[FL-VTX-Rider]

Just bought a HID Motorcycle kit, and installed it on my 1300 VTX I'll go quickly over the removal of the seat, tank, neck collar, in which is where the HID Ballast will be installed. Just to get to the Actually HID installation. Total time it took from start to finish was 1 hour and 20 min. Reason I mounted the HID Ballast where I did, was to get good airflow over it, but yet keeping it from the outside elements. Some people choose to mount them in the headlight bucket, I couldn't imagine all that heat inside the headlight bucket. Here's how it was done.

1. First I removed the seat.
2. Then remove the gas tank. ( Shut off gas ). Gas tank involves 2 lines going into the shut off valve, 1 line in the back right rear of the gas tank which is a vent line, ( remove the right rear spark plug cover ) .Next right front part of the gas tank ,there are 2 green connectors for your speedo. Carefully not to break the slide on top of them when disconnecting them. Remove the rear tank bolt. The tank will not leak, because it needs vaccuum for the flow of gas.
3. Remove the gas tank. ( Don't forget to tie off the front wheel )
5. Remove the 2pc plastic neck collar.
6. Remove your Headlight by removing the 2 bolts, then un-clip the H4 bulb inside the canister.
7. Under the neck, between the frame, is where I mounted the HID Ballast. The wires are long enough in the kit to reach inside the headlight bucket.
8. I Installed the HID Ballast using a 3M double sided tape, then wire tied it around the frame. This is where it will stay dry, but get good venilation. The HID ballast in this kit is 100% waterproof.
9. Run the wires from the HID Ballast into the headlight bucket.
10. Be careful to leave enough wire, so you can turn the front wheel
11. Remove the HID bulb from its original packing. ( Be sure not to touch the bulb, because your finger prints will ruin the bulb within a few days.
12. Install the HID H4 Bulb into the canister. There will be 3 prongs, one fat one at the top, and two skinny ones at the bottom. Match them up correctly.
13. Connect the high voltage wires from the HID bulb, to the HID Ballast inside the can.
14. Carefully wire tie everything up inside the can, so that you can install back the HID Bulb, with the front headlight trim cover.
15. Install the front trim headlight cover with the 2 bolts.
16. Reverse the plastic collar, gas tank, seat.

Be sure not to forget to hook up the gas lines,vent line, and speedo cables under the gas tank. When you first start the bike up, most HID manufactures require a " Burn In " for the HID bulb, for at least a few minutes before shutting the bike back off. Enjoy your new HID Headlight !

Notice how tight the HID beam is, shinning on my garage door. As I drove around tonight for 2 hours, not 1 car shinned me their highbeams, meaning I was not blinding on coming traffic. The H4 bulb on the VTX throws a very tight extreme white light using the HID H4 bulb :

 

[FL-VTX-Rider]

Nice! Where did you purchase the kit from? Any details on the kit itself would be great!

No problem, I bought the kit from here:

http://www.customdynamics.com/hid_headlight_kits.htm

Thanks again, PS, you'll love their kits, very good quality kit

 

[NDAna]

I have some Kits for sale. 4300K and 6000K True Hi/Lo HID units.
These are 50W kits. Importing them myself and the light is AMAZING. Reviews have been good too.
PM for info.

 

[danater]

How to install an HID headlight

Easy install of HID headlight system from NDANA

Quick install

1. disconnect battery
2. pull the headlight, replace with new HID light
3. route your wires along the frame (do as you see fit)
4. connect all connections. ground, mount ballast, and positive lead (extended more than likely)
5. turn your pride on, pop to neutral and stand back and be prepared for the light

Normal install

1. Prelim, package materials
2. Tools and materials
3. Electrical disconnect
4. Headlight removal / install
5. Harness routing
6. Ballast placement
7. Fuse block install


1. Prelim, package materials

When you receive the package in the mail make sure to check the contents of the bag for all the proper parts(bulb, ballast and harness). Once that's done, lets move on and install this mod. I do make it sound a little harder but I have never had electrical problems doing it this way in 8 years of automotive work.



