Plug & Play HID Conversion?
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
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From: Bedford UK
If you search HDF you will find plenty of recommendations. The Touring forum is keen on them, so try in there. They involve a small 'black box' that fires up the light which you will need to tuck away somewhere. Not quite so easy on a Sporty as on a dresser!
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,132
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From: MO
Thanks man, I did search before I made the post, but it was limited to the Sportster and the only thing I found there lead me to a site that doesn't list motorcycle kits any more. I called them and they only use universal kits now for twin lamp vehicles. I'll broaden my search. 
In the mean time I ordered a Silverstar Ultra H4 from ebay for $18 shipped.
In the mean time I ordered a Silverstar Ultra H4 from ebay for $18 shipped.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,051
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I have converted both lamps on my vrod to HID, as well as six of them on my Yukon XL, by using the HID kits from DDMTUNING.COM . They are well built, work great, and are inexpensive compared to some of the outrageous prices you'll find on HID gear.
These are the specific kits .. http://www.ddmtuning.com/Product-Cat...-Kits-Lighting
The 35W is MORE THAN ENOUGH for your low beam. It will make you think that your stock bulb was candle powered. I have 35W lo and 55W hi on my bike.
Any HID will require a ballast that you'll have to hide/mount and space like that is at a premium on the Sporty. The VROD has tons of "internal" storage so it was easy. I'll be doing my Sporty when it returns from the chop shop, too, but not sure yet where I'll put the ballast. Will be doing my girl's sporty over the winter. HID is a HUGE improvement in night driving safety.
These are the specific kits .. http://www.ddmtuning.com/Product-Cat...-Kits-Lighting
The 35W is MORE THAN ENOUGH for your low beam. It will make you think that your stock bulb was candle powered. I have 35W lo and 55W hi on my bike.
Any HID will require a ballast that you'll have to hide/mount and space like that is at a premium on the Sporty. The VROD has tons of "internal" storage so it was easy. I'll be doing my Sporty when it returns from the chop shop, too, but not sure yet where I'll put the ballast. Will be doing my girl's sporty over the winter. HID is a HUGE improvement in night driving safety.
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Road Master
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: MO
Thanks man, that's cheap. Looks like you run dedicated power to batt, but other than that, is there any splicing or tapping other than tieing in the high / low switch? Does the bulb secure in the H4 location or do you have to gut it and secure by other means? Looks like it would take up little room in the fork bag. Wish I hadn't wasted the $20 in the Silverstar now. I run them in my vehicles and like them, but I didn't expect much in the motorcycle other than color improvement.
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From: D.C.
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Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Bedford UK
HID stands for High Intensity Discharge. The headlight bulb doesn't use an incandescent wire, but strikes a spark between two terminals. To achieve that it uses a high frequency AC current, not DC like normal bulbs, and the ballast referred to creates that special voltage.
The resulting light is a much higher temperature than a normal bulb and hence also much brighter. They are common on recent high end cars.
An HID conversion is best done with a high quality reflector, such as Hella, Bosch or Cibie, to get the best beam onto the road. Harley stock reflectors leave a lot to be desired!
Hope that helps!
The resulting light is a much higher temperature than a normal bulb and hence also much brighter. They are common on recent high end cars.
An HID conversion is best done with a high quality reflector, such as Hella, Bosch or Cibie, to get the best beam onto the road. Harley stock reflectors leave a lot to be desired!
Hope that helps!
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,056
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From: Cottage Grove MN
I have gone through HID Country before they have really good customer service.
http://shop.hidcountry.com/ProductDe...o%20Kit%20HDK1
http://shop.hidcountry.com/ProductDe...o%20Kit%20HDK1
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
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Thanks man, that's cheap. Looks like you run dedicated power to batt, but other than that, is there any splicing or tapping other than tieing in the high / low switch? Does the bulb secure in the H4 location or do you have to gut it and secure by other means? Looks like it would take up little room in the fork bag. Wish I hadn't wasted the $20 in the Silverstar now. I run them in my vehicles and like them, but I didn't expect much in the motorcycle other than color improvement.
There is another issue here - the HID lamps take about 10 seconds to warm up to full brightness, so if you switch back from your high to your low, you'll have momentary darkness! DOT regs prohibit the manufacturer from allowing both high and low bulbs to be on concurrently. There are PLENTY of folks out there who have modded their systems to keep the low on when you turn on the high. For my vrod it was as simple as connecting two wires together - but it takes some thought. On my GMC it took connecting the hot pins of the high and low relays, but by using a diode. Happy to talk more about it.
Here's a pic of my TWO ballasts in the airbox on my vrod. Keep in mind, this is for both a HID high and a low beam.
The only drawback to these HID systems is they are so bright that the stock headlamps/reflectors aren't designed to contain the light properly. There is a LOT of diffuse light all over the place, to the sides, up and down. It is tough to keep the oncoming drivers happy without also negating a lot of the benefit of HID. You WILL have to play with your HL's aim after installing, or everyone will be flashing their highs at you.
Last edited by schwingding; Nov 3, 2011 at 03:25 PM.