Tired of replacing headlight bulbs so i'm looking into a HID setup that will fit in my 5" headlight bucket. Any ideas.

 

I got a HID installed. There was a local Indy that does it. It fits into the OEM bucket and works great!

Better visibility at night and others see you easier in day.

 

I took my headlight out... Pulled the bulb out...
Gathered up my hid kit from fortemotors on eBay.
Put the bulb in, connected the wires, jammed it inside the bucket, put the ring on...
10 minute job... Minus the 3 days shipping..... Minus the 10 minutes standing around looking at the bike...
Minus the 30 minutes the 3 of us sat in the garage, not wanting to go in yet. We were discussing how very easy and simple that was..

 

This is a great idea. There are probably auto trim shops in your local area that can order the HID kit especially made for your model. For my spare bike, (62 XLCH), it was about $100 and I had to fabricate a little because their kits didn't go back that far. Sportster owners will know that the buckets were the same size and only the connection was different. My new bike though has the Harley factory LED kit.

 

Im not nessisarily looking for a plug and play but really looking for a known good kit. I have plenty of room under the tank because of a tank lift . I see tons on ebay but dont want to put down 100.00 bucks to find out I shoulda got the other one. thanks.

 

Mine ran me $180 and the Indy installed it for me. When the ballast when bad after a few days, he met me at a gas station half-way and we replaced the ballast in the parking lot.


So far, very satisfied with the set-up. Its a plug and play sort of deal. The ballast and hi/lo relay fit nicely into the bucket behind the headlight housing. Another nice thing is I got the stock bulb so if my HID burns out, a phillips screwdriver, 10 minutes and I'm back in business.

 

I have this kit installed. It also has a high beam
all the components fit under my tank with a 2 inch lift just as you are wanting to do

http://www.kbcarstuff.com/HID-Kits-s/216.htm

Good solid kit, rode hours in the pouring rain with no issues, bulb fits the original lamp housing
3 year warranty

It takes about an hour to install including removing the tank and taking the lamp housing apart

FYI, I am running a 65K lamp, it is a bit blue but lights up the road nicely

 

Are HID bulbs going to be any less expensive? My guess is not much if.
I just brought up fleebay and have a new question and idea to throw into the mix.
HID kits for cars are starting at $35.00. This gives you a pair of relay's and two wiring harnesses. Why not find a good corresponding part number to match which type bulb you currently run and and buy an Auto kit so as to have a spare everything. I've
I have heard several people complain about costs of replacement bulbs and relay's when they die and their doesn't seem to be any longevity benefits, just a whiter light.
A friend at work purchased a new car a few months ago which had factory HID lighting. Both of his low beams have died on him already. To make matters worse, Auto zone gets a hundred plus bucks each for replacements. Not bad considering the stealer wanted $300.00 each. A mechanic friend said one of his regular customers sold/traded his HID equipped car to one without strictly due to the cost of replacement bulbs.
AS much as I toil it over, I too will one day more than likely try the HID game. I hope that by that time, LED prices will go down in price.
I also noticed recently on Ebay bulbs, the heightening of the Kelvin ratings of standard H series bulbs to near that of the HID's.
I'll still never mail for one. I will buy over the counter somewhere just to have local recourse in case something doesn't go so well.
Cause that's the way I rolls!
My $0.03


aka Bob

 

I have bought....
The headlight hi/low beam ... And fog light conversion for a Dodge Dakota...
The low beam side for a ford explorer...
The roadglide kit for my RG....
All from fortemotors...
Not one problem...

For Harley... I believe most bulbs are
H4's...
So just buy an H4 slim kit..
I buy the dual..
It has low beam xenon( the hid part) and hi beam halogen. This is one reason bulbs blow... The start up on vehicles is harsh on the electronic ballast. So i flip to hi beam to start the bike...
Flawless... Simple... Plug and play!!! Seriously...
I'm not affiliated with these guys on eBay.... Just very happy with the product...

I use the 12k bulbs!!
Love that blue/white color!!!