2. Tools and materials

You will need the following:

A Phillips screwdriver
industrial zip ties
1 U bolt 3/8 x 3" x 6"
2 nylon insert lock nuts 3/8" (fits u bolts)
1 U bolt plates (should come with the U bolt, listed for reference)
Rosin core solder
14 gauge wire (2 foot)
soldering iron
shrink wrap to fit wires 2 pieces about 4" long
black PVC electrical tape


3. Electrical disconnect

First rule of thumb is to always disconnect your battery and power sources before you start any mod on your bike. Pull your seat off, move your E. C. M. (computer/ electronic control module) out of the way. Remove the 3 Phillips head screws holding the E. C. M. plate down and remove the plate. The battery will have a black and a red terminal. Disconnect the red (positive) side of the batterys and tuck the battery cable away safely out of range of the positive battery terminal.

4. Headlight replacement

Remove the three (3) screws from the headlight bucket. Two (2) inside by the top of the lens, and one (1) at the very bottom of the headlight bucket. Remove the lens assembly and disconnect the factory plug from the headlight bulb. Move the lens assembly over to a workbench and look at the back of the assembly for a rubber boot with a 3 prong connection sticking out. pull the rubber boot off and set it aside. A metal tensioner is holding the halogen bulb in place. Unhook the tensioner, not completely removing it, pull out the halogen bulb. note there are 3 tabs on the bulb that will help with aligning the new HID bulb properly. If all else fails, look at the HID bulb, marked on the top of the holder if "lock and unlock" make sure the words are pointed up. Make sure the bulb is seated properly in the holder. Jarring can lead to the bulb assembly not functioning properly if the assembly is too far out of the holder. The bulb seat should be even with the assembly holder neck. if its not, simply re-seat it with a pencil being careful not to touch the actual bulb with fingers or pencil/object.

5. Harness routing

I recommend removal of the tank for this step but it is optional.
While the tank is off do your desmog and the ground fix all at the same time.
WWW.bareasschoppers.com has an easy way to remove the tank, desmog and all types of info. Thanks for all the info keep it up.

First extend the positive power lead of the harness with the 2 foot of extra wire. Cut about 6 inches in front of the inline fuse holder. Strip the insulation back about a ½ inch on both the added wire and the harness wire. Solder the wires together, let cool, shrink wrap the connection, then put PVC tape around the ends of the shrink wrap for a water tight fit. Fish the extended power lead along the backbone of the bike right beside the original factory harness. There should be plenty of left over wire at the seat area. There is an option later on so leave with just wire now. Make sure that the harness has enough slack for any pulling that may occur during normal riding. Connect the ground to the frame. Best spot for the ground is where the front coil pack grounds to the frame. 10 mm ¼" socket and small ratchet can easily remove the bolt without any problems.
CAUTION! DO NOT CONNECT THE POSITIVE LEAD AT THIS TIME.

6. Ballast placement and install

Place the ballast to the left (looking from behind the bike or right from the front) between the triple trees just behind the headlight bucket. The wires should be pointing down. Use the U bolt around the ballast and tighten it down so that the U bolt plate will conform to the exterior side of the triple tree fork leg. Make sure to use Nylon Insert Lock Nuts. Vibration from your bike will eventually loosen normal nuts and can cause a very annoying rattle later on. Plug in the ballast to the harness making sure that the positive connector is connected to the positive side of the ballast. Route the black cable from the ballast to inside the headlight bucket. Connect the headlight bulb assembly connectors to the ballast side connectors. Work the headlight assembly into the headlight bucket and replace the three (3) Philips head screws to hold the assembly in place.

7. Fuse block install

Direct connection to battery.
Solder the fuse holder just like the wire splice ( 5. Harness routing)

Optional fuse block install
connect the wire to your optional fuse block
check all connections before reconnecting the positive battery cable.
Reconnect the battery cable and start the bike up in neutral.

 

[NDAna]

Thanks a bunch for the great write up. :bowdown: .
Guess I should have done this myself .
As an added note - on a 1300 there is a pocket under the neck covers that will hold the ballast perfectly. That tip comes directly from Bare. Have done it on a 1300 and it works great.
Thanks again. Enjoy the light.

 

[rthcool]

HID and wiring

I read that if you add a 100w bulb to the headlight it will cause burnout of the 22 guage wire going to the starter. Will this mod do the same thing or does the ballast prevent that?

 

[NDAna]

I read that if you add a 100w bulb to the headlight it will cause burnout of the 22 guage wire going to the starter. Will this mod do the same thing or does the ballast prevent that?

MTL the 100w lamp will smoke your wires or a switch.
You are fine with the HIDs as they draw less power than the stock HL.

 

[NDAna]

HID bulbs are 35 watts, not 100

Actually the ones I sell are 50W. There are some 100W units out there but WAY to powerful for street use.

