Ducati Monster Forum

About a week ago I ordered some projectors that were bi-xenon, came with the LED "angel eye" and a bulb.

Got the HID projectors in today.  Set them up on my bench....they work GREAT.  Bixenon works as advertised.  Both came with a bulb but sans ballasts.  I only have one ballast to run one projector, but the cutoff is nice and sharp, activating the bixenon works as it should.

Better yet.....this thing will fit inside the stock monster headlight bucket.  I ordered a piece of lexan, to make a clear lens.  Next up I need to get a router table to cut out the lens, then make some sort of fixture so I can heat form it into a lens shape.  I suppose I could use it flat, but a slighly convex shape out to look much better and "factory" appearing.

Whala....a stock appearing headlight w/hid and bixenon as well :)

I'll get some pics in the dark when I get home this evening.  Based on the output in the garage with the lights off.....this out to be much better than a stock monster headlight.

Got cold out tonight, so forgive me for taking pics in the rec room.


Low beam
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/DUcati%20S4Rt/DSC_0018.jpg)



High beam
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/DUcati%20S4Rt/DSC_0019.jpg)

bravo! now how does the unit looK? ;D

keep us posted on the mod.

One problem I just came up with....the damn thing gets HOT.

I don't have a IR thermo, but it's hot enough to burn you.  You can tap it for a half second before it starts hurting....

MY headlight bucket is plastic, and the way this mounts is a thru hole in the back,  approx 1".  I dunno what kind of heat the stock plastic light puts out, but I'm thinking there is a melting potential with this.

I'll need to mount it in my bucket and let it run for awhile to see if any melting occurs.  I could always just do the 2 duals, but I'd like the look of the stock bucket.

would you mind posting the information on these Bi-Xenons? like....ballast type, Manufacturer, where to buy..etc.
You mentioned you have a lens for this light. I this just regular lexan? which would be totally flat, is there an actual shape to it.
I really want to do the same to mines.

Gonna start out flat, but I've got something in mind to heat form it to a slight convex shape....should look like a stock headlight glass except clear.

It's just a projector I found a few weeks ago that I wanted to try.  I plan on either offering a kit w/parts, or a write up with a clear lens FS if I get it ironed out :). [thumbsup]

Are all the headlight buckets plastic?

I think plastic headlight buckets started with the 695 and were gradually integrated into the rest of the Monster line.  I don't know what you would need to do to fit a metal bucket on your bike.  The older units also had a glass lens.

Well. I might be able to sell you my bucket - which just got the chrome ring powder coated black. From a 99 M900 - metal bucket, metal reflector, glass lens.

I just ordered a "monster clear-glass headlight lens" from Desmoworld. I think it will actually be the whole headlight and not just the glass lens. If that's the case, this beautiful headlight I just fab'd up will be on the market.

I'd like to see a pic of the parts you are using.

Any chance you could like me to the "clear glass light" you bought?

Not sure if the trim rings are the same between years, mine is PC'd black.

Also wonder what the weight it on a metal bucket....I won't be using a glass lens due to the weight but the bucket..I might not have a choice.

Pictures of the clear glass hopefully today. If it comes in today, I'll put it on today, and take pictures. To see it, go to the Desmoworld Site --> Shop --> S --> Schienwerfer (think shine-maker) --> Rund (round headlights) --> near the bottom.

thats perfect.  Please let me know what shows up.....reflector + glass would be great for that price (and save a lot of trouble with the heat forming lexan).

Here's the thing - I was all excited about putting it in, using my just-back-from-the-powder-coater ring, and get the carbon fiber bucket some day, and i so i bit the bullet and ordered the cf bucket too. Doesn't work with that, which led me to believe that perhaps the price is for a complete headlamp. Which might surprise me. We'll see.

Really impressive, otherwise one of my main reasons f not getting xenon.

Any chance of an outdoors pic?
What kit are you using?

Gentleman, ladies....I have good news.

HID projector stayed lit for 1 hour, I observed no melting with the plastic headlight bucket.

Furthermore, the lens that I need to make will not need to be convex at all to accomidate the projector.  I've ordered a sheet of lexan to build some lenses, and I will try them out both flat, and convex.  I'm assuming the thermoforming will produce some irregularities in the beam pattern, but that remains to be seen.

Good news is HID is available for those that want to keep the stock bucket......and not blind everyone on the road.

