Still not convinced about HIDs?

[seangee]

Finally got around to installing on my not so new anymore bike. Before and after vid from Friday and tonight's commutes.

[Fazerider]

I've always been convinced they're a menace to anyone travelling in the opposite direction.

[Dead Eye]

They are certainly super bright and no doubt a good mod, but they look like the beam is too high... the light is shining over the boots of cars and in to the cabin - this is an absolute nightmare when you are a driver

[Grahamm]

Try this before you take it for the MOT Test next: http://www.motobulbs.co.uk/2012/04/headlight-alignment-mot/

Personally I hate HIDs because unless they've been properly fitted and adjusted, they end up spraying light all over the place and blinding other road users. (Yours seem to do a good job of lighting up the walls of the houses...)

[seangee]

They are certainly super bright and no doubt a good mod, but they look like the beam is too high... the light is shining over the boots of cars and in to the cabin - this is an absolute nightmare when you are a driver

Checked that very carefully on my way home (the rest of the route is really busy). Never went over one boot and nobody flashed me. I also had SWMBO drive in front of me and towards me to confirm 

[hightower]

Bit difficult to see what with riding with street lights, but main difference I see if as mentioned. It's not that it's easier to see after the HID, it's just that the light seems to be sprayed everywhere.

[BBROWN1664]

Having had HIDS on the FZS and a car or two, I would recommend them BUT..........

On cars (and bikes) they are only legal if they have automatic self levelling built in and this makes a big difference.

[Dead Eye]

They are certainly super bright and no doubt a good mod, but they look like the beam is too high... the light is shining over the boots of cars and in to the cabin - this is an absolute nightmare when you are a driver

Checked that very carefully on my way home (the rest of the route is really busy). Never went over one boot and nobody flashed me. I also had SWMBO drive in front of me and towards me to confirm 

Cool, always nice when people adjust their headlights ^^

I love night riding / driving but misaligned headlights are a nightmare

[fazersharp]

On a bike I have no problem with, yes they are bright but smaller reflecters and only one or two that are closer together than cars.
But Hate them Hate them, on cars. It seems that every boy racer in town feels the need to fit these and the bluer they are I think is a good indication of how much of a tosser they are, This seems to of taken over from idiots driving around with fog lights on.
And while im at it so many knobs (cars - bikes are ok) are fitting short strips of leds, is that to make their w reg car look like a new one, and you can spot them a mile off because they are NEVER straight and always 1 or 2 leds aren't sitting right and look dimmer than the others, no doubt because they got them cheep from somewhere, which brings me back to cars I see so many driving around with just one of these HIDs working because the other has blown already.
There is NO need No need to fit these in a car unless you live out in the country - but that is that your full beam is for.
Breath breath...........       

[Gnasher]

Like with most things you get what you pay for the market is flooded with cheap HID kits and yes their bright but the bulbs are crap!
 
The positioning of the bulb is curial if the reflector is to work as it was designed too only a few mm up, down, left, right, back or forwards makes all the difference to what beam pattern you get. As you can see in your videos the HID beam is bright but scattered with no real focal point this will dazzle on coming traffic and as you rightly point out provide little improvement over a standard bulb.  Plus the way HID produces it's light is very different from standard bulbs and some bulb types will always produce a element of glare when used with a reflector not designed to use HID, unless you fit a bulb that is designed to work with it.
 
I spent a great deal of time some years ago finding the best combination of bulb, K value and supplier you MUST have a quality bulb or you get what you've got poor light.

[midden]

Certainly no worse than those arsehole cyclists with their flashing lights and super bright lights on their hats

[fazersharp]

I spent a great deal of time some years ago finding the best combination of bulb, K value and supplier

Tell us then

[Gnasher]

I spent a great deal of time some years ago finding the best combination of bulb, K value and supplier

Tell us then

Its on the borad and/or the old site search for it!   

[BBROWN1664]

It was a very useful thread and the supplier mentioned (HIDS4U??) was great too.

Most of the chavs that fit HIDS to their cars don't align them properly, some even have the bulbs upside down making the problem even worse.

[Grahamm]

On a bike I have no problem with

Whereas I do.

I've had a bike with HIDs behind me and eventually I just pulled over and waved him past because there was no way I use my mirrors without being blinded by the dazzle.

[fazersharp]

On a bike I have no problem with

Whereas I do.

I've had a bike with HIDs behind me and eventually I just pulled over and waved him past because there was no way I use my mirrors without being blinded by the dazzle.

And thats one of the reasons I have no issue with bikes, As there is only 1 light (mostly) and if they are behind you they are not there for long.

[Grahamm]

And thats one of the reasons I have no issue with bikes, As there is only 1 light (mostly) and if they are behind you they are not there for long.

It's still inconsiderate to other road users and contributes to the bad image that others have of us.

[fazersharp]

Spose you are right
I just have a bias towards bikes
I see a very bright bike light I say oh that's bright
I see the same on a car and I think chav tw*t
Do car drivers who already have a negative disposition to bikers really think any less of us, at least they CAN see us.

[Dead Eye]

Doesn't matter what the vehicle is I tend to complain in my head. Most cars tend to be the complete opposite of "chav twats" - the most common for me are more often then not "executive saloons". So, Audi's mostly along with some BMW's and Mercedes' - they all have insanely bright lights which are a pain in the ass.

[Fazerider]

... On cars (and bikes) they are only legal if they have automatic self levelling built in...

I thought this was the case too, but can't find it in any UK or EU legislation. All there seems to be is the MOT requirement that where self-levelling equipment is fitted, it has to work. Presumably vehicle manufacturers have to include that if HIDs are the OEM fitment, but I haven't found anything stating that HIDs can't be retrofitted to vehicles without self-levelling kit.
Even if that's not the situation, the law has failed to keep up with developments in lighting.
Self-levelling is only a partial solution to the problem of dazzle… it can work some of the time (though to work on bikes it has to do more than take care of pitch, bikes bank to go round corners so it needs to compensate for movement in the roll axis too), but even the best set-up system is bound to get caught out in some conditions and the answer is not to throw ever more technology at the problem but a sane limit to the quantity of light.
 The old wattage limit worked when incandescent bulbs were all that was available, the huge increase in efficiency that discharge lamps offer has sidestepped that legislation and it should be replaced with something based on lumens (total quantity) and candelas (intensity, which would also affect cyclists with those bastard bright LEDs).

[Dead Eye]

intensity, which would also affect cyclists with those bastard bright LEDs

Every time I see these, I feel like a cat chasing a laser pen and I want to swat it... with my car