 

[footprintsinconc]

Step-by-Step HID Headlight install....

Lately there has been quite a bit of questions and comments about which HID and how to wire one. So after reading all the stuff here for the last several months, detailed below is the route that I went with.

I also ended up doing a step-by-step write up for those of us who need pictures and steps to assist us in the installation of pretty much any HID kit. They can’t be much different (the ones without the Hi/Low will not have the Hi/Low connections to worry about).

Bought my HID kit from DDM Tuning. It’s the H4 Hi/Low Kit. It’s the 55 watt as opposed to the 35 watt kit. Color is 5000k.

The 55 watt gives out more light. I could have gone with 6000k in 55 watt, but if you go with the 35 watt, you do want the 5000k, to get the most light.

DDM’s product is the least expensive kit out there with the added bonus of the hi/low option. They warranty the HID bulb and the ballast for life. They say that no one has reported any issues with the ballast powering up and out when starting the bike. If it burns out, they will replace it. There are other here on this site who have been using their kit for some time now without any side effects.

DDM’s service sucks. I called three times, and got pretty much people got three different people in their technical department that knew nothing. I got put on an indefinite hold the 2nd time, hence the reason for calling the 3rd time and after waiting 10 minutes, I hung up. I dont mean here that you should not buy from them, hopefully you will have much better luck with them than I did. I would still buy from them because of the reasons listed in the paragraph above.

Please note: that DDM says that their warranty on their HID bulb, Ballast & the wiring harness is VOID if it is alter in any way!! This meant that I could not cut out the fuse and move it to another location. Also, I could not cut and extend the Hi/Low plug into the headlight bucket (solved this problem by using the plug on the shorter lead for the ballast-see below).

Before you begin the install, make sure you test out the kit while it is separated from the bike. Install the bulb into the headlight first, and connect the three prong switch into the headlight bucket then with it on your lap or on a stable surface, connect it to the battery and see if everything works. You don’t want to install it completely and find out that you have to pull it off to get warranty work done.

Steps you need to do to start first that are not explained here:
1. Remove the seats
2. Remove the tank
3. Partially remove the air breather box from the carb, don’t need to remove the lower hoses.
4. Remove and unplug the head light from the headlight bucket.

Here is a look at the kit I got (see pic below), No instructions, had to ask them to email it to me because I couldn’t down load them.

This gives you a closer look at the (2) wiring leads for the ballasts. Plug the longer lead into the ballast and the Hi/Low plug on that one in NOT USED. We will use the 2nd wiring lead (shorter of the two) for it Hi/Low plug only. See picture below. Please note when the wire from the ballast is routed to the bucket, the smaller black box will fall somewhere in between the neck and the bucket. This will be clear in a picture further down.

Note: in the next few steps, make sure you DO NOT TOUCH THE HID BULB WITH YOUR HANDS OR ANYTHING. You don’t want the HID bulb to burst on you when you plug it in.

I completely forgot to take some additional pictures for the next few steps in removing the old halogen bulb and installing the HID bulb, but I got a shot of the final condition

Remove the rubber housing on the back of the head light bulb. Then unclip the metal clip, it rotates to you left and remove the bulb. Store the bulb away for future use when you HID goes out and a replacement is ordered.

Now remove the plastic case from around the bulb. Then remove the metal housing from the HID by hold the black part tightly and twisting the metal housing, and then pulling it off. Place the metal housing into the head case (it can only go in one way – there are prongs on there that will not allow it to be installed any other way). Place the pin over it and lock it in.

Now place the rubber boot over the metal housing. The inside round opening in the boot will go over the metal housing, not inside of it. The bulb has a rubber washer at the end that will seal that opening once the bulb is in place. I found that once I heated up the rubber boot, it installed on to the metal housing a lot simpler, otherwise you will be fighting it.

Once the boot is in place, install the HID bulb into the metal housing by sliding it in all the way and turning it. You can see that in the next three pictures. One is the HID bulb separated from its shield and case, one picture from the back side and the other of the front.

The next picture show where I placed the ballast and the Hi/Low module.

All of the wires were run on the right side of the bike. The following shows all the extra wires and length tucked into the free space in the neck.

Next picture shows where I snuck the Fuse Box for the HID to take to the left side of the bike.

The next picture shows where the fuse for the HID ended up being located for easy access at the cost of forfeiting the all warranty rights to this product.

The Next image shows where the positive and negative wires were routed to under the seat area.

Connect your positive to the battery. They have it all set up, so why not since I was using their inline fuse anyways.

