Bi-Xenon Hid Projector Retrofit

I've been wanting to do this mod for quite a while now and finally got around to it.  I had previous converted the low beam to HID.  While it helped to throw more light out front, the beam pattern from the OEM reflector was not great.  Honda "stole" some of the light output to fill the two side auxiliary reflectors flanking the center main bucket.  My guess is they are meant to act as position lights.  The worst part that needed fixing... is the single low beam headlight.  You lose the low beam on the VFR1200 on the road at night, you are flying blind... and become virtually invisible to other motorists.  For a sport touring bike, the absolutely minimum should be 2 low beams.

The kit is Retrofit Source's Mini H1 Bi-xenon projector.  Mine is the older 5.0, whereas the newest is 6.0.  Not much difference from what I can tell.  The Mini H1 project is sized to fits the hi beam bucket very well.  Ideally, I would want the largest projector, as size does matter in lighting.  Plus, a projector that fills the space just looks better.  Install procedure is straightforward and generic instruction videos are everywhere on youtube, so I won't bother with the details.  Quality of the kit itself is excellent and comes with everything you'd need to do the retrofit.  You do have have get an HID H1 bulb and ballast of your choice, as well as any wiring harness you might want to use.  I prefer 4300K color temp for the bulb, as it has the highest lumens output.  It also is the closest to daylight, so doesn't look retarded blue like higher color temps.  I build my own wiring harness using a quality Bosch 30A relay.

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I did have to trim the bottom lip of the lens bezel a bit for the coil assembly to fit over.  As this is a non functioning part of the reflector, and that this conversion is not reversible, I have no problem with cutting it.

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Low beam of the bi-xenon projector.

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High beam of the bi-xenon projector.

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Dam  that's  wicked  looking !!!

OEM Low beam bucket with 4300k H1 bulb on 35w digital AC ballast.  Okay beam pattern without a well-defined horizontal cut off.  Wasn't much better with halogen bulb.

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OEM low beam blocked off... bi-xenon low beam ON (4300k H1 bulb on same 35w digital AC balast).  I did not set the white balance or the exposure of these 3 shots the same, so good for beam pattern comparison only.

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OEM low beam and bi-xenon low beam combined.  they did not line up  vertically as well as I would have liked, but close enough to work well on the road.

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neat mod, thanks for sharing

That looks great and a mod that I must admit I'm considering for my new 1200, though I lack the skills especially for making my own wiring harness. I was considering fitting a bi-xenon bulb conversion from HID City. I spoke with them at the MCN Bike show last week and the salesman said that there's no need for any reflector modification because the light source is in the same place as an incandescent bulb. But I guess he was assuming that the oem reflector did a decent job with the light spread whereas your experience doesn't seem to support this. Still, is the output increase worth it, even if it isn't spread as well as it could be?

Is there any vertical adjustment for the new low beam?

The other option I thought about for increasing conspicuity was fitting brighter LEDs into the mirrors. Don't know if anyone has tried this.

Skids, the HID conversion for the OEM low beam is definitely worth it.  I wouldn't think of doing away with my low beam HID conversion.  The improvement just isn't as dramatic as the retrofit projector.  Yes, the OEM reflector has a lot to do with how well the conversion works.  Generally, if the stock beam pattern is so-so, the conversion won't make things much better.  The millions of poorly done HID conversion on the road blinding and irking other drivers is the testament to that.

As for vertical adjustment... the retrofit projector installs with a big thick silicone spacer between the OEM reflector base and the projector, so I'm pretty sure there is enough wiggle room to shim it pointing more up or down.  I briefly hooked up the bulbs to test the alignment before I re-installed the front lens.  It was close enough that I didn't bother trying to shim the project up.  Once you get the headlamp put back on the bike, the factory adjustment screws will move both beams.

I have fitted LEDs into mirror position lights on other bikes, but not the VFR1200.  Wouldn't be difficult though.  I might get around to playing with that later.

BTW, you can find pre-fabbed wiring harness all over ebay.  Just do a search for "HID wiring harness" or something similar.  I build my own wiring harness mostly because I must have done over 20 HID conversions of various kinds by now, not to count all the other mobile electronics (audio, alarm, etc.) I've installed over the yrs, so I have a whole stash of parts.  I prefer to build custom harness so the wires are the exact length required and the components are exactly where I want them.  This is particularly challenging with bikes like the VFR1200, with very little room inside the fairing and around the headlight to stash stuff.

Volfy, thanks for that.

I think I'll give HID City a try with my 6th Gen as that is the bike I ride mostly in the dark (winter) and see how the lights are on the 1200 before I decide anything.

Just spoke with a guy from HID City and he's sending me 2 x H7 kits and I'm only paying for 1 up front in case it doesn't work out. I was concerned about paying out over £100 for something I'm not sure will work to my satisfaction or not. I'll pay him for the 2nd if it does or he'll refund if it doesn't. I thought that was pretty good customer service.

Ordered the 5k bulbs. Hopefully they'll arrive tomorrow and I'll get a chance to fit them this weekend. Will post pics if I can.

Very nice install--looks OEM.  I've had very good service from Retrofit Source for many years.  They sell quality parts.

I was considering fitting a bi-xenon bulb conversion from HID City. I spoke with them at the MCN Bike show last week and the salesman said that there's no need for any reflector modification because the light source is in the same place as an incandescent bulb.

Ahem.  This is total BS.  And totally to be expected from a company selling only...HID conversion kits!

Ciao,

:fing02: