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Harley lights and HIDs, what do I need?

4K views 26 replies 5 participants last post by  drmisherre 
#1 ·
Looking to upgrade my 04 headlights to 05+ Harley's and also want to do HIDs, what part of the harness do I need? I know if you want the full benefit of the new lights is the brightness. With HIDs going in, what parts do I need to upgrade and what will the HIDs replace?


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#2 ·
I'm looked into putting HIDs in my 08. In my opinion HIDs have a terrible pattern in halogen headlight assemblies.

I'm going to put HID projector assemblies into my 08 headlights, as several others have done. I ordered the parts a couple weeks ago. I'll write it up when I do it.
 
#3 ·
retro (a sponsor here ) has a HID kit that is plug and play with all the right plug's you need...

55W DIGITAL HID KITS - Retro-Solutions Store

i have the 55W 5k with high and low beam in my E99 truck running 05 harley lights..
 
#5 ·
very happy... 5k is the brightest white light..after that they start to turn blue...
 
#6 ·
I agree with me2 that you should use an HID projector.....no need to blind oncoming traffic. Also, i've got 5k in mine and love them. The only downside that i've found is that sometimes it can be a bit difficult to see where ice starts/ends with the white light. I think if i did it again i'd opt for 4300k.
 
#7 ·
Interesting comment on the light color affecting seeing ice or not. Thanks for sharing that.

I've got a set of 4500K and 5000k bulbs so that I can compare. My projectors aren't here yet, but should be any day now.

Do you have any issues with the foreground being too bright and it negatively affecting your long range vision into the darkness ?
 
#9 ·
I doubt the cap would change your light pattern much, but I don't know for sure. Oncoming drivers may appreciate you putting it on though.

When I asked he question about the foreground being too bright, I was referring to a projector setup. HIDs, especially the 55 watt setups put out a lot more light than halogens and if the beam pattern isn't managed, they will have bright spots. I'm hoping that isn't the case with my projectors.

I don't know where to get Harley projectors. I'm building mine by putting a projector assembly in my stock headlight.
 
#10 ·
#12 ·
That kit looks almost identical to the retrofit that i did myself. Also, to answer your question.....there is a lot of foreground light. At lower speeds i have no issues at all. At higher speeds, i do wish that the light extended further. For that reason, i'm contemplating adding a driving beam that will be mounted lower. That way, i will be able to throw light further down the road without blinding other drivers. Also, the reason that i'm thinking about doing this is because i've got a spare setup laying around.

If you really want a lot of good info on HIDs, you should check out http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/forum.php
It's another forum similar to this one, except its for lighting (HID, LED, ect).
 
#13 ·
That kit looks almost identical to the retrofit that i did myself.
What projectors and shrouds did you use ? Thanks for replying BTW.

Also, to answer your question.....there is a lot of foreground light. At lower speeds i have no issues at all. At higher speeds, i do wish that the light extended further.
Interesting. Do you wish the low beam extended further or the high beam ? Which one doesn't project far enough ?

I don't understand this about projector HIDs. I've heard it before, which is why I asked.

I'm guessing that projector HIDs have such a sharp cut off that when they are adjusted like regular headlights they actually project less far on low beam because there is *zero* stray light above the cut off line. Otherwise I can't figure out why HID projectors should be so bright on low beam and yet not project further.

I adjusted the stock headlights on my old truck after I put the air suspension on. You couldn't really tell where the cut off was... there wasn't a definitive line. A light like that will project a long way out because at least part of the light is going on an upward path.


For that reason, i'm contemplating adding a driving beam that will be mounted lower.
I was thinking the same thing, but mounted at headlight height. I am going to run headlights, fog lights and driving lights. Its just a question of how I set them up.

That way, i will be able to throw light further down the road without blinding other drivers.
I don't understand that either. Are you going to use them on high beam or low beam or both ?