Connect the negative to a ground post like I did or connect it to the battery ground terminal.

Note: when you are routing the wire from the ballast to the headlight bucket, the small black box will end up in between the neck and the headlight bucket. I have a 2.5” headlight extension on my bike, maybe that is why it ended up there.

The next image shows the plugs handing in the bucket for connection. You have the shorter ballast lead (only going to use the Hi/Low plug on that lead), the positive and negative connection to the HID bulb. Lastly, the three prong plug.

Connect the three prong plug into the socket that you pulled from the halogen bulb.

Now connect all three lead from the HID bulb to the remaining three connections.

You are now done wiring your HID!!

Just put the headlight back on, the tank back into place and install the seats and you are ready to test out your new HID.

Since I still need to work on the flange bearings, I don’t have a picture with them on at night on the road, but it will soon follow and I will post it here.

Sorry for being picture intensive, but that is what I like to see and is helpful for me. If I forgot something or something needs to be added or you have any other advice or comments, feel free to post them too…..

Ride Safe and be seen !!

 

[Capt. Rory]

Nice write up. :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[footprintsinconc]

thanks!

 

[footprintsinconc]

As promised, here are the pics of the HIDs at day and night:

 

[jschiner]

$25 Excellent Driving Lights

Walmart Saves The Day Again!

Walmart has small, chromed, 55 watt halogen bullet lights. I bought the pair and put the old thinking cap on. The mounting was the main issue. The only place they fit nicely was on my lower triple tree, right next to the light. The problem was that it was on top of the fork tubes and drilling the triple tree right there was out of the question. Using expoxy successfuly for 30 years, I decided to epoxy the light mounts to the triple tree. It took me three times to hit upon the right process though,

#1 - USE 5 minute JB WELD - I tried other clear expoxys and they did not hold up.
#2 - Dry fit the lights and mark around the base as to where you want them mounted
#3 - Take off the light mount bases from the lights
#4 - Roughen up real good both the light mount base and the triple tree, otherwise it will not work!!. I used a Dremmel tool.
#5 - mix up the JB Weld and put some on the light base and stick on. Make sure up hold them in the right place until they set good enough to leave them (let them set overnight)
#6 - Wire 'em up.

I Love 'Em (just be careful when you adjust them).

 

[Chicago-Spike]

Please, ask your questions for any help you need on the 1300 Riders board, not on the "How To" board. Since you got your problem solved, I will delete the posts about your trouble.

Thanks :thumbup:

 

[Highway 61 Revisited]

Headlight Adjustment VTX

Headlight Adjustment (VTX 1800) Notes

[HR][/HR]​

Note:

• Headlight adjustment varies with the height of the bike, which can be affected by many things, so the best adjustment is made from the actual height of the headlight from the ground.

• The Honda manual has a picture showing the vertical adjustment being done by turning a screw on the right side of the headlight, which is incorrect! The vertical adjustment screw is on the bottom right side (when facing the bike) of the headlight housing.

1. Towards the bottom of the headlight bezel there are two screws. The one on the left (when facing the bike) adjusts the horizontal, the one on the right adjusts the vertical. Turning the Horizontal screw (facing bike, left-side) clockwise moves the beam to the right; counterclockwise moves the beam to the left. Turning the Vertical screw on the right (while facing the bike) clockwise raises the beam up and counterclockwise lowers the beam down.

2. All adjustments should be performed in the low beam mode, with the bike fully loaded (customary weight including rider).

3. Pick a flat wall where you can locate the bike so the headlight is 25 feet from the wall.

4. With the bike on its wheels, upright, and rider on the bike, have an assistant measure the distance from the floor to the center of the headlight lens.

5. Using this measurement, place a horizontal mark on the wall two (2) inches lower than the height of the center of the headlight (alternatively, you can place two marks on the wall, one that is the exact center height of the headlight from the floor and a second, lower mark, two inches down from this mark. This second mark is the target mark for the headlight's beam).

Adjust the headlight vertically so that the flat top of the brightest part of the beam is just up to that line (marked two inches down at 25 feet).The headlight beam (on low beam) should be relatively flat on the top (but may rise rather sharply at the right edge). Bikes with two headlamps should have both adjusted to spot at the same target location.

6. Horizontal adjustment should center the beam ahead of the line of the bike (a line drawn from the nose of the bike straight to the wall).

 

[Handy1]

HandyHalo mod - Putting LED Halo Ring in 1300 Headlight

All right, you've been asking, here it is...

