Author Topic: HID upgrade install - Question (Read 6390 times)

mlf73 · « **on:** May 21, 2011, 09:45:34 AM »

I just got my 55W HID upgrade kit from DDM Tuning. I just went with the motorcycle specific kit they sell. I'm looking for a little guidance since all of the old HID info from the old forum is probably gone. I've never had the bulb out of my bike before so this will be new territory for me tearing into it. I'm a little puzzled that DDM seems to have sent me a car harness since it seems to have the connectors to tie into two ballasts. Does anyone have any pics or tips on install of the DDM kit?

I'm guessing from looking at the harness that I have that I plug into the old headlight harness and I've got the hot and ground wires so I guess I connect hot to the battery and ground on the frame somewhere. The config of the harness makes me wonder if everything will reach where it needs to though. Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated at this point before I dive in. I'm just hoping that everything that they sent me as far as bulb and harness is what I need. Thanks in advance guys!

George R. Young · « **Reply #1 on:** May 21, 2011, 09:59:34 AM »

Mine's not from DDM but it might provide some tips:
http://web.ncf.ca/ag136/HID55W%20%20Bi-Xenon%20Headlight.html

mlf73 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 21, 2011, 01:45:34 PM »

Well, I got it installed anyway. I'm still not sure about that harness that they sent me.....have to look into that and verify what I ordered and ask them why they sent the harness that they did. I just bundled up the extra wiring that would run to a second bulb for now and tie wrapped it to the frame. That metal clip holding the bulb in place is a pain in the rear! Can anyone tell me if the rubber boot that covers the bulb can be used when doing the HID upgrade? I couldn't get it to seat back over the lip on the back of the headlamp assembly. The HID bulb seemed to stretch it too far back for me to get it back the way it should be. Maybe it's just because there's no room in there for my big hands!

mlf73 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 23, 2011, 06:07:47 AM »

OK...got the HID installed and seem to be having a little issue and wondering if anyone has any pointers while I wait for a response from DDM. I've had my lights cut off on me a few times since installing the HID.....thankfully not while out riding after dark. First time was while out riding prior to dark when I was going to see how the lights worked. I stopped and noticed my lights weren't working so I hurried home. It seems as though the lights don't fire up every time or shut off at some point. I think I've had 3 instances where they didn't come on or shut off immediately. I can shut the bike off and restart it and the lights come on and stay on. I took it out for a test ride last night through the neighborhood with no problems on the ride. The light seems good and bright. Low beam looks good and high beam seems to light up the road for half a mile! I'm just worried about the reliability at this point. I'm grounded to the old coil mounts but I'll check and make sure I have a good ground later today. I'm pretty sure my positive to the battery is good and all of the connections between light socket, harness and ballast are good. Any ideas or tips? Thanks.

timsatx · « **Reply #4 on:** May 23, 2011, 06:33:39 AM »

Make sure that the lights come on when you start the bike. If you just look at the instrument panel and base it on that you may well be without lights. You will have to look at the light after you start the bike, and before you ride, to make sure it came on. I had/have a similar problem with mine. I have had suggestions saying that it may well be a grounding problem. I never have messed with it yet. I find that if I just bump the starter and wait 2 or 3 seconds and then start the bike it works fine. It allows the ballast to charge up prior to starting the bike.

gtr1000 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 23, 2011, 07:34:35 AM »

Friends of mine have had the same symptoms on cars and it's turned out to be the ballast.

As you've got the car kit with two ballasts, can you easily swap the installed ballast for the spare one?

2fast · « **Reply #6 on:** May 23, 2011, 07:49:03 AM »

Quote from: timsatx on May 23, 2011, 06:33:39 AM

I find that if I just bump the starter and wait 2 or 3 seconds and then start the bike it works fine. It allows the ballast to charge up prior to starting the bike.

This should not be needed on a properly functioning system, and lighting the HID's followed by a quick restart is probably not a good thing. Sounds like there may be a weakness in the system like the previously mentioned ground, or a J box relay.

mlf73 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 23, 2011, 08:36:43 AM »

Thanks all. I don't have a second ballast as I just ordered a motorcycle specific kit with one ballast from DDM Tuning. I've got a ticket opened with them now and I also asked why they sent me a car harness when I ordered a motorcycle kit...not sure if this is what they normally do or a mistake on their part. I'm grounded on the frame where my coils used to be and I cleaned it before adding the connection. I'll check that later on today and add a couple star washers for better contact since I didn't have any at the time of the install.

