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HID headlight for A/AW - H9 & H11

64K views 428 replies 87 participants last post by  LL Cool K 
#1 ·
Hey guys....

been searching up threads and dont seem to find too much info for us AW/A style headlights....

i want to go HID....i saw RIPPIE went with low beam only i think....looks nice,but can we go low and hi beams?.....i guess we need two kits then?...

anyone on the site selling a good HID kit or do we need to go on ebay?

this is strictly for the AW/A headlight only.....i saw lots on the DX lights but that is only one bulb.

thanks
dan
 
#2 ·
Here is a kit I have been using for sometime now with great results, I have the single filament bulb and kit on my low beam but you can do the dual filament bulb to get the hi and low, easy as hell to install too. The thing that I noticed is that a lot of how it's going to work depends on the headlight, like on my headlight the low beam is great, lots more light and much better visibility than stock but I tried doing the hi beam and it wasn't so great. There are things I should of tried like going with a 6k or even 5k bulb for the hi but I only had what I used for the low, an 8k bulb so maybe you'll have better results. It didn't rally matter to me since I went with a modulator on the high beam anyway so a regular halogen was necessary. Also I have read on here to some compiling that the stock dx headlight socks for hid setups, but I can't talk from experience on that. With the the low price of this kit you can always try, lifetime warrant to. Check my gallery, I have the 35W 8000k kit on my low beam. It looks more blue in that picture than it really is. During the day it looks almost completely white. Maybe a tiny hint of blue. Go with the 6k if you want the white look.
Good luck Dan.

http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p=product&id=106&parent=61
 
#5 ·
interesting......so you're telling me you replaced the stock AW style headlight LOW BEAM H11 55 watt bulb with a DUAL FILAMENT HID setup?....how does that work?....does it light both filaments at once?...or did i misunderstand.....how would you activate both hi and low beams on one bulb in a AW style low beam?

I think I need TWO HID setups,one for the h11(low beam) and another for the h9(hi beam)....meaning two bulbs,two ballasts...

and to cure the heatup issue(takes time to get bright) on the hi beam,i would wire the YELLOW AND BLUE wires together in the left switch cover,which will keep the LOW BEAM ALWAYS ON.

Dan
 
#3 ·
Dan ... if you end up ordering a kit,let me know.

I was going to do this too ... but if you get a kit, we can just do ours at the same time

I get my bike back Friday ... the front end is SWEET! I decided to annodize the triple trees (to clean up the few scratch marks) so it took a little longer ...
 
#4 ·
Dan, I have the H11 low beam HID kit and Love it! DDMtuning has a great price /warranty and the guys are really helpful if you call them. If you want the most light, don't go any higher color than 6000k. The 8000k is very blue, but isn't as bright.

Shoe
 
#7 ·
thanks!....i just wonder why noone has HID on HI BEAM though?....it seems to me this would be the best place to have a brighter light no???....

can i do two setups on both hi and low?....two ballasts ,two kits basically?....

do they know exactly what i need for vrod?...is it just h11 and h9 all i need to tell them?

can you explain alittle more detail on the 6000k vs 8000k?...id like to have some blue tint but as much WHITE light for best vision!

thanks
dan
 
#6 ·
:them:...

I bought a single set for bikes having a slimmer ballast, and try to get a as low as number you can get closest to 4300k
 
#8 ·
Here is my question, Do these kits provide a projector so that it is done right, or is it just another hack putting an HID bulb in a reflective housing and causing temp blindness for on coming traffic?



looked around, deff hack, for anyone who does this please do it right and get a projector housing, that will fit in your head light. you will get better light and you will not blind on coming cagers as you ride at night.
 
#10 ·
Ok after looking at this site which several recommend...i have a few more questions...

this page shows their single bulb system....http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p=product&id=105&parent=87

which they say is needed if you want to use two different bulb types....so for the AW style headlight I would use TWO of these single bulb HID systems...one would be an h11 and other would be H9....

now,i see two options....first option is 35watt or 55 watt....which do you recommend?...i know the wattage of the stock bulbs are 55 and 65.

