Ducati Monster Forum

well i havent ridden the bike since i just put them in yet, but the light output seems significantly higher than the standard bulb
before you flame me, yes i did do the plug and play kit, but i still dont know how i feel about the light output pattern

anyways, heres some pics
light output before the installation, notice the fine cutoff, and even light distribution
(http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/255622_2125454335480_1219530682_2542808_1852835_n.jpg)

start by removing the windshield/bikini faring to gain access to the cluster plug, unplug it
then remove the 2 nuts holding the headlight assembly in place, unplug the harnesses for the signals and headlight wires on the left side of the forks

insulate the exposed part of the kit wiring with heat shrink or electrical tape, so you dont have a chance of arcing inside of the headlight housing
(http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/264604_2125455455508_1219530682_2542809_4123659_n.jpg)

install the bulb and route the harness around the perimeter of the headlight housing, and use the supplied double stick tape on the back of the ballast box, mine came with a super slim single box, install on inside of headlight housing opposite of the side all of the wires are coming in
(http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/259895_2125456655538_1219530682_2542810_6408402_n.jpg)

put the rear cover back on
(http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/252888_2125457495559_1219530682_2542811_8341920_n.jpg)

reinstall the headlight in the reverse order, and plug in everything, turn on the bike to make sure you have the wires installed correctly

(http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/255761_2125458335580_1219530682_2542814_2893951_n.jpg)
as you can see the light output is not as good as the stock bulb, but its more intense so farther headlights? you may want to reaim the headlight after installation so you dont blind oncoming traffic

(http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/264919_2125459055598_1219530682_2542815_7817052_n.jpg)

i need to replace the center bulb because it looks way yellow in comparison

the center bulb is hard to find in the correct bright white...
you have to basically order out of england to get them

mebbe just try out one of those white sylvania or osram bulbs... you can get those in any autozone and they are pretty white... might not be perfect, but def wont be yellow

the manual says the parking light is an led, but i pulled it out, and its definately NOT an led..

it's not a led.. it's either a h3 or a h5... i forget...

H5W IIRC


http://www.discountcarbulbs.com/productdetails.asp?ProdID=1288 (http://www.discountcarbulbs.com/productdetails.asp?ProdID=1288)

i just pulled it out again, checked the bulb, its an h6w, and they are a plenty online!
http://www.1topstore.com/product_info.php?language=en&currency=USD&products_id=13992 (http://www.1topstore.com/product_info.php?language=en&currency=USD&products_id=13992)

CHEAP! im not sure if the ducati has a can style light failure detection, but better safe than sorry i think

Nice I did the same on my S2R, this is one of my favorite mods for our bike. It's cheap and very effective. On my 620 I also went with the 4300k white output but this time around went 3000k for the yellow (neon yellow) output. Wanted something that retained the stock yellow look with a modern "twist" - plus it actually lights up the road better.

i got a 5000k kit, but i think i should have gotten the 6000k bulbs instead, i havent done any night riding with the new setup yet so i dont know how the output compares, i also have the light pointed down quite a bit than the stock, as i saw the sign reflection flickering when i was cruising down the freeway in the morning

not effective. very veyr not effective.

how so? i can post pics but even in OP's pics you can see how the hids are much brighter than the halogens.

projectors are ideal but that doesn't mean lack of projectors make them ineffective. i've aimed the headlights such that they don't shine on anyone's rear window and yet i still maintain much better visibility than halogens. the only reason hid's on non-projectors get a bad rep is b/c kids in civics throw in 14k purple bulbs and blind everyone in their site. but as someone who rode on 2 different monsters both with halogens and hid's, i assure you the difference is night and day (pun not intended).

well in my experience, the light output starts to diminish once its above 8000k, then it just starts to look stupid

Because all the light from an HID kit scatters about. Even if you say theres a "clean" cutoff, there isnt. The shape of the housing and the frenholfer lens on your bike is disigned for a certain bulb shape which emits light in a certain distinct patter. A retrofit is a differnet bulb size and the light is emitted completely differently.

For what its worth, there is no way your HID kit will ever match my light. Even though we use the same bulb and same ballast, the big difference is in the projector. ALl the light you see in my pic below, is focused and spread wide. I could easily light up 4 or even 5 cars and have zero glare. So when you think where all that extra light goes, it goes everywhere. Which is why i think those kits should be kept away. a Really nice halogen bulb can offer a great amount of light. But to each its own.  Riding in front of a bike with HID bulbs is the most annoying thing in the world because the light is insanely bright and a litlte glare is intensely magnified.

(http://kuixihe.com/gallery3/var/resizes/Tutorials/HID%20Projector/IMG_0196.JPG?m=1303653623)

(http://kuixihe.com/gallery3/var/resizes/Tutorials/HID%20Projector/IMG_0200.JPG?m=1303653628)

i realize all of this and i totally agree, i probably will go back to a halogen bulb, or attempt a projector install, and again, i totally agree about the projector, only if it is designed for an hid bulb

heres more proof.

this is a Bixenon HID h4 kit in the older style mosnters, if you look at it on the wall, yes there is a cutoff, but its no where near as clean as the halogen. its BRIGHT as make the beast with two backs. and many magnitudes brighter than a halogen kit will ever be.

Bi Xenon Dual HID Ducati Monster S2R (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slIGKua_CxM#normal)

Here is the EXACT same ballast, but with the same type of bulb, except it doenst have a solenoid on it. In reality all HID bulbs are the same, the base is just different.

I want you to notice a few things. First is the cutoff, second is how the high beam looks in comparision to the non projector (you on the HID kit is like riding with high beams on). Then at the 5 second mark, notice that the second i shut it off, the unlit portion of the house, doenst change. This means there is no scattered light that is illuminating the building. if you shut it off and there was a drastic change in lighting, then it is very obvious that the light is going everywhere.

HID projector Ducati Monster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opnis5dNkGk#normal)

also if you noticed in the freeze frame in the video above, there is an car with HIDs on behind me. low beam or high beam? im not quite sure. probably just low beam. u can clearly see the cutoff, and u can see that their bulb lights up my dash.

I have been holding off on that HID for the reasons He Man has expressed.

yea i think im going back to regular headlights.. a few more night miles, and i think the light output is way less than i was hoping for, anyone have good luck with brighter bulbs?

i put in the sylvania silverstar ultra bulbs and they're def a solid upgrade.

Yup, that seems to be what most people are upgrading to.

This is a good replacement for the center bulb... color spectrum is similar to a 5-6K HID...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2X-12V-White-Dome-BAX9S-H6W-64132-LED-Bulbs-NEW-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem336922ada2QQitemZ220807212450QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2X-12V-White-Dome-BAX9S-H6W-64132-LED-Bulbs-NEW-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem336922ada2QQitemZ220807212450QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories)