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'83 GS450L - Headlight HID conversion?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Noah
  • Start date Start date
N

Noah

Guest
Hello everyone, this is my first post so please disregard if it's in the wrong area (although I believe this is the right spot)!

I'm trying to convert my GS450L's stock headlight which is a sealed halogen bulb (H4 I believe) to accommodate an HID kid from DDM Tuning (previously bought a kit for my Mazda 3 and love it).

Background on my bike:
Year: 1983
Model: GS450L
Measurements of the bulb: 6" from the front, about 6.5" from the back (of the housing bracket)

Here's the kit I will be getting:
http://www.ddmtuning.com/Products/DDM-35W-55W-Single-HiLo-Motorcycle-HID-Kit

This is a conversion that one of their associates directed me to but I'm not sure which one I need because the measurment of the sealed housing I currently have in there is pretty much in between the 2 they have (5.75" and 7"):
http://www.ddmtuning.com/Product-Categories/Sealed-Beam-Conversions

I called DDM Tuning and they instructed me to "find out what kind of housing you currently are using" to try to match to one of theirs.

Could anyone shed some light on this for me or even tell me if it's not possible to do this? I'm basically trying to find out what kind of housing this bike uses or if one of the 2 housing converters they have up will work in what i have already.

Thanks!
 
Greetings and Salutations!!

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi Mr. Noah,

I have no experience with this conversion, but you may need to use some generic headlight mounting ears. They can be had from lots of aftermarket vendors, sized according to your fork diameter.

Just one example: http://www.jcwhitney.com/motorcycle-headlight-mounting-brackets/p2003822.jcwx?filterid=c14762j3

Anyway, let me dump a TON of information on you and share some GS lovin'. :D

I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.
big_hi.gif


If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....
hat1.gif


Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", "Top 15 Tips For GS Happiness", the Carb Cleanup Series, and the Stator Papers. All of these tasks must be addressed in order to have a safe, reliable machine. This is what NOT to do: Top 10 Newbie Mistakes. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

carpet.jpg


Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike! :D

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
I just did a conversion on Suzie (1979 GS850G) and am in the process of doing one on a 250 Honda cruiser as soon as the owner drops it by again.

If your headlight reflector accomodates an H4 bulb then most conversions fit easily. There is some variation in the length of the HID bulb which protrudes backward out of the headlight reflector so that is the main issue which could trip you up. Mine uses the style of HID "bulb" which as the shutter motor on the rear of the bulb so that is longer than most but still fits the original GS shell.

Check regarding the H4 bulb and yours first. If you take a straight edge across the mounting for the reflector, you will be able to compare that to the protrusion of an H4 and the HID you are considering. The seller should be able to tell you how far it protrudes.

I can measure another HID set in the garage if that would be helpful.

There are some issues with HID in that they don't start up as quickly as incandescent/quartz but that's not a real problem They also don't like to have the voltage dropping while they are firing up so some motorcycles are better with the HID left off while starting and then turned on. You will find that out after install so no big deal, just be aware.

It's late and I'm fading so off to the sack,

Norm
 
Hi and welcome Noah!

First of all, your stock bulb isn't a H4, it'll be a semi-sealed beam using a Suzuki bulb, at least I'm pretty sure that's the case.

I just replaced my headlight with an after market 7" job and while it looks great, I had to put a dent in the rear of the shell to clear the bottom of the ignition switch.

I think you'll find BassCliff's on the money when he says you'll need different mounting ears, and you may actually have to mount it quite low down compared to stock for it to fit if it's quite long...
 
Please don't do a "conversion".

Reflector/lens assemblies are designed around an incandescent bulb, which has its filament(s) in a known location and orientation. The HID "bulbs" do not use a filament, they use an electrical discharge arc, which is not in the same place as the filament, so the projected pattern will be different.

A standard incandescent bulb typically also has some shielding for the low-beam filament to prevent it from glaring upward, into the eyes of oncoming drivers. HID bulbs typically don't have those shields, as they use separate lights for high and low beams, which will have their optics optimized for their application.

To properly use HID lighting, please consider a complete projector-style lamp that is designed with an HID souce in mind, not a conversion.

.
 
Thank you Steve. You are spot on!
And fact is that most of the hid kits put out LESS usable light on the road than the halogen bulb they are replacing. Mostly because people seem to think that more kelvins=better light, WRONG.
If you really want xenon, get yourself a clear headlight, then do a retrofit with a bixenonprojector. TRS does a kit for motorcycles; http://www.theretrofitsource.com/product_info.php?products_id=927
That way you'll get better light than with P'N'P kit, and oncoming traffic wont be blinded by you
 
They are not DOT approved also !! Not legal
For an H4 get the Sylvania Superstar replacement
 
Some good advise there and one must be careful not to generalize. If one does due diligence, a good quality HID conversion is a very viable option. The one I chose for my GS850G is a better performer than the 55/60 H4 which it replaced, especially given the lower power consumption.

One should also be clear as to the intended purpose for their headlight. If one wants to be seen by oncoming traffic, the more intense HID light can be helpful. If one is riding primarily on urban streets and lit highways the light is primarily needed to attract the attention of other drivers.

I ride quite a lot on dark country roads which requires a different headlight characteristic than simply to be seen. No one flashes me because the reflector assembly is a good quality one and the HID conversion is also a better grade unit. This by direct observation of the application in question rather than from reading what someone has posted somewhere.

