Head Light Project Need Help From All Of Us

[gibby14]

HEAD LIGHT PROJECT #1

Bike: 84 kz 440

Problem: Headlight is way too dim visibilty is too poor

Objective: To out fit the bike with a more advanced HID headlight setup (retro fit of some sort)

Possible solution: Fish ebay for HID parts for cars, retro fit newer model motorcycle equipment to the older one, ?????????????



I'm wondering if anyone else has a similar problem or is interested in helping?
If anyone has any ideaas or has already completed a project of this nature.I would love any help I can get. As soon as i finish the project I will repost all of the steps and info on how to do. SO let me know what yall think. love the support!




David

[Nate]

Have you measured the voltage at the headlamp terminals yet? With the engine RPM at around 4k you should see close to 14V. If that is correct, maybe there is a halogen headlamp available. If not, then look for dirty/corroded connector or high/low beam switch contacts.

[gibby14]

its not that the exsiting headlight is not doing its job its that compared to light that a HID puts out it sucks balls and i want to be able to see what im coming across when im going down the highway in downtown dallas. Its kind of a safety issue if no one is interested in it i wont bother puting the results on the webpage.

[Tod]

I'd ditto the Halogen replacement bulb suggestion. As long as it is the same voltage as your original bulb, and it doesn't pose a danger of melting any plastic (they can get kinda hot).

[elr658]

As the sealed beam that comes on a KZ440 is marginal at best. Hint HIDs also need 14V at the connector.

[CTRider]

I have the same issue with a '79 KZ 200. The headlight isn't bright enough unless I have the high beams on. Even then, illumination is merely adequate.

I'd be interested in any thoughts on boosting that lighting power.

[Nate]

The fact is that older bikes, particularly the smaller models, have a small margin of charging system capacity. I have to admit not being up to speed on HID lighting and I sort of mistook your problem. However, even a new bulb will not perform adquately if it's not getting enough power, so you probably want to be sure that you're reading within a volt or slightly less of the battery voltage at the bulb terminals.

[CTRider]

The fact is that older bikes, particularly the smaller models, have a small margin of charging system capacity. I have to admit not being up to speed on HID lighting and I sort of mistook your problem. However, even a new bulb will not perform adquately if it's not getting enough power, so you probably want to be sure that you're reading within a volt or slightly less of the battery voltage at the bulb terminals.

I guess that's really the question: can HID lighting be used as a direct replacement for a standard bulb on an older model bike without compromising the standard electrical system? If the HIDs provide more light with no more power requirement, I would think they could be used in that fashion. However, if they require more amperage (I'm assuming they are 12v, so amps would be the biggest issue followed by how much resistance they require), that would be a huge problem for an already limited setup. It would be nice to see better without any major modification to the power system.

[Nate]

I just glanced over some information I found and a couple of things strike me. First, I've read that one loses high/low beam capability, although I'm not sure this is universal. Second, there seem to be kits for replacing sealed beams depending on the lamp model. Third, there is some discussion about water-proofing the ballast which may be a challenge on an old bike. Fourth, these things aren't cheap!

I'm willing to bet that the best bang for the buck is a halogen bulb, or adding more bulbs (one will need to do some testing to be sure the charging system can handle the additional load).

[OKC_Kent]

I don't know what HID is, but when I switched to a H4 Halogen from JC Whitney the difference was amazing. Here's what I bought.

http://tinyurl.com/gjwvz

My bike had plenty of juice to power it.

[gibby14]

thank you! i think some of you fianlly understand what i was trying to say!
Maybe i wasn't truly clear on what i wanted / wanted to do!
But thank you for your help! My plan is so far is to purchase a hid setup for a car like a 9006 bulb!

then buy a headlight setup for a motorcycle that takes a 9006 bulb. THEN plug and chug see how the bike does

price not an issue its alll about custom bike work plus i only have to buy one side a friend is buy ing the other

as far as power we plan on buying the same system from the car we will test on to see power requirements

we also plan on testing on the bike if we are a lil short on amps then i'll just open the hole up a lil and put in a bigger battery that carries more amps if all else fails i will buy the halogen and leave it at that


david

[CTRider]

I don't know what HID is, but when I switched to a H4 Halogen from JC Whitney the difference was amazing. Here's what I bought.

http://tinyurl.com/gjwvz

My bike had plenty of juice to power it.

That may be the way to go for me, especially based on similarity of our bikes.

BTW: Here's some HID info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-in...discharge_lamp

http://www.halcyon.net/lights/hid-faq.shtml

[hotride]

the beauty of hid is that it requires way less amps ( 3-4 amps running with a 8amp startup ) then a compareable halogen bulb (9 -10 running ) . this is also for a pair of lights , it would be half if just running one . i believe that you would be ok to run hid anywhere between 10 -18 volts . your system should handle the small amp draw with ease . hid;s are better in EVERY way . and price has come down a lot . although i wouldent buy one made in china , spend a bit more and get a jap one .

[precise86]

I don't know what HID is, but when I switched to a H4 Halogen from JC Whitney the difference was amazing. Here's what I bought.

Motorcycle Halogen Headlight : JC Whitney: Auto Parts & Accessories

My bike had plenty of juice to power it.

I'm glad that u put the uRL to the headlight up...I was bustin my tail searching thru old topics bout headlights. I'm not gonna go for the HID conversion for fear of frying something up...just a better headlight and the link was perfect! Thanks!

[ddouble]

SilverStar bulbs in a late model bucket works very well. I have an 83 KZ halogen lens/reflector set in my 79 with the Sylvania bulb and it rivals new bikes for light output.

Dan

[ratvespa]

problem is, HID drop in lights (H4 style for example) are not optimal, HID lights require a different reflector than a standard halogen light. They do make a 7" replacement head light for the standard 7" headlights (drag specialties sells them), they have a reflector made for HID, and then have a another halogen bulb for the highbeam (since HID cannot switch from HIGH to LOW light a std bulb can.

but I agree with most other people, first deal with your wiring, make sure you are making at least 12V at your headlamp. Even some of my "newer" bikes have inadequate wiring to the headlamp, and new/larger wiring helps. and a decent H4 light system should work well then.

[StarGate]

You guys do realize that you've been responding to a 2.5 year old thread?

[saturnsc2]

it's funny that i should see this thread as i just bought a kz 440 & thought the headlight could be brighter also. i replaced the original headlight that was cloudy like there was moisture in it with a factory bulb, & it's a little brighter now. anyway, i'm happy with my lights, but i found this on ebay which might be an easy fix or those who want more brightness: eBay Motors: NEW H4 Halogen Replacement Headlight Cb350 KZ440 & more (item 190266034303 end time Nov-20-08 15:42:50 PST)

[saturnsc2]

You guys do realize that you've been responding to a 2.5 year old thread?

ya but the problem still lurks in these bikes that people buy now like mine..

[toates89]

SRy for the hijack, but i lost my headlight bucket rim. anyway of making a make shift rim?