2nd option is COLOR from 3000k to 12000k.....so you guys are telling me the lower the number the WHITER it is?...and higher it gets more bluish???.....which is best overal for a pure white light?....i do like blue tint but want it to look pure white when it hits the road.

thanks!
Dan
 
#11 ·
does anyone see any problem with running BOTH HI AND LOW bulbs HID???.....it seems most AW style headlights everyone only runs the LOW BEAM,im not sure why since in the country i want my HI BEAM bright....if i wire the yellow and blue wires together and have a constant LOW BEAM always,will this be ok with the HID system?.....i dont think the HID pulls anymore WATTAGE then stock bulbs correct?

thanks again
dan
 
#12 ·
Lesser wattage and heat per bulb so doing both no problem but these bulbs act like a tube light so there is som delay in on/off for signaling.
It will be fully bright after say 5 seconds and you cant imeadeately switch it on back after putting it off ...it has to cool or life will be short. If you use it for longer times it will be fine ..just no flash.
 
#14 ·
The problem with high beam HIDs is that you pretty much lose the ability to flash your hi-beam lights (not that it is that important on a motorcycle, but some people do use it)

When I did the lights on my old car, I initially went with a 8000k bulb. It looked nice because it had that blue tint, but the light output was TERRIBLE. I switched it out to a 4500k bulb and it was a very white color, but the light output was twice as good ...

I'm going to stick with a 4500k-6000k bulb
 
#16 ·
heres another color chart......Im thinking 6000k after talking with them on phone...

Dan
 
#20 ·
ok maybe 5K is better since its such pure white...i just thought the blue tint looked cool though,so was leaning toward 6k.

Im gonna go with two kits,hi and low....and gonna wire my yellow and blue wires together so low stays on always....should be SICK!

just gotta figure out 55w or 35 watt now....im leaning to 55 for max brightness...

Dan
 
#19 ·
add up your watt use and make sure you don't use more than the bike can make!
 
#22 ·
talked to them....asked them about it.

stock AW bulbs are 55low and 65 hi....

but he tells me the HID takes ALOT MORE power to initially start....but then once running takes LESS power...

so,im going to go with 55watters and assume it should take it no problem.

Dan
 
#24 ·
#26 ·
thanks buddy!.....great information.....

only think is not sure if i want 5000k or 6000k......

and im alittle worried about 55watts running both hi and low together(RJs setup) as far as HEAT buildup inside the headlamp.

what do you guys think?

Dan
 
#29 ·
I have the 35w 6k single from DDM Tuning and it is plenty bright.
55w would be nice, but it would be overkill on brightness and it would piss off oncoming traffic - someone might run you down cause they are blinded!
 
#30 ·
8000K is good enough for me. I never get flashed from oncoming traffic & it's so much better than the factory halogen it's not even funny. Its a bright white beam with a touch of blue in it.
 
#33 ·
something i noticed...

your youtube video shows a BLUE BULB in the HI BEAM location of your LAMP.....but your HID is in the LOW beam correct?...

if so,that blue bulb for hi beam is what?

Dan
 
#32 ·
Ok guys....awesome thread and really appreciate everyone jumping into this....another member i ride with at times,has 8000k and I was blown away by how bright it was....i was gonna go with 5000 but knowing 8000k was awesome,im gonna lean toward 6000k now.

also,im gonna stick to 35watt to be on safe side since im gonna run the HI AND LOW beams with TWO HID setups,and dont want to create too much heat within the lamp.

I will wire the blue and yellow together RJ style so i do not have to worry about hi beam heatup time......i understand LIFE might be shortened on the HI beam if used on n off alot,however DDM has a lifetime warranty so if it does quit that will help.

Ill post up when i do the install with pics...

thanks again
dan
 
#34 ·
I just completed installing my dual HID setup the other night. I have 35W ballasts for the hi and low beam and is wired so that the low beam is on all the time. I also have 6000k temp bulbs. I custom made my own power/control harness so I do not have to worry about any trouble with my stock harness. Some people are plugging directly into the original harness with 35W units and reporting no problems, but if you go 55W you should definitely use a relay harness.

I have the ballast/igniters and relays installed toward the front of the lower half of the airbox. If you already have some other electronics there things will get pretty crowded.

