |
When bringing a hot wire to the flyscreen from the battery I recommend getting 12ga hi-flex silicone jacketed R/C car wire from a hobby store. It can take the heat & flex especially if you have a '08 plus. I run 35w HID's and they're fine but face it, we all want.. More Power! (Message edited by ronmold on September 07, 2009) | ||
| Jimmy_in_nc |
Ok... so I can go with the 55W kit w/o melting the light fixture. I can handle installing a relay, done it before and have some silicone cased wire handy from an R/C project. Now the question is what temp. are you running. I'm looking for a clean white light. A light blue twinge is ok but I am merely looking for something that is as bright as it gets with out going into the area of diminishing returns. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I'd look around the 5500-6500K range. | ||
| Rwven |
HID's do have a rather high starting current, so they will draw more than 55 watts on start-up. It does not last long though. I am running a 35W 6000K on my low beam with two 35W 3000K in my driving lights. The driving lights were bought from Palmer Products and, while they are good value for the money, the beam control is not good with the HID lights. I have them aimed low and I still get flashed constantly when using them at night. Running them in daylight for conspicuity seems to work well though. Guys I've ridden with said the bike is very visible with them but not irritating to them like a modulator can be. Using YellowStar 55W Halogens I never got flashed so the shifted focal point using the HIDs is what is causing the problem. Perhaps going to a narrow spot housing would be the answer? The HID in the low puts out a good light and I never get flashed while running it, turning the halogen highbeam on doesn't make an appreciable difference in the lighting distance, though you can see that it is aimed a bit higher. | ||
| Court |
I ran my PIAA (non-HID) through the night in West Virginia recently and it was not good. I'm looking for something else. I want TOO MUCH light . . If Mercedes-Benz can do it on a car . . I can do it on a bike. | ||
| Nobuell |
4300K actually has the most visible light output. I have been told that 4300K to 5000K will provide the best light for driving. I think most car OEM HID lights are 4300K. My 4300K 35W HIDs provide great light. I am thinking about buying a 50W to install in my Low and shift the 35W to my highs. I also have two 55w QH driving lights. Very good light. | ||
| Froggy |
I run 4300k on my car and 8000k on the Uly, just to give it a little bit of a blue tint. My Uly isn't really mobile, but I will try and roll it out for side by side comparison. | ||
| Jimmy_in_nc |
I ran my PIAA (non-HID) through the night in West Virginia recently and it was not good. I'm looking for something else. I want TOO MUCH light . . If Mercedes-Benz can do it on a car . . I can do it on a bike. That's exactly what I'm looking to do. In three weeks I'll be headed through the swamps full of deer and bear among other critters. Either of those will surely ruin a Uly. | ||
| Armymedic |
I have a 6500K 55W on Low Beam and a 4300K 55W on high and with the dual headlight mod, and a relay and dedicated wiring. The 6500 on low is BRIGHT for all times of the day. With both on at night, damn that's bright, though I rarely need both on. Heat wise, HIDs don't put out the heat like halogens do. A great mod. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
I got 4600. Just like Nobuell said (about 4300), that range will give you the most light output, and the whitest light. Once you get over 5000, the light starts to turn more and more blue, and the light output gets less and less. And like others have explained, the bulb uses 55 watts (or 35 watts) when on, so current isn't any more than the OEM. But when starting up the do pull a surge of power, so a relay is a good idea. | ||
| Petereid |
I'll be headed through the swamps full of deer and bear among other critters Get a couple of deer whistles. They stick right under the headlight and they do work!! I get mine at a dollar store....the best buck you will ever spend on your bike if you ride rural areas |