Were you guys able to get the rubber boot back on the back of the headlamp assembly after doing your HID upgrade? I couldn't stretch mine enough to get it back on. There's just not enough room in there. It was all I could do to get that bulb clip off and on!

Thanks,

Marlan

jklhill · « **Reply #8 on:** May 23, 2011, 09:17:35 AM »

Quote from: mlf73 on May 23, 2011, 08:36:43 AM

Thanks all. I don't have a second ballast as I just ordered a motorcycle specific kit with one ballast from DDM Tuning. I've got a ticket opened with them now and I also asked why they sent me a car harness when I ordered a motorcycle kit...not sure if this is what they normally do or a mistake on their part. I'm grounded on the frame where my coils used to be and I cleaned it before adding the connection. I'll check that later on today and add a couple star washers for better contact since I didn't have any at the time of the install.

Were you guys able to get the rubber boot back on the back of the headlamp assembly after doing your HID upgrade? I couldn't stretch mine enough to get it back on. There's just not enough room in there. It was all I could do to get that bulb clip off and on!

Thanks,

Marlan

I have the DDM 35W automotive kit, Marlan. From what I understand the motorcycle kit is just an automotive kit minus the extra ballast and bulb. I was able to install the rubber boot only after removing the center section of the boot with a razor blade. It still fits very tight but that is good for a watertight seal. I have not had any problems with mine turning off or not turning on. It sounds like you've already done it but I would check all your connections and also the connections in the new harness supplied by DDM. When I installed mine I noticed the connection for the hi/lo solenoid was not secured in its plug. Maybe you have a poor connection in one of the new connectors.

gtr1000 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 23, 2011, 12:14:10 PM »

Contact your supplier and explain what's happening. See if they'll send you a new ballast. Might mean returning yours to them before they ship a new one out so back to the staock lamp for a while

.

txfatboy · « **Reply #10 on:** May 23, 2011, 03:46:39 PM »

Quote from: mlf73 on May 23, 2011, 08:36:43 AM

Were you guys able to get the rubber boot back on the back of the headlamp assembly after doing your HID upgrade? I couldn't stretch mine enough to get it back on. There's just not enough room in there. It was all I could do to get that bulb clip off and on!

Thanks,

Marlan

Just wondering if you know the HID bulb is removable from the base? With the bulb in your hand (being careful to not touch the glass part of the bulb) hold the metal base with one hand and the opposite end of the glass bulb with the other hand. With the wired end facing you, turn the wired end counter clockwise about 1/8th of a turn and pull the two pieces apart, paying attention to the orientation of the two pieces with each other. Install the metal base, THEN install the rubber boot. make sure the boot is pushed up far enough so that is is flush with the metal base of the bulb. Install the bulb and turn it clockwise 1/8th of a turn. The wires should be facing down as the come off of the end of the bulb. At least that was how it worked on my HID kit. Hope this helps. Your results may vary. Proceed at your own risk, ...etc.

mlf73 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 23, 2011, 06:31:45 PM »

Pulled the tank and checked all of the connections on the HID harness and the connections to the bike and everything looks good. I redid the ground to frame...made sure I had bare metal and added a couple star washers to make sure I had good contact. I'm still having issues with the lights not coming on at times and/or cutting off after being on. I guess I'm at the mercy of DDM Tunings customer support at this point. Thanks for all of the feedback.

I'll have to attempt to do something with that rubber boot next time I tear it apart. I snipped the rubber where the original bulb goes through it to plug into the wiring socket and ran the wiring from the HID bulb assembly through it but it juts back too far to cover the whole thing and seat on the back of the headlamp assembly. Maybe I'll do as txfatboy says and try to unlplug the HID bulb and see if I can get it seated back the way it should be. It looks like I'm going to be taking it apart again anyway.

turtle · « **Reply #12 on:** May 24, 2011, 10:40:19 AM »

I had a ballast failure with DDM too, as did a friend of mine on his car kit. I still check the headlight almost every time I start the bike, now, but it's working OK. Apparently the ballast is not the most robust, but a new one should fix you right up. My experience with DDM customer service was pretty good, so I hope they take care of you as well as they did me.