My personal suggestions would be 35W 6000k for the low beam. There is plenty of light off this unit and I personally feel you should not install a 55W in the low (main) beam. The A/AW headlamp is european inspired and as such has a definite horizontal cutoff and will not bother on coming traffic as others suggest, but I believe that 55W is too much light to be traffic friendly. You could do either 35W or 55W in the high beam spot. I have the 35W and kinda wish I went with the 55W, but with these setups its as easy as plugging in the 55W ballast where the 35W unit is.

Hope this helps
 
#35 ·
wow thanks....this is exactly the direction im going too...

do you think the 55 watt hi beam with RJs fulltime low beam at 35 watt would be too much heat in the lamp?.....if i went 55 for hi beam,would i have to worry about a relay or do you think pluggin in direct to stock light harness would be ok with just hi beam at 55?...

if its not....where would i get a relay for 55w ballast?

thanks!
Dan
 
#42 ·
@sammy
Sorry, did not know the US lens for A/AW had changed...I have two firstgeneration lenses here and there is a minor difference in the back reflector. Somthing i always thaught it wase easy to adjust for the factory making it safer ...the thing i disliked in my european one is the big pilotbulb in there at the bottom so i glued a blue LED in the top square vent hole of my DOT spec one...

Oh ... and yes i got paint :D

Rockerdan, the heat from two 55w hid bulbs is much less than two indescant ones..imho it wont harm the reflector but you need to pay attention always only one will start initialy (forgive my wrong words,i'm too lazy to check)
 
#45 ·
Once again, remember that the 35w is plenty bright enough. It is over 3 times brighter than a halogen. Think about the OTHER person - the oncoming cager who might have a hard time seeing beyond your bright headlamp and off the road on a corner they go...
 
#47 ·
i totally understand....but they told me many people go 55 watt and the low beam on my bike i keep aimed downward....it does not hit eye level at all....this is why im thinking 55w for all.

Dan
 
#46 ·
Ok just spoke to DDM again....this wiring harness/relay http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p=product&id=133&parent=94 has two plugins on each end(made for a car) so ONE of these items would allow BOTH HI and LOW to be wired thru it which will gets its power direct from battery....this is what I will do and never have the worry of melting stock wire harness.

I might be nuts but im gonna go 55 watt on both since ill be using the harness/relay....gonna go with 6000 LOW beam and 5000 Hi beam....should be crazy bright.....ill also have to wire the hi/low together RJ style...

ordering now
Dan
 
#48 ·
ok...ordered finally!....LOL

here are the 3 items I bought from DDM


*$42.50-One H11(low beam)DDM 35W Single Motorcycle HID System(6000 color)
found here:http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p=product&id=105&parent=61


*$50.00-One H9(hi beam)DDM 55W Single Motorcycle HID System(5000 color)
found here:http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p=product&id=105&parent=61


*$20.00-One HID Accessory Wiring Harness(automotive style has two plugins,one for each bulb)
found here:http://www.ddmtuning.com/index.php?p=product&id=133&parent=94

Dan
 
#49 ·
Dam!I just ordered two H11 55W 6000k bulbs yesterday(before reading this thread) not knowing I would have to screw with wiring.I wanted something slightly brighter than stock without doing any wiring,now these bulbs are useless to me.Is there any options as far as bulbs are concerned for plug and play?If not,is the hid kit pretty easy to wire up(I switched hadlight from B to A light)?
 
#51 ·
not sure what you mean by BULBS.....but....

I started this whole headlight thing last week....and I thought id just be able to buy those cheapie XENON bulbs(2 packs) off ebay....i got a 55w(low-h11) and 65w(hi-h9) with the blue look....i went with same wattage cause i heard some guys went 80w and 100w with the xenon and it melted the plugins!

everyone learn from my mistake!...these xenon bulbs at the same wattage as stock(not to be mistake for true HID system) are horrible..they are MUCH LESS light then STOCK!!!....

true HID system has a ballast for each bulb....and is 3 to 4 times as bright as stock bulbs....

so anyone thinking about the xenon cheapo bulbs,dont bother...

Dan
 
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