My LED Halo is 4.75" across (approx), but a 5" would fit in there, probably a little better fit actually as the 4.75" had a bit of play. Mine has 7 colors and multiple flash and fade patterns.

Items required: LED Halo Ring or similar light ring. Phillips screwdriver. Hair dryer or heat gun. Knife or small flat head screwdriver to pry lens off with. Drill and drill bit (3/8 ish. Sized for the wire on your ring).

Difficulty level: Easy - Approximately one hour, including wiring the light in.

Update: The first ring in my light started having color issues after about a month. Some LEDs were lighting up the wrong color. I wrote the company and they sent me a new ring on the condition that I'd send back the old one (they sent the new one first so I'd only have to take it apart once). When I took out the old one, it looked yellowed in the spots that the lights were messed up. It looked like it was getting too hot, so on the second go round, I used foil duct tape (http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nashua-Tape-322-1-57-64-in-x-50-yds-Aluminum-Foil-Tape-3220020500/100030120) I stuck it to the reflector and the inner edge of the ring to deflect the heat from the bulb. You can't see it unless you look for it and it didn't diminish the brightness of the light. The new ring has been in for several thousand miles without a problem.

Step 1. Remove these two screws...

Step 2. Remove headlight and visor by tilting forward and down, then lifting the the tab out of the slot. Remove light bulb.

Step 3. Look in visor, remove screws on the left and right of the bulb. (Sorry, no pic, will get and update post, empty holes under "Screw B" below)

Step 4. Remove both "Screw C"s from the "Headlight Adjustment Screws". If you can't get to "Screw A" because the outer ring is in the way, loosen both "Screw B"s and move the outer ring (you shouldn't need to remove them all the way, loosening them should be enough). Remove "Screw A" and "Plastic Nut" from both sides of the light. There is a metal washer in between the inner ring and the plastic housing (will update with pics). The plastic housing will now come loose from the adjustment rings.

Step 5. (You may want to draw a line or two across the seam for lining it up on reassembly.) Heat between the lens and plastic reflector housing. I used a hair dryer on high and it took about 5 minutes, but a heat gun will probably work quicker. Some have had success splitting the housing by putting them in the oven for 2 or 3 minutes. I don't recommend this, it seems real easy to screw it up. I kept spinning the light as I was heating it to try to heat the glue evenly. The glue softens up and will stay workable for about a minute. I held the hair dryer between my legs pointed at the light as I was separating it to keep it heating. I used a box cutter type blade to gently pry the lens out. A small screwdriver would work as well, but the knife was on my pocket at the time, and since I hadn't properly planned this out before starting, I used what I could reach while the light was still hot.

Step 6. Note the pyramid shape in the reflector, this is the bottom. On the front, outside of the lens, it says "TOP". This is the top. You will need to align the pieces on reassembly. Dry fit your halo ring and figure out where it's going to sit. Mine is sitting on the front of the pyramid on the bottom and on the reflector right at the bend up top. Drill an appropriate sized hole in the reflector for your wire to pass through. I wouldn't recommend drilling it at 3 or 9 o'clock (left or right side) as this is right where "Screw B" sits. (Go ahead, ask me how I know. :roll: It almost didn't fit back together!) Feed your wire through your new hole and silicone the ring in place. Silicone the wire hole as well. (I did mine from the back side to keep the inside clean) I let my silicone dry overnight, but if you're in a hurry, use a little hot glue to place the halo ring before you silicone. The glue dries fast and will hold the ring until the silicone dries.

Step 7. Do steps 1-5 backwards. Heat the glue on both sides (I held the hair dryer between my legs again) and get them lined up while heating. Slide the 2 pieces back together. Replace the adjuster rings and all the screws. Replace light on bike. Wire lights per manufacturer's instructions.

 

[latrellleec]

HID for sale

I have some Kits for sale. 4300K and 6000K True Hi/Lo HID units.
These are 50W kits. Importing them myself and the light is AMAZING. Reviews have been good too.
PM for info.

are you still selling your HID kits....Im looking to change over .

 

[footprintsinconc]

Handy1, that is an amazing write up. Very neat idea, looks great.

If my hid is on, will the led be visible?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

 

[NDAna]

are you still selling your HID kits....Im looking to change over .

PM Sent

 

[Handy1]

Handy1, that is an amazing write up. Very neat idea, looks great.

If my hid is on, will the led be visible?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

I'd imagine it would be.