ZX600c Headlight question

WarX · 06-09-2007

Hey, quick question for you guys, has anyone noticed that when starting the bike the highbeam bulb/highbeam itself flickers? I wired my HIDs up so that it ONLY turns on with highbeams on so that the ballast only sees a constant voltage instead of a varying one that could kill it. But i was surprised when i started the bike a few days ago and the HIDs turned on immediately and flickered off and kept turning on/off with revving or while the bike is being turned over...

Basically my question is... is there any way to stop the bike from powering the high beam circuit before the motorcycle is on/before the highbeam switch is flicked?

86Ninja · 06-09-2007

Yeah get a new headlight modulator, yours is either bad, or you wired it up wrong.

WarX · 06-09-2007

nah, didn't wire it up wrong, i do car electronics usually :p everything is correct.... 'kay, gonna check the headlight mod.

WarX · 06-10-2007

wait a minute, does the the motorcycle come WITH a headlight modulator factory? i just googled it and it looks like an aftermarket part... maybe you might have misunderstood what i was talking about... anyone else with any information possibly?

xeon · 06-10-2007

I would have to have a better understanding of your wiring and components. Is this one of those kits from E-bay where you slap a HID in your stock reflector? You should have the HID wired directly to your battery. Although HIDs run at 35W, the ballast has quite a current draw to get started which can be problematic on stock wiring. I wouldn't wire it to turn on or off with the high beam since HIDs don't like to be flicked on and off. In any regards, it sounds like a ballast problem with the little bit of info given...

xeon · 06-10-2007

I would have to have a better understanding of your wiring and components. Is this one of those kits from E-bay where you slap a HID in your stock reflector? You should have the HID wired directly to your battery. Although HIDs run at 35W, the ballast has quite a current draw to get started which can be problematic on stock wiring. I wouldn't wire it to turn on or off with the high beam since HIDs don't like to be flicked on and off. In any regards, it sounds like a ballast problem with the little bit of info given...

86Ninja · 06-10-2007

Its not really called a modulator, its called a reserve lighting device, any here's the schematic

WarX · 06-10-2007

Xeon, what would you wire it to do? don't you want to wire it to turn on and off?

The point of the ballast is to charge electrically then send the signal to the xenon inside the bulb to excite it to light up... I wired the HID input to the high beam input so that it does not get a varying voltage during startups/revving as it is right now. The high beam itself has a separate switch to turn it on and off versus starting the bike and getting the HIDs immediately turned on.

I retrofitted projectors into the factory housings, i didn't use the standard reflectors for the HIDs. Also, if i had it wired directly to the battery... is it to stay on 24/7? since you can't exactly just pop the wires onto the battery and off of it... you can, but that's just not intelligent. You are supposed to have a sort of means of turning on and off the HIDs, they're made to turn on and off.

86Ninja, thanks, i think that's what i was looking for.

i'll check it tomorrow and try to trouble shoot it. Thanks again

xeon · 06-11-2007

To properly wire a HID you should wire directly to the battery. I fully understand how HIDs work and the initial current draw to start the HID is substantial.

In terms of the HID always being on, you wire your custom harness with a relay that turns it on and off via integration with the stock lamp connector. What you do not want to do with HIDs is flick them on and off, they may not always relight and it will shorten the lamps life considerably. It is for that reason that HIDs use a shutter that moves for hi/lo beams... the lamps remain lit and the same while on. Below is but one harness example illustrating a dual bi-xenon:

You are on the right track with using a full retrofit with projectors, but I suspect your wiring harness is questionable. My advice since you are wiring savvy, poke around hidplanet.com forum and figure out a harness.

WarX · 06-11-2007

already done that =P and as for the relay, that's done already, it's just that instead of having it turn on automatically with the bike i'd rather have it run w/ just the highbeams on since it's single beam. When they're on, they'll stay on with the bike, they won't be flicked on and off. That's the problem with them right now is that they ARE being flickered on and off because there is some short or something wrong in the line where the low beam is somehow powering the highbeam which flicks the relay over to allow power into the ballast, and the ballast sees a varying current... but i've got the correct wiring done

06-09-2007	#1 (permalink)
WarX Made It To Second Gear BTK Beginner Join Date: May 2007 Location: MA Posts: 76	ZX600c Headlight question Hey, quick question for you guys, has anyone noticed that when starting the bike the highbeam bulb/highbeam itself flickers? I wired my HIDs up so that it ONLY turns on with highbeams on so that the ballast only sees a constant voltage instead of a varying one that could kill it. But i was surprised when i started the bike a few days ago and the HIDs turned on immediately and flickered off and kept turning on/off with revving or while the bike is being turned over... Basically my question is... is there any way to stop the bike from powering the high beam circuit before the motorcycle is on/before the highbeam switch is flicked?