If you mount a set of driving lights low, if they are aligned to have a horizontal beam, they won't project very far because the beam will be low to the ground ???? If you mount them so the beam projects upward a bit, won't you blind the oncoming traffic ??? So how does mounting them low help ? Unless you have a lifted truck and your headlights are aligned to point quite a bit downward ??? I'm pretty confused about this.

Also, the reason that i'm thinking about doing this is because i've got a spare setup laying around.
Are you going to use halogen or HID for the driving lights ? Ever thought of building a second set of projectors for the driving lights and have them dimmable as well ?

If you really want a lot of good info on HIDs, you should check out http://www.hidplanet.com/forums/forum.php
It's another forum similar to this one, except its for lighting (HID, LED, ect).
Been there, did a ton of reading. I should probably do some more.

Are you using 35W or 55W ballasts ?
 
#15 ·
#16 ·
I just pulled and inspected one of the headlight pods on my 08.

The stock 08 light setup is turn signal with an orange bulb in the top reflector, a clear bulb in an orange housing for parking/marker light/reflector in the middle and the headlight reflector at the bottom.

After taking some measurements, I came to the conclusion that one could move the turn signal to the middle section, beside the park light in the middle and then use the top reflector for a small HID projector. One could also run a large HID projector in the regular headlight reflector at the bottom, thus potentially giving the truck a 4 projector headlight system. (!)

On my stock 08 with 20" rubber, the headlight bulb is 35" off the ground and the turn signal bulb is 42".

When I say one could run a small HID projector in the top reflector, I am speaking of an H1 Mini with a 35 watt ballast/bulb, or something similar.

That would probably be the high beam and only on when the high beam is enabled. However, H1 minis are bi xenon with solenoid activated cutoff curtains, so theoretically they could be used as low beams as well. Though at 42", they are a little high for low beams. They would make great high beams when run with the low beams though.

In the bottom reflectors, one could run a full size (3") bi xenon projector with a 55 watt bulbs/ballasts.

The big advantage to a 4 projector system is that the low and high beams can be aimed independently.

In addition to this, in most jurisdictions one could probably get away with running a set of fog lights and a set of driving lights, not that you would need them.

However, if you ever pi$$3d off a police officer with those lights and he figured out that you were running 2 projectors in a headlight system meant for 1 halogen headlight bulb, he'd probably throw the book at you.

Not to mention that it probably wouldn't pass any safety inspections requiring a stock headlight system either, though the light pattern on a single projector certainly would pass the beam alignment test.

Lots to think about here.
 
#18 ·
http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=141

That's the kit I'm running. I opted for the 50 watt ballasts with the Gatling Gun shrouds.

When i was talking about the beams extending further, i was talking about the low beams. I currently have my projectors aimed at a downward angle. I initially had them aimed without the downward angle, but there are quite a few people in my area that have low cars.....so my lights were essentially aimed right at their eyes. I didnt want to blind anyone, so i opted to add the downward angle. The high beams are amazing. I've gotten reflections off of signs 1.8 miles away. I measured that late at night when I was the only person on the road. I should also note here that high/low beams are very different on HIDs and Halogens. With HIDs, you only have a single filament in the bulb where as Halogens have two. With the projectors that I am using, there is a cutoff shield inside of the unit. With the low beams on, the shield blocks part of the light coming out of the projector....giving that crisp cutoff line you were talking about. When the high beams are activated, a solenoid swings the shield out of the way...and you no longer have that cutoff line. I hope this made more sense this time around. I'll do my best to come up with a better explanation if it does not.

Now to attempt to tackle the other questions about the driving beam. I have a complete second set of the kit that i linked to above. That is exactly what i would be using as a driving beam. I would use it for the low beam primarily, and the high beam for times when there is no oncoming traffic. So, i'm planning on using both high and low beams for the driving lights. My reasoning for wanting to mount them lower is so that the light will be thrown further down the road. At the lower height, the projectors will not need to be aimed with a downward angle (like the ones in headlights). With the flat beam, the light will extend further down the road. Hopefully that makes sense too....if not, i can PM you my phone number and we can talk about this. Sometimes it is easier for me to explain things on the phone rather than through text. With that being said, it is the holidays and I am busy....but i'm willing to help.


