HID Conversion on a 12GS (pictorial)

Steiney, I made a bracket for the ballasts that fit onto the engine/tank guard using an existing mounting point:


I hope this helps.

Mike

What he said. If you are running a road where you are switching the high on an off, you don't get the delay every time you switch on. Got a 35 low and 55 high. That 55 is great running dark back roads.

Five years ago I installed HID's in my Ducati Multistrada - 55W, both Hi and Lo. Never had a problem and loved those lights!

Recently I installed HID in my '07 R1200GS. Bought DDM's 55W; 4500K units; one each for Hi and Lo. Installed as per instructions here. Worked like a charm.

Pardon me if this is a stupid question, but after installing one of these upgrade kits, the HID bulb will eventually fail. At that point, do you have to puchase a new kit? It doesn't look like you can just buy a replacement bulb the way the wires are connected to it.

Eric

You can buy bulbs on e-bay any time. That said, the ballast is more likely to fail than the bulb.

Jim

Thanks! I see now. I didn't realize all those connectors were standard sizes and that you could buy replacement bulbs with the wiring/connectors in place.

Not a foolish question at all. Jim is quite correct about the bulbs/ballast. I installed a 35W kit in my '09 GSA in March of 2011 and it's still going strong. I've a spare bulb and ballast in the bag but, so far . . . . . . .

Mike

The following is my experience with a "DDM Tuning" HID kit which I purchased in early April (shipped from China to Canada in about a week) and was installed on my 2009 R1200GS in early May of this year:<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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HID Kit: Two H7 bulbs (5,000 Kelvin), two 35 watt ballasts, two igniters, two error code eliminators (part # BOW3), and ballast brackets. Shipping (including all-inclusive duties, taxes, and fees of US$34) was over 40% of the total cost.<o></o>
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I wired the kit according to instructions and everything worked as expected (both high beam and low beam). I taped up the wires, re-assembled the bike, and re-tested the set-up again. Everything worked fine. The next day, I started up the bike and the low beam flashed for about one second, then went out and I got the dreaded "Lamp Failure" warning. Thinking that this might be an anomaly, I rode the bike a few more days, trying hot re-starts, quick re-starts, high beam on, etcetera, with no luck (except once, and I don't know why). Throughout this period, the high beam always worked fine (lighting whenever I flipped the switch).<o></o>
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So I e-mailed DDM Support explaining my situation, suggesting that I might have received some defective parts. They replied promptly and suggested that I switch some components around to see if I could isolate the problem. I simply switched the igniter and ballast connectors between bulbs and to my surprise, both bulbs (high and low beam) worked as they should!<o></o>
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I was trying to figure out how this was possible (apart from making poor connections, which I doubt happened) and all I can think of, and this is pure speculation, is that BMW's CANBUS system on my bike has slight differences between circuits (e.g., high and low beams) such that minute differences in ballasts, igniters, error code eliminators, and/or bulbs is enough to trigger, or not trigger, a circuit fault.<o></o>
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This made me think that it would be nice if BMW designers or someone else could figure out how to access and re-program CANBUS circuits so that they could be made tolerant of an HID conversion, without having to employ error code eliminators or other workarounds.<o></o>
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So, if you have trouble with your HID conversion, I think it might be worthwhile to experiment a little and swap components around before throwing in the towel.<o></o>
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Even after the troublesome installation, I'm very pleased with the HID lights and glad I did the conversion. I think they offer greater safety (both to see, and be seen) and the "white" light looks better. I typically do not "flash" my high beam so the slight delay required to get to maximum intensity is not an issue for me. I hope this helps some of you decide if the DDM Tuning kit is right for you.
P.S. Thanks, Jim, for providing the helpful installation guide and photos. Between you and Beemer Boneyard, I can almost afford the bike! <o></o>

I just called DDM about having the 90 degree connectors for the AUX lights, the rep said "we don't sell them". I canceled my order.

I have the full DDM 35w kit as well as a larger ballast that was required for the low beam to work on my GS as well as two GS headlight caps with the holes cut in them, so you can keep your stock caps if you ever want to remove the HID. I removed this kit from my GS to prep it for sale, so it is used, but tested and proven to work. Will sell the whole thing...three ballasts, 3 bulb assemblies, and the two pre-cut GS 1200 headlight caps for $25 plus shipping...CONUS only.

I can say I did read this entire thread over the last 3 days. That in itself is noteworthy. I think I am going to try the ddm kit since they are local to me. For 30 bucks you can beat that with a stick.

I'm local to DDM too...come on over and buy my kit...I sold my GS and removed the DDM HID. I also have a larger ballast that won't throw a canbus error on the low beam which the DDM ballast did and I have 2 precut BMW headlight caps so you won't have to cut yours. Make me an offer and it's yours.

Sent you a PM.

http://www.futurevisionhid.com/home
I have bought 4 sets . I have hids in high/low headlights and oem aux lights on my 2009 GSA. Installed them over 3 years ago with no lamp failure warning light problems. Bruno uses quality bulbs and balllast

Gonna use different vendor bought 2 sets off of flea bay and they last about a year at most. I am in my third set and have an aux light out from install last November.

I'm using the cheap and small DDM 35W digital slim ballast on my 2010 without any issues since 2011, no Lampf.

New HIDs for my R1200GS:



Slim ballasts with no igniter.

Jim

Hey JVB where did you geth this bad boys. And are we gonna see a installation pictorial to along with the DVD I already have wink

I think I see another Tech Day project for me!

I got them for $27 shipped directly from China in a nice foam box, see photo.

I'll definitely post up some photos, but it likely won't be much different than my original post so long ago.

Jim