Ducati Monster Forum

This thread is for people who have upgraded their Headlamp to feature HID light, or replaced the lamp with a different unit that features HID light.

I'm currently contemplating the J W Speaker model 8100.
(http://www.jwspeaker.com/catalog/images/model_8100.jpg)

When you flip on your brights, the low beam (HID) stays on. The dimensions are the standard 7" dia. and 5.4ish" depth.

The mount is different, there's no chance of getting lucky and it being identical to Ducati's. A new mount replacing the U-Shaped bracket that mounts to the lower triple would be needed. Motowheels had such a bracket made for their M944.

I like the 'high-er tech' look of this lamp to replace the diffuser style glass of the stock, and that it puts out more light.

Thoughts on this & What do others have, or are contemplating?

i installed dual bixenons. two 35watt HID on low, and a magnetic housing that moves the bulb on high. too bright to be honest. I can see my light in the back of a car in noon daylight.

i've been thinking about a whole new headlight system and still researching the different options including an HID system.

would i have to replace the battery or use an external transformer of some sort to accomodate the higher wattage?

I read the answer is no. These units require a "ballast" unit, included in the 8100 that I'm looking at, and with all the other options, that you tuck away around your airbox (it needs some airflow to stay cool) that does that stuff for you.

Honestly, your better of getting a bixenon kit and doing a small mod to get the housing to fit. Or just go single HID lamp  and do a drop in.  The bixenon is basically useless, mines always on low where i use to always run high on halogen)

After much research on this topic last year, I decided to just get a different bulb.  It draws the same power, but puts out the stocker's high beam power on "low" and about 50% more when on "high."  Very noticeable difference for both day and night riding.  Even my riding budies noticed (I didn't tell them what I had done, they just noticed it when we were riding).

I have also done that, but when riding in the evening last two or there days ago, I went around a turn and the front end nearly went out from under me - I didn't see the spot of loose dirt and gravel, but must assume that's what it was. I was going about 30, and the entire rest of the ride, I couldn't stop thinking about wanting a brighter light. I even contemplated strapping a miner's helmet light to my Shoei.

gday
i installled this unit
http://www.xtralights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1349 (http://www.xtralights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1349)
it is great massive amount of light incorporates both high and low beams
not much heat from ballast however the lamp gets very hot
the ballast is tiny and very easily concealed behind headlight housing, very happy with it
i havent seen yours b4, i like the modern look, i wonder how it would go mounting it, it seems large
punta

That looks great! Can you give a few more details about what you used and how you "applied" it to your bike,

Stock lens, bucket? etc.

Thanks

Rob

HID actually takes quite a bit less wattage than halogen....35 vs 70 i think.   the ballast is used to make a very high voltage....so you'll have to find somewhere to stick the thing (mine's under the seat), but the whole system will draw less power

whered you get a harness that long? :( mine is sitting ontop of my airbox. both of them.

The one for the J W Speaker unit I'm looking at has a 3' cord that they really don't want you to modify (shorten or lengthen) says the online manual.

The linked unit above (which i really like), has a 4' cord.

gday Rob
i had the service guys i use install it, i must admit i dont have the patients for most of the stuff some you guys do to your bikes its great.
i know for a fact all is stock, the "bucket" or headlight housing the lens and the rubber seal and spring, it fits in the housing great as well as the immediate wiring the only thing xtra that was put in was a very small relay and some wiring directly from the battery....
as i said, this exceeds my original expectation of this product, and i did think i would be able to find one where the electronic ballast is so small,
it may seem pricey but i havent seem a HID conversion kit that comes close.
another alternative i was thinking prior to installing this kit was trying to replace the headlight with the ne 696 style by purchasing it from DUCATI spares, just for a differet look. but decide agaist it
i am happy with the mod i have done, and would recommend it anytime...
good luck [thumbsup]
punta

mine came with really long wires to the ballast, and really short wires to some of the othor parts...it made wireing the wole thing up pretty lame since some were just too long and others too short.   I ended up hacking the wires to make some longer and some shorter

The problem with that setup (and any HID bulb conversion) is it creates a LOT of glare to oncoming cars.  HID's are supposed to have a sharp cutoff pattern, and when you just put a HID bulb into a lens like the monster, well, it's going to glare to oncoming drivers a LOT.

Last thing I want it to have someone run me off the road/brake check me because I'm blinding the crap out of them.

+1, however my housing are is only 4 inches wide each, and although there is a lot of glare, its not even half as bright as halogen's glare. it might be different with stock monster housings. Ill snap a pic as soon as i get a hold of my camera.

headlight on our Motowheels M944 project:

(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e344/Motowheelscom/Monster%20944/mon2.jpg)

(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e344/Motowheelscom/Monster%20944/frontshot.jpg)

(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e344/Motowheelscom/Monster%20944/monster8_med.jpg)

(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e344/Motowheelscom/Monster%20944/monster1_med.jpg)

-M

Did you go for 4K, 6K, or 8K. I love the HID on BMWs (cars) they're not white or totally blue, but the 6K look a little bit greenish. From the pics on the website you linked to us I'd go with the blue, but I've heard the light actually weakens as you go into that end of the spectrum.

Moto-

Is that the JW Speaker 8100 unit on your project bike? (shown in the OP)

It appears to have a proper lens/reflector to give a "correct" cut-off and prevent blinding oncoming traffic.