Also, for drmisherre the projectors do not replace the entire headlight assembly. What you do is cut a hole in the back of the headlight assembly, and mount the projector inside of the assembly.

One final thing....I will try to get some pictures of my setup / it's output. No promises though, as it's difficult for me to take decent pictures at night.
 
#20 ·
Excellent post, 53FordGuy. That really helped me decide a few things.

Where are you going to mount your second set of projectors ?

How much cutting was involved with putting the FXRs in the headlights ?

Do the FXR reflector bowls stick out the back of the headlight assemblies or is the bulb socket flush with the back ?

Are you running foreground limiters on your FXRs ?
 
#21 ·
As of right now I'm
planning on putting them at the level of the tow hooks on the front. The plan is to make a bracket to go across the front of the bumper between the tow hooks. That way I'll have a place to mount both my fog lights as well as the projectors. I also have a couple other ideas that I'm playing around with, but that seems like it will be the easiest/cheapest for now.

When it came to doing the retrofit, it took me quite a bit of time. That being said, i was paranoid of doing something wrong and went very slow. Now that I've done it once, i feel that i could easily do the retrofit again in a few hours. There was a good amount of cutting involved. That is because i started with a small opening, and kept enlarging it in small increments. The projectors do stick out from the back of the headlight housing a ways on mine. It would be easy to mount the projector further into the headlight assembly though. The 04 assemblies that i used have quite a bit of room inside of them. I don't know much about the 05+ / Harley lights though, so you might want to look into the dimensions of those assemblies.

The most difficult part of the retrofit for me was separating the clear front lens from the headlight assembly. I did not realize that the lens fit down into a channel on headlight assembly when i was doing the first light. However, after realizing that, the next light was simple. The biggest tip that i can provide for this process is to have a heat gun handy. The glue used to keep both the lens and assemblies together takes a good amount of heat to make it soften.....and it hardens up quickly again. For this part i'd recommend having a second set of hands. That way, once you get one side started, you can have the other person use the heat gun to keep the glue soft. When it's soft, the clear lens will peel off of the assembly with little to no effort.

As for your final question, no i'm not running foreground limiters on my projectors.

A couple final comments. I'm willing to bet that the 35 Watt ballasts would have been more than enough, but it was only an extra $5 to upgrade to the 50 Watt ballasts. When it comes to the halos (if you opt to get them)....I have both the LED and CCFL. Spend the extra for the LEDs, they are so much brighter (you could probably use them as daylight running lights) it's not even funny. The final thing is that the first relay i got from them was bad, but they sent out a replacement quickly and free of charge.
 
#22 ·
please tell memore about the leds. until your comment here i thought they were strictly for show.

thanks for the reply, btw
 
#23 ·



The left is the CCFL and the right is the LED. Both are the same size (100 mm), and both are connected to one of the batteries in my truck. I have not mounted the LED rings in a shroud yet...so i cannot say how much brighter they are that way, but i would expect a big improvement. I also want to point out that I'm mounting the rings inside of my particular shrouds, rather than on the exterior of the shrouds. That way the light will come through the openings on the shroud. If you opted to go with a different shroud that showed more of the rings, i would think that they would be good for day light running lights.

All of this being said, the pictures do not do justice to the lights. They are very bright. My reactions to the CCFL's were "oh, thats cool" where as my reaction to the LED's were "holy sh*t, those are bright". There is no real need to get either though....i got them mostly to complete the look of the retrofit. On my first retrofit, i did have a bit of trouble with the CCFL's....i accidentally broke one (they are glass). I also decided to make a ring to go behind them, and polished the ring. My reasoning for that is because i wanted all of the light to be reflected forward through the shrouds.

I tried to get some decent shots of the headlights when they are on, but i didn't have much luck. I'll try again later though. Hope this helps a bit.
 
#26 ·
How do you like them so far? Also, what color did you go with?
 
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