The comment regarding HID color is spot on as the Kelvin temperature number listed for HID is usually misunderstood. If one wishes to have lighting which matches the legal Quartz Iodide "white" bulbs then a 4600 K, IMO is the way to go. It is certain that moving up the scale into the blue region loses vision advantage because the eye does not "like" the blue spectrum so one is pumping out light which can't contribute to vision.

Another issue, as someone mentioned, is that HID conversions into a non-HID lighting unit are not approved. I don't bother too much about this as am not a motor vehicle inspector any longer so go by the 11th commandment and the criteria that one should avoid interfering with others as far as is possible.

So, as I'm going to put a technically illegal HID conversion on my bike. Do I:

a) Install an HID of a color which matches that of the other legal vehicles on the road, or

b) Install a high blue color which screams "I'm an illegal modification!"

On top of that, do I aim the light properly or let it glare into other drivers' eyes?

Following those decisions, how about I install loud exhaust and ride back and forth on residential streets until I really **** people off and, guess what? I offer a probable cause for the traffic stop by having an obviously illegal vehicle. Darwin really missed some of the folks out there....:confused:

In my case, I can have a high end HID conversion in a quality H4 shell, properly aimed of 4600K color and a set of bar heaters or I can have an H4 Quartz bulb which doesn't light the road as well and no bar heaters.

Another advantage to the HID is that I got it for not much more than the cost of changing to headlight relays and it removed most of the load from the old tired headlight circuit.

Others will need to decide for themselves but do your homework or consult someone known to be competent. The best of all worlds is to copy an install which fits your needs and has the least compromise.

Not wanting to bang any particular drum but HID is a good option for some applications. My ST1100 is unlikely to get HID, why? He has a 60 amp. alternator, dual H4 55/100 white headlights and dual 55 Watt driving lights. The alternator simply does not care that there is 310 Watts of front lights, plus running and auxiliary lights, two heated jackets, 30 Watt bar heaters, and some other stuff. The GS...290 Watts so big limitations:(

HIH

Norm
 
I know what I'm supposed to be doing as far as the HID kit itself and all that lol, I've already done it for my car.

My issue is mounting and the fitting.

Pete, you're correct that my bulb is a SEALED bulb.

Do I have to replace the whole housing for some aftermarket housing, ears, AND reflector? If so, where can I get that stuff that will fit my fork diameter? Is it just a standard thing and any will fit?

I plan on getting the 55w 5000k. The temperature of the bulb does nothing with the performance of the bulb, it simply denotes its COLOR. The LUMENS is what speaks for the performance of the bulb and the output in lumens compared to halogen bulbs is significantly higher + the benefit of less strain on the electrical system.

I do a fair amount of night driving but I also want it for the retarded drivers down here in FL to see me. I don't plan on blinding other drivers as most reflectors that are designed for HID bulbs (I know of 2 that I am looking at from the manufacturer of the HID kit) are designed to cut off the light at certain heights.

Thanks for all the replies and the kind welcomes!
 
I can't say what's available over there, but I got a whole new headlight shell and all here in Aus and I ended up having to put a dent in the rear of it to clear the bottom of the ignition switch housing.

There are some places over there to check out but I can't remember the name of any of them off the top of my head now... but I would strongly recommend measuring the depth of the bucket and what clearance you have etc. before ordering.

It will probably be easier in the long run to get replacement mounting ears, and if I knew I would have to do what I did to my shiny new housing I would've bought alternative mounting ears months ago...
 
what do you mean by "over there"?

do you mean local shops around here or just ordering from places online from the US?

did you get a new reflector for the inside of the new shell?

did you buy all of this from a local shop or online?

mine is about 5.5" deep and 7.5" in diameter
 
Noah,
How about putting your location in your profile so we know where you are. Pete is down south almost to the point of falling off the globe (Australia) and is probably assuming you are in the States.

Also, put your bike info in your signature block. Both can be found under the User CP
 
Dang, I'm jealous lol.

I was just looking through your photobucket account of your gs450, i like your exhaust you have on it in one of these videos lol.

I guess I'm gonna have to ask around here, even though there aren't many shops here within a short distance

You wouldn't happen to know of any online stores would ya?
 
Haha yeah it's a nice looking unit, although the chrome is very very thin. The denting I had to do caused it to split and peel off very easily, but you can't see it thankfully as it's hidden behind the headlight ears.

Thanks for the compliment on the exhaust, although full credit must go to a local mob who made it called Tranzac. It's custom and exactly what I asked for which was pretty good considering I just pointed and used hand gestures to show him after leaving the iPhone at home and the cardboard mock up at home :rolleyes:

You could try Dime City Cycles, Mikes XS, Z1 Enterprises, and there's another online one that sells lights with a brand like candle power, but I can't remember now for the life of me...
 
would a vetter headlight off of a gs1000 work on an '80 gs850g? im just looking to convert to a h4 bulb to run a relay setup
 
mudanddust said:
would a vetter headlight off of a gs1000 work on an '80 gs850g? im just looking to convert to a h4 bulb to run a relay setup
Click to expand...
No need for the Vetter light, because it does not mount quite the same way.
If you have the stock headlight bucket on the 850, get a reflector/lens assembly from
Susquehanah MotorSports, or you can get a Hella unit from Quadratec.

Both of those units are E-Code (that's European Code) lights, which I feel are better than DOT-approved lights or even motorcycle-specific ones.


And, ... why do you feel you have to do an H4 conversion to use relays?

.
 
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