I walked the single projector mounted into the bucket out to the street....it throws as much light as I could hope for...about 200% better than the stock beam.  High beam is great, and the side light it puts out is great as well.  I'm excited to say the least.

costs?

trying to keep it as cheap as possible....
Will depend on how much the lens is going to cost me to make, but I'm going to try and put a "kit" together for less than 300, and hopefully less than that.

very interested...

My router table should be here shortly.  Then I can fab up the clear lens, heat form it, and take some pictures.

Other problem I'm trying to sort out is the interior of the bucket.  The projector is small and doesn't fill the bucket up at all, so you have a shiny projector sitting inside a black bucket.  Not sure how it's going to look, but it might be better if I painted the interior of the bucket silver, or somehow lined it with a reflective tape/metal?

Hopefully by this weekend I'll have the lense made and can test it out.....so far the bucket has survived 4+ hours of the headlight running with no airflow and no meltage issues, so I think I'm good there.

OK,

I'm confused here with all the "secrecy" of this project. All the OP has up is pics of the light pattern and not the kit itself?
So basically this is an angel eye bi-xenon HID kit you are looking to put in a standard headlight bucket?

question #1: the headlight is always on, so what's the point of the angel eye?
question #2: you want to sell these things for $300 when we can just buy a drop-in bi-xenon kit for under $100?
                                                 http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=20959.0 (http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=20959.0)

 ???

I'm talking about making a kit to replace the headlight lens, and have a real bi-xenon light (not a dual filiment bulb).   You can buy the HID projector yourself if you want, and I'll even show you how to make the entire thing yourself if you want.  Not like I'm getting rich from something like this :D

The most important part is the fact that the drop in xenon you linked to has no cutoff....so it blinds everyone else on the road with it's terrible beam pattern.  It's people who put a HID bulb in a non-projector light and blind/dazzle everyone elses eyes that I don't get.  You don't like it when an oncoming driver in a jacked up truck has his 4 hi-beam PIAA 100watt halogens burning do you? 

There is no secret here, I just forgot to take a pic of the assembly.  Have a  [drink], or glass of  [wine], and relax. [thumbsup]

hmmmmm. not knocking the project, just confused.  I've dropped HIDs in every car I own and although the housings were designed for halogens, all I do is re-aim the beams lower and I'm done. it's the wider and cleaner light distribution that I care about more. The thing about bikes is that they tend to bounce up and down a lot and no matter what, you are going to dazzle a few people now and then, but I'd rather have that so they notice me now and then.

I mean this for me is perfect and all I would need from an HID system:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/3094719348_3ce6239443.jpg?v=0)


different strokes for different folks, I guess.

I picked the wrong week to stop drinking! [coffee]

Go park that bike with a wall or garage door in front of it and look at the terrible cutoff and all the hot spots.

I already have, here you go:
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/HID/buell_tip_nonwb.jpg)

crap, IMHO.  I'm creating a better solution.

Here is what a proper HID housing/projector should look like:

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/HID/ProperHID.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/HID/ProperHID1.jpg)

My setup in the bucket:
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/DUcati%20S4Rt/DSC_0018.jpg)
This isn't quite as good, but for the depth of the bucket and restriction on what projector I could use, it's pretty darn good, and about 200000000 times better than a "drop in" HID setup

Ok, let's not piss off the air traffic controller!  ;D


Like I said, different strokes for different folks.

Looking forward to seeing your project move forward. [wine]

LOL, takes a lot more than that to get me even miffed in the slightest, I thought we were just discussing a difference of opinions. [thumbsup] [drink]

Now sleep, I've got a 0630

any updates on this??  [roll] ;D ;D [beer]

I'm headed tomorrow to get a router table so I can cut a few round circles :)  Work is really kicking my ass lately, and honestly I havn't felt like doing anything but going out on the KTM and getting dirty after work.  I did change the trans fluid in the family truckster today.

I've ran the HID setup today for about 3 hours while I cleaned up the garage.  I can safely say that the plastic bucket should have no problem dealing with the heat given off by the projector/housing.   [thumbsup]

Very nice!   [clap]

The light put out by the projector is a lot cleaner than through the reflector of the stock.  I think this is true even with cars that had stock OEM HID's that were using reflector based housings instead of projectors.

yep.. projector driven lights have far better light output.  Most reflector lights have horrible hotspots and darkspots, not to mention a IZ_ cutoff, this goes for HID or halogen. 

Thermo-moulding Lexan isn't fun.  Still trying to form a lens shape, but I'm having issues.  I might try a slightly thicker piece of lexan.  Problem I'm having now is it gets to hot, and goes "plastic" on me too quick.  I can't get it out of the oven quick enough to prevent distorting it.  I may try a hot plate or something where I can take the heat to the lexan, and remove the heat without moving the lexan.  Havn't given up, just don't have a good update.