That's what I thought it was, but I emailed Brian (he's my go-to guy over there) and he didn't have the info in front of him, but thought it was a separate HD unit. I'm attempting further investigation. One of the other guys their might have some add'l info.

Hopefully, they will give the details

I really think that the "big" headlight is the right look for the Monster (YMMV).......

If that unit keeps the look AND improves night vision it would be my choice.

Just bright, without "control" of the beam is kinda like REALLY loud exhaust - it may be cool for you but for others, not so much

Where did you get the gauges' housing in CF? Looks nice! Does it resemble the stok one on top?

Yes it is the JW light.
We had to buy a bucket and make a billet bracket for it.
I don't remember all the details because we did in 2003 or 2004

-M

gday
mine is 8000K it is blueish white in apperance
yeah, these lamps are determined by their burning temp i.e 4000 Kelvin and so forth it is true that the lumem intencity drops the higher the K value you go
i do remeber hearing that the human eye see yellowish colours better around 2700 to 3400 K which is the more incandesant type light, not sure if this is usfull or correct but i do recall it from somewhere
i really like the 8000K colour
punta

We used to sell the CF gauge unit. They don't make it any longer.
It uses the OEM speedo and includes a matching OEM styl;e tach. It also has a programable shift light.

I might be parting out that bike this winter. I'll post all the parts on the forum when that happens. It has a lot of stuff on it that is no longer made and some one off pieces.

-M

good gosh i want the headlight bracket. and headlight.

That went on our SportClassic project already...

Martin, since I bought your Mag wheels I think I should get first dibs.  I think those parts would be happier.

shucks.

How to install a HID light thread

http://www.hoosierhooligans.org/forum/index.php?topic=150.0

 [bacon]

meh, i wouldnt recommend that type of system, from reading it. flashing hid lights is a bad idea, the reverse is also true.  with that hid/halogen setup, everytime he uses his high beam the hid will turn off and will have to restart, causing a brief moment where there is little to no light, because hid bulbs have a warmup time. there is also the whole glare issue when using a hid bulb in a housing made for a halogen bulb. my vote is for higher output/ higher wattage bulbs, works for me.

On the JW headlight, the HID low beam stays on when you flash or turn on the high beam.

This set up is no comparison to a higher output halogen. Night and Day difference. I had higher out put bulbs on the monster before I went to the HID.

-M

The JW headlight is designed as a HID, no?  This is much different than stuffing an HID bulb into an H4 unit.

Yes.

I have the higher wattage bulb now. It still sucks. My speedometer is not working right now because of a pothole that I didn't have time to plan for because it was too late by the time it was lit up by my headlight.  (much cursing on my end).

I saw this the other day while looking for something else.
http://www.riding-house.com/products/ducati/fiber_parts/zhh_011.html

i can't read that!

+1.  Piaa superplasma, then tilt the headlight up ever so slightly from the position it comes in and your set.

I can't either LOL.

I clicked on this link:
http://www.riding-house.com/products/ducati/fiber_parts/index_monster_s4rs.html
and it says H.I.D. lightcase kit SOLAM H.I.D. - so I don't know if this is a complete HID or just a modified case to hold a HID...
It is very expensive - but it is something somebody might want to consider I guess.  It looks like it is made specifically for a Monster.
Maybe it works with this
http://www.solam.co.jp/english/hid/index.html

how's that measured, wampum? it looks like play money to me. I had no idea if it was expensive or not. It says its carbon stuff on one of the headings, so perhaps that is driving up the cost.

I find it humerous that some words are in English while others are in foreign character language.

the whole world speaks english, sometimes you hear foreigners go..

"balh balh blah blah, bathroom." "balh blah blah oh my god blah blah blah balh" lol or in this case "balh blah lbla blha AHHHH GODZILLA AHHH blah blah blah"

back on topic though, you cant stop the glare from an HID bulb without a reflector like a halogen. If you look closely there is a reflector sheild built into the halogen bulb in your current setup. Aftermarket HID kits come with an external reflector sheild because they are built for the purpose of replacing non HID headlights. If you take a apart a real HID set from a car, ie BMW, mercedes, any of those higher up cars, you'll see that they are insie a housing with a reflector lens that focuses the beam, so from the looks of that kit, its still just a plastic clear lens. There is another way to get the beam to not scatter so much, but it requires a long housing (someone here said it needs to be alteast 7 inches long to properly tunnel the light to a beam with little glare. Ive never done the reaserch on that one)

Im still waiting for my camera. :( bixenon for the win too!!!11!111

uh, its japanese, and take off the 2 last digits and thats a rough estimate of how much it costs, prolly around 200$ with the weak dollar.  of course hid is leagues better than a higher wattage halogen, but the cost of doing it right for me outweights the benefit. 

you can use a reflector housing for hid bulbs, but the housing has to be made for HID bulbs, it has precise angles to angle the light bouncing off of it to a nice pattern on the road, but because the placement of where a hid bulb and a halogen bulb produce light is different, when you stick one in a housing not made for it, obviously all those precise angles are all wrong, causing glare and a non focused beam pattern.  when i retrofitted my car with hid bulbs, i accually used lights from a bmw 3 series along with the ballasts and ignitors. any hid bulb that comes with a standard halogen bulb base is not going to be as nice as a true retrofit.

i knew it was japanese, we call those jokes above.