(30-07-15, 01:31 AM)Stormin link Wrote: HID's are illegal on any vehicle unless they are self levelling. Instant fail for MOT and fixed penalty from the long arm of the law. Been there,done it and paid the fine!!Wrong, wrong and wrong. Who comes up with these things?
I verified this with a sargeant I know in the Met who is currently serving in traffic; The long arm of the law do not and can not issue fixed penalty notices for HID headlights that are not fitted with self-levelling mechanisms because the long arm of the law are not trained to be road-side vehicle inspectors capable of determining if you actually have a self-levelling system fitted let alone determine whether or not it is working. Self levelling systems are not specifically mentioned for motorbikes in the MOT manuals but for all vehicles, IF fitted, it needs to work.
Quote: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.So if they don't have to be there, and even if they are, MOT testers cant tell if they are working, how the foc are the plod expected to be able to?
The third popular old wives tale concerns scatter and sparkle when HID's are fitted. The beam patterns required are described in http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_180.htm and they make no reference to sparkle. As stated before, 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 a result of imperfections in production and errors and compromises in the design. How the light is generated DOES NOT AFFECT THE PATTERN OR THE SCATTER. In other words, your reflector will pass an MOT, or it will fail it, regardless of the bulb that is in it.
Back to the plod. The plod are able to issue fixed penalty notices if your headlights are clearly pointing in the wrong direction or if they have a blueish tinge. The motorcycle requirements of the MOT: 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. Light over 6k has a visible blueish tinge and may attract the attention of the boys in blue. consider yourself warned.
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 bulb 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.
- You might fail an MOT if you are very unlucky.