HID Headlamp Upgrade

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Contents 1 HID Headlamp Upgrade 1.1 Colour Temperature 1.2 HID Upgrade Decisions 1.3 Installation

HID Headlamp Upgrade

I hate dim headlamps, so I decided to install a HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlamp in my ST2. HID lights are sometimes referred to as Bi-Xenon, and are extremely bright when compared with standard incandescent halogen bulbs.

The ST2 has three different types of bulb in it's headlamp, the sidelight is a standard push-fit mini bulb (which I've replaced with an LED), the low beam unit takes an H3 bulb and the high beam unit takes an H1 bulb.

Note
The ST2 and ST4 and ST4s up to 2003 have H3 bulbs for low beam and H1 bulbs for high beam.
The ST3 and 2004/5 ST4s models have H7 low beam and H9 high beam bulbs.

There is one downside to HID lamps, which is that they take some time to warm up. So using HID for the high beam unit is not really an option if you want to be able to flash your lights. Any bike with an H4 bulb setup can have HID for both low and high beam because the dual-filament setup is simulated by moving the bulb with a solenoid so the light output location matches where the filaments should be, unfortunately the ST2 does not use this type of bulb.

All HID systems require a ballast and starter to be used, as 23,000 volts is required to kick the lamp into life. Once running a standard HID setup will only draw 35 watts, and a super bright one will draw 55 watts. A standard bulb by comparison is 12 volts and 55 watts.

Colour Temperature

When you buy HID lamps they are specified by the colour temperature of their output light.

• 4300K Very close to OEM lights, and the brightest HID colour temperature.
• 5000K A common alternative to 4300K, very bright and slightly whiter.
• 6000K The most common colour temperature for aftermarket HID lamps, this appears to have a slight blue tinge. Quite a bit dimmer than 4300K.
• 8000K These look quite blue and will probably attract the attention of law enforcement.
• 10000K+ Once you're up to this level the light becomes almost purple and the brightness falls off dramatically.

HID Upgrade Decisions

For my upgrade project I decided on a 4300K H3 bulb, and only to do the low beam unit. 4300K is the brightest, most realistic colour temperature, and I decided that I still need to be able to flash my high beam so a top quality Xenon halogen incandescent bulb will be used for the hight beam.

The next decision was which ballast and starter should I use, they basically come in two types - standard and slimline. Thinking about where I was going to locate the ballast led me to choose the slimline ballast, because I decided that I could fit it under the air intake on the opposite side to the regulator rectifier.

Installation

Installing the HID upgrade couldn't be easier:

1. Remove the top fairing access panels.
2. Remove the mirrors.
3. Remove the top fairing (don't forget to unplug the indicators).
4. Remove the front air scoop fairing.
5. Remove the headlamp (4 x 8mm hex bolts).
6. Remove the left hand rubber lamp cover.
7. Disconnect the H3 bulb and remove from lamp.
8. Disconnect ground wire and pull through the rubber lamp cover.
9. For my HID kit I needed to replace the spade connector on the ground wire to a red booted one.
10. Push both the HID bulb connectors through the small hole in the rubber boot (yes they do go though, it's quite stretchy).
11. Fit the bulb in the housing and replace the rubber boot.
12. Dry-fit the ballast under the air intake and mark where holes are to be drilled.
13. Drill holes (in my case 4mm, but whatever is appropriate for your ballast).
14. Smear heatsink grease (optional) to the contact surface of the ballast.
15. Bolt the ballast in place.
16. Connect the ballast input power lead to the original lighting circuit.
17. Connect the ballast output power and starter to the HID lamp.
18. Test your headlamp to make sure it's working before re-assembly.
19. Assuming test was ok, then route the wiring and cable-tie everything into place.
20. Refit the headlamp (4 x 8mm hex bolts).
21. Refit the front air scoop fairing.
22. Reconnect the indicators.
23. Refit the top fairing.
24. Refit the mirrors.
25. Refit the top fairing access panels.
26. Enjoy your new brighter nightlife.