06-10-2007	#5 (permalink)
xeon Wants better weather! BTK Expert Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Culpeper, VA Posts: 836	I would have to have a better understanding of your wiring and components. Is this one of those kits from E-bay where you slap a HID in your stock reflector? You should have the HID wired directly to your battery. Although HIDs run at 35W, the ballast has quite a current draw to get started which can be problematic on stock wiring. I wouldn't wire it to turn on or off with the high beam since HIDs don't like to be flicked on and off. In any regards, it sounds like a ballast problem with the little bit of info given... __________________ Black '06 Ninja 250R Red-n-Silver '99 YZF600R

06-10-2007	#6 (permalink)
xeon Wants better weather! BTK Expert Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Culpeper, VA Posts: 836	I would have to have a better understanding of your wiring and components. Is this one of those kits from E-bay where you slap a HID in your stock reflector? You should have the HID wired directly to your battery. Although HIDs run at 35W, the ballast has quite a current draw to get started which can be problematic on stock wiring. I wouldn't wire it to turn on or off with the high beam since HIDs don't like to be flicked on and off. In any regards, it sounds like a ballast problem with the little bit of info given... __________________ Black '06 Ninja 250R Red-n-Silver '99 YZF600R

06-10-2007	#7 (permalink)
86Ninja EX650rider Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New Phila Oh Posts: 19	Its not really called a modulator, its called a reserve lighting device, any here's the schematic Last edited by 86Ninja : 07-01-2007 at 01:48 AM.

06-11-2007	#9 (permalink)
xeon Wants better weather! BTK Expert Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Culpeper, VA Posts: 836	To properly wire a HID you should wire directly to the battery. I fully understand how HIDs work and the initial current draw to start the HID is substantial. In terms of the HID always being on, you wire your custom harness with a relay that turns it on and off via integration with the stock lamp connector. What you do not want to do with HIDs is flick them on and off, they may not always relight and it will shorten the lamps life considerably. It is for that reason that HIDs use a shutter that moves for hi/lo beams... the lamps remain lit and the same while on. Below is but one harness example illustrating a dual bi-xenon: You are on the right track with using a full retrofit with projectors, but I suspect your wiring harness is questionable. My advice since you are wiring savvy, poke around hidplanet.com forum and figure out a harness. __________________ Black '06 Ninja 250R Red-n-Silver '99 YZF600R

06-09-2007	#2 (permalink)
86Ninja EX650rider Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New Phila Oh Posts: 19	Yeah get a new headlight modulator, yours is either bad, or you wired it up wrong.

06-09-2007	#3 (permalink)
WarX Made It To Second Gear BTK Beginner Join Date: May 2007 Location: MA Posts: 76	nah, didn't wire it up wrong, i do car electronics usually :p everything is correct.... 'kay, gonna check the headlight mod.

06-10-2007	#4 (permalink)
WarX Made It To Second Gear BTK Beginner Join Date: May 2007 Location: MA Posts: 76	wait a minute, does the the motorcycle come WITH a headlight modulator factory? i just googled it and it looks like an aftermarket part... maybe you might have misunderstood what i was talking about... anyone else with any information possibly?

06-10-2007	#8 (permalink)
WarX Made It To Second Gear BTK Beginner Join Date: May 2007 Location: MA Posts: 76	Xeon, what would you wire it to do? don't you want to wire it to turn on and off? The point of the ballast is to charge electrically then send the signal to the xenon inside the bulb to excite it to light up... I wired the HID input to the high beam input so that it does not get a varying voltage during startups/revving as it is right now. The high beam itself has a separate switch to turn it on and off versus starting the bike and getting the HIDs immediately turned on. I retrofitted projectors into the factory housings, i didn't use the standard reflectors for the HIDs. Also, if i had it wired directly to the battery... is it to stay on 24/7? since you can't exactly just pop the wires onto the battery and off of it... you can, but that's just not intelligent. You are supposed to have a sort of means of turning on and off the HIDs, they're made to turn on and off. 86Ninja, thanks, i think that's what i was looking for. i'll check it tomorrow and try to trouble shoot it. Thanks again

06-11-2007	#10 (permalink)
WarX Made It To Second Gear BTK Beginner Join Date: May 2007 Location: MA Posts: 76	already done that =P and as for the relay, that's done already, it's just that instead of having it turn on automatically with the bike i'd rather have it run w/ just the highbeams on since it's single beam. When they're on, they'll stay on with the bike, they won't be flicked on and off. That's the problem with them right now is that they ARE being flickered on and off because there is some short or something wrong in the line where the low beam is somehow powering the highbeam which flicks the relay over to allow power into the ballast, and the ballast sees a varying current... but i've got the correct wiring done

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