Just a thought on the router table, Bench Dog make a fine one. Very precise for repeating things. I have my Makita loaded into mine. Very respectable mounting plate.

Router table - check

Lexan - check

Made some circles - Check

Heat formed them in the oven - Check

Now all I need is to affix the new "lens" to the headlight trim ring and mount the sucker up :)

I have one more bi-xenon projector and can do one retrofit w/lexan lens.  I'll include a spare lexan lens as well.  Once I glue my new lens to my bucket, I won't be able to make another lens unless you send me your headlight trim ring (metal only :D)

Pics:

(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/DUcati%20S4Rt/DSCN5794.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/DUcati%20S4Rt/DSCN5796.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/DUcati%20S4Rt/DSCN5797.jpg)

I held the "lens" in front of the projector at various distances with the light on the garage door.  No change in the cutoff/focus, and only a minute change in the brightness.

Looks like this will be a winner :D

If only you had my powdercoat oven right now! your lexan heating problems would be solved!

the lens looks sweet man! will be keeping an eye on this!

How much heat is generated by the projector at the front of the unit?
If that gets hot it will melt or deform the lexan.
I put one on mine and have had that problem.
With the standard headlight setup it doesn't focus well either.

Great idea for the light. If this works out for you I might try.
KP

The lexan takes 360+ deg to heat form it, I don't believe that the projector is putting out that much heat :)

[thumbsup]
What type of lexan are you using and where can it be had?
Also, make sure you seal the lexan to the ring well or dust and water WILL get in. :P
When I wash mine it starts to accumulate about a 1/2 inch of water in the bottom. It drains quickly but leaves a little line from the water level.

Nice work btw,

KP

Cast lexan sheet.  Bought it on ebay.

I was planning on using black silicone (stuff for windows/doors with the anti fungal in it) to seal it up around the trim ring, and drill a tiny hole in the bottom of the ring to allow any moisture to drain away if need be.

I was also going to buy a sheet of "tear off" material to protect the lexan lens as well.

The cast lexan must be tougher than the sheet stuff I got. good to know.
Nice job on the shape of the lense as well.   [bacon]
My lexan has held up really well without too many scratches, but the "tear off" idea is one to keep in mind if I do this mod.

 KP

Now this is a sweet sweet mod!  Might have to pull the trigger on one of these for my Sport Classic.

HID FTW!!!  Nice work!  I have been wanting to see someone do this for years.  Looks great!!

Looks great!  [thumbsup]
And thx f sharing!  :)
Gives me real inspiration to try this on my Paso w horrible headlight.

So when can we buy these then dude  8)

Lost track of this thread.  We used to do a lot of lexan forming at a cabinet shop I used to run.  We were making clear shelves for slatwall retail displays and essentially we had aluminum bars that heated up, just like a hotplate.  Put a bar where each bend goes, drop the lexan on there, count to 3, drop in a form, and flame polish the edges (hydrogen torch). 

Long story even longer, you mentioned using a hot plate and I think that is a great idea, particularly if you used a thick piece (think disk) of alumimum on top of the coils so that you don't get any weird marks from the coils.  Preheat, count to three, and drop on your form.  You are using a form, aren't you?

Cool project!

I goofed and cut the lexan about 1/8" to small, so I'm waiting on another small sheet so I can fix my goof.  The lenses would work fine, but would fit a bit better if they were a smidge larger.

I need a web store....and about 12 more hours to each day  [thumbsup]

I like how your bike is parked in your bedroom.

Or - maybe he's sleeping in his shop?

Sorry for the useless reply, a bump is a bump.

when can i give you my money?

I can't honestly say when this will be for sale.  First I've got to finish up the exhaust for a fellow member.

Today, however, I'm off to the 20 week ultrasound appointment.  Going to find out what baby 2.0 will "be".  [thumbsup]

 [thumbsup]

Hope everything is good!

Wow dude, cool project! So are you done yet?? haha.

Working on it today actually, mounted up on the chopped ubracket (now for sale).  I'm going to mount it with fork tube mounts, which I now need to find.


(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/TheoAftonomos/DUcati%20S4Rt/DSCN5847.jpg)

any news on these......i'm berry berry interested! List of needed parts and such

One HID kit

One Bixenon projector retrofitted into the headlight bucket

One custom heat formed lexan lens

Some time  [thumbsup]

where can i aqquire said reflector housing? or a reflector for the twin headlights