I am sorry that you do not think HID's are the way to go and I respect your opinion for that, and I am pleased that you like your spots and your projectors, which I no intention of knocking, but I would appreciate it if you stopped spreading false and misleading information about HIDs. This is not an either/or debate.
I am not an MOT expert as we don't have them in Ireland, but 5 minutes on google and I was able to find this:
MOT beam patterns:
Do you have any evidence to suggest that the beam pattern from a FAZER reflector will fail an MOT if fitted with a HID bulb or not? A yes or no answer would be appreciated, preferably with supporting evidence. Saying that some reflectors are not good enough and that since the Fazer has a reflector it might not be good enough just doesn't cut it.
The beam patterns required are described
http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_180.htm and they make no reference to sparkle or scatter. I dont think scatter means what you seem to think it means. A reflector is designed so that light coming from a particular point is reflected to produce the desired pattern. Any light outside that pattern is called 'scatter' and is a result of imperfections in production and errors and compromises in the design. A single source reflector is simpler to design then a dual source, just as a simple pattern is easier to design then a complex one, but a well designed and manufactured reflector will have far less scatter then a poorly designed on. How the light is generated DOES NOT AFFECT THE PATTERN OR THE SCATTER. A brighter light will make things more noticable - but given that the whole point of the excercise is to be noticed, I am struggling to see your objections.
MOT Colour:
Fyi, any forward facing light that is not white is also an MOT fail.
Wrong. Think of indicators, they face forward don't they?
The motorcycle requirements
http://www.motuk.co.uk/mcmanual_120.htm specify that the light source FOR THE DIPPED BEAM be white or yellow. The term 'white' is not strictly defined in the document so is left to the testers discretion. White light is generally considered by scientists to be between 2.5k and 10k with the daylight being between 5 and 6.5k Kelvin.
Yes, many OEM HID bulbs are 4.3K, but many others are 5 or 6K. I am not recommending or defending bulbs over 6k in the same way you are not recommending spots that point backwards.
Self leveling suspension is not specifically mentioned for motobikes, but for all vehicles, IF fitted, it needs to work.
Vehicles equipped with High Intensity Discharge (HID) or LED dipped beam headlamps may be fitted with headlamp washers and a suspension or headlamp self levelling system.Where such systems are fitted, they must work; however, it is accepted that it may not be possible to readily determine the functioning of self levelling systems. In such cases, the benefit of the doubt must be given.
Since self-leveling suspension is not defined for motorcycles, again tester discretion is involved.
Any oncoming vehicles with incorrectly adjusted headlights will blind other drivers regardless of the type of bulbs fitted. Any vehicle which has had it headlight system changed is more likely to be incorrectly adjusted then one that hasn't and the bigger the change they greater the likelyhood. Any such vehicle would fail an MOT if tested. So again I don't get your point or why you think this is relevant to HIDs where just the bulb is changed.
At the end of the day, if you are unlucky enough to fail an MOT for having HIDs fitted, or have any other problem with them at all, it takes less then five minutes to unplug them and replace one bub with the traditional H4 bulb you carry under your seat. No tools required.
The advantages of having HID over traditional Halogen bulbs are:
- Three time more light for a third less power - 35W HID @ 3300 lumns vs. 55W Halogen @ 1100 lumens
- Very low cost of conversion - cheapest two bulbs kits from £25 ~1hour to fit.
- Very easy to roll back to original ~ 5 minutes to get you going ~20minutes to restore original.
The disadvantages of HID:
- You might fail an MOT if you are very unlucky.