HID Motorbike Conversion Kit

[Mabels Old Man]

However, in reality they're dangerous, cause more glare to other road users and prevent you from seeing so well.

You can reduce the glare by adjusting the headlight, however I don't care what the report says they're a hell of a lot better to ride behind then some headlights.

As above
HID lights are illegal on motorbikes and will fail an MOT.
They are legal on cars that have self levelling suspension (which bikes don't!) and must be able to be independantly switched off.

I know quite a few people who've passed MOT's with HID's in with no problem.


The article might carry more weight if it was British and not North American cos Merkin laws are different

[AlanH]

however I don't care what the report says they're a hell of a lot better to ride behind then some headlights.

They may be better to ride behind, but try when they are coming towards you.

The article might carry more weight if it was British and not North American cos Merkin laws are different

UK Department of Transport British enough for you???

Aftermarket HID (Xenon) headlamps

[Lutin]

UK Department of Transport British enough for you???

Aftermarket HID (Xenon) headlamps

That's the one I found when looking into this a while ago. Still, some folks are getting their bikes through the MOT okay.

You pays your money.........

[AlanH]

Still, some folks are getting their bikes through the MOT okay

That's because some MoT Testers are not thorough enough. That reflects badly on the MoT tester rather than being any positive endorsement for an illegal light setup.

[Mabels Old Man]

UK Department of Transport British enough for you???

Aftermarket HID (Xenon) headlamps

Yep that's much better.

I still maintain that if the headlight is properly adjusted they shouldn't cause undue dazzle.

[Lutin]

That's because some MoT Testers are not thorough enough. That reflects badly on the MoT tester rather than being any positive endorsement for an illegal light setup.

You are supposing that all the bikes fitted with HID kits have not been tested correctly.

That's some statement.

[AlanH]

You are supposing that all the bikes fitted with HID kits have not been tested correctly.

Read the article from the UK Department of Transport.

A retrofit HID kit is illegal for road use. Should MoT testers pass illegal lights or not? What we need is a definitive answer from an MoT tester as to what the book says.

[Mabels Old Man]

That's because some MoT Testers are not thorough enough. That reflects badly on the MoT tester rather than being any positive endorsement for an illegal light setup.

That could be used to bolster my arguement that if they're adjusted properly they don't cause a problem.

[AlanH]

That could be used to bolster my arguement that if they're adjusted properly they don't cause a problem.

The problem is, as explained in the other article posted by Jarl, to get the cutoff correct, you need to replace the reflector and the lens. If you do that then it will be properly adjusted. If you don't do that, the only way you can reduce the glare being experienced by other drivers is to aim the light low. You'll then get less lighting in the distance than if you just had a conventional bulb.

Don't forget that on a left-hander, the beam is tipped up into the eyes of an oncoming motorist and, as there is no sharp cutoff with HID when it's installed with an incorrect lens and reflector, that can be very dazzling when compared with a standard bulb regardless of how the beam looks when pointed at a wall with the bike upright.

[Mabels Old Man]

Not arguing against that but I've pointed mine at the garage door and it has a very defined cut off.