Off The Shelf HID = Bad For Big Dog

spadesluck

Active Member
I have found out through my own personal experience, like others already have, that just any HID headlight will not work with our dogs.

From what I can see is that our handcontrols operate at very low voltages and very sensative to voltage changes. When the HID first trys to power up it is going to spike some which just causes many problems. For me it was causeing the RUN button not to hold voltage to keep the coil pwered up. Took the HID out and everything is back to normal.

Just figured I would pass on my experiance. :up: Motor on!
 

Mr. Wright

Knows some things
Supporting Member
Great info, thanks. I know everyone want more light, but sometimes it's not worth it.
 

JimNubs

Member
Got an LED Headlight

I prefer the LED over the HID any day. Much better lighting
I bought one from Curtis, but have not installed it yet. Been installing LEDs throughout a buddy's 1969 camaro and decided to try a led for my bike. I'll let you know how it works out when it gets installed.
 

boomer4444

Active Member
curtis, bought a bucket from you last week and i am having a hell of a time getting my hid kit in it!! is the led bulb you are selling gonna fit the bucket you sell? is it truly brighter then the hid kit? might have to order one if so, whats the verdict on both leds your selling,$55 bulb versus the 3 light led at $255
 
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curtis, bought a bucket from you last week and i am having a hell of a time getting my hid kit in it!! is the led bulb you are selling gonna fit the bucket you sell? is it truly brighter then the hid kit? might have to order one if so, whats the verdict on both leds your selling,$55 bulb versus the 3 light led at $255
Don' t know why that would be. The bucket you purchased is slightly longer than the stock bucket. The new adjure may be a little deeper.
I was running a HID kit in my K9 and I don't know what the raving is about. Sure the blue color was cool looking but the light it puts out sucked. I like the LED as they put out a brighter and cleaner light than H4s or HIDs. Obviously the light output can be affected by the adjure you are running.
I have sold several of the LED H4 replacements so far and the ones who have installed them like them better than the H4 bulb. The adjure replacement is a completely different look and the hi and lo beams have been coordinated to work better together by the engineers that designed it. So the main difference is if you have an adjure you really like and don't want to give up then you go with the H4 LED replacement. If you want something new that has been engineered to deliver a specific specification for lighting then you go with the LED adjure replacement.
Unfortunately I just haven't had time yet to go out and do pictures of the different beams but I am trying to put some time aside over the next few days to go out and do that. I have installed them in a K9 and operated the lights at night in the drive and I can tell you they are definitely brighter.
 

boomer4444

Active Member
kapt thanks for response,,problem im having isthe bucket is longer but the lense housing that sits inside the bucket is recessed into the bucket alot farther then factory lense, with the way i have the ballast and everything else with the hid stuffed inside i am worried somethings gonna melt, do parts of the hid ballast system get hot enough to melt wires?
 

spadesluck

Active Member
kapt thanks for response,,problem im having isthe bucket is longer but the lense housing that sits inside the bucket is recessed into the bucket alot farther then factory lense, with the way i have the ballast and everything else with the hid stuffed inside i am worried somethings gonna melt, do parts of the hid ballast system get hot enough to melt wires?
The only part that should get hot on the HID system is the bulb itself or the back part of it. The parts associated with it should not heat up enough to cause any problems. Now if the wires are bad that can cause arc'ing. You should be good to go no worries.
 
kapt thanks for response,,problem im having isthe bucket is longer but the lense housing that sits inside the bucket is recessed into the bucket alot her then factory lense, with the way i have the ballast and everything else with the hid stuffed inside i am worried somethings gonna melt, do parts of the hid ballast system get hot enough to melt wires?
I haven't been able to get anything to melt yet with HID or LED so I think you will be okay. They do get hot though, 170 to 185F. Bit that still isn't hot enough to melt anything. If something is pressed hard enough against something else it may deform.
 

bearman

Active Member
The inrush current on MOST HIDs is too much for our EHC, eventually it WILL burn out your EHC.
Unless you use the original headlight wires to power a relay, that way the EHC only ever sees the small current needed to power the relay (less than an Amp). But then you have to run more wires to power the light through this relay.

I believe the Big Dog specific HIDs came with such a relay or a weak (low current) ballast.
 
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