Having an extra ballast around is probably not a bad idea. I should have bought the car kit ...

mlf73 · « **Reply #13 on:** May 24, 2011, 01:55:58 PM »

I'm beginning to wish that I had bought the car kit myself....or from somewhere else. I opened a ticket online about a day and a half ago at this point and no response there yet so I just called their number (not a toll free number by the way) to see about getting some help that way. I generally tend to be patient with these sorts of things. Waited on hold for several minutes before somone comes on to tell me that they are loaded down with about 20 calls per tech and they'll get back with me ASAP...which when asked, he said before the end of the day or tomorrow. I don't see this being easy at all! $:-\$

jklhill · « **Reply #14 on:** May 24, 2011, 03:00:55 PM »

Quote from: mlf73 on May 24, 2011, 01:55:58 PM

I'm beginning to wish that I had bought the car kit myself....or from somewhere else. I opened a ticket online about a day and a half ago at this point and no response there yet so I just called their number (not a toll free number by the way) to see about getting some help that way. I generally tend to be patient with these sorts of things. Waited on hold for several minutes before somone comes on to tell me that they are loaded down with about 20 calls per tech and they'll get back with me ASAP...which when asked, he said before the end of the day or tomorrow. I don't see this being easy at all! $:-\$

For what it is worth, my experience with DDM's tech support was very good.

mlf73 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 24, 2011, 07:08:07 PM »

Thanks guys. I still haven't heard back from DDM tech support yet either on my web ticket or phone call. I'll follow up with any significant developments if I think there is anything worth sharing that may be of help to anyone in the future.

buzzcut · « **Reply #16 on:** May 24, 2011, 11:00:43 PM »

I have the DDm system.I just cut off the wire to the second light. Twice it has not fired up in eight months. I turn off the bike and restart and I have light. I carry a spare h4 though since the switch to original is so easy just n case. Love the light it puts out. I have the digital ballast. It is also in all my cars and families vehicles now and no problems noted.

mlf73 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 25, 2011, 05:49:28 AM »

Quote

I have the DDm system.I just cut off the wire to the second light. Twice it has not fired up in eight months. I turn off the bike and restart and I have light. I carry a spare h4 though since the switch to original is so easy just n case. Love the light it puts out. I have the digital ballast. It is also in all my cars and families vehicles now and no problems noted.

Thanks. I'll probably end up cutting off the extra wiring too once I'm to a point where I'm mostly comfortable with the dependability of the system. My system is pretty much cutting off most every time when I start the bike up but will generally stay on after shutting it off and restarting. I think I've had a couple of times where it cut off at some point during a ride. That's the part that worries me the most. It's hard to tell every time what it does while riding during daylight without getting off the bike with it still running at every stop. I did put my H4 bulb in one of the fairing compartments just in case I ever need it.

mlf73 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 04, 2011, 06:31:00 AM »

Well.....I still haven't got my HID problem sorted out. I've been working with DDM Tunings support. They first wanted to sent me a replacement Hi/Lo controller which ended up being a complete harness when I got it in the mail. I went ahead and replaced the whole harness. It didn't resolve the issue. They next suggested I might need to add a delay switch to the headlight and to check forums so see if this was common. I told them I had never heard of anyone with their kit or anyone elses HID kit that had to install a delay switch on a Conc. They also suggested I troubleshoot with another ballast from something else. I don't have access to that or I would have done it long ago. My next correspondence with them at least has them willing to replace my ballast. My only concern at this point is whether they are sending me a replacement or if they are waiting for me to ship mine to them so they can test it and then say that it's good so they can charge me for shipping, etc. I have to find out about this for sure. This has not been a good experience so far! At the least, I would recommend that anyone upgrading to HID buy a car kit so that you have an extra ballast to test with in case you have issues.

mlf73 · « **Reply #19 on:** June 17, 2011, 01:29:16 PM »

Hopefully I've finally got my 55W HID upgrade working. I ended up sending my ballast to DDM for testing/replacement. I got my replacement in the mail yesterday. I could tell it was a used ballast from the condition and wear on it. At least it seems to be working as it should so far. DDM's customer service was pretty good but having to deal with them and then waiting for parts to ship from coast to coast just isn't fun or fast. I would definitely advise anyone buying an HID kit to spend a few extra bucks and get the car kit with two ballasts and bulbs. That way you have spares for testing if you do have problems. It would sure beat all of the waiting! I ordered my kit on 5/6 and I just got it all back together yesterday.

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Author Topic: HID upgrade install - Question (Read 6390 times)