[bruce1200xlh]

Hi to all. New member and 1st time poster here. This is a really great site. Lots of info and a lot of helpful Duc owners.

I have recently purchased an 01 996. 3000kms on the clock when i got it.

Biggest problem; the most terrible headlights I have ever seen (not seen?).

I replaced both hi and low beams with Xenon HID's. The whole kit not the fancy halogen bulbs with Xenon gas added.

Hi beam is fantastic, never seen such a good headlight.

Low beam went from horrible all the way up to pathetic. Everything was installed correctly.

Are all projector type lights this bad? Is there anything that can be done to correct/modify this?

Thanks for any and all comments!

Bruce
2001 996
1991 1200xlh full custom Sportster

 

[bruce1200xlh]

Wow! Thanks guys! Fast response!

Unfortunately cleaning the lens didn't help (much). You guys dont miss a beat tho!

I did aim the lights but I didn't know about horizontal aiming. Thanks for that. And thanks for the link. I will check that out ASAP.

I upgraded the battery cables to 4 gauges and the battery voltage across the terminals at idle is about 13.19v, so that shouldn't be a problem and the Hi beam is bright.

I just keeps pointing to the projector type lens......

Thanks again

 

[bruce1200xlh]

Thanks. I was aware that the focal length was important but I have not checekd it. The bulb is seated correctly. When I aimed the lights at a wall from aprrox. 30' you can defintely see the beam pattern. but it just seems too diffused. It was this way on the stock halogen system as well. In fact it was so weak, I never used it, only the hi beam(never got many flashes at me either). when switching to the low beam before the change, it was as if I turned the lights off. As I said better now but still not adequate for night riding as the roads in the Philippines tend to be poorly lit.

B.

 

[bruce1200xlh]

Thanks for that. The HID is probably about 3 times better than previous but it is still terrrible. A matter of degrees I guess. I purchased the lights from Xenondepot in Canada. The light base is supposed to be reengineered for these applications. The light just seems too diffused. As I say, when I line it up against a wall at night, there is a distinct cutout, similar to what a halogen would have on low beam. But again, the light just seems very diffused, so maybe this points at the bulb base or focal length not being correct for this application?

Is there any way to replace the projector bulb/lens with a standard one? My guess is not but it sure would be nice.

B

 

[bruce1200xlh]

Thanks. Any idea where I could get my hands on a replacement? Coupled with my rather poor night vision, this low beam of mine is an accident waiting to happen. failing that i am thinking of putting on an additional driving light. I just dont want to spoil the looks of the bike.

B