Better bulbs for F8?

[m5guy]

Originally Posted by BcDano

I'm in the process of upgrading the lighting on our GS's. After looking at all the bulb choices and not being overly impressed I decided to go the HID route. Very happy with the results. Its not just the brightness of the light but the color. It really catches your eye. Very nice kit and super easy to install.


http://www.1offmotorsports.com/Produ...2008-2011.html

Good to hear from someone else using the 1off HID conversion. UPS just dropped off mine yesterday and I'll be installing it this week. Where did you tuck away the ballast?

[Uncle Evil]

I am really interested in the HID setup.
I don't know too much about it though.
Will these bulbs run hotter even though they use less power ?
I had heard they were susceptible to damage from vibration , is that true ?

[BcDano]

Originally Posted by m5guy

Good to hear from someone else using the 1off HID conversion. UPS just dropped off mine yesterday and I'll be installing it this week. Where did you tuck away the ballast?

I installed two 1off kits. One on my wife's 650twin and the other on my 800. Both installs went perfectly (ultra easy). On the wife's bike I put the ballast and wiring in behind the instrument cluster / TT Dash. She also has the TT cockpit shield that tidies things up nicely. All heavy duty zip tied cleanly into place.

http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/P...GS-F650GS-Twin

http://www.touratech-usa.com/Store/3...GS-F650GS-Twin


On my 800 I have a Mirage 2 windscreen and cockpit. Mega room to install. Again heavy duty zip tie job and its rock solid.

http://www.britanniacomposites.com/i...d=59&Itemid=55


As to concerns about vibration and heat. Only time will truly tell but I did my research and neither should be an issue. Love the light not only is it brighter but like I said before it catches the other drivers eye. As in I'm here please don't run me over.

[JRWooden]

Originally Posted by scarygary

I can not say what was the cause of this melting since I bought the bike used. It had H7 55 watt lamps when I got it. But you be the judge and take your chances with high output bulbs in the plastic reflector housing. Btw: the headlight housing is priced at $400+ to replace.

I'm now officially pissed ...........
My hi-beam reflector was somewhat tarnished above the high-beam bulb near the end of the warranty.
I pointed it out to the service manager and he said ... eh... minor ... likely not gonna be able to get it covered and I let it drop.

Now 6 months later with very little high beam use, it is getting worse. I'm the bike's only owner and have only used regular H7 bulbs rated at 55W .... while mine is not as bad as the one above, I'll bet it's going to get that bad.......

What's the deal here.... this is not an item I expected to have do deal with this early in the bike's life....

I don't suppose there's any chance of some lov'n from BMW on this...???

[IQm3]

Originally Posted by IQm3

When my bike was new I have exactly that same problem, so I went to the BMW dealer and they exchange it (guaranty). Since then I haven’t had any problem with the original bulbs and the lamp assembly.

But I still think that the newer more efficient halogen bulbs have more to offer than the stock ones. So I came across the HELLA Xenon Premium H7 bulbs. HELLA claims that this bulbs, at the same nominal output (55W 12V), will give up to 80% more life and up to 50% more light. So far the more light part has been true. But I feel that this bulb might be emitting more heat that the stock one.

This weekend I am conducting some field testing about all of this and next week I will post the results.

If any one have some insights on this subject please let me know.

Happy and safe ridding everyone…

After checking the heat coming form both lamps (BMW’s stock and Hella’s Xenon Premium), both give roughly the same heat output.
So far there has been not a problem with the bulbs. Better night ride lights and more day ride visibility (noticed from other cars).
I don’t think that these bulbs (Hella) will damage the inside reflector of the lamp.
I hope this helps.
Safe riding everyone

[Uncle Evil]

So you guys that have installed the 1off HID kits , what do you think ?
Is the light pattern the same as stock only brighter ?
Can you see way better and further at night ?
Is it the greatest thing ever and all motorbikes should have them ?
Have the cops pulled you over for illegal lighting ?
Which tempurature bulb is best ?

Lots of questions I know but help me out here please .

[Tor]

Originally Posted by JRWooden

I'm now officially pissed ...........
My hi-beam reflector was somewhat tarnished above the high-beam bulb near the end of the warranty.
I pointed it out to the service manager and he said ... eh... minor ... likely not gonna be able to get it covered and I let it drop.

Now 6 months later with very little high beam use, it is getting worse. I'm the bike's only owner and have only used regular H7 bulbs rated at 55W .... while mine is not as bad as the one above, I'll bet it's going to get that bad.......

What's the deal here.... this is not an item I expected to have do deal with this early in the bike's life....

I don't suppose there's any chance of some lov'n from BMW on this...???

Not sure what dealer you are using, but suspect you're using the same I am. About 6 months ago I called them and told them my high beam reflector had burn marks on it. They told me to take some pics of. I did, and sent it to them. Two weeks later I had the entire light unit changed under warranty.

[JRWooden]

Thanks Tor ... yes same place.

I'm out of warranty now, which complicates things, but I'm going to go back and have another chat.
Unfortunately it will have to start out with the sentence:

"Ummmmmmmmmm ... you remember I was in here last fall and you said it didn't look very bad...."

and see where it goes ...

[m5guy]

Originally Posted by Uncle Evil

So you guys that have installed the 1off HID kits , what do you think ?
Is the light pattern the same as stock only brighter ?
Can you see way better and further at night ?
Is it the greatest thing ever and all motorbikes should have them ?
Have the cops pulled you over for illegal lighting ?
Which tempurature bulb is best ?

Lots of questions I know but help me out here please .

I just installed the 1OFF Moto HID low beam on my F800GS this past weekend. My morning commute is always in the dark (I leave the house around 4:45am) so I was able to test it immediately this morning. The best way to describe the difference is that the low beam pattern is completely filled in with bright white light, unlike the stock bulb which leaves some spots in the pattern less illuminated than others. The other difference is how much brighter the forward edge of the pattern looks. With the HID kit, turning on the high beam does not result in a significant extension of the light pattern. Without HID, the range difference between high & low beam was much more significant.