Any small HID projector housings on the market?

[Hypersapien]

Hey everyone,

I want to make a new headlight for my motorcycle using a pre-made HID projector system. So far I have seen people make OEM car projectors fit into my application but it is on a street legal dirt bike (supermoto) and space is extremely limited especially in depth.

I have searched high and low for a small projector but as far as I can tell the only ones on the market come from cars or are made to be put in a car. And the shallowest I could find came in at about 5 1/2 in from an Acura TSX.

Anybody know of something that comes in at under 4 inches?

Here is my current setup (bought the bike used with this installed) It uses 2 35 W bulbs in two 2 inch bowl reflectors... no beam pattern to speak of.

 

[-Virgil-]

Er…yeah, those MR16s really need to be taken off the bike like yesterday. They're OK for household track lighting and slide projectors and such, but they have no business on the exterior of a roadgoing vehicle.

You might want to look at the first-generation Audi TT projector.

 

[Hypersapien]

Thank you for stating the obvious! Lol I don't dare travel outside the city lights at anything after dusk... really they shouldn't be allowed to sell this setup for any type of vehicle application... really just gives the appearance of legality since bikes need a light even during the day.

Do you know the length of the TT projectors?

Here is what I am currently looking at getting.

http://store.theretrofitsource.com/...d=122&osCsid=7dcc8f1372ab6d3860e93c0d97012032

These come in at 5.45 in. depth add to that however much the bulb protrudes out the back and we're talking 6 inches. My current fairing sticks out from the farthest back i could go about 4 and a half inches... meaning that I will need to get creative with shroud designs if it is going to look 'factory'.

Any tricks I should be aware of if i do go this route? Especially as far as wiring in the solenoid goes?

 

[tay]

I have a few ideas for you

350z projectors (from the 2003 style headlights - not the newest ones)(1.5")

Bosch Mini H3 projectors (1.5")

Maxima H3 Foglight projectors (2", on left)

Blazer foglights (it's rare, but there is a verson where the bulb socket is mounted at a 90 degree angle, so the bulb goes in sideways, which really reduces the depth)

Newer Lexus projectors. I can't find a picture, but I know the IS-250 projectors and maybe a few others have the bulb mounted at a 90 degree angle to the "normal" location, so that the back of the projector bowl just ends, and the bulb actually screws in the bottom so it's standing up straight.

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

I would search for fog projectors. comparative beam pattern but smaller dimensions. IS300 fog projectors might work too.

Blazers are great, from what I hear, but depth looks like it may be an issue. FX projectors aren't much smaller than tsx

 

[Hypersapien]

Wow some good ideas there tay. Thanks.
Would you say that a fog light will put out the same amount of light as a driving light? Especially since we are using the same bulbs here... if the output in lumens is the same what then would be the drawback to going down in lense size?

What would you say the beam quality of these http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Glass-Projector-H3-HID-Ready-Fog-Lights-Lamps-Kit-71_W0QQitemZ260390816832QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item3ca0808c40&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318 would be to say the tsx projector I showed you?

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Fog and driving lights are not AT ALL the same thing, and NEITHER of them make good headlights for a road going vehicle, even if they mount the same way and physically look the same.

A fog light is a low flat wide bar of light that doesn't go much past 100 feet. You are overdriving your fog lights if you're going much more than 25 mph.

A driving light is designed for distance vision with little side or foreground light.

Neither of these make a good headlamp, which is a compromise of distance and foreground/side lighting with an emphasis on not blinding oncoming traffic.

Use an actual headlight and have it stick out the front of the bike, if that's what it takes.

:buddies:

 

[Hypersapien]

I like your thinkin diesel bomber! It would be a much wiser choice just to make it work with the actual headlight. OEM quality and its what it was designed for.

Ordering in a little while

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

Dude, why not just hack out that spot where the two halogen units are and just put one normal HID headlight projector there? That way you don't have to make a compromise with using fog/aux lights.

 

[Hypersapien]

I bit the bullet today and got all the stuff I will need.

1-HID projector housing from a G35 Infinity including clear lens and shroud
1-ultra slim ballast on ebay
1-6000K Morimoto D2S bulb

Total was $165 most of it bought on theretrofitsource.com

I will see what it looks like with the projector in that fairing but I already have all the stuff I will need to make a new carbon fiber fairing made to fit... I will update on progress

 

[AParrette]

careful with teh super slim ballasts
they have a seperate igniter in line outside of the board so you will have to deal with ten credit cards and a Twinkie

def want to see what comes of this
sounds like a very nice project

 

[Hypersapien]

Ten credit cards and a twinkie hey? LOL

I will be able to work it I'm sure. This will be one heavy light when its done... well compared to whats on there now. Hopefully it doesn't interfere with my wheelies too much. I started the pink-foam mold today for the fairing... I want her to look worthy of being put in the next batman movie

 

[John_Galt]

I have a few ideas for you

350z projectors (from the 2003 style headlights - not the newest ones)(1.5")

Bosch Mini H3 projectors (1.5")

Maxima H3 Foglight projectors (2", on left)

Blazer foglights (it's rare, but there is a verson where the bulb socket is mounted at a 90 degree angle, so the bulb goes in sideways, which really reduces the depth)

Newer Lexus projectors. I can't find a picture, but I know the IS-250 projectors and maybe a few others have the bulb mounted at a 90 degree angle to the "normal" location, so that the back of the projector bowl just ends, and the bulb actually screws in the bottom so it's standing up straight.

Wow, those 350Z projectors are tiny. But what is the point of having a projector inside a reflector? Were the reflectors doing anything, or just there to keep with the original styling?
Sorry for the de-rail, BTW...

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

projector helps define the beam and the reflector fills in the rest of the beam pattern. both parts use the same light source, d2 capsule

 

[Hypersapien]

The projector has arrived Got the mold started and things are looking up...

 

[NorCal2500HD]

Nice....Ive been wanting to put a projector on my husky, but havnt really taken a lot of time to really get into it. Ill be watching this one.

 

[rjrivero]

What is the circumference of that light? I'm wondering if this will work for a project I have in mind. Thanks in advance.

RJ

 

[Hypersapien]

The diameter of the lens is 2.5 inches... times pi and you have your circumference.

The mold for the new fairing is nearly ready to start the layup of carbon fiber

Will be posting some pics as she goes...

 

[tay]

That isnt necessarily true... there is some amount of variation on what exactly a 2.5" lens is. Generally, "2.5"" just means its somewhere between 2.4 and 2.65 inches.

Its common to hear people get burned because they bought a 2.5 inch clear lens on ebay, and it was 2.55, and their projector was 2.50, so it didnt fit.

I think RJ was asking more about the diameter of the cylindrical chrome part of the lens holder, which looks to be in the 2.75-3 inch range.

 

[Hypersapien]

Yeah good call on measuring the housing. It read 2.735" on my caliper so it may be a bit big if you want it a certain size.

Ill post pics tonight of my mold. Its been a work in progress and I am almost to the point where I can lay up the female mold.