i just installed a star-rotors (xentec) slim ballast hid kit in my high and low beam(heard great reviews)

i got both hooked up correctly but when i turn the key before starting the engine(switch on low beam), sometimes the low beam will flicker and shut down. as soon as i start the bike it will turn right on and both lows/highs work perfect. i also noticed that after running the engine and using the kill switch w/ the key on, the lights WILL stay on....this only happens on the first turn of the key.

i personally have no problems with this as i never sit with the key on before starting the bike BUT i just felt that i should check to see if this could be bad for the lights or cause future problems. like i said, as soon as the bike starts everything works perfect.

this is my first time doing hid's but its pretty much idiot-proof so i dont think i did anything wrong connection wise..

let me know what you think
thanks!

 

HIDs are particular some times, i say if they work when your riding then live with it, or you can call the company and ask them to send a replacement and see if they do the same thing

 

Isn't that normal after using the kill switch with the key on? Thought in general, the lights just stayed on until you turned the key off.

My HID's are a bit more wierd, sometimes after they're fully warmed up, and I turn it off and turn it right back on again, it wont come on right away, and I gotta like turn the key off, turn it back on to get it to come back on. Not sure if I need a bigger fuse, I don't know what I got in there, but I'm pretty sure I already upped it lol.

 

Yeah i have a the same problem with the bulbs burning out when first turning the key. But after starting the engine they'll turn back on. Hasn't done anything damaging yet, and its been several months. And about about the kill switch and the lights staying on, it's like that with stock lights too..

 

slip, don't worry, the bigger fuse won't help, it's just the nature of the ballasts, they aren't supposed to work like that.

 

Maybe its a precausion (sp?) thats built in? could it possibly sense the bike is cold and just on battery, so it kills the light as to not draw too much current to kill the battery before you start it? then after you shut down, the battery is at full charge so it keeps it on for a while?

No experience with HID's just what popped into my head

 

Yeah i doubt the bigger fuse helps, i upgraded mine from a 10 amp to 30 amp still same problem.

 

HID's use up less power than regular bulbs. HOWEVER, they use MORE energy to start up. So when you first start up your bike, especially with both low and high beam on, your bike is drawing a lot power to the lights and your engine isn't even running yet.

Try turn both headlights on, start the engine right away. They'll still be flickering, then rev the engine up, you'll see your headlights turn bright. When the RPM's are high, more energy is being generated.

This problem doesn't happen on cars since they have such a big battery that enough power can be drained by the lights. Bikes have tiny batteries though.

My rule for my HID's is that I only leave the low beam on when starting the bike. When I starting moving in 1st gear, maybe when the RPM gets to 4000, I'll hit the high beam (my high beams are aimed to the ground so it won't blind ppl, just light up the ground big time) and it works fine.

 

ok thats exactly what i thought, i just had to make sure for the peice of mind....i start it w/ the low and switch to high after i start riding if needed and it works perfect....i went for a night ride tonight and WOW is all i have to say. what a difference!


thanks everyone

 

Yeah I usually start my bike up right after I turn the key. What is it about the ballast that don't allow it from being flicked on and off. Is it so that you don't kill a battery by trying to constantly flick them on and off? lol. The wierd thing is, some nights I'll be out, turn my high beam on and off without a problem. And other nights, turn it off, turn it on again, and I have to wait a few minutes to be able to get it to kick on. Now that I care, cause my low beam is sufficient lol. I just like being able to see football fields ahead of me, haha.